“I know, but it’s the only way to keep her away from them until they’re ready to learn the full extent of the type of woman Mum really is. For now, I just want them to focus on school and being children.”
“You’re a good brother to them.”
“I try to be.” He holds my hand and kisses the top of it. “Just like I’m going to promise to be a good boyfriend to you from now on. If you’ll ever forgive me.”
Boyfriend. He’s called himself my boyfriend. A chorus of angels is singing in my head as fireworks explode. I don’t notice that in the meantime, he’s also slipped an envelope from his pocket and is sliding it toward me.
“What’s this?”
“Open it,” he says.
I pick up the letter-sized envelope. My name is written on the front in bold printed letters. Turning it over, I open it and pull out a single sheet of A4 paper.
Samuel Baker’s Contract of Promises for Minerva Hana
I, Samuel Baker, am putting it in writing to Minerva Hana that I will do my utmost to be present from now on.
I promise to call, text, chat with, and reply to Minerva Hana within twenty-four hours unless the aforementioned party has been notified I am on a military-led operation or other extenuating circumstances.
I continue to skim the document. There are quite a fewclauses he’s included. My eyes return to Sam. “You wrote me a contract?”
“Yes. I wanted to give you something in writing, so I’d be able sit here and look you directly in the eyes, and mean it when I told you that my promises won’t be empty. Min, I’m so sorry I’ve been so absent these last few weeks. I’ve been on my own for so long that I’m sorely out of practice when it comes to having a girlfriend. I stupidly didn’t realize that by not texting or calling you, I was hurting you. I just assumed everything was fine between us. You never told me how you felt.” He squeezes my hand. “Don’t ever be afraid to call me out on my shoddy behavior. It’s the only way I’ll be able to realize and learn from my mistakes. I’m not always good at picking up on subtle signals or reading between the lines.”
“Sam, Iwashurt. I felt like you didn’t care about me. About us. Hearing from you is always the highlight of my day. When you didn’t even try to contact me, it was like losing a small part of myself.”
His shoulders sag. “I feel like such a wanker.”
“But the thing is”—I place a hand under his chin—“you are showing me now that you are aware of the problem and that you’re working hard to try and be better about not ignoring me in the future.” His eyes lock on to mine. “I’m not perfect either. I’ve been holding back from telling you things, like Clarissa and the flat situation, because I was afraid to burden you with more stress. Instead, what I’ve ended up doing is stressing myself to the point where I’m mentally and physically exhausted. In the future, I’m going to challenge myself to open up to you.”
“Just as I’m going to ensure I never miss another message from you again.”
“You can try and hold to that, but I’m sure there’ll beexceptions every once in a while.” I chuckle. “The army is your life, at least for the next few years.”
“You’re right. It is. But still, I will make every possible effort I can to show you how much I care about you. There is still so much we have to learn about one another and skills we’ll have to develop as our relationship continues to grow and blossom into something deeper,” Sam says, stroking my neck. “The key is that we’re going to have to do it together. Do you forgive me?”
“Yes, I do.” We share a kiss. My eyes roll back. My body is at peace, and I feel full.
Twenty-Seven
On Friday morning, I rub my eyes. Clarissa stands on a platform in front of three mirrors, admiring her cheongsam reception dress from every angle. It’s a sleek, form-fitting sleeveless garment that hugs her body. From the top of her bun to her rhinestone ballet flats, she’s glowing.
Sonya, Lea, and the entire team of seamstresses are passing around boxes of tissues and snapping photos of the boss from every angle.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“Stunning.”
“Paddy is going to go weak in the knees when he sees you.”
My own legs are quivering. I can’t believe how everything has come together so beautifully. It truly has been a team effort. Every single lady standing in this room has given one hundred and ten percent of themselves the last few days. We’ve come in early and stayed late, all to make Clarissa’s dream dress come to life.
“This is beyond anything I could have hoped for,” she says softly, wiping a tear from the corner of her cheek.
That’s all it takes for my waterworks to begin flowing too. “It’s all Lea.” I grin as I accept tissues from my intern.
Clarissa spins around. Her dress catches the light. I don’t remember who suggested it, but we ended up using iridescent-colored thread for the designs within the fabric. Whenever she moves, the dress shimmers and catches the light.
“No, it was all of you.” Clarissa signals for us to surround her and give her a group hug.
