“Good morning beautiful,How was your night….” Nick sang. Michelle had gotten him into country music and ever since they had seen Steve Holy perform “Good morning beautiful” every morning that Nick had been home he sang the song to wake her up.
“Mmmmmmm.” Michelle said as she rolled to face him. “It’s good to see you.” He wasn’t supposed to be home for another two weeks.
“I’m only back for the day. I’ve got to fly out at seven thirty tomorrow morning.”
Michelle’s spirits fell a little.
He handed her a box that was about a foot and a half tall. It was neatly wrapped in a brownish purple colored wrapping paper.
She tore the paper away and opened the box to find a smaller box. She unwrapped and opened that box to find yet another box. She continued unwrapping and opening boxes until she finally came to the last box.
It was ten inches long. She opened it to reveal the most beautiful bracelet she h ad ever seen. It was solid silver and every link in it was either shaped like a heart or a butterfly. She looked up at Nick who was smiling down at her and he said, “Happy Birthday.”
“Ooooooh! Thank you. As embarrassing as it is, I forgot it was my birthday.”
Nick chuckled as he stuffed the smaller boxes and wrapping paper into the largest box and said, “Scoot over.” Michelle complied and they fell asleep in one another’s arms.
They woke several hours later around noon, and after taking a shower they went out to lunch for her birthday.
Later that night at exactly seven fifteen pm just as the sun was setting Nick wrapped his arms around her waist from behind as she was standing on the deck outside their library/office.
She laced her fingers in his, wrapped his arms around her and leaned back to rest her head on his chest.
Her favorite song to listen to was the beating of Nick’s very heart. It calmed her down when she was nervous, scared, afraid, or if anything else was bothering her. It was her lifeline at times—as long as she could hear his heartbeat she was fine and had everything in the world she’d ever need.
He rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed. “What?” she asked quietly.
“Nothing. I was just thinking about how much you mean to me.”
She turned halfway around and let go of his fingers with her left hand and pulled his head down into a kiss.
When he turned her around and wrapped his arms around without breaking their kiss, Michelle happily lost the battle she’d been fighting inside since the day she had realized he wasn’t going to disappear on her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave in to the power of the kiss.
When they came up for air, she took his hand in hers and led him wordlessly down the hall to their bedroom.
Pausing just outside the door they kissed again. Michelle moaned into the side of his neck when he ran his hands down her arms and settled them around her waist, pulling her close.
She fisted his ice blue polo shirt in her hands and once again laid her head against his chest and sighed her surrender.
He lifted her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as her crossed the threshold and laid her gently on their bed.
He laid down next to her and kissed her soft, swollen lips. “Tell me to stop. Please. Tell me to stop because if we keep going I’m not going to be able to behave myself. Tell me to stop Elle,” he pleaded/whispered so quietly that Michelle almost didn’t hear him.
Her only response was a soul-shattering, bone-melting kiss.
Before opening her eyes the next morning, Michelle rolled over to get closer to Nick and ended up rolling right off the edge of the bed.
She sat up, feeling a little disappointed that Nick was no where to be found before remembering that he’d only been home for one night.
She gazed around the room and her eyes settled on an envelope sitting on top of the dresser.
She walked over and picked up the envelope. Behind it was a small black jeweler’s box. She opened the box first. Inside was a one inch Citrine (my birthstone in real life) cross set in sterling silver with an eighteen inch matching chain.
Michelle left the box open and sitting on the dresser while she sat on the bed to open the envelope.
She smiled as she first uncovered a drawing that Nick had obviously done after she had finally fallen asleep last night. The letter said,
My Elle,
You are the most wonderful person in my life. I wouldn’t have wanted to share last night with anyone else. I know that the concert we met at technically wasn’t our first date but I’ve always counted it as such because it was after the concert that I first kissed you. So the bracelet is to say ‘happy birthday’ and the necklace is to say ‘happy anniversary.’ I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there when you opened you eyes this morning, but know that I love you and will be home in two weeks.
Love,
Nick
Author's Chapter Notes:
YAY ME! I finally got the next chapter finished. I've got to warn you it gets a little racy in this one.
