Water Guy

"Uh-huh," she said with a smile. "In more ways than one."

"Oh?" Craig asked as he moved closer.

"Did the elephant get any smaller?" he asked as he moved even closer.

"A little," she said quietly, as her heart pounded in her chest.

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'm glad," he told her as he reached up and touched her face.

"Me, too," she whispered as their eyes met and locked then danced.

"You are so beautiful," he told her just before he softly pressed his lips against hers for the first time.

Again not sure how she would react, he kept the kiss short. But as he pulled away, Laura put a hand behind his head and gently pulled him back for a second, longer kiss.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Craig said when she let him go.

"Yes. I'd like that," she told him as their eyes held each other's stare.

"What time?"

"We eat around two on Thanksgiving, but you can come over earlier," she said with a warm, sweet smile.

"Maybe...ten?"

"Ten is good."

"Okay. I'll see you then," he told her before kissing her one more time.

As he turned to leave, Laura said, "Craig?"

He turned around, and when he did, she smiled and said, "Thank you for helping me see past the elephant."

"Thank you for being willing to look at it from a different angle."

Laura smiled then said, "Bye, Craig," as he turned around again.

She knew she still needed time to get to know him, but after this one...date...she was certain of one thing. She wasn't going to let age be the only reason for not getting to know him. And if that proved to be her only issue, then perhaps anything was possible.

When she walked back inside, Laura was singing, "What a difference a day makes. Twenty-four little hours..."

"Mom? Are you all right?" Kim asked when she heard the singing.

"You know what? I think I am," she said with a happy smile.

Kim made a bit of a face then said, "Don't be mad, but...I kind of saw you guys kissing."

Laura smiled happily then said, "I'm not mad, honey. In fact, if you hadn't convinced me this was a first date, I might not have agreed to a second date."

"Really? Mom, are you serious?" Kim asked, her eyes dancing with happiness.

"Yes. I think I am," she told her daughter. "Is that okay?"

Kim hugged her mom's waist as hard as she could as she told her that was very okay.

By 8am the next morning, Laura was up, showered, and had her and makeup done. She'd picked out a dress she hadn't worn in years but still dearly loved, and set it aside to wear for Thanksgiving dinner. She smiled happily when she realized that really meant 'for Craig', and she didn't care that she no longer cared.

After getting as much of the prep work done as she could, Laura put her dress on, and Kim suddenly wanted to wear a dress, too.

"And can you do my hair?" she asked.

"We're going to have to hurry, but I think we can get that taken care of before our company arrives."

As Laura worked on her daughter's hair, Kim said, "Mom?"

"Uh-huh?"

"I just wanted to tell you that if you, you know, want to kiss Craig again, it's okay with me."

"Oh. I see," her mom said as she fought off a smile. "Well, that's very nice of you."

"I just didn't want you to feel all weird about it because of me," Kim explained as though she were an adult.

"I don't know if we'll be kissing again, but thank you for letting know it's okay with you," Laura told her sincerely.

"It is. I just want you to be happy, and I know you really like Craig."

Laura wanted to tell her daughter she just realized that yesterday, but instead she said, "I think I kind of do like him. And...your hair is all done!"

"Can I wear my blue dress?" Kim asked.

"Um...sure. That would be very nice."

By the time Craig pulled up, Laura was worried he'd be in jeans and an NFL jersey and that she'd feel out of place in her own home. But we she saw he was wearing a very nice dark-blue sweater over a light-blue shirt with a pair of dark slacks, she not only felt relieved, she felt...warm.

Laura also felt jittery as she opened the door for him.

"Hi! Good morning, and Happy Thanksgiving!" she said.

"Same to you, and oh, my goodness. You look amazing, Laura!"

She let him inside where they ended up face to face. Kim heard the door and came running and was now standing just a few feet away.

"Hey, there!" Craig said. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving!" she said back.

Kim stood there smiling and Craig asked what was going on.

"Oh. I think my daughter is hoping we'll kiss again."

Craig smiled then said, "I see. I suppose the real question is whether or not you want that to happen."

Laura looked at her daughter who was saying 'please' with her facial expression.

"I think I'd like that," she told him as she put her hands on his upper chest as he kissed her hello.

"I definitely liked that," Craig told her as he pulled back.

"Hmmm. Me, too," she said with a warm, happy smile.

As he walked toward Kim, he bent down then suddenly picked her up and said, "What? No hug for me? Nothing at all?"

Kim squealed with delight as he spun her around, and Laura was smiling even brighter than before as her daughter wrapped her arms and legs around this handsome younger man she realized she falling hard for very quickly.

"Yes, indeed. What a difference a day really does make," she said to herself as Craig set Kim down.

Neither Craig nor Laura could remember a day that flew by so quickly as they talked, shared, laughed, ate, played games with Kim, then talked some more. He offered to leave twice, but Laura asked him to stay.

When they put Kim to bed, he offered to go a third time, but Laura still wasn't ready to say goodbye. As they sat back down on her couch, Craig asked her a question that had been on his mind all day.

"What's changed?" he asked quietly as they sat together holding hands and sipping a glass of wine.

"Everything," she said quietly.

Craig smiled and said, "Oh, okay. That clears up...everything."

Laura quietly laughed then said, "I'm usually really good with feelings, but this is so different."

"How so?"

"After the camel farm, I realized that age was the only thing keeping me from letting myself..."

She paused then used the words, "Get to know you better."

"And after today," she continued, "I not only feel like I do know you better, it almost feels like I've always known you."

Craig put his arm around her and told her he understood because he felt the same way.

"I guess what I'm saying is, I've opened my heart to you, and I know I can trust you with it."

He smiled then pulled her close.

"You can, Laura. I will never, ever hurt you."

She put her hand on his chest then said, "I know that's true, and I can tell you really care about Kim, too."

"I do. Very much. And in case you haven't noticed, I care about you, too. Very much."

Laura looked up at him then said, "So are we...exclusive?"

"I'd like nothing more," Craig told her.

Laura smiled happily, kissed him softly, then said she felt the same way.

"I do have another question, though," Craig said.

She raised her eyebrows indicating he should ask.

"I know I'm the first person you've dated, and although I'd be happy to be the last guy you ever date... But don't you want to...I don't know...test the waters or play the field, or..."

"Craig?" she softly whispered.

Now he raised his eyebrows and waited.

"You should stop asking questions now," she said with a smile.

"Sorry. I just can't help but wonder if we have a future or if..."

She put a finger to his lips then said, "I want to tell you about a friend named Sara, the wife of the other Marine who died with Mike."

She spent the next few minutes explaining her feelings about Sara marrying again so 'soon', and how she'd come full circle in a very short period of time.

"Okay, so you're open to dating now. But surely you'll want to date a lot of other guys, right?"

"I think I can explain that, too," she told him. "If Mike were still alive, I'd never date anyone else—ever. When we were married I never wanted anyone else. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. But when Life happened and he was taken, I was lost. Totally lost. I floundered and struggled, and only Kim let me keep my sanity. But since I met you, or rather, since I became open to...loving you...I realized I don't want to spend several years 'playing the field' trying to find someone who makes me laugh and who loves my daughter, and...who loves me."

"No?" he said very quietly.

"No. Because..."

She sat up and looked at him then said, "Because I've already found him. And if I let you go simply because you came along first, I might flounder around for many more years wondering if I'll ever be happy again, and never find anyone else like you. So...I just need to know you feel the same way about me."

Craig smiled happily and said, "I do. I most definitely do."

"Do you worry about, you know, how..."

Before she could ask, "How old I am?" he interrupted her.

"How...beautiful you are?" he said with a smile as their eyes danced again.

Laura happily smiled back at him and told him that was one reason among many why she was falling in love with him.

"I've had the hugest crush on you since the first time I saw you," Craig confessed. "But I honestly thought you'd never even give me a chance. Because of my age, and well, because I was just...the water guy."

"Well, since we're being honest, that's all I thought of you back then. I knew you were cute. Very cute, in fact. But I couldn't imagine going out with anyone so much younger than me let alone ever...falling in love with him."

Craig touched her face then told her, "I often dreamed about asking you out and hearing you say 'yes', but never really thought I had a chance."

"Well, you do. In fact, you not only have a chance, you have me—if you want that."

"I do, Laura. I want that more than anything," he told her before kissing her softly for several seconds.

"Kim's room is downstairs, and mine is upstairs, so if you maybe wanted to, you know, stay a little longer, I don't think that would be a problem," she told him as her heart pounded so hard she knew he had to hear it.

"You're sure?" he asked as he gently brushed her hair back.

"I'm sure. Positive, even."

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he said very quietly.

"No, but I do know how handsome you are, and how much I want to make love with you," she told him as she put her arm around his neck and kissed him back.

When it ended, she said, "Let me go make sure someone is asleep, okay?"

She came back a minute later, and extended her hand.

"Come with me," she said quietly as she led him upstairs then locked the door behind them.

"I do have one concern, and please don't tell me it's silly, okay?" she said once they were alone.

"I won't. I promise."

"You know I'm...41...and you also know I've had a child, so...I...I'm more than a little worried what you'll think. I can tell your body is hard and firm and...yummy."

She smiled then continued.

"Mine, however, isn't young, and I don't want you thinking I'll look like other girls you've been with."

When he was sure she was finished, Craig put his arms around her and said, "First, I have no interest in any other girl on earth."

Laura smiled happily as he kept talking.

"Second, I don't care about the things you mentioned any more than I care about your age. All I care about is you—sweetheart. You...and Kim...and making both of you happy. Okay?"

"Okay," she said sweetly as she lifted his sweater over his head.

By midnight, any concerns she had about the way he saw her were long gone as he lovingly caressed every inch of her body pausing her to tell her how beautiful it was.

When he got ready to leave around 2am, Laura knew she was in love with him. Neither of them said those three words in a row, but she knew. And she knew he loved her.

He didn't say those words until just before Christmas when she told him her family as well as Mike's mother were flying in for a few days. She'd already told him she was very close with her mother-in-law and she'd let her know she'd met someone else and that the immediate words of support she received weren't surprising.

"She sounds wonderful," Craig told her. "So do your parents."

"She is, and they all can't wait to meet you," Laura told him.

"Do they know I'm, you know..."

This time it was her turn to use a little word play so she smiled and said, "Handsome and wonderful?"

"Well...yes," he replied with a smile.

Laura laughed happily then explained she'd discussed that with all of them.

"Only Mike's dad isn't real excited about this, but he's not unhappy about it. He's just very quiet and rather hard to get to know. I do love him, but he isn't anything like his wife or my parents. That's not something to worry about, okay?"

"As long as you love me, there's nothing I'm worried about," he told her as he took her in his arms. "Because I am so very much in love with you."

Laura's eyes welled up with tears as she said, "That is the best Christmas present you could have possibly given me."

She kissed him then said, "I love you, too, sweetheart."

Kim had been out playing with a friend, and when she came in she saw them kissing and started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm not laughing because it's funny, I'm laughing because I'm so happy," she told them.

They all sat down with Kim in between them and Craig said, "You know I love your mom, right?"

"Of course. I'm not stupid!" she informed him with a smile.

Craig smiled back then said, "And you know I love you, too, right?"

"Duh!" Kim told him before she laughed again.

"Can I have a hug?" he asked.

Kim hugged him tight then said, "I love you, too."

She then turned the other way, hugged her mom and said, "And I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, honey, and I also love Craig. Very much."

"So...when are you guys getting married?" she asked, surprising them both.

"Hey! Are you still trying to marrying me off?" her mom asked, trying to be very serious.

Kim was very serious when she told her mother, "I just want to have someone who loves me like Daddy did."

Hearing that, Craig jumped and said, "I was saving this for Christmas Eve, but give me one minute, okay?"

He excused himself and hurried out to his car then came back in and stood in front of Laura. He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye then looked at Kim before producing a small, fuzzy box. He opened it, then got down on one knee.

"Oh...my..." Laura said as Kim's eyes opened wide in amazement.

Craig looked at both of the girls he loved then said, "I couldn't possibly love you any more than I already do, Laura Krimmer. And I love this beautiful girl next to you just as much. So will you..."

He looked at Kim then said, "And you..."

"Marry me?"

Kim nearly knocked him over as she jumped off the couch and threw her arms around him as Laura sat there, her hand held out, shaking like a leaf.

"I guess that's a 'yes'?" he asked as Kim took the box while he slid the ring on her mother's finger.

Laura then slid off the couch and put her arms around her daughter and new fiancé. For several minutes, the three of them sat there holding each other as Laura shed tears of happiness while her little girl sat on her dad-to-be's lap, smiling more happily than her mother had seen since her father was alive.

"This is the merriest Christmas EVER!" Kim said as the her mom and Craig laughed and told her they agreed.

As it turned out, it actually was the best Christmas ever as Laura's family and her late husband's mother all celebrated the season and her very recent engagement in Yuma. All of her previous angst about the difference in age had been for naught as no one cared about anything other than Laura's happiness, and with Craig by her side, she couldn't have been more so.

His family joined them that Spring when Craig and Laura became husband and wife. With the exception of a couple of their closest friends, the wedding was kept small and held, of all places, at the camel farm where Laura fell in love with her husband.

As Laura Johnson danced with her handsome, younger husband for the first time that evening at their reception, she couldn't help but look back on the time when all he was to her was the water guy.

But now, as he held her in his arms, she saw him as the man she loved. The man who, in a few more weeks, would adopt their daughter, making their new family complete. Well, until it grew by one the following year when Laura, who never needed to work, quit her job to stay home and raise their children and help her loving husband grow his business as their love for another also continued to grow for the rest of their lives.