I nod. “I d-did and I ended up mar-rrying her.” I feel much lighter than the past few days. I don’t know why, but now there’s a shining ray of hope in my chest that I can fix things between Vienna and me.
She grins. “I think I’ve been sent to be a fairy godmother to you guys.”
“Fairy godmother! Don’t tell me you just freaking said that.” Zach’s eyebrows shoot up before he throws his head forward. “You just ruined my super cool reputation with those two words.”
* * *
Zander’s driver stops the car outside my cabin. He picked us up from the bar, and we dropped Zach off in St. Peppers first and then drove to Cherrywood.
“You’re okay?” Zander asks as I step out.
“I am. It’ll t-take a while to believe th-that…I’m enough. But I’m going to tr-ry.”
My brother’s lips twist into a weak smile, and he pats my hand as it rests on the doorframe. “We’re here, Zane.”
Once the car leaves, I step onto the porch. Mystery jerks his head up, and when he sees me alone, he goes back to ignoring me. If he could speak, I’m sure he’d be accusing me of not stopping Vienna from leaving us.
“S-still angry, huh?” I flop down next to him and grab a water bottle from the table.
He releases a small whine and looks the other way. “I mis-ss her too,” I whisper, running my fingers through his fur. “Both of th-them. But I fir-rst need to find mys-self and learn to love mys-self before I can convince her of my love for her.”
My wolfdog grabs my hand with his paw and rests his head over it. I take that action as a sign that he understands what I have to do.
* * *
Every evening for the last week, I’ve written in a gratitude journal that magically appeared on my porch one day. I don’t ask my brothers if it was them because there’s a hope inside me that it was from my wife.
Yesterday, Vienna had another appointment with Dr. Allen. It was Zander who took her this time. I received an email from the hospital with her reports. They told me the patient insisted upon it and gave her consent.
Everything tells me she’s waiting for me, but with every passing day, the struggle of showing her that I love not only her but myself too becomes bigger. I feel like time is slipping away.
My phone buzzes, and it’s an email from Rick. He sent me the final slides for the presentation my medical team has put together for a local conference.
I turn on my laptop and sift through the slides of a keynote talk prepared by my competent research staff.
On the last page, there’s a list of potential names for the presenter. As always, my team has mentioned my name, Dr. Z. Teager in the first spot. All these years, I’ve ignored it.
I don’t know if they continue to mention my name out of respect, or they’re waiting for me to show some courage.
As I go through the slides, irritation continues to itch my insides. It stays when I send the notes back with my feedback, and even when I come to my bedroom and slip under the covers.
* * *
“Boss, have you finalized the name of the keynote speaker?” Rick enters my office holding two mugs of coffee.
Fetching me coffee isn’t part of his job description. It’s also not something I’d ever ask him to do. But he isn’t a fool and definitely noticed Vienna’s absence the first day in the café. I still order lunch from the Steamy Beans for my team, but there’s never a coffee mug for me with my wife’s lipstick mark on it.
To somehow compensate for that in his own way, Rick gets me a coffee cup every day around lunchtime.
“N-not yet.” I gulp the plain black Americano, which reminds me of my Vienna’s absence once more.
“Is everything all right?”
I nod, trying to ignore the heat of embarrassment rising on my face.
He gives me a long look and is already turned away when I clear my throat. Rick glances at me over his shoulder. “Are you alright, boss?”
“I’d like t-to… I—I mean… I’ll be th-the keynote s-speaker this year.” I grip the leather of my chair under the table.