White Orchids

Five Days Later

Nicki followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen, where Lisa stood over the toaster, frantically shoving a fork into it.

“What are you doing to that poor toaster?”

Lisa obviously hadn’t heard Nicki come into the room and jumped at the sound of her voice.

“God damned thing broke. I don’t have time to make Bella anything else, she has school in fifteen minutes.”

She noted the absence of the little ball of energy. Before she could ask where she was, Lisa shouted, “Bella! Get your butt down here!”

Quick, light footsteps pounded down the stairs and into the room. She ran straight into Nicki and wrapped her arms around one of her thighs.

“I don’t want Auntie to leave today! Why can’t you stay?” she asked, looking up at her with the saddest eyes she’d ever seen.

Nicki lifted her up so that they were face to face, coaxing a small smile out of Bella, which vanished as quickly as it appeared.

“I have to get home to your uncle, Bells. I miss him.”

Bella pouted. “So do I but I’m not leabing!”

Her innocence made Nicki smile. She truly wished she could stay, but she was beginning to have withdrawals. Tyler was coming home that day from his last road trip of the season. It was killing her to be hours away from him.

She placed Bella on a seat at their granite island and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry, hon.”

“Mommy?”

Lisa answered without taking her attention off of the toaster. “Yeah?”

“Can I stay home from school today? I don’t feel good.”

She threw the fork down on the counter, accepting defeat. “I was wondering how long it would take you to ask me that. You can stay home, sweetie. Looks like mommy has to buy a new toaster, anyways.” She turned to Nicki. “How long are you staying? Can you watch her and Danny while I go?”

“I haven’t even bought my ticket yet. I can stay as long as you need me to,” she offered, hoping it wouldn’t be too long.

“Thanks, Nick. You wouldn’t want to make your world famous pancakes, would you? I could use the carbs. This day’s already got me stressed, and it’s not even nine.”

She laughed and put a hand on Lisa’s back. “I’ll get right on it. On one condition.”

“And what’s that?”

“Tell me what you really said to Tyler on my birthday.”

Lisa cast her a glance as she sat down next to Bella. “I did. Wedding stuff.”

“Enough, Lis. I know when he’s lying to me.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I just had a little chat with him. A heart to heart.”

“Mmkay. About what?”

“I just…”

“Lisa…” she was growing impatient.

“Okay, fine. Let’s just say I was going to tell him that he better have kids with you, that’s all.”

Nicki stopped gathering the ingredients for pancakes and crossed her arms.

“He’s just so good with Bella, I wanted to see where he stood.”

“Well, where does he stand?” she asked, fishing for details.

Lisa put her hands up and shook her head. “That’s for you guys to talk about.”

She knew that it was the end of their conversation. She loved Lisa to death, but she needed to learn how to mind her own business. What if she had given him the impression that she wanted to? What if it totally freaked him out? Now she had to talk to him about it.

“I’m sorry, girl. I know it’s none of my business.”

Nicki couldn’t stay mad at her. After all, she was just trying to help.

“Apology accepted. Just don’t ask him to lie to me, okay? I could tell he felt awful about it.”

“You know him that well to know when he’s lying?” Lisa asked, raising an eyebrow.

She laughed. “No, he’s just a terrible liar.”

“I hope you’re not talking about me.”

Nicki’s head shot up.

“UNCLE TYLER!”

Bella leaped off of the chair and onto Tyler, who caught her and held her up.

“Ty? What are you doing here?!”

He let Bella down and grinned. He was still in the suit he’d worn for an interview the night before. Nicki strode towards him and locked her arms around his torso. She was so happy to see him, she was nearly in tears.

“Hi,” he said, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head.

“I’m so confused,” said Nicki, who was laughing and crying at the same time from the shock.

He chuckled, and the movement of his chest against her head sent her spiraling into a state of bliss.

“Surprise,” Lisa said, half enthused.

Nicki pulled away from Tyler to look at him. “Did you two plan this?”

He nodded. Her mind was still swirling with questions. “Why are you still in your suit from last night?”

“Because I came right here.”

“But it’s only a three hour flight.” His answers only confused her more.

“Who said I flew?”

She crinkled her eyebrows, trying to understand. Did he take a train? Why wouldn’t he fly?

“I figured you wouldn’t mind road tripping it back in the Maserati,” he said, the mischievous grin returning to his face.

“You drove here? Jesus Tyler, how are you awake right now? Were you driving all night?”

Tyler cupped her face in his hands, making her forget everything she was about to say. She leaned into his touch and sighed. Talking could wait.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m here. That’s all that matters.”

He leaned in and placed his lips on hers. Her legs almost gave out underneath her. It felt like it had been an eternity since she’d kissed him last. Shrieking giggles came from the floor, pulling them away from each other. Tyler stared at her, eyes full with the promise that there would be more later.

Nicki went back to preparing pancakes and watched Tyler out of the corner of her eye. He had Bella cradled in one arm and was laughing at everything she said. There were so many things running through her head, she couldn’t keep any of them straight. She couldn’t believe he’d come.

By the time she finished cooking, Lisa was passed out with her head on the island and Tyler had disappeared further into the house with Bella.

“Who wants pancakes?!”

Lisa’s head shot up. “Load me up.”

As Nicki prepared a plate for her, Bella came racing into the room with Tyler hot on her trail. He picked her up and put her in a chair before sitting down next to her. She looked like she’d just won a million dollars. Or a trip to see the Wiggles. Whichever one was more important to a four year old.

“Do you want any, Ty?” she asked, holding out the spatula as an offering.

“Please.” She turned to make him a plate and heard him say, “Bella, have you ever had Auntie’s pancakes?”

“No!”

“She makes the best pancakes in the whole world.”

“The whole world?! How do you know?”

Nicki couldn’t stifle a laugh as she set two plates down in front of them. What she would give to be so gullible again. She left a kiss on Tyler’s cheek before she started to clean up the mess she’d made. His scruff was already back full force, but she didn’t mind. It looked exceedingly handsome with the suit he had on. It was the suit he bought when they were in California; every time he wore it, the memories of those few days came rushing back to her. They were three of the most emotional days of her entire life.

“These are SO GOOD,” Bella shouted, mouth full of half eaten pancake.

“Aw, thanks Bells. I’m glad you like them.”

“I’ve had better,” Tyler teased.

She crossed her arms and stared him down, only to give in when he flashed her that beautiful, goofy smile of his. Love you, he mouthed.

“But I thought you said they were the best in the world?” Bella inquired innocently.

Nicki watched as Tyler brushed Bella’s messy hair from her face, the same way he always did to her.

“I was just teasing,” he said.

“That means you like her! Mommy tells me when boys tease me it’s cuz they like me!” Her face dropped suddenly. “Do you like her?” she whispered, a little too loudly.

Tyler shook his head. “You know you’re the only girl for me, Bells.”

Her cheeks turned bright red as she smiled and looked down at her lap. Nicki nearly melted. She remembered what it was like to have a crush when she was little.

“But you kissed her,” she said softly, still looking down.

“I kiss you too,” he said, bending so his head was level with hers.

“Not on the lips,” she mumbled.

Nicki’s heart was breaking listening to her. She knew exactly how she felt. When you’re young, you just don’t understand. Lisa intervened, trying to save Tyler from an inevitably uncomfortable conversation.

“That’s just how grownups say hello, sweetie. Someday when you’re older, you’ll do the same thing.”

“With Uncle Tyler?”

Tyler sat straight up and chuckled, resting a hand on her back. “Sure.”

Lisa got Nicki’s attention and mouthed, sorry.

She just shook her head and smiled. She thought it was absolutely adorable. Tyler was incredible with her…

“Well, I should probably get going. That toaster ain’t gonna buy itself,” Lisa said, pushing herself up.

“Do you want us to go? You look exhausted,” Nicki offered, hoping to score some time alone with Tyler.

“That. Would. Be. Great,” she said, plopping back into her seat. “Let me just give you some money,” she muttered, fishing in her pocket to find some.

“It’s on me Lisa. Think of it as a thank you for letting us stay,” said Tyler.

Lisa laughed. “You guys are too much. You come here, babysit my kid, cook me breakfast, and still feel like you need to thank me for having you. Do as you wish,” she said, flicking a wrist in the air.

Tyler stood up and pushed in his chair. “Let me just change real quick.”

“Do you remember where the guest room is?” Lisa asked.

He scratched the back of his head. “I think so.”

“I’ll go with you,” Nicki said, jumping at the opportunity. “I should probably put on something more presentable.” She gestured down to her shorts and Bruins tee shirt.

Thankfully, Lisa understood right away. “Bella, honey, why don’t you help mommy with the dishwasher?”

“Okay!” she said, jumping off of her chair and landing hard on the ground. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see if she was okay. She threw her arms in the air. “I okay!”

Nicki let out a relieved laugh and made her way over to Tyler, grabbing his hand. He bent down to pick up his duffle bag and she led him upstairs to the guest room. As soon as he set the bag down, she kicked the door shut with her foot and tackled him onto the bed.

Tyler looked up at her and grinned. “I missed you, too.”

She didn’t feel a response was necessary. Her lips fell to his; they were temptingly warm. The arms she so desperately longed for wrapped around her, enveloping her in safety and comfort. His rough stubble scraped her chin as her mouth moved against his, something she’d only dreamed of doing over the past five days.

A low groan rumbled from Tyler’s throat and he tightened his hold on her. If that moment never had to end, she would have died a happy woman.

“We should probably get going,” Nicki said, hating herself for pulling away from him.

His eyes opened slowly, as if he was just waking up. “Please never leave me again.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” she said, trying to cover up the fact that she was about to cry.

“It was horrible. I had to do all the dishes and the laundry and I had to make the bed… How could you do that to me?”

She let out a mix of a laugh and a sigh. If he started getting sentimental, she was going to lose it.

“I’m sorry, love. I didn’t really have much of a choice.”

“I know,” he said, “It was just really lonely. I don’t know how you do it every time I’m gone.”

Nicki shrugged. “I manage. I knew what I was signing up for, I guess.”

She watched as his face dropped. She dropped her head and pressed her lips to his forehead.

“Come on, Ty. Cheer up. You know what always makes me feel better when you’re gone?”

He shook his head, waiting for her to tell him.

“I’ll be sitting on the couch, or lying in bed, missing the crap outta you. And I’m cuddling with something of yours, pretending like a little kid that you’re there with me. And then I think, someday, you’re gonna retire. And we’re gonna have so much time to spend together that most people never get. We won’t have to worry about anything; we’ll be able to do anything we want to. Just knowing that I have that to look forward to makes things seem less sucky.”

Tyler’s deep brown eyes burned right through her. Eventually, the slightest hint of a smile crept onto his face.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, submitting to her urge to kiss him again.

This time, it was Tyler who pulled away. The muscles in his face tensed, it obviously hurt him as much as it hurt her.

“I’m sorry. Later?”

She nodded. “Later.”

She couldn’t wait until later arrived.

** * * * * *

Tyler and Nicki were halfway out of the house when a high-pitched voice called after them.

“Where are you going?!”

Tyler turned around to look at Bella, who was standing in the middle of the hallway, looking like a lost puppy.

“To buy you a new toaster,” Nicki said, “We’ll be right back honey.”

Bella hung her head. “I don’t want you to leabe.”

Tyler knelt down on a knee so that he was her height. “I promise we’ll be quick.”

She looked up at him. He knew it was coming.

“Can I come with you?”

He looked over his shoulder at Nicki. He didn’t feel right making the decision alone.

“Lisa?!” she called into the house.

“Yeah?”

“We’re bringing Bells with us. Be back soon.”

“K!”

Bella jumped up and down a few times before Tyler picked her up and followed Nicki out of the house. She passed by his car and walked towards Lisa’s.

“You don’t want to take my car?”

She looked at him like he had three heads.

“We have Bella with us.”

“So?” He didn’t care if she played around in it.

“Car seat?”

“Ohh.”

Maybe there was more to this parenting thing than he thought. He never realized just how many things there were to remember. Nicki opened the backseat door and took Bella from him, strapping her into the plastic car seat. He caught himself smiling and quickly turned away, climbing into the passenger seat.

“So do you know where you’re going?” he asked when she turned on the car.

“Not a clue.” She twisted to look back at Bella. “Wanna see something cool?”

She nodded eagerly. Nicki pulled out her phone slowly, making sure Bella watched her every move.

“Siri, get me directions to the nearest Target store.”

“I found ten items matching your description,” her phone replied.

“WOAH! Did your phone just talk to us?!”

Tyler joined Nicki in a laugh. “Yeah, it did. Pretty neat, huh?”

After rerouting a few times, her phone finally got them to Target. Tyler hadn’t been to a store like that since before he started playing in the NHL. It wasn’t that he thought he was above them, he just acquired more expensive tastes.

Nicki got Bella out of her car seat and set her down on the ground. Within seconds, she had them each by a hand, dragging them towards the entrance to the store.

“Slow down Bells, I can’t walk that fast,” Tyler called ahead to her. She instantly slowed down and fell into step with him and Nicki. “That’s better. How come you’re so excited?”

“Cuz I have the best Auntie and Uncle ever!”

Nicki turned her head to smile at him. He’d forgotten how much fun he had with Bella. She was easily the best kid he’d ever met. He couldn’t wait to watch her grow up and become the amazing person he knew she would be.

After being pulled through aisle after aisle, they found the kitchen section. Nicki called Lisa to ask if there was a specific type of toaster that she wanted. Her response was ‘one that fucking works’.

“Just get the most expensive one,” Tyler suggested. He got the feeling they were all likely to break down on her eventually.

He waited with Bella while Nicki looked through them. He noticed her glancing over her shoulder constantly, in the direction of the toy aisle.

“Do you want something?” he asked her, bending at the knees.

“Could I?!”

Tyler nodded and grinned. “We’re going to look at toys,” he said to Nicki as Bella pulled at his hand. He never thought he’d hear himself say that.

She held up a hand to let him know she’d heard; she was deeply absorbed in reading every label on every toaster.

He stood with his arms crossed as he watched Bella skip up and down the aisle, trying to make up her mind. She heeled in front of the pink Barbie boxes. They always reminded Tyler of Christmas back in Brampton, when his house would be littered with the torn remains of them while his sisters played with their new gifts. Maybe he would call them later.

“Uncle Tyler! I need help!”

Tyler found himself back in reality and walked over to her.

“With what?”

“I dunno which one to pick. That one,” she said, pointing. “Or that one.”

“Get both.”

She looked up at him like he’d just told her to jump off of a cliff.

“Mommy never lets me get both.”

“Well I’m not mommy, am I?”

So, maybe Lisa would hate him for spoiling her kid rotten. It was worth it to see the expression on her face.

Bella wrapped her skinny arms around his legs, making him laugh when he saw that her head hit only halfway up his thigh. He honestly didn’t think he’d ever been that short.

“Thanks, Uncle.”

Nicki came strolling around the corner with a large, white box under her arm. She smirked when she saw them.

“Whatcha got there, Bells?”

She broke away from him and bounced over to Nicki, barely able to hold both of the doll boxes in her arms.

“Uncle’s buying me two Barbies!”

“Is that right?” she asked, giving him a look. He knew the look. It was the ‘you really shouldn’t have done that, but I’m glad you did’ look.

“Uh huh! Can we go home so I can play with them?!”

Tyler took the box from under Nicki’s arm and nearly leaned in to kiss her, but stopped himself. After what Bella said to him earlier, he’d never kiss Nicki in front of her again. It broke his heart to see her so disappointed. The least he could do was hold off when she was around.

In the checkout line, what Tyler had been expecting since they arrived finally happened.

“She is just precious!” cried the woman standing in front of them. Her eyes lingered a moment on Tyler’s face. “You look so familiar…”

“Huh,” he said, trying to shrug her off. Maybe she wouldn’t figure it out. After all, they were in Michigan.

“How old is she?” she asked.

“I’m four!” Bella shouted, holding up three fingers.

Everyone around them chuckled. Poor Bella, she had no idea why people were laughing at her. The woman bent down to get to her level.

“Your daddy must really love you, huh? Two toys?”

Tyler didn’t like the way she was talking to her, like she was speaking to a puppy. Wait.

“I’m not her father,” he said, instantly regretting it. He’d clearly made the woman feel uncomfortable.

“That’s my Uncle Tyler!”

Bella’s cry drew attention from every angle. Tyler could tell by the woman’s face that she’d figured out who he was.

“That’s why you looked familiar. You’re that hockey player from Boston, right?”

He could feel the eyes on him. A camera flash went off in the distance. Wonderful.

** * * * *

“Great, now every time I take her somewhere she’ll think she’s gonna get something.”

Nicki glanced at Bella playing exuberantly with her toys in the other room.

“I made her promise that she wouldn’t ask,” Tyler said. “We pinky swore. It’s fine.”

Lisa cracked up and pulled them both into a hug.

“Hell, I can’t be mad at you.” When she let them go she said, “In fact, I want you guys to go out tonight. Find something fun to do.”

Nicki shook her head. “No, Lis. You and Zach have had the most stressful week ever. You two should go out. We can stay in and babysit.”

“Thanks for the offer girl, but we’re both on our last legs, here. I’ll probably go to sleep before Bella does. We can go out tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am positive. Listen, there’s not much to do around here. Ann Arbor is great, if you’re fifty. But there’s one restaurant we always go to, it’s a little Italian place on the corner of Main and Turnpike. If you want to go somewhere nice, that’s your best shot.”

Nicki was giddy at the thought of spending a romantic evening with Tyler. They hadn’t gone out in months because of his hockey schedule. She felt him grab her hand, and figured he must have been thinking the same. Lisa’s eyes darted down to their entangled hands.

“Are you ever going to stop being adorable?”

“Not if I can help it,” Tyler said, smirking.

She wondered what had gotten into him. He was acting different; he was noticeably more animated than normal.

“Well, if you want to have a good time tonight you should probably get some rest. I’ll keep Bells entertained for a few hours, if you want to nap.”

Finally, some actual time alone.

“Thanks, Lisa. We’ll be upstairs if you need us,” she said, pulling Tyler quickly out of the room.

“I’m really not that tired,” he said, taking a seat on the bed in the guest room.

“Me either. Can we get just get in bed anyways?”

Tyler grinned and got off of the bed, closing the distance between them. His fingers teased the hem of her shirt before he lifted it over her head. He did it with care, not with the usual aggression that accompanied the removal of clothing. His hands brushed against her stomach as he reached for the button of her jeans.

“Tyler, we can’t do this here,” she whispered, surprised at her own ability to control herself.

“What?” he asked innocently. “You want to leave your jeans on while you nap?”

“Oh,” she said, blushing. She’d just assumed that him taking off her clothes meant…

“But when we get home, you’re finished.”

The lust and seduction in Tyler’s voice made her quiver. The fact that he said it as he pulled her jeans to the floor certainly wasn’t helping the situation, either.

Nicki decided to relish in the moment and gently grabbed the bottom of Tyler’s striped tee shirt. She pulled it off slowly, admiring the way his muscles moved as he helped her get it off. Her hands found their way to his well defined stomach. If anything was going to test her patience, it was going to be his abs. Her touch drew a soft moan from him that in turn sent a shiver down her spine.

She let her head fall to Tyler’s chest and felt his warm hands on her back, just below the band of her bra. Suddenly, she was overpowered with the desire to be in bed with him. Her capable fingers unbuttoned his jeans, and they fell to the ground on their own.

Nicki broke away from him and slid into bed, waiting patiently for him to join. The second he got under the covers, she was on him; head resting on his shoulder and arm draped across his stomach.

“I just don’t get it,” he said, pulling her closer to him.

She tilted her head to look at him. “Get what?”

“I’ve been on two week long road trips. You were gone for five days, and I’ve never missed you so much.”

Nicki lifted her head and turned on her stomach, propping herself up on her elbow.

“Are you okay Ty? You’ve been acting kind of weird today.”

She watched him as his eyes glanced around the room; his face was stoic. His only response was a shrug. Nicki wanted to probe him about it, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to talk, so she left it alone. Her head fell back to his shoulder and she left a gentle kiss on his neck before closing her eyes.

** * * * *

“Alright, Lis! We’re leaving!” Nicki called as she followed Tyler out of the house.

Whatever hung over him earlier had dissipated. He’d returned to his normal self, without so much as an explanation. Nicki would have liked to know what was going through his head, but she didn’t want to push her luck. If he was feeling better, that’s all that mattered.

“So, how is she in the sack?” Nicki asked, gesturing towards his car.

Tyler laughed and opened her door for her. “Well, I had to stick it in the gas tank. She’s not nearly as soft and warm as you are. I like you better.”

Nicki bit down on her tongue as she giggled, she wasn’t exactly expecting him to answer. She left a soft, lingering kiss on his lips before getting into the car. They passed the ride to the restaurant chatting and laughing. When she and Tyler were apart, she obviously missed the cuddling and sex, but what she missed the most was being able to talk to him. He was more than just the man she loved; he was her best friend, too.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they couldn’t help but be a little judgmental. Most of the cars in the parking lot consisted of Oldsmobiles and Station Wagons. The only customers coming in and out of the restaurant most likely all had double knee replacements and diabetes.

“This should be… interesting,” said Nicki.

Tyler shot her a skeptical look. His eyes traveled over her and across the windshield at the lit up little city. Something caught his attention, as he turned on the car and revved the engine.

“Are you okay with a change of plans?”

“Ab-so-lutely.”

He pulled out of the lot and went right across the street to a small strip mall. Nicki had never heard of any of the stores, but it didn’t seem like there was anything to do for a date.

“Stay here, okay? I’ll be right back,” he said, leaving the car running for her.

Nicki watched him to see which store he would go into. He was planning something, and she was curious as to what. He disappeared behind a row of cars and she lost sight of him. To pass the time, she hooked her phone up to his stereo and held a private concert in the Maserati. The windows were tinted, right?

Her jam session left her feeling jubilant, and she became overly excited to find out whatever Tyler had in store for her. For someone who wasn’t much of a romantic, he planned some dates that she couldn’t have thought of in her wildest dreams.

Tyler came back into her line of vision, carrying multiple plastic grocery bags in each hand. He bee lined to the back of his car and she heard the trunk open and close. When he got back in the car, she stared at him, eyebrow raised.

“Tyler Seguin, what are you planning?”

“Not telling. Put on that happy playlist of yours,” he demanded, not even sparing her a glance.

She did as he asked, and the first song she chose was Sugar We’re Going Down. A smile snuck onto his face as she sang along, and eventually, he joined her. Nicki wasn’t paying nearly as much attention to the song as she was to the growing feeling of fullness inside of her. She reclined back into her seat and blew the air from her lungs. If only she had known that day, when they first listened to this song together, that this was where they’d end up. She remembered how it felt when her wall finally crumbled, when Tyler finally broke through it. He was the only person that could.

Nicki reached across the car and pulled his free hand into her lap, holding it between her own. She remembered the way it felt to lie with him on the couch, all that time ago. The warmth that spread through her when he touched her. The moment she realized that she was going to fall for him. That she was falling for him. She had been so afraid, and so convinced that no one would ever compare to Mark. What she had with Mark was great. It was safe and it was sure. But what she had with Tyler, it was epic.

She turned her head to look at him. His eyes were glued to the road, but she knew his mind was elsewhere. Nicki wondered what he was thinking about, if he ever thought back to that first day they spent together. Maybe someday she would ask.

Just over an hour had passed, and Tyler was starting to show signs of slowing. He took a sharp left hand turn, into what looked to be dense woods.

“Are you taking us to get murdered?”

Tyler chuckled. It was the first noise he’d made since he sang with her.

“You’ll see,” he said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

It had gotten dark out, and she wanted to tell him that she couldn’t actually see anything, except for the winding stretch of dirt road in front of them. But she kept her sentiments to herself and continued to play with his hand in her lap. She ran her fingertips up and down his long, bony fingers. Nicki had small hands to begin with, but Tyler’s made hers look like they belonged to a child. There weren’t enough words in the English language to describe how much she loved his hands.

Eventually, the woods began to clear, and a dark expanse of nothingness came into view. Trying to adjust her eyes to figure out what it was, Nicki gasped. The moonlight reflecting softly off of the calm waters gave it away.

“Is this… is that Lake Huron?!”

Tyler finally turned his head to look at her. The shit eating grin had returned. Back when they made their bucket list, one of the things they put on it was to skinny dip in each of the five Great Lakes. She wondered if that’s what he was planning on doing.

“Ty! How did you even know how to get here?!”

He burst out laughing, and Nicki crossed her arms and anxiously waited for him to explain.

“You really don’t pay attention to anything, do you? Nicki, there were signs the whole way here. When we were at the restaurant, there was a huge billboard right in front of us that said ‘Visit Lake Huron’.”

He continued laughing, at one point wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

“You’re mean,” she said, pouting. She gave him the saddest expression she could muster.

“Aw, come on, don’t do that to me.”

Nicki continued to sulk.

“Babe, stop,” he said, reaching for her. She leaned away.

“You’re making me feel so bad.”

“Good!”

She relaxed her face and stretched across the car to hug him. “Nah, I’m just playing.”

“Bitch.”

“Tyler!”

He smirked at her when she pulled away. “Nah, I’m just playing.”

Nicki leaned in to kiss him, but he put a finger up to her lips.

“Let’s get everything set up first, okay?”

She sighed and nodded. She had been waiting the entire day to kiss him. For every time he made her wait, he was going to suffer the consequences. Nicki imagined they would both be in dire need of Chapstick by the time the night was over.

Tyler stepped out of the car, and Nicki did the same. She breathed in the fresh, spring, Michigan air. It was a beautiful state, however boring it may have been. There was no denying the natural beauty that was rampant throughout its borders. She took another look at the lake; the massive, black abyss. In the distance, she saw scattered groups of people spread across its banks.

She helped Tyler with the bags, peeking inside a few of them.

“They sell beach towels at grocery stores? In April?”

“I guess so. I swear to God, it was the weirdest supermarket I’ve ever been in. It smelled like old people.”

Nicki giggled. “I think that whole city smells like old people.”

Once they had everything, they trudged down to the sandy shore of the lake. The whole scene was breathtaking; it looked like somebody’s computer background. The moonlight and stars cast a soft, radiant glow over the lake and the woods.

“Ty, this is beautiful,” she whispered, taking it all in.

A guiding hand found its place on the small of her back, pushing her closer to the lake.

“How about right here?” he asked, already setting down the bags.

Nicki took the oversized beach towels out of the bags they were in and spread them out across the rocky, dirty sand. It wasn’t the sand at home by any means, but it was sand all the same. She lowered herself onto one of the towels and removed her sandals. Thank God she’d decided against heels. The summery dress she wore fluttered when the wind picked up, leaving her slightly chilled. It had been a warm spring across the entire country, but the nights cooled down tremendously. She checked her phone, which told her it was sixty two. Not bad, considering it wasn’t even May.

Tyler started to spread the various items he’d bought across the towels. There was a small jar of peanut butter, a smaller jar of Fluff, a loaf of bread, plastic utensils, water, and a container of fruit salad.

“Sorry,” he apologized, “I was on the spot. I didn’t know what to get.”

“Ty, if you’re apologizing for buying me peanut butter and Fluff then I really don’t think we should be getting married,” she joked, giving him a shove once he sat down next to her.

His arm fell across her shoulders and he pulled her close, placing a kiss on the side of her head.

“Sometimes I still manage to forget how simple you are.”

Nicki leaned into him, picking up, for the first time that day, the musky fragrance that she’d missed so much.

“This is so much better than some stuffy restaurant,” she said, still taken aback by the majesty of her surroundings.

A pair of lips found their way to her ear and the breath escaping from them sent a round of chills through her.

“I love you,” they whispered, leaving a few, precious kisses around her ear. The chills she’d had before just barely stopped before they returned, stronger now than a moment ago. She felt her mouth drop open slightly, unable to control the way her body responded to his sensual gesture.

“I love you too, Ty. Thank you for this. For everything. I can’t believe you came all the way here.”

“I really needed to see you,” he said. It sounded like it was hurting him to admit it.

He’d finally done her in. Nicki shifted so that she was in front of him and grabbed his face firmly in her hands, not giving him the option to resist. She took an extra instant to look in his eyes, lit up by the moon, before pressing her lips to his. In seconds, her tongue was pushing its way through his parted lips, causing each of them to moan. Nicki leaned forward and pushed him down softly into the bed of sand. He bent his knees and drew in his feet, cradling her between his legs. For a reason she couldn’t describe, it made her feel safe; as though even in their most tender, vulnerable moments, he was still protecting her.

Nicki’s hands traveled from his face to his hair, only to return back to place them gently on his jaw, adoring the way it moved as he kissed her. Tyler’s hands became more adventurous, sliding up underneath her dress to caress the skin on her back. His warmth helped soothe the chill instilled by the cool, breezy night, but his touch left goose bumps across her body.

She happily could have stayed that way for the rest of her life. But, as always, more basic needs overcame her. Nicki’s stomach began to growl, softly at first. At one point, it was so loud that she was sure the people who were a half a mile down the stretch of beach heard it. She felt Tyler’s lips curl against hers, and he pulled her face away from his.

“You should eat,” he said, eyes at half mast. She still didn’t understand what it was about the way they kissed, but it always acted as a mild sedative, making for droopy eyelids and cloudy thoughts.

“You should stop telling me what to do and kiss me again.”

Tyler looked as though he was about to protest, but whatever he was going to say never made it out. He maneuvered her onto her back, not even giving her a chance to breathe before his lips came crashing down to hers. The romance of the last kiss was gone, and had been replaced with fiery passion. Nicki allowed it to consume her; she let herself drown in it. His fingers tangled in her hair, his heavy breath on her face, it all just drove her wild. When he finally ceased, he left her gasping for air. She looked up at the sky and the stars that were spinning above her head. Tyler’s chest heaved up and down against hers, and he remained on top of her until he caught his breath.

“I told you. I really missed you.”

Nicki smiled as he pushed himself off of her and pulled her up, before taking a seat by her side. She reached towards the end of the towel and grabbed the peanut butter, the loaf of bread, and a knife.

As she started to make a sandwich she asked, “So, did you just randomly decide to bring me here? Or was there a reason behind it?”

“You don’t remember?” he asked.

“Of course I remember. I wanted to see if you did. If that’s the case, though, shouldn’t we swim before we eat? I don’t need you cramping up on me. Lord knows I’m not getting you out of that lake if you go under.”

Tyler chuckled. “I guess you’re right.” He looked around, scoping out the situation. “Do you think it’s okay that we go in? I’m not up for getting arrested tonight or anything.”

“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter if we’re allowed to go in or not, what we’re about to do is still very illegal.”

“Yeah, but it’ll make a great story someday. How many people do you think can say they’ve been to all of the Great Lakes? Never mind been skinny dipping in all of them.”

She laughed at the thought. “Probably not many.” After a glance at the water she added, “You’re gonna freeze your balls off. Literally. I see some major shrinkage in your future.”

Tyler elbowed her, knocking her off balance and onto her side. “Shut up.”

Instead of responding, she lifted her dress over her head and flung it on the sand beside her. She watched as his eyes devoured her, longing for something he hadn’t had in nearly a week. He retorted by stripping out of his own clothes, down to his boxers. There they sat, half naked on the banks of Lake Huron, unsure of what to do next.

“How do we do this?” he asked.

Nicki leaned forward and looked to her left, then her right. The only people she could make out were much too far away to be anything more than black spots against the night horizon. Unless someone came out of the woods behind them, no one would be able to see.

“Bring the towels,” she said, “We can leave them right by the water. I don’t want to be running back here freezing to death in my birthday suit.”

“That would be really hard to explain to your dad.”

“That would be a really embarrassing way to go out,” she said, picking up her towel.

Tyler did the same and looked at her. “Now what?”

She dropped her eyes to his boxers before bringing them back up to his face. He sighed and let them drop. As always, Nicki was stunned at his beauty. But now, the soft light from the moon made his pale skin seem milky and smooth. He nearly looked like he’d been carved from marble. She shook her head as she unhooked her bra and let it slide off of her shoulders. She would forever be inferior to him, no matter what she did.

Nicki kicked off her underwear and wrapped the towel around herself, just in case someone popped up before they made it to the water. At least they had a little bit of insurance. Tyler followed her closer to the water, and she came to a stop where the sand became damp.

“You ready?”

He nodded, and she threw her towel backwards and sprinted through the ice cold water, diving under as soon as she got deep enough. She stayed under for a while, swimming blindly as her muscles adjusted to the frigid tides. When she surfaced, she took a long breath before wiping the water from her eyes. Tyler was a few feet away and treading his way over to her. Nicki swam to meet him and laughed when she got close enough to see the expression on his face.

“You’re a wimp,” she said, splashing him.

“You know I hate the cold!” he yelled through chattering teeth. “This is like fucking torture. Why did we ever think this was a good idea?!”

“You sound like a grumpy old man,” she teased. “How about this? Whichever one of us stays in longer gets to pick where and when we have sex for a week.”

“No. No way. Because you would do horrible things to me and I wouldn’t ever be able to walk again. There’s no way I’m agreeing to that.”

“Fine. You pick the condition, then.”

Nicki listened to his teeth chatter as he thought, trying not to laugh at him. She felt bad that he was cold, but found it too humorous to do anything about it.

“Okay, whoever stays in the longest gets to… name – “ He stopped.

“Name what?”

“Gets to choose where we go for our honeymoon.”

She knew that he was trying to make her forget about what he was just going to say. She played along, sparing him the humility. It seemed the inevitable conversation was going to have to happen sooner than she’d hoped.

“Fair enough.” Trying to pass the time until one of them gave in she asked, “Where do you want to go?”

Tyler looked down at the waves he was creating in the still lake. “I dunno. Somewhere tropical. Maybe Hawaii?”

“Seriously?!”

“Why not?” he asked, raising his head to meet her gaze.

“Tyler! That’s where I always wanted to go for my honeymoon.”

He swam over to her and grabbed her, pulling her back to the shore.

“Great! That’s where we’ll go.”

Nicki laughed at his effort and didn’t try to fight him. They hadn’t made it very far out, but the trip back seemed as though it took a lifetime. When the water became too shallow to swim, they ran as fast as their numbed muscles would allow, the cool wind thrashing at their wet bodies.

“Fuck!” Tyler shouted as he got to his towel. “The next time we fucking do this we’re waiting until fucking summer!”

She couldn’t hold back the fit of giggles pushing its way out of her. She’d never seen him so worked up over anything.

“Come on,” he begged, “What are you waiting for? I really think I might die.”

Nicki followed him back to their things, a stray chuckle finding its way through her lips every few seconds, evoked by the sight of Tyler’s stiff, frozen walk.

“Put your towel down,” he said, pointing at the ground by his feet.

“But I’m still wet.”

“Don’t worry about it, just put it down.”

She didn’t understand in what world she wouldn’t worry about being bare ass naked and soaking wet in the middle of a public place, but she complied. Tyler stared at her for a second before plopping down on top of it and opening his arms, beckoning her to him. Nicki waddled over to him, already freezing again. She sat between his legs and he quickly wrapped the towel around her; it was so huge that it covered them completely, and probably had enough left for another person.

At first, his skin was even colder than hers, but within seconds had warmed, feeding off of the body heat they exchanged. She felt Tyler start to relax behind her and pressed herself further against him, crossing her legs in front of her in an attempt to keep her toes from getting frostbitten. Tyler’s legs crossed over hers, and he nudged his feet where her legs folded.

“Jesus Christ! Tyler! Your feet are fucking icicles!” she shrieked.

Nicki felt him laughing behind her. “You’re the one who made me go in.”

She smiled and sighed as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. She was wearing him like a warm jacket. Tyler dropped his chin onto her shoulder, nestling his face into her neck.

“This is so great,” she said, approaching a state of ecstasy.

On cue, his lips met her skin, leaving kisses in a trail from her shoulder up her neck to her ear. When he finished, his chin retreated back to its spot on her shoulder, and he leaned his head against hers. Nicki could think of only a handful of times in her entire life that she’d ever felt happier. Not surprisingly, they were all with Tyler.

They remained there well after everyone else left. Everything around them was so still, Nicki had to consider for a moment that she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming. She stared at the reflection of the moon on the water, rippling so slightly that it was hardly moving at all. It was such perfect likeness, had she not known that the sky was up, she wouldn’t have been able to figure out which was the real moon.

To her dismay, an enormous yawn pushed through her mouth, drawing Tyler’s attention.

“We should probably head back,” he said, tracing a finger on her stomach.

Nicki had grown so warm and so comfortable, she truly would have been fine sleeping right there. But Lisa would worry if they didn’t come home, and there were bound to be police officers doing scans of the area at some point in the night. She guessed they wouldn’t react well to two people sleeping naked at a tourist attraction.

“I really don’t want to leave.”

He kissed her cheek before slipping out of the towel and rushing towards his clothes that were strewn across the sand. Nicki watched him before sliding on her dress, not bothering with her bra or panties. Hesitantly, she stood up and began to gather their things, realizing that they’d never actually eaten. It was a wonder that the growling in her stomach had subsided.

Before they headed back to the car, Tyler stopped and planted a kiss on Nicki’s forehead.

“I hope you had a good time,” he said, brushing a piece of unruly hair out of her face.

“Tyler, this was amazing. We have to do it again someday.”

“We will,” he said, grinning. “I promise.”

** * * *

When they got home, it was nearly one in the morning. All of the lights were off and the house was dead silent. Nicki and Tyler tip toed through the hallways and up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. When they got to the guest room, they changed promptly and got right into bed.

Nicki fell asleep right away. Tyler stayed up a while longer, running through in his mind everything that had happened that day. He desperately wanted to tell Nicki the reason why he acted so strange, but he couldn’t find the right things to say. A part of him hoped she might bring it up that night and spare him the trouble of tripping over his words. He vowed to himself that he would do it tomorrow. He would find the time and sit her down and talk to her. Tomorrow.

Just as Tyler drifted to sleep, he was awoken by soft crying. He rolled over onto his side to see what was wrong; Nicki hadn’t cried in her sleep since the months after Jason died.

“Hey,” he whispered, shaking her shoulder. “Babe, what is it? Wake up.”

“Hm?” she moaned groggily, rubbing her eyes as she turned to face him. “What?”

He heard sniffling, and a look around the room made him realize that it wasn’t coming from Nicki. A little form was illuminated by a small light in the hallway. Tyler thought they had shut the door.

“Bella?”

The sniffling grew louder and the form shifted, coming into view. It was Bella, and she had a raggedy teddy bear hanging from one of her hands. Nicki furrowed her eyebrows and propped herself up.

“Bella, sweetie, what’s wrong?”

“I had a bad dream.”

Tyler covered his mouth with a hand, unsure what to do. She sounded so distraught. Nicki sat up next to him.

“It’s gonna be okay, Bells. Want me to go wake up your mom?”

“Uh uh.”

“Why not?”

“Can I sleep wiff you and Uncle Tyler?”

Nicki glanced at him through the darkness and he shrugged.

“Okay, honey. Come here.”

Bella climbed onto the bed and crawled over Nicki, lying down between them. Tyler was already on his side facing her, and Nicki positioned herself the same way.

“You know, Bella. I used to have bad dreams all the time,” Nicki said, trying to make her feel better.

“Really?”

“Yup. Wanna know what I do to make it go away?”

“Uh huh.” Tyler could tell she’d started crying again.

“I’d wake up Uncle Tyler and tell him what my dream was, and he would make me feel better. Wanna give it a try?”

“Okay.”

She didn’t say anything else. At a loss for what to do, Tyler put his hand on her tiny stomach and asked, “Want to tell me about it, Bells?”

Bella started to sob, but spoke through it. “I was at the playground wiff mommy and daddy and I was playing on the swings and then I got off the swings and looked around and they weren’t there no more and I couldn’t find them and then a scary man came up to me and took me and I didn’t wanna go wiff him but he made me.”

Her stomach shook Tyler’s hand up and down as she cried. “Is that it?”

“Uh huh.”

“It was just a dream, Bella. It’s not real. Do you feel better now that you told me about it?”

“Uh huh.”

“Good. Now try to go back to sleep, okay?”

Bella responded by curling up underneath his arm and burying her little face in his shoulder. He looked to his left at Nicki, who he could have sworn was crying, too. Tyler dismissed the thought, figuring she wouldn’t have such a huge smile on her face if she was crying. Or maybe she would; it was Nicki.

She moved towards him, sandwiching Bella between them. She draped her arm over Bella and her hand rested in the middle of his stomach. With his free hand, he grabbed hers and held it.

Tyler could do nothing to prevent the spread of a grin across his face.