CHAPTER 47
Alex
Knight and I hopped on a plane and headed for a secluded island resort. Once we arrived, I cradled my husband in my arms, not believing for one minute this was actually real. “How long had you planned all of this?” I asked, taking in the crystal blue sky, rainbow colored blossoms, and palm trees, fronds clattering in the breeze.
He rubbed my hand, snuggling into me. “A few months.”
“How did you know I’d say yes?”
Chuckling, he answered, “I went out on a limb on that, but I’m glad you did. Are you?”
I kissed the side of his head and said, “Couldn’t be happier.”
The surrounding water had a dive spot, and I decided to display my skills, but Knight wasn’t watching.
Swimming over to him, I said, “Hey...I show off for you and you can’t even pay attention.”
He laughed. “I saw. What? Do you want an award for not doing a belly flop?”
Wrapping my arm around him, I said, “No, but a little recognition would be nice.”
Then I dunked him.
In retaliation, Knight splashed me incessantly. “Say you’re sorry, Alex!”
“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry! Just stop!”
“That’s better,” he said, as our bodies slid together, warming each other in the cool water.
“Hey, Knight.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not giving up. For trusting in us again.”
Clutching my jaw, Knight kissed me with a passion that meant one thing.
When I caught my breath, I raised him up and said, “Let’s go.”
As we made love in our room, Knight whispered, “I love you, baby. I'll always love you.”
I shivered at his touch, dipping my tongue into his mouth and savoring our time together. "I love you, too."
Exhausted, I crashed, my body spent. I hadn’t remembered nodding off, but knew I felt safe and hopeful of our future together. Getting away from life was just what we needed.
Knight
Our honeymoon felt like a dream, but I knew reality would come crashing down if we didn’t discuss a few things before we got back.
Lounging lazily on our room’s front porch, I rubbed the back of my neck, hoping to tread on this subject gingerly. “Um, Alex...we need to talk.”
“About what?” he asked, not opening his eyes.
“About you moving out of San Myshuno.”
That awakened him. Rising up, he put his arms on the back of the window bar and sighed. “Why do I have to move? Why don’t you move in with me?”
Shaking my head, I said, “Because my office is in Newcrest which is an hour away from the city. Do you really want me to make that commute? And besides, raising kids in San Myshuno doesn’t make sense.”
Biting his lip, he didn’t say anything for a long time. “I will miss it.”
I patted his knee. “I know, baby, and I’m sorry. But I have a surprise for you when we get back.”
“What is it?”
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
He gave me a quick kiss. “I like your surprises, so I’m not complaining. Now let’s go surfing.”
I got out of that conversation unscathed. The next one could wait until we got home. I didn’t want to possibly ruin our time together.
On the last night of our honeymoon, we both realized the next phase of our lives were just ahead and for some reason a melancholy mood settled on us. Maybe because we knew how important starting a family was but how to go about it, honestly scared me. I wasn’t sure how Alex was feeling about it either, but I didn’t say anything. Not yet. I just wanted to enjoy my husband free from the stress of life.
Maybe Alex picked up on my nerves. He moved away and said, “Here’s to our future, baby. I know it’ll be great.”
We clinked our glasses.
Running my fingers over his back, I kissed him, praying he was right. Whatever came, whether we could even have children or just adopt, I knew we’d be able to make it as long as we had each other.
