Chasing Anne

Sunrise

  Anne awoke the following morning more than eager to welcome the new day. She looked down at Dawn, peacefully resting at her feet and smiled, scratching behind the husky's ears. Dawn raised her head and yawned, shaking her head afterward to fully alert herself. She then looked to her Master, her concerned eyes meeting Anne's. Anne laughed and took the canine's head in her hands.
"I'm okay, Dawn."
Dawn sniffed her hand and then laid stood, moving so that she could rest her head on Anne's lap. Anne smiled and bent down, kissing the top of the dog's head. "You're an amazing dog, Dawn."
Dawn nosed her way under Anne's arm and sighed deeply, closing her eyes and dozing back off into sleep. Anne grinned and shook her head. "An amazing peculiar dog, that is."
But Dawn was already asleep. Anne carefully slid off of her bed and onto the floor, her feet sliding into her fur-lined slippers. But though the slippers protected her feet from the cool wooden floor, the chilly morning air still chilled the rest of her body straight through her pajamas. She shivered, hugging herself for warmth while quickly moving over to the couch where her sweater lay over the backrest. She grabbed the knitted, lavender sweater and pulled it over her head, slipping her arms in sleeves. Once the sweater was pulled over her torso, her shivering body slowly began to warm up. She grabbed a navy blue blanket and tucked it under her arm, walking over to the bay window and sitting down on the periwinkle cushions of the window seat. Wrapping the blue blanket around her legs, she sighed, leaned back, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
For a moment, all was quiet, but then she heard the soft patter of feet and the click of nails on the wooden floor. She opened her eyes and turned to look down at the floor just as Dawn leaped up onto the window seat. Anne smiled and scratched behind the dog's ears once more as the black canine laid down beside her on the cushions. Gently stroking the beautiful animal's fur, Anne took another deep breath, letting the crisp morning air fill her lungs with its refreshing life. Dawn sighed deeply, dozing back into sleep for the second time that morning. As she did, Anne closed her eyes once more and folded her hands in her lap. All was finally at peace . . . for now anyway. She smiled, her fingers brushing over the metal band that now wrapped around her finger. It was finally there. At long last, she and Mark were engaged. She laughed, and ran her index finger over the band around her ring finger, touching the sparkling jewel on the crest of the piece of jewelry. Had Mark really been carrying this ring around since he'd lost her that one fateful night?
"He probably did," she muttered, still laughing.
She wanted to see him again, wanted his arms around her, and the comfort of his embrace. Anne instantly chided herself, reddening fiercely. She was being ridiculous! She groaned and leaned back, sighing deeply. Dawn's ear swiveled in her direction, and her left eye opened, gazing with concern at her master. But as she did, another sound broke the silence, a sound that brought more than great joy to Anne's heart.
It was the sound of a knock.
She smiled, wide, sitting up and turning in the direction of the door. "Mark?"
And to her great joy, it was Mark behind the door. He smiled as his eyes met hers and quietly closed the door behind him, striding over to her. Anne held out her hand to him and he cordially took it, squeezing it gently before sitting down across from her on the cushion.
"How'd you sleep?" he asked softly.
"Better than expected. I could have slept longer really, but well, I guess I was readier to welcome the day."
"So was I," Mark replied, letting go of her hand and turning to look out the window. "And I was also eager to see you, Anne. Tell me, how are you this morning?"
"Excited, terrified, and joyful all mixed together," Anne replied, laughing. "That's a good way to describe how I'm feeling."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Why terrified?"
"Because I'm stepping into the unknown," she replied, her voice no more than a whisper. "It's both thrilling and terrifying."
"Well, if it brings you comfort, I'm right here."
Anne smiled. "Mark, you being beside me is more than a comfort. I don't know what would have happened if I lost you, and frankly, I never want to find out."
Mark turned his gaze back to her, his eyes filling with a tender, loving gaze that Anne couldn't help but blush at. She lowered her head, but Mark quickly regained her attention, raising his hand to her cheek and gently lifting her face. "Neither do I, Anne."
Anne smiled, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. She leaned forward, letting Mark catch her in his arms, relishing the feeling of just being held in his arms. He held her tightly, but his grip was gentle and Anne never wanted to leave it.
"If it makes you feel better," he began softly. "I'm scared too."
Anne laughed, and pulled back, looking into his eyes. "It actually does make me feel better, surprisingly."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Why does that surprise you? We're in this together so why shouldn't we be scared together?"
"It's just strange for me to be relieved that you're as scared as I am, that's all."
"Yeah, I guess it is kind of odd," Mark admitted. "But it is nice to know that I'm not the only one afraid of our marriage. I wonder if Jackson felt like this."
"He probably did, Mark, but well, you never can know how or what he's feeling. He did say that he was going to have absolutely nothing to do with girls."
"And then he got married before I did," Mark finished, laughing. "Yeah, I certainly would not have expected that to happen."
"You wouldn't quit laughing the first time you met her," Anne recalled.
"Well, he wouldn't stop laughing when he first met you either!" Mark defended. "I mean really! The fact that he started courting Cindy after months of teasing me about you was just downright hilarious!"
Anne shook her head. "You know, you two are the oddest pair of friends I have ever met."
Mark shrugged. "Well, there's not much less you can expect from a Taylor and a Normand."
"How did you two even put up with each other at college?"
"I'm not exactly sure actually, but it must have taken a miracle."
"It was good for you to have him as a roommate though."
"Yeah, it was. He is a very good friend even if is annoying at times."
Anne sighed again and shifted, fixing her eyes on the horizon. The waters of the Mississippi river glowed orange as the sun's glorious light painted the sky with its colors. It was breathtaking to watch it rise.
Mark scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her, letting her lean against his side. Dawn opened an eye and glanced up at them, thumping her tail. Mark chuckled and shook his head, reaching behind his fiancée to pat the black husky's head. However, Dawn grinned and stood before his hand reached her and trotted happily to Anne's lap, plopping down on top of her master. Anne burst out laughing as she did, her face glowing. It made Mark's heart leap. She was finally jubilant again. There was no more running, hiding, desperation for survival . . . it was all behind them. It made him smile. For now, peace would reign over them, and Mark couldn't be more grateful for it. He took Anne's hand back into his own and squeezed it tenderly. She turned to him, her overjoyed face just inches from his, and met his eyes.
"I love you," Mark whispered, raising his hand to caress her cheek.
"I love you too," she replied, smiling.
And then he gently kissed her, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. When they broke apart, he pulled her back into a hug, pressing her close to his chest.
"Never let me go," she whispered, her voice muffled by his embrace.
Mark smiled. "As long as I live, Anne, I will never let you go again."
Anne smiled, and for once in what seemed like forever, she finally felt completely safe. The pain and hurt from the past months finally seemed to fade, and at long last, she felt at home. She knew Mark was going to be with her now for each step forward she took, but more importantly, she knew that her heavenly Father was holding them both in his hands. She knew that He would be with both of them every step forward they took. And that finally brought her heart to peace and joy.
She was finally at home.