Starting Over

Chapter 19- She Knew

“She knew,” I said in shock as I finished reading the letter from Caroline.

Bridget reached over and grabbed my hand as tears finally started flowing from my eyes.

“She knew,” Bridget repeated my words, but somehow brought comfort to me.

We ended up in the living room tending to each other’s tears. This was by far the most intimate moment I had in my life. The tears we shed were tears that let us know that no matter how much we doubted being together that there were others who saw it before we did. We fell asleep cuddled up next to each other on the couch and evidently cried so much that we fell asleep much earlier than either one of us would any other time.

I woke the next morning at 4am. I guess that’s what happens when I fall asleep so early. Bridget was still sleeping soundly on my chest. I wanted to move, but didn’t want to disturb her so I just flipped on the TV. Flipping through the channels I thought back on the letter from Caroline. She was right about how Bridget and her were so different. Caroline was the baby and never had to do anything. She did what she wanted, when she wanted to do it. She was a follower. She rarely did anything that someone else hadn’t suggested first. Bridget on the other hand marched to the beat of her own drum. She was the oldest and was always doing something for someone else. She always is instigating things and always has a plan of what to do next. She was so independent that I remember her once saying that she would never depend on anyone else to take care of her. But the one thing that they both had in common was that when they love they love wholeheartedly. Caroline dove in feet first and was the first to admit the love she had. Bridget on the other hand, well, she had that damn wall built up. I didn’t think I was ever going to be able to knock it down. Somehow I have managed to. I wouldn’t change anything that has happened for anything in this world. It has made me the man I am today.

Bridget stirred around and broke my thoughts. I looked down and her smiling face was staring up at me.

“Good morning, my dear, sweet Luke,” Bridget said to me.

“You’ve never said that before. What made you say that to me now?” I questioned her with a puzzled look on my face.

“I don’t know. I just spoke what I was feeling,” Bridget answered me.

“Caroline said that to me every morning when we first woke up. I’ve never told anyone that before,” I told her knowing she was curious.

“An amazing woman,” Bridget smiled, “She taught me so much.”

“She taught me a lot too,” I reminisced, “Want to get some coffee?”

“Sure,” Bridget said as she moved off the couch and allowed me to get up.

We moved to the kitchen and started our typical morning routines. But today was different. Neither of us felt like sitting in the kitchen to enjoy our coffee and we both found ourselves sitting on the back porch watching the sun rise over the horizon in each other’s arms.

“So, Luke, in my letter Caroline mentioned getting a nanny,” Bridget said with doubt in her voice.

“She said that in mine too,” I told her, “Do you want to?”

“I don’t know. I have been doing just fine by myself,” Bridget explained.

I turned to face her and grabbed her hands, “Bridget, no you haven’t! Yesterday was the first time in months you have done anything without the kids or me being an ulterior motive. I was gone for over a month without even seeing you. There wasn’t anyone to chauffer the kids to practices and games. To make sure they are taken care of. If we hire a nanny it would lighten the stress on all of us.”