White Orchids
Exoneration Part I
“You’re gonna be late! Get your lazy asses out of bed!”
It took a moment for his mother’s screaming to register in his head. The moment it did, Tyler was wide awake, and very aware that underneath the thin sheet covering his and Nicki’s bodies laid nothing but bare skin and things no mother should see on her adult son. His first instinct, however, was to reach over and cover his wife, trying to spare her the shame.
“Easy Ty,” his mother said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Keeping his body over Nicki’s, he glared at her. “Mom, could you not? We’re up.”
“Don’t be mean,” Nicki moaned in her quiet morning voice, still completely motionless in his arms. It seemed like it would turn into one of the mornings when she wasn’t getting out of bed until he dragged her out.
“Thank you honey.” The smile on his mother’s face was one that had popped up a sickening amount of times since the first time he brought Nicki around. It was the smile that told him she was a better daughter-in-law than he ever would be a son. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone. I didn’t want to see you be late for the most important day of your lives, that’s all.”
“Thanks Jackie.”
“Thanks, mom,” he sighed, growing ever tired of being made out to be the bad guy. He waited for the door to shut before placing a kiss on Nicki’s cheek, still warm from the presence of his own cheek while they slept. He felt her face crinkle into a smile and couldn’t stop one from forming on his face as well. “How’d you sleep?”
He chuckled as her body pressed further into his, showing signs that she was nowhere ready to start their day. “I slept so good, Ty. I wish every night could be like last night.”
“You blew my mind last night,” he whispered, reminiscing briefly of what had happened when Nicki woke up in the middle of the night, rearing and ready to go. The thought gave him chills.
Finally Nicki turned around towards him, with her face pressed firmly against his chest. She tilted her chin up, just enough to look him in the eyes. “Sweetheart, I blew a lot more than your mind last night.”
“Yeah, ya did,” he grinned, placing a hand on the side of her head. “God, I’m going to miss that.”
“Me too.” Surprisingly she sat up, momentarily distracting him with her topless-ness. “But this time tomorrow we might be waking up with Liam.”
She didn’t need to explain why that should make him feel better. Tyler always loved the mornings they woke up with Bella between them. There were very few things he’d experienced in life that could compare to a child he loved curled up by his side, depending on him to protect them from all of the irrational fears that hadn’t yet faded with age. He would never forget the way it felt to soothe her after a nightmare; how amazing it felt to convince her that nothing bad had happened, and to see the tears instantly stop falling down her face.
“You should get ready.” Tyler prompted her with a soft kiss, one that he hung onto a tad longer than usual. “The sooner we get him, the better.”
“Not before you say good morning to the boys,” she teased, tracing a hand over her stomach, which he swore had grown overnight. “I’m pretty sure they can hear you now.”
With the grin on his face growing wider, he knocked gently on her swollen midsection. “Anyone in there?” he asked, half joking, half hoping that he might receive a kick or a push in response. When nothing happened, he couldn’t hide his disappointment. His head hung and eventually landed on Nicki, suddenly feeling more anxious than he had all week.
Fingers brushed through his hair, indicating that Nicki picked up on his change in mood. “Soon enough, Ty. Last time we lucked out, they usually don’t start moving around for another couple of weeks. Have patience, love.”
“I’m trying. It just feels like we’ve been waiting so long already.”
Behind him she shifted, pushing herself up and forcing him to move off of her. Warm, little hands found either side of his face. He could feel her eyes burning into him, and found himself having a difficult time looking at her.
“Cheer up, you. Today’s going to be perfect. And I guarantee everything goes by faster once we have Liam here.” She paused, and he knew she was waiting for him to admit that she was right. She was always right. “And if that’s not enough, we’ve got our favorite little god daughter staying with us for the next two weeks.”
The thought of Bella’s tiny face and full, dimpled cheeks elated him. He could picture her now, in all of her excitement and innocence.
“You’re the best,” he murmured, dipping his forehead onto hers.
“I know I am,” she giggled. Nicki moved so suddenly and so swiftly, Tyler couldn’t seem to figure out how she had pushed him down and gotten on top of him the way she did. But there she was, legs spread wide over his, and her soft hair tickling the skin of his chest. For a moment, he truly believed that she was going to fit in another round before they left. He received a playful kiss on the nose and she was off, dashing into the closet and out of sight.
“Careful!” he called after her. A highlight reel of her greatest accidents played through his head every time she did anything quickly, and the panic always followed soon after. When he didn’t hear her say anything back, he jumped out of bed and strode quickly into the closet. A long breath, mixed with relief and delight, escaped him.
Nicki held up two hangers; the one in her right hand with a white V-neck tee shirt, the other with a loose fitting designer tank top. “Which do you think looks more mom-ish?” she asked, looking up at him with her gorgeous, round eyes.
His hand reached up to subconsciously stroke his scruff, almost as though he was trying to cover his enormous smile. “The tee shirt,” he answered quickly. “As long as you wear one of your necklaces.”
“Tyler, you know I always wear one.” She stared at him as though he’d said something insulting, and he almost felt the need to apologize. “Why don’t you pick one out?”
What he should have done was venture to his side of the closet and put some clothes on. Instead he took her offer and approached her jewelry box, where each necklace was carefully tucked away. It took all but a minute for him to make a choice.
“The sapphire,” he suggested, grabbing it from its cushioned home and separating the clasps as he walked over to her. Her hair was already to the side, braided the same way it had been that very first time he took her to breakfast. He tilted his head, trying to picture what she’d looked like back then. In reality, besides her hair color, almost nothing had changed. She was still the same pretty, glowing girl he’d fallen for so long ago. After securing the chain around her neck, he pressed his lips just beneath her hairline, where her neck met her back. Her shoulders rolled back and shivers shook her.
“Mmm,” she moaned, “That never gets old.”
Tyler did nothing but continue to smile. He crossed the small room to where his clothes hung, opting for a pair of black shorts and a plaid button up shirt. He understood perfectly why Nicki cared about looking motherly. Although they were proceeding with a “let’s see where things go” attitude towards parenting, he at least wanted to look the part. Maybe, hopefully, looking mature might make him feel that way, too.
After glancing down his body to make sure nothing was too badly out of place, he gave himself a nod of approval and turned back to Nicki. She was standing in front of the full-length mirror, gazing lovingly at her hands on top of the visible bump of her stomach. Caught in such a trance, she didn’t even notice as he came up beside her and placed his hands over hers.
Her head snapped up from the surprise, and her eyes quickly glossed over when she looked up at him. It seemed like she wanted to say something, and he waited patiently to hear it. When nothing came out, he leaned in and brushed his lips against the side of her forehead.
“I can’t button my jeans,” she whined. Tyler had trouble suppressing a chuckle. Out of all the things he expected her to say, that was not one of them.
“Time for the maternity clothes?”
“I don’t want to wear them yet.”
“Why?” he inquired, wrapping up his now emotionally distraught wife in his arms. And so began the dissatisfaction and hormonal fits.
“I just… I don’t want to be all big and fat again.”
“You were never fat,” he cooed, hoping to console her before an actual breakdown occurred. If he’d gotten anything out of her last pregnancy, it was the knowledge of how to deal with her frightening emotional states. “You’re beautiful, babe. You always were, and you always will be.”
She sniffled a bit and snaked her arms firmly around his waist. “Really?”
Tyler nodded, knowing that she could feel the movement of his head against her own. “Even when you’re nine months in and ready to burst, I’d still hit it. No question.”
Laughter made her small frame quiver, and he silently congratulated himself for dodging a bullet. There would be some times to come that he wouldn’t get so lucky, but he would take the victories when they came. When he lifted his head, his eyes landed on her side of the closet, and an idea popped into his mind. His arms dropped from Nicki, and he ignored the whimper that came from her when he walked away.
“I wasn’t done with that hug,” she complained.
Extending his arm, he grabbed a white plastic hanger off of the closet rod. As soon as Nicki realized what he had planned, her lips curled into an appreciative smile. She took the hanger from him and held it up, inspecting the flowing, navy blue dress that hung from it.
“I love that on you,” he reminded her. Tyler watched as her shorts dropped to the floor and she carelessly tugged the tee shirt off.
She wriggled the dress over her head and let the material cascade down over her curves, hitting right at mid-thigh. Something about it; whether it was the fit or the color or the fabric, was stunning on her. With her hair braided and her makeup light, she looked like the kind of sweet, all-American girl that every man secretly dreamed of making his own.
But it wasn’t just the way it looked on her. It was the story it told. A story that only the two of them knew.
”How much longer?” Nicki groaned, sounding breathless from the effort she was exerting. In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have made the picnic basket so heavy.
Tyler stopped in the middle of the trail, waiting for her to catch up. It probably wasn’t helping that one of his strides equaled three of hers.
“Not too much longer,” he assured her, flashing a smile in the hopes that it might lighten her mood.
“I promise, it’s worth it.”
She forced a smile before brushing him off and continuing the hike without him. “If you wanted a workout, we could have stayed home and had sex all day,” she shouted over her shoulder.
Shaking his head, Tyler laughed and chased after her, catching up quickly. He had no issue with her choice way of burning calories, but it wasn’t every day that they could spend a weekend in Canada without his family up their asses. They were all at a hockey tournament for Cassidy out in Winnipeg, leaving them alone for five long, peaceful days. There was no way that Tyler wasn’t going to take advantage of that, and planned on bringing her to at least one of his sacred places. Places that were strictly off limits to his family and reserved only for his closest friends.
“Ohh… Now I see why we needed the tent,” Nicki said, finally fitting the pieces together.
Seconds later, the familiar view came into sight. He’d spent countless weekends camping there with his father growing up, and everything about the place brought on a wave of memories. The huge, glistening lake. The pine trees that stood tall against the clearest of skies. The picnic benches scattered across rich, dark soil. Even the dozens of screaming children, taking turns swinging from the rope that hung from the sturdiest tree in the entire campground, which was so conveniently placed right above the water.
“Aw, Ty, this place is amazing.”
He glanced down at her, nearly getting knocked backwards by her beauty. She’d let her hair grow long, so long that it hung to the halfway point down her back. It was loose and wavy, tossing gently in the light breeze. Her cheeks were flushed from their hike, and her eyes sparkled with all of their usual luster. Tyler grinned as he traced over her silhouette, covered by a dress far too pretty to be worn in a place like that. Before they left the house he was tempted to tell her to change, but he didn’t want to give away the surprise.
“You’re not gonna have too much fun in that dress,” he teased, setting down the heavy cooler and shedding the tent-backpack from his shoulders. She copied him, letting the picnic basket hit the soft ground with a muffled thud. Before he could scold her and joke that she’d probably ruined her peanut butter sandwich, she was running away from him, dress fluttering in the wind behind her.
Instead of giving chase, he stood and watched. Once she broke through the protective shade of the trees, the sun shined straight down, making her hair glisten like gold. Even from a hundred yards away, he could see her flawless skin glowing.
When she reached the banks, she came to a sudden halt. She stood with her back to him, completely still with arms limp by her sides. At that moment, Tyler would have given anything to know what she was thinking. Her appreciation for nature perplexed him; it sent her into a daze, filled with a tranquility and happiness that he was sure he would never be able to experience. As much as he would have liked to, experiencing her was the next best thing.
Accepting that they would be setting up camp where she dropped the picnic basket, he left their things and walked slowly towards her, afraid to disturb her. Trying to be quiet, he came up behind her and gently placed a hand in the middle of her back. She spared him a glance and a small smile, which was enough for him. Tyler watched her as she watched the lake, rippling with the movements of children and the occasional skipped rock.
He had to wonder if she knew how enamored he was with her. He wondered if she ever felt this way about him, if there were things he did that took her breath away, for no better reason than a suffocating amount of adoration. Breaking his train of thought, a pair of shining brown eyes looked up at him. Before he could ask what was on her mind, she was running away from him yet again.
In seconds she made it to a large rock, which she wasted no time climbing up and jumping off of, hitting the calm waters with a loud splash. Tyler laughed as she surfaced, smoothing her soaking wet hair away from her face and waving for him to come in. He ripped off his shirt and threw it to the sand at his feet, but instead of following right away, he hesitated.
It bothered him that he had no idea when he would see her this way next; wild and untamed. When she let loose, he felt free himself. She could make him feel like a boy again, taking pleasure in nothing but floating on his back with the current, staring up at a cloudless blue sky.
“What are you waiting for?” she called, laughing as she motioned with a single hand for him to join her.
He flashed his widest, most contented smile and walked briskly towards the rock she’d used to plummet into the cool, dark lake. Nicki was making her way towards him, her smooth figure gliding effortlessly through the water.
“Let me see your best dive.” She continued to taunt him, and just to spite her he stayed planted on the rock. It took but a moment for her to realize that she would need more than that to convince him to jump in. Her face distorted, becoming soft and tempting. “If you come in, I’ll give you a kiss.”
She bit down on her lip, surely noting his eager reaction to her proposition. It didn’t matter that she’d kissed him all but ten minutes ago, they both knew that the one she offered now would be different; it would be one that left him with no breath and a spinning head.
Without another word, he used his powerful legs to push himself from the rock, submerging instantaneously into the lake. Instead of swimming to the surface, he opened his eyes and moved forwards under the tide, in pursuit of the only body in sight. His arms reached out and secured around her waist. Being careful not to drag her under, he let himself float slowly upwards.
When he finally felt the cool breeze against his wet face, he was greeted with his favorite giggle.
“Hey babe,” she beamed with her tongue peeking out between her teeth.
A faint “Hi,” was all he could muster. Nothing else seemed necessary, although there were hundreds of things rushing through his head. She moved closer to him, about to fulfill her promise.
Tyler backed away, and chuckled at her pouted lip as he felt around for a place where his feet would touch the bottom of the lake. When he had a solid footing, he pulled her across the water to him. Her legs locked around his torso, her arms tightly around his neck.
Nicki’s eyes connected with his, and her fingers gently brushed against the side of his face. It sent chills shooting through every limb, forcing his eyes to shut. When his eyesight failed him, he concentrated on everything that surrounded him. The refreshing feeling of water lapping against his skin, the subtle warmth of the sun’s rays, and the girl pressed flush against his body, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. Every sensation in and of itself was enough to bring anyone to the brink of serenity, but together they created a feeling almost too good to bear.
Her lips teased him, parting but never moving any closer to his own.
“Do it,” he dared, keeping his voice low. His fingers snaked up underneath her soaking dress, tracing alluringly over the curve of her spine.
She closed the space between them slowly, allowing his thoughts to run wild with the expectancy of a stupefying kiss. The moment her lips touched his, he could feel the electricity flowing through them. Her arms tightened around his neck. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have been able to remove himself from her.
Tyler let out a deep, satisfied breath through his nose as his mouth moved with hers, softly at first.
With every kiss she grew more heated, more passionate. In order to handle the way he felt, it was deemed necessary to secure his arms around her back and squeeze her so tightly against himself that she couldn’t possibly be unaware of how much he loved her; of how much he needed her the same way he needed the air that was slowly escaping his lungs.
“I look fat, don’t I?”
Shaking his head feverishly, Tyler pressed his eyes shut, trying to bring himself back to the present.
“I don’t?”
He laughed and shook his head again for confirmation. “You look gorgeous, babe.” Watching her cheeks turn crimson, he couldn’t stop his heart from fluttering a bit. It amazed him to know that he could still turn her into that coy, innocent girl from way back when.
“So why were you looking at me like that?” she asked, tilting her head as she waited for an answer.
“Every time I see that dress, all I can think about is that day at the lake.”
Nicki giggled, much the same way as she did the day he was reminiscing about. It sounded so playful and carefree, and conveyed all of the happiness she felt with both her laughter and her expression.
“That was a great day,” she said, looking at him through soft eyes.
“Every day with you is a great day,” he countered. She started to speak, and he knew exactly what she was about to say. She was about to remind him that there had been more than one day spent together that could never be described as ‘great’. He jumped in before she could, shushing her with a pair of fingers across her lips. “Don’t ruin it.”
More giggles moved from her lips through his fingers, and he had to back off. Affectionately eyeing her stomach, he removed his hand from her face and cupped the womb where his babies were growing rapidly.
“They like that,” she murmured, glancing down at his hand atop her belly.
Tyler felt his brow furrow in confusion. “I thought you said they weren’t moving yet.”
“They aren’t.” His silence must have clued her in to his lack of understanding, as she explained before he could ask a question. “I just know. I… I feel something.”
“I don’t get it,” he admitted. Even though he couldn’t comprehend her reasoning, her saying that gave him every incentive to be in constant contact with her, and their little ones. His hand stayed put, and it took two of Nicki’s hands to cover it.
“I know you don’t,” she whispered. “I wish you could. I swear Ty, sometimes I can feel what they’re feeling.”
He could have responded. He could have told her that she made less sense by the second and that she sounded a tad insane. But he didn’t have it in him to ruin whatever she felt, to taint the bond she had formed with the babies. All he could do was place a long, tender kiss on her forehead.
When he pulled away, she looked at him briefly and smiled before directing her attention to her stomach.
“You guys ready to pick up your brother?”
** * * * *
Nicki subconsciously gripped Tyler’s hand just a bit tighter. Her eyes scanned nervously across the semi-familiar playground, trying to locate for the second time that week the boy who they were taking home with them. Amelia was busy directing the small crew of movers to their car, who carried the few items Liam picked up over the short duration of his stay at the adoption center.
So that left the two of them, navigating a sea of children in search of the head full of sandy hair that had dominated their thoughts for the past two days.
“Is that him?” Tyler asked, extending a lengthy arm to point towards the swing sets.
Squinting against the vivid mid-morning sunlight, she had difficulty finding him. Judging by the location, however, she didn’t doubt it. They continued to walk, stride in stride, hand in hand. It caught them completely off-guard when a tiny figure barreled into them, clinging to them each by a leg.
“You guys came!” an excited voice squealed from beneath them.
“Of course we came,” Tyler said, letting his hand fall to Liam’s head, roughing up his hair ever so slightly.
“Can we go?” Liam asked, breaking away from them and hovering towards the exit of the large play area.
“Whenever you’re ready, hon,” Nicki answered. She flashed Tyler a look before chasing after
Liam, not willing to let him get too far away. He followed her, admiring how quickly her motherly instincts were kicking in. “Liam, wait up!” she called after him, hastening her pace.
Liam stopped in his tracks, kicking up a wall of dirt when his sneakers slid across the ground.
“Sorry.” He waddled back to Nicki, and Tyler felt his heart warming at the sight of her holding out her hand for him to grab. Taking it willingly, Liam spared a glance at Tyler, who was a few feet behind them.
“Hey bud,” he said, extending his own hand which Liam reached for excitedly. “So what kind of food do you like to eat?”
“I dunno,” he muttered sheepishly. “Whatever they have here, I guess.”
“Well we’re gonna have tons of food at the party today, have you ever had a hamburger?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe once, at that restaurant near my old home.”
Tyler could feel Nicki’s eyes on him, and didn’t have to look to know exactly what she was feeling.
Her sympathy towards this boy went on for miles.
“How do you feel about trying one today?” he asked. He hoped that having a burger might be the beginning of a very long list of firsts for Liam that day; a list that would include sleeping in a room that he could call his own, and retiring for the day with two parents by his side.
“If you want me to I will!”
“He wants you to,” Nicki said playfully. “Hamburgers are one of Tyler’s favorite foods.”
“Really?”
“Mhm.” A few short giggles escaped her, inspiring Liam to laugh as well, even though he had no idea what was so funny. “He’s a carnivore, he loves everything that’s meat.”
“What’s a carnivore?”
Listening to Nicki give him a short science lesson, Tyler couldn’t help but be thrilled. He knew that it wouldn’t always be so easy, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be plenty of times just like this one, where it felt as though he had been a part of the family his entire life.
It took a moment for his mother’s screaming to register in his head. The moment it did, Tyler was wide awake, and very aware that underneath the thin sheet covering his and Nicki’s bodies laid nothing but bare skin and things no mother should see on her adult son. His first instinct, however, was to reach over and cover his wife, trying to spare her the shame.
“Easy Ty,” his mother said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Keeping his body over Nicki’s, he glared at her. “Mom, could you not? We’re up.”
“Don’t be mean,” Nicki moaned in her quiet morning voice, still completely motionless in his arms. It seemed like it would turn into one of the mornings when she wasn’t getting out of bed until he dragged her out.
“Thank you honey.” The smile on his mother’s face was one that had popped up a sickening amount of times since the first time he brought Nicki around. It was the smile that told him she was a better daughter-in-law than he ever would be a son. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone. I didn’t want to see you be late for the most important day of your lives, that’s all.”
“Thanks Jackie.”
“Thanks, mom,” he sighed, growing ever tired of being made out to be the bad guy. He waited for the door to shut before placing a kiss on Nicki’s cheek, still warm from the presence of his own cheek while they slept. He felt her face crinkle into a smile and couldn’t stop one from forming on his face as well. “How’d you sleep?”
He chuckled as her body pressed further into his, showing signs that she was nowhere ready to start their day. “I slept so good, Ty. I wish every night could be like last night.”
“You blew my mind last night,” he whispered, reminiscing briefly of what had happened when Nicki woke up in the middle of the night, rearing and ready to go. The thought gave him chills.
Finally Nicki turned around towards him, with her face pressed firmly against his chest. She tilted her chin up, just enough to look him in the eyes. “Sweetheart, I blew a lot more than your mind last night.”
“Yeah, ya did,” he grinned, placing a hand on the side of her head. “God, I’m going to miss that.”
“Me too.” Surprisingly she sat up, momentarily distracting him with her topless-ness. “But this time tomorrow we might be waking up with Liam.”
She didn’t need to explain why that should make him feel better. Tyler always loved the mornings they woke up with Bella between them. There were very few things he’d experienced in life that could compare to a child he loved curled up by his side, depending on him to protect them from all of the irrational fears that hadn’t yet faded with age. He would never forget the way it felt to soothe her after a nightmare; how amazing it felt to convince her that nothing bad had happened, and to see the tears instantly stop falling down her face.
“You should get ready.” Tyler prompted her with a soft kiss, one that he hung onto a tad longer than usual. “The sooner we get him, the better.”
“Not before you say good morning to the boys,” she teased, tracing a hand over her stomach, which he swore had grown overnight. “I’m pretty sure they can hear you now.”
With the grin on his face growing wider, he knocked gently on her swollen midsection. “Anyone in there?” he asked, half joking, half hoping that he might receive a kick or a push in response. When nothing happened, he couldn’t hide his disappointment. His head hung and eventually landed on Nicki, suddenly feeling more anxious than he had all week.
Fingers brushed through his hair, indicating that Nicki picked up on his change in mood. “Soon enough, Ty. Last time we lucked out, they usually don’t start moving around for another couple of weeks. Have patience, love.”
“I’m trying. It just feels like we’ve been waiting so long already.”
Behind him she shifted, pushing herself up and forcing him to move off of her. Warm, little hands found either side of his face. He could feel her eyes burning into him, and found himself having a difficult time looking at her.
“Cheer up, you. Today’s going to be perfect. And I guarantee everything goes by faster once we have Liam here.” She paused, and he knew she was waiting for him to admit that she was right. She was always right. “And if that’s not enough, we’ve got our favorite little god daughter staying with us for the next two weeks.”
The thought of Bella’s tiny face and full, dimpled cheeks elated him. He could picture her now, in all of her excitement and innocence.
“You’re the best,” he murmured, dipping his forehead onto hers.
“I know I am,” she giggled. Nicki moved so suddenly and so swiftly, Tyler couldn’t seem to figure out how she had pushed him down and gotten on top of him the way she did. But there she was, legs spread wide over his, and her soft hair tickling the skin of his chest. For a moment, he truly believed that she was going to fit in another round before they left. He received a playful kiss on the nose and she was off, dashing into the closet and out of sight.
“Careful!” he called after her. A highlight reel of her greatest accidents played through his head every time she did anything quickly, and the panic always followed soon after. When he didn’t hear her say anything back, he jumped out of bed and strode quickly into the closet. A long breath, mixed with relief and delight, escaped him.
Nicki held up two hangers; the one in her right hand with a white V-neck tee shirt, the other with a loose fitting designer tank top. “Which do you think looks more mom-ish?” she asked, looking up at him with her gorgeous, round eyes.
His hand reached up to subconsciously stroke his scruff, almost as though he was trying to cover his enormous smile. “The tee shirt,” he answered quickly. “As long as you wear one of your necklaces.”
“Tyler, you know I always wear one.” She stared at him as though he’d said something insulting, and he almost felt the need to apologize. “Why don’t you pick one out?”
What he should have done was venture to his side of the closet and put some clothes on. Instead he took her offer and approached her jewelry box, where each necklace was carefully tucked away. It took all but a minute for him to make a choice.
“The sapphire,” he suggested, grabbing it from its cushioned home and separating the clasps as he walked over to her. Her hair was already to the side, braided the same way it had been that very first time he took her to breakfast. He tilted his head, trying to picture what she’d looked like back then. In reality, besides her hair color, almost nothing had changed. She was still the same pretty, glowing girl he’d fallen for so long ago. After securing the chain around her neck, he pressed his lips just beneath her hairline, where her neck met her back. Her shoulders rolled back and shivers shook her.
“Mmm,” she moaned, “That never gets old.”
Tyler did nothing but continue to smile. He crossed the small room to where his clothes hung, opting for a pair of black shorts and a plaid button up shirt. He understood perfectly why Nicki cared about looking motherly. Although they were proceeding with a “let’s see where things go” attitude towards parenting, he at least wanted to look the part. Maybe, hopefully, looking mature might make him feel that way, too.
After glancing down his body to make sure nothing was too badly out of place, he gave himself a nod of approval and turned back to Nicki. She was standing in front of the full-length mirror, gazing lovingly at her hands on top of the visible bump of her stomach. Caught in such a trance, she didn’t even notice as he came up beside her and placed his hands over hers.
Her head snapped up from the surprise, and her eyes quickly glossed over when she looked up at him. It seemed like she wanted to say something, and he waited patiently to hear it. When nothing came out, he leaned in and brushed his lips against the side of her forehead.
“I can’t button my jeans,” she whined. Tyler had trouble suppressing a chuckle. Out of all the things he expected her to say, that was not one of them.
“Time for the maternity clothes?”
“I don’t want to wear them yet.”
“Why?” he inquired, wrapping up his now emotionally distraught wife in his arms. And so began the dissatisfaction and hormonal fits.
“I just… I don’t want to be all big and fat again.”
“You were never fat,” he cooed, hoping to console her before an actual breakdown occurred. If he’d gotten anything out of her last pregnancy, it was the knowledge of how to deal with her frightening emotional states. “You’re beautiful, babe. You always were, and you always will be.”
She sniffled a bit and snaked her arms firmly around his waist. “Really?”
Tyler nodded, knowing that she could feel the movement of his head against her own. “Even when you’re nine months in and ready to burst, I’d still hit it. No question.”
Laughter made her small frame quiver, and he silently congratulated himself for dodging a bullet. There would be some times to come that he wouldn’t get so lucky, but he would take the victories when they came. When he lifted his head, his eyes landed on her side of the closet, and an idea popped into his mind. His arms dropped from Nicki, and he ignored the whimper that came from her when he walked away.
“I wasn’t done with that hug,” she complained.
Extending his arm, he grabbed a white plastic hanger off of the closet rod. As soon as Nicki realized what he had planned, her lips curled into an appreciative smile. She took the hanger from him and held it up, inspecting the flowing, navy blue dress that hung from it.
“I love that on you,” he reminded her. Tyler watched as her shorts dropped to the floor and she carelessly tugged the tee shirt off.
She wriggled the dress over her head and let the material cascade down over her curves, hitting right at mid-thigh. Something about it; whether it was the fit or the color or the fabric, was stunning on her. With her hair braided and her makeup light, she looked like the kind of sweet, all-American girl that every man secretly dreamed of making his own.
But it wasn’t just the way it looked on her. It was the story it told. A story that only the two of them knew.
”How much longer?” Nicki groaned, sounding breathless from the effort she was exerting. In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have made the picnic basket so heavy.
Tyler stopped in the middle of the trail, waiting for her to catch up. It probably wasn’t helping that one of his strides equaled three of hers.
“Not too much longer,” he assured her, flashing a smile in the hopes that it might lighten her mood.
“I promise, it’s worth it.”
She forced a smile before brushing him off and continuing the hike without him. “If you wanted a workout, we could have stayed home and had sex all day,” she shouted over her shoulder.
Shaking his head, Tyler laughed and chased after her, catching up quickly. He had no issue with her choice way of burning calories, but it wasn’t every day that they could spend a weekend in Canada without his family up their asses. They were all at a hockey tournament for Cassidy out in Winnipeg, leaving them alone for five long, peaceful days. There was no way that Tyler wasn’t going to take advantage of that, and planned on bringing her to at least one of his sacred places. Places that were strictly off limits to his family and reserved only for his closest friends.
“Ohh… Now I see why we needed the tent,” Nicki said, finally fitting the pieces together.
Seconds later, the familiar view came into sight. He’d spent countless weekends camping there with his father growing up, and everything about the place brought on a wave of memories. The huge, glistening lake. The pine trees that stood tall against the clearest of skies. The picnic benches scattered across rich, dark soil. Even the dozens of screaming children, taking turns swinging from the rope that hung from the sturdiest tree in the entire campground, which was so conveniently placed right above the water.
“Aw, Ty, this place is amazing.”
He glanced down at her, nearly getting knocked backwards by her beauty. She’d let her hair grow long, so long that it hung to the halfway point down her back. It was loose and wavy, tossing gently in the light breeze. Her cheeks were flushed from their hike, and her eyes sparkled with all of their usual luster. Tyler grinned as he traced over her silhouette, covered by a dress far too pretty to be worn in a place like that. Before they left the house he was tempted to tell her to change, but he didn’t want to give away the surprise.
“You’re not gonna have too much fun in that dress,” he teased, setting down the heavy cooler and shedding the tent-backpack from his shoulders. She copied him, letting the picnic basket hit the soft ground with a muffled thud. Before he could scold her and joke that she’d probably ruined her peanut butter sandwich, she was running away from him, dress fluttering in the wind behind her.
Instead of giving chase, he stood and watched. Once she broke through the protective shade of the trees, the sun shined straight down, making her hair glisten like gold. Even from a hundred yards away, he could see her flawless skin glowing.
When she reached the banks, she came to a sudden halt. She stood with her back to him, completely still with arms limp by her sides. At that moment, Tyler would have given anything to know what she was thinking. Her appreciation for nature perplexed him; it sent her into a daze, filled with a tranquility and happiness that he was sure he would never be able to experience. As much as he would have liked to, experiencing her was the next best thing.
Accepting that they would be setting up camp where she dropped the picnic basket, he left their things and walked slowly towards her, afraid to disturb her. Trying to be quiet, he came up behind her and gently placed a hand in the middle of her back. She spared him a glance and a small smile, which was enough for him. Tyler watched her as she watched the lake, rippling with the movements of children and the occasional skipped rock.
He had to wonder if she knew how enamored he was with her. He wondered if she ever felt this way about him, if there were things he did that took her breath away, for no better reason than a suffocating amount of adoration. Breaking his train of thought, a pair of shining brown eyes looked up at him. Before he could ask what was on her mind, she was running away from him yet again.
In seconds she made it to a large rock, which she wasted no time climbing up and jumping off of, hitting the calm waters with a loud splash. Tyler laughed as she surfaced, smoothing her soaking wet hair away from her face and waving for him to come in. He ripped off his shirt and threw it to the sand at his feet, but instead of following right away, he hesitated.
It bothered him that he had no idea when he would see her this way next; wild and untamed. When she let loose, he felt free himself. She could make him feel like a boy again, taking pleasure in nothing but floating on his back with the current, staring up at a cloudless blue sky.
“What are you waiting for?” she called, laughing as she motioned with a single hand for him to join her.
He flashed his widest, most contented smile and walked briskly towards the rock she’d used to plummet into the cool, dark lake. Nicki was making her way towards him, her smooth figure gliding effortlessly through the water.
“Let me see your best dive.” She continued to taunt him, and just to spite her he stayed planted on the rock. It took but a moment for her to realize that she would need more than that to convince him to jump in. Her face distorted, becoming soft and tempting. “If you come in, I’ll give you a kiss.”
She bit down on her lip, surely noting his eager reaction to her proposition. It didn’t matter that she’d kissed him all but ten minutes ago, they both knew that the one she offered now would be different; it would be one that left him with no breath and a spinning head.
Without another word, he used his powerful legs to push himself from the rock, submerging instantaneously into the lake. Instead of swimming to the surface, he opened his eyes and moved forwards under the tide, in pursuit of the only body in sight. His arms reached out and secured around her waist. Being careful not to drag her under, he let himself float slowly upwards.
When he finally felt the cool breeze against his wet face, he was greeted with his favorite giggle.
“Hey babe,” she beamed with her tongue peeking out between her teeth.
A faint “Hi,” was all he could muster. Nothing else seemed necessary, although there were hundreds of things rushing through his head. She moved closer to him, about to fulfill her promise.
Tyler backed away, and chuckled at her pouted lip as he felt around for a place where his feet would touch the bottom of the lake. When he had a solid footing, he pulled her across the water to him. Her legs locked around his torso, her arms tightly around his neck.
Nicki’s eyes connected with his, and her fingers gently brushed against the side of his face. It sent chills shooting through every limb, forcing his eyes to shut. When his eyesight failed him, he concentrated on everything that surrounded him. The refreshing feeling of water lapping against his skin, the subtle warmth of the sun’s rays, and the girl pressed flush against his body, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. Every sensation in and of itself was enough to bring anyone to the brink of serenity, but together they created a feeling almost too good to bear.
Her lips teased him, parting but never moving any closer to his own.
“Do it,” he dared, keeping his voice low. His fingers snaked up underneath her soaking dress, tracing alluringly over the curve of her spine.
She closed the space between them slowly, allowing his thoughts to run wild with the expectancy of a stupefying kiss. The moment her lips touched his, he could feel the electricity flowing through them. Her arms tightened around his neck. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have been able to remove himself from her.
Tyler let out a deep, satisfied breath through his nose as his mouth moved with hers, softly at first.
With every kiss she grew more heated, more passionate. In order to handle the way he felt, it was deemed necessary to secure his arms around her back and squeeze her so tightly against himself that she couldn’t possibly be unaware of how much he loved her; of how much he needed her the same way he needed the air that was slowly escaping his lungs.
“I look fat, don’t I?”
Shaking his head feverishly, Tyler pressed his eyes shut, trying to bring himself back to the present.
“I don’t?”
He laughed and shook his head again for confirmation. “You look gorgeous, babe.” Watching her cheeks turn crimson, he couldn’t stop his heart from fluttering a bit. It amazed him to know that he could still turn her into that coy, innocent girl from way back when.
“So why were you looking at me like that?” she asked, tilting her head as she waited for an answer.
“Every time I see that dress, all I can think about is that day at the lake.”
Nicki giggled, much the same way as she did the day he was reminiscing about. It sounded so playful and carefree, and conveyed all of the happiness she felt with both her laughter and her expression.
“That was a great day,” she said, looking at him through soft eyes.
“Every day with you is a great day,” he countered. She started to speak, and he knew exactly what she was about to say. She was about to remind him that there had been more than one day spent together that could never be described as ‘great’. He jumped in before she could, shushing her with a pair of fingers across her lips. “Don’t ruin it.”
More giggles moved from her lips through his fingers, and he had to back off. Affectionately eyeing her stomach, he removed his hand from her face and cupped the womb where his babies were growing rapidly.
“They like that,” she murmured, glancing down at his hand atop her belly.
Tyler felt his brow furrow in confusion. “I thought you said they weren’t moving yet.”
“They aren’t.” His silence must have clued her in to his lack of understanding, as she explained before he could ask a question. “I just know. I… I feel something.”
“I don’t get it,” he admitted. Even though he couldn’t comprehend her reasoning, her saying that gave him every incentive to be in constant contact with her, and their little ones. His hand stayed put, and it took two of Nicki’s hands to cover it.
“I know you don’t,” she whispered. “I wish you could. I swear Ty, sometimes I can feel what they’re feeling.”
He could have responded. He could have told her that she made less sense by the second and that she sounded a tad insane. But he didn’t have it in him to ruin whatever she felt, to taint the bond she had formed with the babies. All he could do was place a long, tender kiss on her forehead.
When he pulled away, she looked at him briefly and smiled before directing her attention to her stomach.
“You guys ready to pick up your brother?”
** * * * *
Nicki subconsciously gripped Tyler’s hand just a bit tighter. Her eyes scanned nervously across the semi-familiar playground, trying to locate for the second time that week the boy who they were taking home with them. Amelia was busy directing the small crew of movers to their car, who carried the few items Liam picked up over the short duration of his stay at the adoption center.
So that left the two of them, navigating a sea of children in search of the head full of sandy hair that had dominated their thoughts for the past two days.
“Is that him?” Tyler asked, extending a lengthy arm to point towards the swing sets.
Squinting against the vivid mid-morning sunlight, she had difficulty finding him. Judging by the location, however, she didn’t doubt it. They continued to walk, stride in stride, hand in hand. It caught them completely off-guard when a tiny figure barreled into them, clinging to them each by a leg.
“You guys came!” an excited voice squealed from beneath them.
“Of course we came,” Tyler said, letting his hand fall to Liam’s head, roughing up his hair ever so slightly.
“Can we go?” Liam asked, breaking away from them and hovering towards the exit of the large play area.
“Whenever you’re ready, hon,” Nicki answered. She flashed Tyler a look before chasing after
Liam, not willing to let him get too far away. He followed her, admiring how quickly her motherly instincts were kicking in. “Liam, wait up!” she called after him, hastening her pace.
Liam stopped in his tracks, kicking up a wall of dirt when his sneakers slid across the ground.
“Sorry.” He waddled back to Nicki, and Tyler felt his heart warming at the sight of her holding out her hand for him to grab. Taking it willingly, Liam spared a glance at Tyler, who was a few feet behind them.
“Hey bud,” he said, extending his own hand which Liam reached for excitedly. “So what kind of food do you like to eat?”
“I dunno,” he muttered sheepishly. “Whatever they have here, I guess.”
“Well we’re gonna have tons of food at the party today, have you ever had a hamburger?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe once, at that restaurant near my old home.”
Tyler could feel Nicki’s eyes on him, and didn’t have to look to know exactly what she was feeling.
Her sympathy towards this boy went on for miles.
“How do you feel about trying one today?” he asked. He hoped that having a burger might be the beginning of a very long list of firsts for Liam that day; a list that would include sleeping in a room that he could call his own, and retiring for the day with two parents by his side.
“If you want me to I will!”
“He wants you to,” Nicki said playfully. “Hamburgers are one of Tyler’s favorite foods.”
“Really?”
“Mhm.” A few short giggles escaped her, inspiring Liam to laugh as well, even though he had no idea what was so funny. “He’s a carnivore, he loves everything that’s meat.”
“What’s a carnivore?”
Listening to Nicki give him a short science lesson, Tyler couldn’t help but be thrilled. He knew that it wouldn’t always be so easy, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be plenty of times just like this one, where it felt as though he had been a part of the family his entire life.
Update soon!!!!! Love this story!!!!!
11/14/15