Page 35 of Till The Cows Come Home

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sage

I woke as I did every day since the accident, pulse skyrocketed, bolting upright in my bed, gasping to catch my breath as I attempted to orient myself.

Today though, a light peeked through the crack of my bedroom door and my acclimation was swift, the smell of pine and coffee grounding me to reality, telltale signals that I was no longer alone.

I inhaled deeply, willing my heart to slow while sucking in the familiar sent with each round of breaths.

My grip on the sheets loosened and as I regained my composure, I swung my legs over into my slippers.

I was no longer going to deny myself the simple things I loved, which meant finally allowing myself to seek comfort in the one person who could give it to me.

I padded across my room, squinting my eyes as I opened the door just enough for my body to squeeze through.

Miles didn’t notice me and I could see the eraser of a pencil sticking from behind his ear, along with his entire body, which was hunched over whatever he was working on at the table.

As silently as I could, I approached him, sliding my arms over his shoulders, snaking my arms down his chest .

“Good morning,” I whispered into his ear, smirking at the low grumble of pleasure that escaped his throat.

“Morning, pretty girl,” he whispered back, turning his head slightly to deliver a quick peck to my cheek.

My focus shifted slightly from his affection to the littering of papers strung across my table.

“What’s all this?”

Before he answered, he grabbed my wrist, dragging me from behind him until I sat tucked into his lap.

“This, my dear, is our farm.”

“You’re drawing blueprints?”

“Yep. I’ll have to get official ones stamped by an engineer, but I wanted to give them exactly what we wanted.”

“Show me.”

A smile spread across Miles' cheeks as if he’d waited an eternity for the request, and he happily arranged the papers until I could recognize parts of the old layout.

“I think parts of the structure are salvageable, so I worked them into the plan, but I’ll start from the beginning,” he said, trailing his finger until it landed on the tiny lines on the paper representing the new front doors.

“Two front doors?”

“Yes ma’am, one will lead into the hallway like before, the other will lead into no other than the beautiful Miss Baker’s brand new classroom.”

He winked at me before tracing further along the fictional path and I couldn’t help but giggle, nerves and excitement bubbling underneath my skin.

We continued this until we reached the final room, traveling through the improved parlor, purposefully arranged stalls, and the brand new creamery that Miles gushed over, his eyes lighting up as he explained the stainless steel work stations, hinting at the idea of an ice cream machine.

I listened intently, my eyes following the changes in his face as his excitement danced across his features, and I realized then the altruistic joy that accompanied love.

I was becoming wholeheartedly invested in Miles’ dreams, enamored by his drive, and I could hear my father’s words echoing in my ears, telling me that life is richer when you have someone to spend it with.

“It could be a dual purpose space. We could sell ice cream, but the kids would love it too,” he continued rambling, eventually pausing under the weight of my stare. “What? Is it too much?”

“No, no, no.” I laughed. “I was just caught up in my own head realizing how lucky I am. It sounds like you would love it, and therefore I love and support it,” I said, pointing my finger at his chest.

“I love you, Sage.”

“I love you too, Miles”

He let out a breath, pushing a stray curl behind my ear.

“I never thought I’d ever hear you utter the phrase and now that you have I'm certain I’d agree in an instant to never hear the songs of the morning birds again, to give up ever listening to the chords of my favorite song, if it only meant I could hear you say those three words for the rest of my existence.

They sound like god damn silk coming from your lips. ”

“Luckily, you can have it all,” I murmured into his lips, kissing him softly, but after a moment he leaned away.

“Unfortunately I think in order to move forward, we need to face the past. The demolition company is coming in to help me today and I would love it if you'd do a final walkthrough with me. I just want to appreciate everything that got us this far.”

“Are you trying to make me cry?”

“Hopefully soon enough they’ll be happy tears,” he said, lacing his fingers into mine.

“I’ll be there with you, now and forever, whenever you need me. And probably even when you don’t”

“I’ll always need you, if not simply just to be a pain in my ass.”

He stood, smiling at me as he filled an empty mug, adding a dash of creamer before handing it over to me.

“Mmm,” I hummed, noticing my usual hazelnut was replaced with deep notes of cocoa. “This is different.”

“Different doesn’t always mean disaster, sweetheart.”

I could sense the deeper meaning lacing his words. A lot of change would be happening in the foreseeable future and it wasn’t just me affected.

“Shall we?” I said, standing with my hands firmly grasping the sides of my mug, absorbing the comfort of its heat radiating through my palms.

“Now?” he said, looking out the window to the sun just beginning to rise.

“I’m sure the girls have already been fed and milked by now. We can’t turn into late rising normal people in their absence. They’d be appalled.”

“Then we shall.” He chuckled.

“I need to brush my teeth and grab a hoodie,” I said, already twisting my curls into a bun. “I got some extra toothbrushes a while ago, in case you’d like to, as well.”

“How domesticated of you,” he teased, following me to the sink.

After we finished, I threw my sweatshirt on, and Miles poured my coffee into a thermos.

“Mmm, peppermint mocha,” I hummed as the remaining mint from my toothpaste mixed with the chocolate in my cup.

“Let’s go, you heathen.” He chuckled, guiding me by the small of my back out the door.

As always, the ride was short, and as I hopped out of the truck, I felt the confidence in progress I had minutes ago slowly diminish.

I couldn’t seem to help that the closer we got to the rubble, the slower my feet moved.

Everything in me knew this was necessary, but my body screamed with protest, begging me not to continue.

We approached the front of the barn and, to my surprise, the front door I’d walked through my entire life no longer existed.

Some of the original beams remained, but the normal entrance had expanded into a gaping hole.

“You don’t have to do this,” Miles murmured, stepping from beside me until his body was in front of me, blocking the view. His eyes were glued to mine, surely noticing the tears that began to cascade with no consent of my own.

“I want to. I need to. I may just need you to drag me along for a moment until my feet remember how to carry me.”

He nodded, carefully stepping over the threshold and once his footing was steady, he turned, outstretching a hand to me. I set my thermos down on a pile of brick outside, wiping the sweat that had accumulated onto my jeans before taking the hand still extended to me.

Once I was inside, my breath escaped me.

The remaining interior was vast and empty, as if the flames created a tornado that cleared everything in its path.

The vastness, though, was what allowed me to see what remained.

And as we reached the remnants of the parlor, I could see the concrete pad stood strong, but the tubing was non-existent and the metal equipment was warped.

“This is what I’m most excited about,” Miles whispered from beside me.

“This excites you?”

“Different doesn’t always mean disaster, right?

” He waited for my nod of agreement before continuing.

“I loved the location of the parlor, but the equipment was outdated. There are adjustable milkers that allow you to change the height depending on who’s milking.

It’ll make it even more accessible, you’ll never need to reach or use the stool.

I’ll show the catalog with all the choices later. ”

“That’s really thoughtful.” I sighed.

“I was always thinking about it. I just didn’t have a way to change anything until now.”

We continued to wander, trailing through the barn as if we were following the blueprints he’d scratched out earlier, ending at the space he’d assigned for my classroom.

“Miss. Baker,” he gestured to the space, “this will be your oasis.”

“It looks so huge.”

The space in front of me had always been cluttered with various closets and walls, and I’d never known it had the potential to be this open. Miles stepped away from my side, walking a lap around the area.

“As soon as people find out you’re doing this, every kid in this town will be in this room. It needs to be huge. I plan on making you tons of work tables in every height imaginable. You’ll be able to teach toddlers to teenagers.”

Tears swelled as I envisioned everything I’d thought about since Mr. Bloom approached me at the market. I wanted to share my knowledge so badly, and I used the lack of resources or space as an excuse, but now there was no excuse. This was my opportunity, and god did it feel good.

My steps quickened as I closed the space between Miles and I, burying my face into his chest as soon as I made impact.

“Thank you,” I mumbled through tears. “Thank you so much.”

“You deserve it. Please don’t ever forget that.”

Our stillness uncovered a faint beeping and as Miles guided me back out the gaping front door to investigate, we were met with a fleet of equipment being unloaded, waiting patiently for permission to start our new beginning.

I’d be lying if I said a few hundred tears didn’t fall as the first bulldozer paved a path through the wreckage, but knowing the path was being laid for a future filled with growth and possibilities allowed the sadness to dissipate, and excitement took over as I began to envision what lay ahead.