3: Scars Remain Ch. 05

Clearing his throat, Luke took a deep breath.

The camera followed Luke as he bent down on one knee.

Kaylee gasped, eyes glued to the screen and oblivious to the fact that Luke had opened the car door and carefully scooted her off of his lap.

"Kaylee," Luke began to ask, still looking at the camera, "I can't imagine going a single day without you by my side. I want you to be a permanent part of my life. I know I do not deserve you, but my heart couldn't stand it if I never asked. I guess there's only one way to find out if you feel the same way."

Luke pulled out a black velvet box and opened it as Aaron zoomed in. "Kaylee," he said...

Whispering softly in her ear, bending down on one knee just outside the Challenger and holding the same black box featured on the big screen, Luke asked her, "Will you marry me?"

Inside was a gorgeous clear princess-cut diamond, carefully sitting upon the prongs of a white-gold ring.

Kaylee, squirming in the driver's seat, brought both hands up to her mouth and silently gasped.

After a few seconds, she wrapped her arms around Luke and erupted in a fountain of tears, squeezing him so hard he was almost knocked over.

He stood up, outside the car, holding Kaylee in his arms. She held on tightly, wrapping her legs around him. There wasn't a patch of dry skin on her face. Luke smiled and whispered, "I'll take that as a positive sign, but you officially have to answer the question!"

Kaylee, having overcome her initial shock, nodded her head against his shoulder. She blurted out, "Yes! Yes, Luke, Yes! I will marry you!"

Kaylee heard the entire parking lot erupting with cheers and blasting their car horns. Out of the corner of her eye she saw herself hugging Luke up on the theatre screen; it was a live shot.

Luke gently took her cheeks in his hand and began to kiss her. Sliding one hand behind her neck and the other behind her waist, he didn't let up. Taking a step to the side, Luke leaned his girl against the rear door while her legs wrapped even tighter around his waist. Luke had kissed her before, but never like this. She was surprised but not enough to stop her from kissing him back so passionately he would remember it for the rest of his life.

Kaylee thought that several minutes had gone by, but everyone was still cheering and Luke was still kissing her. She didn't want it to stop. There was so much she wanted to discuss with Luke; their wedding, their honeymoon, their flock of babies, and even growing old and gray together. But there would be time for that later. They had forever.

After all they had sacrificed, or at least after all that he had sacrificed, it would be well deserved.

Thank you, Jesus; thank you thank you thank you, she prayed, over and over. Looking into the eyes of the man of her dreams, after all she had done to hurt him in the past, her prayers of thanks came naturally. She couldn't live without him, and he -- for whatever reason -- wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Maybe she didn't deserve Luke, maybe she did. But either way she knew they had been greatly blessed. Given the mountain of obstacles they had faced, there was a time she would have felt a sense of entitlement but now all she felt was thankfulness. Besides, their trials, burdens, and testing of their faith developed perseverance in them both. She was convinced that anything they might face during their marriage they would tackle together, making it no more than small, simple hills. No; actually, more like speed bumps.

After he stopped kissing her, Luke said, "I love you, Kaylee Reed."

"I love you too, Luke Patton," she replied. With a subtle smile, she said, "Next time you say it, it will be 'I love you, Kaylee Patton!'" She couldn't help giggling. Even as she put her wobbly legs back on the ground -- still leaning against the Challenger -- her heart still fluttered over him.

And she knew he felt the same way. She could see it in his eyes. She could always tell by his eyes. As she leaned forward to kiss Luke again, she noticed out of the corner of her eye a picture on the movie screen all too familiar to her. Kaylee had her arms around Luke's neck as the two kissed in a warm embrace after he stepped off of the jet, having just returned from his deployment.

"You set me up, Luke," she cooed.

Luke gave her one of his very rare devious smiles. He simply nodded. "It's not often I get to set you up. But I have to be modest and admit I had a lot of help. I had no idea how many friends -- and even friends of friends -- that you had. But thanks to social networking, Faith and Audrey did a pretty good job filling up the parking lot. But I digress; let's focus on more important issues, like when do you want to get married?"

She sighed with a smile, "I don't care when; just sooner than later."

"I can't promise you we won't have any problems, or that I won't keep having nightmares. I'm better, but I still have a ways to go," Luke said warily, looking at her nervously.

"I told you I'll always be by your side, and we'll get through this -- through anything -- together. Besides, I can still cuff you to the headboard so you can't hurt me. I told you baby, you're not getting rid of me that easily," she laughed. "I'll love you until the day I die, Luke Patton."

Luke gave her a knowing look and said, "You and those handcuffs -- you'd like that, wouldn't you?" He smiled, adding, "I'll always love you, Kaylee. I always have, I think. From the moment I first laid eyes on you, if I'm honest with myself. Regardless, I know I always will, for the rest of my life."

Luke's statement made her curious about herself; about when the moment she first fell in love with Luke might have been. More than that, she wondered when the moment was that she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

She stole one more glance at the picture on the screen, remembering when Luke came home and how she lost complete control of herself, giving him such a passionate kiss and then running away, afraid for their future.

She had her answer.

Epilogue

"Kaylee Elizabeth Patton. I love the way that sounds," Kaylee smiled, brushing a few golden strands of her hair out of her face as the crisp cool breeze slightly picked up.

The newlyweds strolled down the beach, focusing solely on each other despite the grey overcast sky. Her left hand intertwined with Luke's right, but she still couldn't help periodically touching her wedding band with her thumb as if she had to make sure she was still married to the most wonderful man in the world.

It must have been obvious because each time she did that Luke would give her hand a quick squeeze, as if saying, "I'm still here."

Her sandals dangled from the fingertips of her free hand, allowing her to walk carefree and barefoot in the cold sand. Every couple of seconds Kaylee stole a glance at Luke, her husband, who had become her world.

Her love for him was so deep that she wondered how she managed to keep her hands off of him -- and the other way around. "How on earth did I let you take me to the marriage bed pure? I'm not sure if that was part of my plan," she blushed.

Luke may have been blushing an even deeper shade of red. "I thought after our first time I'd never be able to walk again. Remember that scene from Bambi where his legs wouldn't work? Yeah, that was pretty much me."

Kaylee giggled.

"Do you regret that we waited," he asked.

She emphatically shook her head no. "Quite the opposite," she said, her face turning red. "I'm glad we waited, as hard as it was for me to be patient. It couldn't have been more special. Thank you again, Luke. You may be the most chivalrous man I know." Kaylee leaned in, kissing him softly on the lips.

Luke smiled. It wasn't the same bashful smile Kaylee remembered from when they first started dating; it was a smile of pure joy and happiness. As if he could embrace the fact that he had finally found his soul mate. "You know, I'm still surprised you wanted to go to the beach for our honeymoon. I was expecting France or Italy or something."

Kaylee laughed, "I told you, this feels... well, it feels right. Actually, I think 'perfect' is a better word. It feels perfect. Just you and I, finally reunited on the same side of the ocean. Look at how big, blue, and beautiful it is. We have the rest of our lives to travel Europe."

"Besides," she added, somewhat timidly, "with mom and dad cutting me off, and you and I wanting to start a family so soon, we need to save up."

Luke stopped walking, pulling Kaylee into his arms. He didn't look too happy. "Kaylee! Are you telling me for your one and only honeymoon, you passed up Europe just because of money? We've been married for two months now!" Luke and Kaylee mutually decided to delay their honeymoon until after she finished up her last couple classes. "We had time to save up a little more to make that happen. And you know mom and dad would have helped out..."

Kaylee put a finger on his lips, smiling from ear to ear. Luke's serious lecture didn't make her flinch one bit. If anything, it amused her.

His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what she was hiding.

"Kaylee," Luke said slowly. "What aren't you telling me?"

Kaylee giggled, biting her lip. Her laughter was adorable; it was so playful and carefree. Even though she was playing 'I have a secret' with Luke, he couldn't help but feel that everything was finally perfect. She had been through so much, and deserved to be happy.

And she was happy.

Kaylee took off, running down the shoreline as fast as she could, kicking up a wake of sand behind her and giggling the entire way.

"Hey!" was all Luke could get out, taking off after her. Despite Kaylee's two-second head start, thanks to Luke's shock, her husband took off at a dead sprint and was on her in no time.

Kaylee screamed playfully, falling into the sand but not before dragging Luke down with her.

Rolling onto her back and tugging on Luke's shirt, she planted a kiss on his lips; it was so passionate time seemed to stand still.

Luke almost forgot why he chased her down; he was hypnotized, completely captured and under her spell. He might have forgotten if Kaylee didn't give him that same look, the 'I know something you don't know!' stare.

It was driving Luke crazy; out of principle, more than anything. He wasn't one to leave a puzzle unsolved, and the look on her face was definitely a puzzle.

"What? Will you just tell me already?"

Kaylee didn't say a word. She took Luke by the hand and gently placed it on her stomach.

He patiently waited for a clue. Kaylee laughed and shook her head again. The tip of her tongue poked out between her teeth as she smiled.

"Do you need another clue," she asked him in her sweet, soft voice.

"Another clue?"

Her laughter was bordering on uncontrollable. Luke was becoming exasperated.

"What were we just talking about," Kaylee said cryptically. "Think back to only a few moments ago."

Luke thought hard. Kaylee encouraged him, nodding her head as he began to form the puzzle pieces together.

Verbalizing his thought process, Luke said aloud, "Talking about Europe... mom and dad helping to pay... saving up money... for..."

Luke's eyes opened wide, as if he just made the greatest scientific discovery known to man.

Bending down, placing his head against Kaylee's stomach, Luke exclaimed, "We're going to be... How long?? What is it??"

"Settle down, cowboy! It's still early, we don't know if it's a he or she just yet!"

Luke kissed her stomach over and over with soft, gentle kisses. Kaylee ran her fingers through his hair. Boy or girl, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that it was hers and Luke's, and they were going to start their family.

It tickled when Luke's kisses turned into butterfly kisses, sweeping his nose across her belly the way that only a father could.

Lying on her back, Kaylee looked up to the clouds, holding her husband close to her. In that one brief moment, she reflected on her entire life. She grew up rotten and spoiled, making bad decision after bad decision. She blew second chances and third chances. She was absolutely horrible to Luke; back in high school, anyway. Yet somehow, through all the pain and all the storms in her life, God forgave her. And He blessed her. He brought her through the pain, and He continued to heal Luke, little by little, every day.

This was as close as anyone could ever get to the fairy-tale ending that many so desperately wanted, but few ever seemed to get. Sure, there would be difficult times ahead of them, but there wasn't anything that they couldn't do together and with the good Lord's guidance.

She closed her eyes and mouthed a silent, "Thank you, God."

The gentle breeze picked up and a single ray of light began to break the cloud cover, shining down over the couple lying in the sand. At least it seemed like it was shining on them.

Yep, Kaylee thought to herself, Europe can definitely wait.

Everything was too good to be true. If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. Even though, a long time ago, Kaylee didn't initially recognize him as the man of her dreams she finally found out (and fortunately before it was too late) it was really Luke all along.

But Luke was so much more than the man of her dreams.

From the moment Luke began educating Kaylee, he gradually transformed -- in her eyes, at least -- from loser, to underdog, to hero.

He really was a hero all along; her hero. She just didn't see it at first.

But now she knew, and she would get to spend the rest of her life with him.

Could it get any better?

Gently touching her hand to her tummy, dreaming about her future with Luke, she thought maybe it could...

-Fin