揌e was a kindhearted guy when we knew him. He was more outgoing at that time of his life than Wade, but he had a big heart just like Wade does.?Jessica finally got control of her emotions. 揟hank you, Daisy, for giving us this beautiful gift today.?
揧ou are welcome,?Daisy said. 揘ow get ready to raise your hands to heaven and shout hallelujah! 慚y Church?is the next one on the list.?
Oscar put away his bandanna and shouted louder than any of them when the lyrics asked them to give her a hallelujah. He got up, grabbed Mary Nell by the hand, and did some fancy swing dancing around the barroom floor. 揥e needed this after hearing 慏anny Boy?and remembering the man who gave his life for our freedom,?he said over the top of the music.
揥ell, it is our church.?Jessica dried up the last of her tears and then wiped Wade抯 face. 揂re you all right??
He hugged her tightly. 揑 am now, and I will be from now on. How about you? Regrets??
揘ot a single one. I抦 home, and I抦 happy,?she answered. 揂nd you抣l think this is an insane time to get a message from the universe about where to bury my folks, but I just did. I抦 going to put them between the church and the barn and put up a small stone to mark the place. They wanted me to be happy, and I am, and I do want a place to go talk to my mama every now and then.?
揥hen you are ready, we抣l take care of it敆Wade kissed her on the forehead棑and, honey, I don抰 think it抯 crazy at all. And after this song, I抦 going to show the twins the pictures I have of Danny on my phone. They need to see the man that the bar is named for.?
揕ast song coming up,?Daisy yelled. 揑t抯 慛eon Church?by Tim McGraw. We should have thought to put a neon sign up.?
揑 love this song.?Lily began to dance all alone out on the floor. 揑 like the part about a jukebox choir and a bunch of honky-tonk angels.?
Wade stood up and held out a hand toward Jessica. 揑 think they抮e playing our song.?
She put her hand in his, and he led her out to the middle of the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he drew her close. 揥e抮e going to be all right. I just know it. We deserve what we抳e got, and with all our friends around us, we抮e going to kick that other shoe out the door if it drops.?
揧es, we are,?she said, and she meant it.
Chapter Twenty-One
When everyone had gone that evening, Jessica went out to the bar and plugged some coins into the jukebox. She pressed the buttons to play 揕ead Me Home敆a song that probably would be better suited to a funeral, but every bit of the song seemed to apply to her life. That night she was burying the past and going forward. The lyrics asked God to take the singer抯 hand and lead him home, and Jessica felt like God had done that for her. That a bar remodeled from an old church could be compared to heaven might not fit into some folks?way of thinking, but to Jessica, it was perfect. She stepped out into the middle of the floor in the semidarkness and closed her eyes. She weaved back and forth until the song ended.
The next song was 揑f Tomorrow Never Comes?by Garth Brooks. One minute she was dancing around alone, the next Wade had appeared out of nowhere and taken her in his arms. He sang the words to the song right along with Garth.
揟his was on the radio when I was getting ready for bed, and I had to come out here and tell you . . .?
She took a step back and led him down the hall to her bedroom. 揑 don抰 ever want to face the world without you, Wade Granger, but I damn sure don抰 intend to waste another moment of what we have today, either.?
揟his is a big step,?Wade whispered. 揑抳e been ready for it for a long time, maybe since we were teenagers.?
揗e too.?She pulled him into her bedroom and kicked the door shut with her bare foot.
Wade awoke on Tuesday morning and sat straight up in bed. For a few minutes he thought he was still dreaming, and then he realized that Jessica was curled up beside him. His phone lying on the table next to the bed told him it was five o抍lock, Tuesday, August 16. He propped up on an elbow and stared his fill of Jessica. Her blonde hair was splayed out over the pillow, with one strand stuck to her forehead. The sheet covered her body, but he didn抰 need to see her without clothing to know what she looked and felt like. The night before had told him all that and more.
She opened her eyes slowly, reached out to touch his face, and said, 揧ou are real. Last night wasn抰 a dream.?
揑 was just thinking the same thing.?He moved over and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. 揑抦 in love with you, Jessica. I want us to live together, but all I have to offer you is a tiny travel trailer.?
揑 want us to live together, too,?she said, 揳nd I do have this bedroom, a nice bed, and a bathroom we can share.?