Page 25 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04 (Modern Mail Order Brides #19)

They were second in line when the courthouse opened and first to secure a marriage license.

Down the hall on the right, a judge, along with what appeared to be his lifelong assistant, handed Mae a bouquet of plastic flowers spritzed with floral air freshener as the old woman cued up the Wedding March.

The judge looked at them both, squinted at Mae, and asked, “You sure about this?”

“Yes, I'm sure,” Mae replied.

The judge looked at Thom and simply said, “Okay then.”

It was barely nine in the morning, and Thom Brown was a married man who needed to get to work. He repeated the words and placed an additional ring on Mae's finger; she did the same for him and he kissed her, then drove her home.

“Thom, are you okay? Having second thoughts about this, about us?”

He turned quickly as if suddenly realizing she was in the room. A wide smile covered his face when he looked at her. He took her into his arms.

“Mary, I am overwhelmed, honestly. You have married me and made my empty days and nights come to an end,” he said. “Now, as your husband, your man, the head of this house, I have to ensure you have everything you need to be at peace here.”

“Thom, that is beautiful, but you didn't mention happy. Are you not concerned with me being happy?”

“Mary, I can't make you happy,” he told her.

“Happy has to come from being at peace, not content, but at peace with your choices.

I am your choice. Living here is your choice.

Now, you will have to work to decide what brings you the most harmony so that you feel at home.

You've started making this house feel like a home for our family, and I love it all.”

“But do you love me?”

“Mary, at this point, can you honestly tell me you love me?

We have something and it is good, running at a cheetah's pace towards being great,” he told her.

“I'm not a hopeless romantic and neither are you.

We've made a practical decision, which feels right.

If it feels right, then it is right, and love isn't always enough. Understanding is what is needed and we have that. Love will come and one day, we will wake up and burst into tears at the love overflowing between us. I am in a good place in my heart and my head, knowing I can come home to you each day.”

“Come home to me,” she said, looking around the home they were sharing.

“In the next few months, you're going to decide what you want next, whether it is to be a stay-at-home mom or an entrepreneur or start your own philanthropy association,” he stated. “I have some cushion, and we'll be okay.”

“Thom, I'm not broke by any means,” she told him.

“You still making payments on that vehicle, the insurance, the apartment? That is an easy three grand per month,” he said. “Three months and you're down ten grand. How soon is the lease on the apartment up?”

“I have two more months on it,” she said.

“And the vehicle, how many more years on it?”

“It's a lease,” she told him.

“When does the contract end on the vehicle?”

“Another two months,” she told him.

“So, two months and we clear out the apartment, return the vehicle, and look for something else,” he said.

“See, the mail-order bride service covers all the financials, so I am aware up front of where you stand on bills, credit cards, and the like. I know none of that with you, so my brain is in overdrive right now.”

“Thom, are you concerned that you didn't just take on a wife but a bunch of debt?”

“Naw,” he said, smiling at her. “Your apartment was frugal. The clothes are expensive but they are mix and match pieces. I learned that from watching Kimbrae over the years. Not worried at all. Are the credit cards bad?”

“I'm good, Thom. I made a nice salary and saved a great deal. I can afford to take a year off if you're okay with it?”

“Baby, I am good with whatever you decide; however, because I am who I am, I would like a budget, groceries, et al,” he told her. “I am semi self-sustained here. Our gas is underground propane and the water comes from a well on the property, but the power is city generated.”

Mae was looking at him with fresh eyes. It really didn't strike her as something she would have imagined discussing on her wedding day, but the man she married was a thinker and a planner. She smiled at him.

“Being your wife is going to be interesting,” she said, cocking her head.

“Don't worry, you will be spoiled and all that good stuff, but I have to get to the station,” he said. “The next few days are going to be hectic. I'll be home for lunch. Don't try to make anything. I'll do a sandwich, but I'm meeting some folks here.”

“Folks?” she asked as the sound of a truck arrived with a portable toilet. Mae pointed at it.

“There will be men here working for the next two weeks, and they are not coming inside this house,” he told her. “If you don't feel comfortable, call Megan over to hang out with you while they are here. Can you fire a weapon?”

“I'm sorry, what?”

He walked her to the living room closet and opened the door to an anchored safe. Thom punched in a code, which he called out to her. He turned the wheel and the safe opened to a small arsenal of handguns, rifles, and an archery bow. She pointed at it and the stacks of gold bars and money.

“Thom, what is this?”

“Security,” he said. “I keep at least ten thousand in cash here, along with a few items for bartering, you know, in case of the Apocalypse or a zombie outbreak.”

He burst into laughter when he looked at the shock on her face. “Relax, I do a lot of hunting. The other stuff is just in case stash.”

She blinked at him. Mae felt stupid not knowing whom she'd actually married. For some reason, she wanted to know, “Thom, are you rich?”

“No,” he said, smiling at her, “I am extremely comfortable, though.”

“I'm not a pauper by any means either,” she told him.

“Good, we'll talk about it in detail at a later time, but meanwhile, budget what you think you're going to need in the way of furniture for the home and barndominuim, or we can plan it together,” he said.

“Once we get the garden going, our main purchases will be grains and meats like beef. I still have half a hog in the freezer, venison, and some beef. I prefer to get the chicken fresh. If you want chickens and egg layers, let me know, but I hate the smell of chicken shit and really, really, really, hate cleaning pens. Childhood traumas. The process of soaking chickens in solutions to get the parasites off their little chicken butts...ick. I will leave it at that.”

“Okay,” she said softly. “Thom?”

“Yes, Mary?”

“Loving you is going to be easy,” she told him, smiling.

“The way you were loving me last night had me thinking you needed a new Mercedes,” he said, laughing. “Speaking of that. What I've been saving for my wife pales in comparison to what we've been doing...I've been storing something up for you.”

“Oh, shit,” she said, placing her hand on her chest. “What have you stored up for me, Thom Brown?”

“You'll see,” he told her, providing a quick kiss before heading out the door. She stood on the porch watching him drive off. As her husband drove off, she noticed the old Ford belonging to Megan driving up. She was actually ecstatic to see the woman.

Megan parked and got out of the vehicle. “Sorry for not calling, but I didn't have your number. I have his, but that wouldn't be cool. How ya doing?”

Mae smiled at her and responded, “Actually I'm good and glad to see you. Come on in, and we can have some tea.”

“Great, because I made a lavender and citrus tea with mint, I wanted you to try,” Megan said.

“It will be one of the new features on my website.

The last new tea I introduced, I couldn't meet the demand and had to take it off the site. So now, I'm smarter. I’ll test it out first, then make a certain amount, and when it is gone, it is gone.”

“How much do you make at a time?”

“Usually enough to fill two hundred orders,” she said. “I do four ounces each and up to 250 grams which is 8-ounce pouches. I really want to move up to branded tins, but right now, I am still a small fry in a bowl of big taters.”

Mae couldn't help but like the woman. “Let me get the kettle going, and I will grab cookies, cheeses, and some fruit so we can have a nice visit.”

“Mae,” Megan said, “thank you.”

“For what?”

“Not being a meanie head,” Megan told her. “Neither of us knows anyone else in this town, and it's nice to feel like I have a friend.”

“Funny, I was worried you would hate me for stealing your man,” Mae said.

“You couldn't steal what I didn't own,” she told her. “Besides, this may work out better. Jiminy is kind of okay.”

“Oh really? You and Jiminy? Hey, did the porcupine come back yet?”

“No, we go out daily looking for that scamp and it's kind of cool,” she said. “He's really opened up a lot about himself, his life and how he feels about relationships.”

“And for you?”

“My worst relationship is with my mother,” Megan added. “Of course, she called when the bills started coming due and the landlord wanted the rent. That woman actually asked me when I was going to pay her rent. I think she has finally realized I am not coming back. Now she's trying to come here.”

“Do you want her here with you?”

“I want my Mamma with me about as much as I want a UTI and a yeast infection at the same time,” Megan said, crinkling the adorable nose.

“I tell you, honestly. You never realize how weighted down you are with family shit until you get free. Honey, I am free. My family is in South Dakota, and I am in Illinois living in a tiny house and back to making money I can spend solely on me. A lady can finally buy some new panties.”

Mae was hit with an idea, a wonderful idea that she would have her new friend help her with. She was smiling.

“Megan, I am going to put a garden out back to grow some veggies. I need to go shopping to get some boots. You wanna come with?” she asked.

“Hell, yeah!”