As Long as I Have You by Dean Hughes

Author:Dean Hughes [Hughes, Dean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction
ISBN: 9781573458009
Google: s3zyAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 1573458007
Publisher: Deseret Book Co
Published: 2000-10-15T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Bobbi and Richard were getting married. At first, Bobbi had committed to a wedding date mostly out of resolve to move forward, as her grandmother—and almost everyone else—had advised her to do. But spending time with Richard had also reassured her. She could feel his commitment to her, and she was touched by his attempts to express more of his feelings. Added to that, he never seemed to tire of listening to Bobbi talk about her own dreams and wishes. What surprised Bobbi, however, and pleased her more than anything, was that those intense feelings she had known in Hawaii had gradually returned. She felt a powerful attraction to Richard, and at the same time, a deepened awareness of his goodness. In spite of that, she was often aware that he wasn’t exactly the same man he had been when she had first met him. He had been shocked by the war back then, disappointed with people, but he hadn’t been hurt personally. What she saw now were little hints of sadness that would show up in him when he was unguarded. Still, she loved Richard—she had no doubt about that now—and she had to accept all of him, even the wounds he carried, and she had to hope that her love could serve as one of the influences that would heal him.

The wedding ceremony was sacred and warm—with both families together in the temple—and the first night with Richard more lovely than Bobbi had dared to hope. She and Richard also had great fun on their drive to California, with lots of time to laugh and talk. Richard had arranged for a room in a nice little motel close to the beach, north of San Diego, and the two spent plenty of time near the water, and in it, and lots of lovely time alone in the room. Bobbi loved being close to this strong man who held her so gently, and she loved the openness she felt in this new intimacy. What she wanted now was to forget about the war, the past, the scars, and she wanted to embrace, with Richard, this new beginning.

The two were lying on the beach one afternoon when Bobbi asked him, “So, Mr. Hammond, are you happy?”

He was lying face down, with his back to the sun, but his skin was already deep brown and wonderfully tight over his muscles. His head was on his arms, and sideways, so that he could look at her. His right hand, his better hand, lay close to her face, and she could see the scar tissue, the pale, hairless skin across the back. “You know I am,” he said, and he smiled.

“It’s strange to me to think that I’ve been with a man now—after all these years of waiting.”

His eyes went shut. He didn’t say anything.

“Do you like it as much as you thought you would?” Bobbi asked.

“What?”

“You know.”

“Of course I do.”

“Don’t say it like that. You sound like you’re saying, ‘Yes, and the sunsets are also very pretty in southern California.

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