Finding Unexpected Love - Chapter 6

“You want to have kids? With me?” Bryan asked, disbelief lacing his voice.

“I think you’d make an incredible father. We’ve only been going out for a few weeks and I’m not saying we should rush into anything, but it hit me the other day that you’re a guy I can imagine settling down and having a family with.”

“Really? You don’t mind the challenges that obviously comes with my disability?”

“I think you can do pretty much anything you want to. You just have to do some things differently and there’s nothing wrong with that. But...before we talk about having kids and marriage, which I think it’s a bit premature, I have something else to ask you.”

“What?”

“I briefly chatted with Kelly yesterday and she was wondering if we want to join her for dinner next Saturday. I told her I’d have to check with you, since your work schedule is so unpredictable.”

“I’ll have to double check, but if I remember correctly I work an evening shift on Friday and a morning shift on Saturday, which means I get off work around three in the afternoon.  If we meet her at around seven in the evening it gives me time for a quick nap to recharge my batteries a bit. I know it makes me sound like an old geezer, but my back usually hurts a bit, especially around the area of my injury, when I’ve been in my chair for 10 hrs straight or more. A couple of hours of laying down usually take care of it.”

“I’ve been known to lay down for a powernap after long workdays too, especially days that are filled with meetings that makes me sure my brain might explode or something if I have to deal with any more information, so you’re not alone in that department.”

“Really? I thought I was the only person below the age of 70 that needs afternoon naps,” Bryan said with a laugh.

“Nope you’re not alone. So, you’re game for dinner with Kelly on Saturday?”

“Yeah. Um…have you told her I’m disabled? Or did she notice it in the bar the evening we met?”

“I haven’t told her and she didn’t notice. If she’d noticed she would’ve said something, I know her that well. Do you want me to tell her?”

“Yeah, I’d prefer that. Definitely. Things are usually less awkward if people know beforehand.”

“I’m meeting her for lunch on Tuesday. I’ll tell her then.”

Bryan nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan to me.”


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“So, did you ask Bryan about going out for dinner this weekend?” Kelly asked as soon as they’d taken a seat at the sushi restaurant down the road from Meaghan’s office.

“We’re on. He’s working a morning shift on Saturday, but said he was game for dinner in the evening.”

“Awesome! I can’t wait to meet the guy you’ve spent most of your time with for the past month and a half with.”

“And I can’t wait for you to meet him. He really is a great guy. There’s something you need to know about him though…” Meaghan’s voice trailed off as she tried to figure out how to tell Kelly about Bryan’s disability.

“He’s married? Has a kid?” Kelly prompted when Meaghan didn’t carry on. Meaghan shook her head.

“No. None of those things. He’s paraplegic and uses a wheelchair.”

“What? Why haven’t you told me sooner? You really didn’t think it was necessary to tell me that your prince charming is disabled?”

“No, I didn’t. It doesn’t matter to me, and that’s all that should matter to you. He is a great guy. Please don’t judge him ‘til you meet him and try to look past his wheelchair, will you?”

“I’ll try,” Kelly agreed, somewhat reluctantly. The rest of the lunch passed with more easy banter about what both of them had been up to lately.

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Friday afternoon Bryan went through his end-of-shift routine as fast as possible and then he headed to his car. He’d managed to swap his evening shift for a morning one and the same co-worker owed him a shift and offered to cover his Saturday shift as well. Bryan had happily accepted and was looking forward to having the weekend off.  As soon as he was on the road he hit 1 on his speed dial. Meaghan picked up the phone on the second ring.

“Bryan! I thought you were working tonight!” Her voice was laced with surprise.

“My co-worker asked if we could swap shifts today so he could go with his wife to her ultrasound appointment this morning. They’re expecting their first child. He’s also working for me tomorrow, he owed me a Saturday shift, I covered for him a while back.”

“So you’ve got the whole weekend off?”

“Yep! I’m driving home from work now. How about you? I guess you’re still working?”

“Yeah, I’ve got quite a few things I have to wrap up before I can get out of here. The past couple of days have been busy.”

“I see. Do you have any plans tonight?” Bryan asked.

“No. I’m pretty beat; it’s been a long week. Since we’re going out tomorrow I figured I’d just take it easy tonight. Just pickup some takeout on my way home and watch a movie or something.”

“How about doing that with me at my apartment? I promise that eating will be the most strenuous activity you’ll have to endure.”

“Really? Just eating? I might as well stay at my place then.” Meaghan’s voice was a mix of flirtatious, pouty and joking.

“Well, I won’t make any promises abut what might happen in the bedroom later,” Bryan chuckled.“I see…anwywhoo…why don’t I call you when I’m out of here? If I’m spending the weekend with you I’ve got to drop by my apartment and pack a bag before I come over.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. My back is killing me, so I’m going to lay down for a bit when I get home. Just call me when you’re done at work and we’ll figure out what we do about dinner then okay?”

“Great. See you later.”

“Later.” Bryan ended the call just as he pulled into his parking spot in the parking garage half a block down from his building.

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Bryan was more tired than he thought he was and he was fast asleep when his cell phone started to ring almost three hours later. He fumbled around his nightstand before he located it.

“Yeah,” he groaned, his voice thick with sleep.

“Did I wake you up old man?” Meaghan chuckled.

“Funny. Hold on for a second,” Bryan said and put the phone down on his nightstand. Then he used his arms to scoot himself up so he was sitting more upright against the headboard. “I’m back. I guess I passed out. What time is it?”

“Almost six thirty. I just left the office and I’m on my way to my apartment to get some things together. I don’t know about you, but I’m not really in the mood to cook so I was thinking I could just grab some takeout on my way over to your place.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. What do you want? Chinese?”

“I was thinking Thai, but Chinese works for me.”

“Thai actually sounds great. You know what I like, right? The only beer I have is a six-pack of Guinness, so if you want something else you’ve got to bring it.”

“Got it. I guess I’ll see you in about an hour or so.”

“Awesome! Call me when you’ve parked and I’ll come out and help you with the bags, okay?”

“Great. Can’t wait.”

“Me neither.” Bryan ended the call and put the phone back on his nightstand. Then he transferred to his wheelchair and headed for the bathroom to shower and get ready.

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Meaghan pulled into a parking space not far from Bryan’s building little over an hour later. She called Bryan and he said he’d be right out. True to his word he wheeled up to her a couple of minutes later. As he came closer she couldn’t help a smile from spreading across her face; he was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a grey t-shirt that was slightly tight and hugged him in all the right places. The five o’clock shadow on his jaw and his slightly tousled hair made him oh-so-sexy in her opinion.

“Hey,” he said with a smile. “I’ve missed you.”

Meaghan bent down and hugged him and he pulled her in for a kiss.  “I’ve missed you too,” she said as they pulled apart. 

Bryan grabbed the case of beer and the bag of food and placed both in his lap. "I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

Meaghan nodded and grabbed the handle of her wheelie bag, then she followed Bryan to the front door to his building; admiring the impressive muscles in his arms and shoulders as he wheeled down the street.

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A couple of hours later they had settled on Bryan’s couch, he had his feet propped up on the seat of his wheelchair and Meaghan was resting her head on a pillow in his lap. Bryan’s right hand was splayed on her stomach and Meaghan not for the first time since she’d gotten involved with him she realized she felt more relaxed and happy than she’d ever felt in a relationship. She let a contented sigh escape her, that got Bryan’s attention.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“It just hit me that I don’t think I’ve been in a relationship that feels this right before,” she confessed. “For the first time I’m in a relationship where I can be myself. Not that I’ve been in many relationships though.”

“Ditto,” Bryan replied as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips before he carried on. “Since I got injured I’ve felt that it’s not fair to ask someone else to deal with everything my disability and everything it entails, I’d never imagined I’d meet someone like you, that just takes it in a stride and don't fuss about it."

“We’re both pretty damn lucky, aren’t we?” Meaghan said as she looked up at Bryan who leaned down and kissed her again.  They spent the rest of the evening in a contended silence, watching a few episodes of Bryan’s favorite TV-show; 'Suits'.

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Saturday morning Bryan and Meaghan slept in and prepared a big breakfast together. They were just about to finish their meal when Bryan’s landline phone started ringing. He grabbed the closest handset that was sitting in a cradle on the kitchen counter.

“It’s Bryan.”

“Hey bro. What’s up?”

“Megs and I are about to finish breakfast.”

“Right…I was going to ask you if you wanted to do something tonight, but I guess you’ve got plans with Meaghan?”

“We’re meeting her friend Kelly for dinner. If you want to join us that would be great. I think it’s time you get to know my girlfriend.”

“Awesome! Where are we eating and when?”

“We’re meeting at Dixon’s at seven.”

“I’ll see you there.”

“Great!” Bryan ended the call and returned the handset to the cradle. Then he grabbed the push rims on his chair and turned back to Meaghan. “Josh is joining us tonight. I hope you and Kelly don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I want to meet your brother and I know Kelly was feeling sort of uneasy about being the fifth wheel…”

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“Kelly, this is my brother Josh Norfleet. Josh, this is Meaghan’s best friend Kelly…um, sorry I never caught your last name Kelly?” Bryan looked at Kelly with a slightly flustered look on his face.

“It’s MacIntyre, Kelly MacIntyre,” Kelly said with a smile as she extended her hand to Josh who grasped it at shook it firmly.

“Nice to meet you Kelly Macintyre,” Josh replied with a crooked grin. Before they could say anything else the hostess approached them and announced that their table was ready. They followed her to a table and Bryan was pleasantly surprised when she removed one of the chairs to make room for his wheelchair without him having to ask. She handed out the menus and walked away.  A few moments later a waitress approached the table and took their drink orders.

“So, what do you do for a living Kelly?” Josh asked.

“I’m an art teacher at McLean High School. Not very glamorous, but I actually love my job. What about you?”

“I’m a lawyer, specialize in corporate law. Sounds fancy, but it’s mostly a hell of a lot of paper work. I like it and it pays pretty well, so…” Josh shrugged.

“How did you and Meaghan meet?” Bryan interjected.

“Freshman year in college. We had a couple of classes together and when we were paired up for an assignment. Didn’t take us long to realize we’re soul mates. We’ve been pretty close since then.”

“Come on Kel, soul mates? Seriously?” Meaghan scoffed.

“Well, whatever you wanna call it. Bottom line is that we’re close friends, right?”

“Yeah.”

Kelly turned her attention to Bryan. “So, what do you think about my best friend?”

“Meaghan is great. Best thing that ever happened to me,” he said sincerely.

“Hey, I’m right here,” Meaghan admonished him, swatting him on the arm.

“Well, now you know how I feel about you,” he said with a warm smile in her direction.  Kelly smiled approvingly at both him and Meaghan. Meaghan felt relieved; first test passed. It seemed like Kelly approved of Bryan, despite his disability.

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“That wasn’t as bad as I feared,” Bryan stated as they got back to his apartment well past midnight Saturday evening.

“Definitely. I don’t think your brother and my best friends are madly in love or anything like that, but they seemed to enjoy each others company.”

“That’s what I think too. And since my brother also happens to be one of my best friends it’s a good thing that he gets along with your best friend.”

“Exactly,” Meaghan agreed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m more than ready to go to bed. I might have had one or two Margaritas too many.”

“Me too. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had this much to drink. To be honest I’m surprised I’m surprised I don’t feel more dizzy than I do. Wanna use the bathroom first? You know my routine takes a while.”

“Sure, I’ll only be a few minutes.” Meaghan grabbed her tote and headed into Bryan’s bathroom.  When she emerged dressed in a camisole top and a pair of sleep shorts Bryan had undressed down to a pair of black boxer briefs.  It was the first time she saw his bare legs. They were skinny; the lack of muscles was evident. She’d realized they were skinny, both from how they appeared under his pants and how they felt when she sat in his lap.

“All done,” Meaghan announced.

Bryan nodded and wordlessly made his way into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.  Nearly forty-five minutes later he came back to the bedroom, still wearing the black boxer briefs. He quickly wheeled over to his side of the bed and pulled the covers back.  Meaghan watched as he lifted his feet of the footrest of his wheelchair and made the transfer to the bed in one smooth move. The impressive muscles in his upper body were the exact opposite of his thin, lifeless legs. When he’d lifted his legs onto the bed he pulled out his AFO’s and put them on; carefully aligning his lifeless feet in the braces and securing the straps. Meaghan noticed how his toes were pointing downwards before he put on the braces.  When he was done he pulled the covers over himself and lay down. Meaghan quickly scooted over to him and curled up against his side; Bryan reciprocated by wrapping an arm around her and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

To be continued....