Page 75 of Danger Close

“Because I learned!” I felt the heat of her angry stare on the side of my cheek. “I grew up. I was stripped of my illusions of what a life for someone like me could be. Look at me.”

She didn’t mean it literally, I knew that. But I looked over at her anyway, just for a second.

“I am a miserable creature, with no one and nothing to my name. I have reached this age with nothing to show for my time. Why must I waste any more years?” She began to wipe her cheek.

I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket.

She took it and lightly dabbed at her face.

I looked over at her once again, and even with the slight puffy redness to her eyes, she was what she had always been. Perfect.

“You’re beautiful, Teri. You always have been.”

I didn’t often use her name. Not when the word Princess rolled so sweetly off my tongue, reminding me of older times.

“There’s more to life than one’s looks. Mine have never served me well–”

“I didn’t say youlookbeautiful. I said youarebeautiful.”

“What’s the difference?” she scoffed.

“The difference is that if you were covered in scars, burns, if you lost a limb, gained or lost weight, or altered your entire appearance, you wouldstillbe beautiful.” I swallowed, staring straight ahead. “In fact, I look forward to seeing your black hair turn as gray as mine. I look forward to seeing you grow old with me. Even if we live to be a hundred, you willstillbebeautiful.Inside. Outside. The entire package.”

I reached over, taking her hand. I joined our palms, and interlaced our fingers, resting them on the center console.

I could feel her confusion, but also her joy. What I’d said made her happy. She squeezed my hand, and I drew gentle circles with the pad of my thumb. We were an old married couple. Maybe not on paper. But in reality, that was what we were.

That was my dream come true.

We turned onto the farm’s long drive, where we lined up behind three cars waiting to cross a security check point made of armed men in black.

“What’s going on?” she straightened, her fingers tightening, as she reached over with her other hand to touch my forearm. She was anchoring herself to me. She was leaning on me.

The latent helplessness I felt when Charlotte called me to say she’d been hurt dissipated, replaced with a possessive satisfaction.

“It's the Secret Service.” In fact, some of them were familiar. “Give me your ID.”

She complied, going into her wallet to pull out her Pennsylvania driver’s license.

“Secret Service?” she looked around, frantic. “Are you sure?”

“Sure as shit,” I said, as our car crawled up when a car crossed the security line. “I recognize one of the guys. Who else do you think it could be?”

“Name, and ID, please,” said the security officer with an M4 strapped across his chest.

I handed him our IDs, my eyes still on Teri as her gaze darted around, looking at faces. Looking forsomeone.

“Wait… is that you Guerro?” The agent pulled up his cap to see my face more clearly. “It is you!”

“Sure is.” I lifted my sunglasses off my head as I leaned out to shake his hand.

I turned to him, a smile on my face as he handed back the IDs. I handed Teri hers and once she put it away, I reached over to hold her hand again.

“Hey, guys!” the guard called to his buddies. “It’s Guerro!”

“No shit?” One of the far off guys jogged over to Teri’s side of the car, and I rolled down the window to greet him. “Guerro! Great to see you! What are you doing here?”

“We’re the parents of the bride,” I said, beaming with pride.