Chapter Three.

Rose took in a deep breath and flipped the promo sign.

Here it goes, she thought within.

She heard a knock on the back door. She walked to the kitchen and opened the door.

"Hey." Rick smiled at her.

"Hi." She stepped back and opened the door wider for him to come in.

"How are you?"

"In between anxious and nervous."

He squeezed her shoulder. "It will be a success, okay?"

She nodded.

"Alright, let's go do this."

She opened the shop.

Rick carried the signboard out, and after adjusting it and dragging it here and there, he stepped back and considered it. "Not bad, eh?"

She looked at the sign, at the bold letters that read BUY THREE, GET ONE FREE. "Think they will be able to see it?"

"The man down the street can see it."

"Then it is okay." She inhaled deep.

Rick walked in and the promo sales began. In and in flowed customers...much more than her normal day.

"Tell me it is not all gone." Bonnie squealed as ran into the shop, her heel squealing to a stop directly in front of the counter. "Tell me there are still sticky buns!"

"Yes, there are." She replied, chuckling.

Bonnie placed her hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "I will have five sticky buns, please."

"Are my eyes deceiving me?!" Rick exclaimed, joining them at the counter. "Is Bonnie Evans really before my eyes?"

"Well, since you are not using glasses, we can say your eyes are seeing perfectly well."

Rick laughed and pulled Bonnie into a hug. "It is so good to see you, Bonnie. You look amazing."

"You don't look bad yourself."

"Gotta look real good if I'm going to convince Rose to say yes to my proposal."

"So it is true? I thought it was all in a dream; Rose telling me that Rick has lost his bonkers, that he was asking her to marry him on the basis of a seventeen year old contract."

"You can't blame me, can you? Stepping into the shop and seeing the crazily beautiful woman my best friend has become?" He shrugged.

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

She laughed and handed Bonnie her order.

"Thank you." Bonnie tipped the paper bag at her. "Love to stay but gotta go."

"When are you going to get salespersons?"

"When I can afford it." Bonnie leaned in and kissed her cheek. "See you later. Rick, it was nice seeing you and please give up on your quest."

"Not even if my life depended on it." He hugged Bonnie. "I will come say hi soon."

Bonnie smiled. "Since I'm considering becoming a therapist, it would be nice to have you as my first patient.

Rick chuckled.

Bonnie waved and walked out.

"At the rate the sales are going, I won't see any cupcake to buy." Rick leaned on the counter, a pleased smile on his lips. "Can I please have three cupcakes, miss?"

"Coming straight up, sir." She placed the cupcakes on a tray and shifted it to him.

She watched, her heart weirdly mushy and fuzzy, a wide smile on her face, as he bit into the cupcake. She watched, the smile going wider, as he threw back his head and let out a satisfied sigh.

"I've missed your baking, Rosie."

Rosie...

She leaned in and cleaned the strawberry cream above his lips. "So much even a blind man can see it."

He took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm, sending her heart into racing.

She was sure her face looked like she just brought out fresh cookies from the oven. Funny how she started reacting to his words and touch right after he started courting her... It was like something inside her had been waiting all this while for his attention...and affection.

"You are one beautiful woman, Rosie." He whispered, his bright eyes looking deep into hers.

She smiled. "Good to know you have great sight."

He chuckled. When he cupped her cheek and leaned in close, every part of her being honed in on him. His scent blanketed her. Her eyes fell on his lips...lips that were coming closer to her face. She closed her eyes. And felt his lips on her forehead.

She smiled.

"You are one beautiful woman, Rosie." He whispered close to her ear. "And you are precious to me."

The bell at the door chimed announcing the entrance of a customer.

Rick stepped back and she turned to attend to the customer and more customers but even still, throughout the rest of the day, her eyes found themselves wandering to Rick, watching his face, catching his gazes and stolen glances.

******

Rose laid the last plate on the table, turned and collected the bowl of barbecued chicken. She raised the bowl to her nose and inhaled. "Hmm. Dad always makes the best barbecue."

Her mom smiled. "I know right!"

Dad and Rick came out, carrying the bowl of baked potatoes and the plate of boiled corn.

They sat down, Dad said the grace and dinner started.

"Rick." Dad smiled, the skin beside his eyes wrinkling. "I can't express how much I am happy to see you."

"I'm so glad to see you back. I've been away for too long."

"Seven years does feel like forever." Her mom bobbed her head. "You're here to stay, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am. You shall no longer miss my precious face."

Her mom covered her chest with her palm. "And I will no longer suffer from heart attack every time I watch the news."

She cocked a brow. "You have never suffered from heart attacks, mom."

"The experience I have every time I watch the news is as good as an heart attack." Mom stated

Rick smiled."I'm here now, so no more heart attacks."

"So how have you been, Rick?" Dad asked.

Rick shrugged. "Good, here and there. Still trying to figure out what to do now that I have ever known have been taken from me."

"Have you considered coming to work at the hardware store?"

"Dad!!!!!" Rose didn't know if she should laugh or moan. Dad still hadn't changed; typical business man.

Rick looked at his fingers. "I'm not sure these fingers can work that cash register in the shop."

"Dad," she eyed her dad. "Tell me you have gotten a new cash register?"

"What is the point of getting a cash register I won't be able to operate?" Dad asked

"Then get the same model. Dad, that cash register is gone!"

Mom chuckled. "I gotta agree with Rose, Jack. Have mercy on that poor cash register and buy a new one"

"Of course you'd agree with your daughter." Dad replied, his voice filled with amusement.

"Honestly, Jack." Mom laughed harder. "Get a new cash register."

"Can I know how bad the cash register is?" Rick asked, looking at all of them.

"The cash register he got when we were in high school."' She replied.

"Hmm." Rick tilted his head. "It's pretty old."

"It's pretty gone." She shot back.

"No matter what you guys say." Dad raised his glass to them. "I'm not getting a new cash register. That cash register has..."

"been with me through thick and thin." She mouthed along. "Through burglaries and many sales. It tells many stories."

Rick brought his lips to her ear. "Guess this isn't the first time you're talking about this."

"And obviously not the last." She chuckled and shook her head. "Guess you can't take a man's toy from the man."

Mom stood up and brought out the peach cobbler from the kitchen. After dessert they retired to the living room and watched TV till her parents got tired and left Rick and her to their room.

Rick started telling her camp stories.

Rose shook her head, her shoulders shaking with laughter as she took two root beers out of the fridge. "What did your Captain do?" She sat down beside him.

Rick popped the cocks of the bottle. "He ordered that the food be thrown away and he made Buck serve in the kitchen...doing dishes."

She threw back her head and laughed. "Oh God, poor Buck."

Rick let out a long sigh, his eyes soulful. "I miss them...I..." He turned the bottle and stared at it. "I keep wondering, keep going back to that day, keep wondering what I had missed, why I had missed it, what I could have done differently."

She grabbed his free hand. "It is not your fault."

His lips tipped up. "I know but my mind can't stop..."

"Asking questions."

He nodded. "Yeah." He dangled the bottle. "Did I tell you I was almost diagnosed with PTSD?"

"When?"

"Before I was discharged from the army."

Her mouth widened and she slumped against the couch. "You were...?"

He nodded.

"When?"

"Last year. Fifteen months ago to be precise."

"Rick..."

"Months after it happened, I couldn't function as a soldier should. I was constantly in bouts of anxiety. During training, the sound of gunshots made me remember, sending me into depression.. There was this guy, Wraggs, his laughter was so much like Zayne's." His voice hitched. "It drove me nuts. My Commander had no choice than to call me..."

"And discharge you."

"Honorably."

She knew he wasn't done talking so she didn't say anything, just watched his face and held on to him tightly.

He raised his head to the ceiling. "I went on a vacation after that...but change of environment didn't take away the ghosts. I...I found myself thinking about my parents everyday."

She tightened her grip.

"Why wasn't I in the vehicle?" His voice was a pained whisper. "Why wasn't I in the accident?"

"If you had been in the car, you wouldn't have become a soldier, and you wouldn't have met a whole bunch of amazing people."

"Those amazing people are dead, Rose... Why do I keep ending up not dead?" He shut his eyes. Tears slipped down his face. "Why do I keep living?"

"Maybe God still has something in store for you."

He looked into her eyes. God, there were so much pain in those green irises.

She cupped his cheek, raised herself and kissed his forehead. "It is not time for you to die. You still have to marry me, remember?"

He smiled and cupped her cheek. "Is that a yes?"

"No, that is a you still got work to do, dude."

He chuckled. He tucked her hair behind her ear. "Can I kiss you?"

"You will be getting ahead of yourself if you do." She grinned.

He laughed then sobered. "You're the reason I came back, Rosie, the very thought of seeing you."

"You are not going to lose me, Rick."

"Yeah, not if I can help it."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck and hugged him.

"How come no guy has snatched you up, Rosie?"

She paused and slipped down back on the couch. "I guess I never gave any the chance to. I was so scared of one day growing apart that I never gave one guy the chance to ask me out. Just always freaked out and said no."

"I hold it true, whate'er befall. I feel it, when I sorrow most. 'Tis better to have loved and lost. Than never to have loved at all." He stroked her hair. "Love is beautiful, Rosie. Never be afraid to love."