In the evenings I spent all of my time with the three of them. My most favorite part was when it got close to bed time. B would nestle her body up against mine while Kat always sat next to us. I’d put my arm around her and enjoy being this close to them at the same time.
As the days got closer to Bobby’s service, I could sense Kat getting nervous. She wasn’t snappy, but it was clear she had a lot on her mind.
During the day, I focused on getting my financials together for the realty company back in D.C., so that I could attempt to buy back Kat’s parent’s house. I still hadn’t mentioned it to her, but knew without a single doubt, she’d appreciate it more than any other gift money could buy. It wasn’t just her childhood home. It was where all of her special memories with her parents still remained.
I could picture us raising our family there. It seemed like the good choice to make, especially since my career options were about to change.
Lucky for me I had a great resume to provide, and with a couple military bases, NSA, and even the FBI within driving distance, I’d have a ton of options to apply for.
The night before Bobby’s funeral, after I’d put B to bed and made sure my mom was comfortable in the cleaned up guest room, I climbed into bed next to Kat and pulled her in close. “Stop worrying about tomorrow, woman. It’s just another day.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to go there and face all of them.”
“I will. I’d be happy to accompany you.”
She turned and gave me a questionable look. “Seriously? I can’t show up to Bobby’s funeral with you. It’s wrong in so many ways.”
“I’m the father of your child and your best friend. What’s the big deal?”
“It’s inappropriate, Brooks. I’m going alone. That’s the end of this discussion. Let it be.”
I ran my hand through a clump of her long brown hair. “You’re feisty tonight. You’re like a female lioness.”
“Don’t be funny. You’re freaking me out about showing up. Brooks, you can’t be there.”
“Calm down. I won’t come.”
Kat wrapped her arms around me. “Don’t get mad. I just can’t handle anymore negative drama. I feel like tomorrow will finally close a lot of doors for me. I’ve lived here and made friends. Now I’m worried I don’t have any left. It hurts.”
“You’re never alone, Kat.”
“I know. It’s the point though.”
I kissed her nose and then her lips. “I love you. Everything I do is because of that.”
“I know it is. That’s why you’re the man of my dreams, Brooks. You always know what I need. I love you for being you.”
That night while she slept I tossed and turned, even with a new mattress. It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable. I was worried about her getting into a situation and me not being there to save her. She wasn’t going to like it, but I was going to show up at the funeral even if I had to hide it from her.
I’d borrowed my friend’s car to ride to the funeral in. It had tinted windows, making it easy for me to be there without being seen. It wasn’t hard to spot Kat’s car as she pulled in. I watched her hobble out toward a group of people. After I knew she wasn’t looking around for me, I pulled into a spot closer and cracked the window so I could hear what the people were saying to her. It hurt me so much that she was going there alone. I had a terrible feeling I couldn’t shake. That’s why I put on my military dress apparel and went even after she’d told me not to.
Right away I could hear hostility as the people addressed her.
“Hold up a minute. Where do you think you’re goin’, Katy?”
“Inside. Where else would I go?”
The man shook his head and pointed back toward the lot. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Do everyone a favor and just go home. We’re all here to remember our friend, not sit in the same room with the person that ended his life.”
I gripped the steering wheel while telling myself she could handle them.
“I have every right to be in there. He was my husband, and I loved him.”
“You loved him?” The guy spit on the ground in front of her. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it. “You loved him so much that you had him arrested for a crime he wasn’t capable of doin’. You know that man never laid a hand on you, but yet you had him arrested for it, didn’t ya?”
“You think I inflicted those bruises all of those times on myself?”
I kept reminding myself that she was prepared for this.