Chapter 16
LANCE
Drivingto the house felt so tense.
Lance kept looking at Blythe from the corner of his eye, trying to pay attention to the road, but she looked like a tall glass of water in the middle of the Sahara Desert right now. Her pale skin against her dark hair, those pink lips, and that frilly dress that was practically sheer was driving him nuts. Oh, it was a bit modest, and he sure would have put the ‘V’ neckline a little lower (selfishly, of course), but she was breathtakingly beautiful in a way he never imagined… and she was his wife.
Pulling up to the driveway, he misjudged the curb, jarring them both in the cab of the truck as the large tire went right over it without any hesitation. Her hand flew up to grab the ‘chicken bar,’ and the other caught her purse right before it went flying.
“Sorry!” he blurted out, not bothering to hide what just happened. He literally ran up over the curb, across part of the grass, like he was working on getting his learner’s permit. If anyone from the station saw him do that, he’d never drive Big Red again.
Sheesh…
“Sorry, Boop. I guess I’m a little nervous and excited at the same time,” he admitted, smiling sheepishly at her. “You really are incredible, you know that? And I’m sorry about the rings. I was just in such a hurry and…”
“Lance, it’s fine.”
“Why don’t we go pick you out a pretty ring tomorrow?”
“How about on our anniversary or maybe on our five-year anniversary? I mean, with the fire, the house, the furniture…”
“Oh yeah… sheesh, I forgot about that.”
“Yeah,” Blythe chuckled. “I think my ‘diamond’ is the bedroom suite that glitters and shines beautifully.”
“Can you tell where my mind is?”
“Do I sound like I mind?”
His eyes met hers, and he swallowed as a smile spread across his face. She was about the most perfect being in the world, and he couldn’t have chosen someone better to spend his days and nights with. He could see the desire in her eyes and loved the fact that she wasn’t tepid or shy like some girls he’d dated in the past. Do you know how much of a downer it was to have someone cowering from you when things started to get intense?
Not Blythe.
Never Blythe.
She was just as open, forward, mentally strong, and confident as him – and he loved that about her. If she wanted something, she went for it, and heaven help him – she wanted him.
“Don’t you move,” he ordered, chuckling happily and ignoring his trembling hands. He really didn’t want to mess this up between them or ruin things by being in such a hurry with her. He’d wanted her like some dog in heat since the moment he really ‘saw’ her – and that hadn’t changed over time.
And he literally howled with joy as he yanked open the truck door, scooping her up into his arms. Her laughter washed over him, and there was no better feeling in the world than being accepted and loved for who he was.
“You and me,” he chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her as he carried her across the yard. “We’re not leaving the house for three days, wife…”
“I bought bottled water, champagne, and a twelve-pack of Dr. Pepper…” Each word she said was briefly dotted with kisses and laughter as he nearly tripped over his own two feet.
“Wow, I’m trembling.”
“How about I get the lock on the door?” she said huskily, and he groaned, holding her there in his arms, standing on the front stoop of the house, in complete awareness of what was about to happen on the other side of that doorway… and he couldn’t wait.
“Blythe…”
“Yeah?”
“I have another confession to make,” he began and saw her frown.
“If this is another ‘you weren’t going to marry me’ comment – I’m gonna be hostile, just a heads-up…” she warned, and he laughed, not bothering to hide it.
“Nawww, my sweet little Boop. I was definitely marrying you today and couldn’t wait to get to the courthouse. I wanted to apologize ‘cause I’m really excited and nervous…”
“Okay? Me too – what’s wrong with that?”
“Well, remember when I said, ‘three minutes was a vicious lie’?” he said sheepishly as her mouth dropped open. “It’s a lie – I promise… but it might be quick the first time, and I don’t want you to think I’m lousy in bed. I’m kind of freaking out a little bit because I’m really excited, and that hot little number you bought is probably gonna throw me over the edge.”
To his disbelief and relief, she opened the front door, smiling at him without saying a word. He stood there holding her, waiting and expecting some sort of disappointment on her face, in her eyes, or some comment.
Instead, she just looked at him and arched an eyebrow.
“If I have to carry you over the threshold, we’ve got problems, husband,” she teased. “I have zero upper body strength and am currently not touching the ground. Let’s get to walkin’, Hero.”
“I love you so much,” he whispered openly, taking a few steps inside and kicking the door shut behind him as he set her down. To his utter amazement and wonder, Blythe kicked off her heels and curled her finger toward him, walking toward the bedroom.
“C’mon…” she murmured huskily, causing a shiver of desire to race up his spine. “I’ve got something special to show you.”
Lance cursed and began yanking open the buttons on his jacket at the sound of her laughter as she disappeared into the bedroom. As he tugged his arms free, he threw it on the couch and stopped dead in his tracks, shocked.
There, in between them, on the floor of their bedroom was a brand-new Yamaha amp with a huge red bow on top – and his shoddy guitar was propped up on a stand like it was some glorious piece of jewelry.
“Ohhh, Blythe… what did you do?”
“I decided that I wanted my gorgeous husband to have every chance to play,” she said softly, her hands clasped before her as her eyes glowed with joy. He wasn’t expecting this, her, the amp, any of this and was truly moved. She had such a big heart, flinging herself forward toward happiness with no fear, no reservations – and it was staggering to know that it was all for him.
She chose him.
“I’m sorry that I turned you down when you asked me out that first time,” he began, unsure what to say because he felt like so much time was lost and he wasn’t worthy of her. She just kept surprising him, winning him over, and her soul was taking up every space in his heart.
“You’re here now,” she smiled at him, her eyes shining. “That’s all that matters, isn’t it? It’s not a specific date, a time, a missed opportunity, but rather a second chance to have something beautiful.”
“It’s more beautiful than I could have ever pictured,” he admitted.
“Our love is, isn’t it?” she agreed and then hesitated, lifting an eyebrow in a challenge once again. “So are you going to play your wife a song… or are you going to play with your other ‘instrument’?”
“Blythe!” he blurted out, shocked… and then laughed. His sweet, innocent, gentle girl had just levied a lewd comment that rivaled anything some of the guys said at the station. “The mouth on you, woman…”
“So close it, husband,” she taunted, curling her finger toward him again. “Don’t keep your wife waiting, Hero… my goodness, you looked darn good in that uniform.”
“Oh yeah?” he grinned, yanking his belt free from the loops with a single snap and practiced flip of his wrist, causing an audible pop. Her eyes widened as her lips parted in awareness. “Now someone was teasing me with a piece of lingerie…” – and to his disbelief, Blythe started jumping around and waving her arms excitedly over her head.
“Right here! That was me!”
Lance laughed at the playfulness, the unabashed anticipation in her expressive face, and knew that loving his beautiful bride was going to be even better than he imagined. He crossed the room in seconds and drew her into his arms, kissing her tenderly.
Early the next morning,Lance awoke with Blythe curled up against him. He turned slightly toward her, pulling her closer, never wanting any of this to end. Instead of getting up to start the coffee, he lay there just admiring his miracle before him.
Blythe had smudges under her eyes from her mascara and eyeliner from yesterday, there was a big dark curl sticking up weirdly from her forehead right beside a spot that was matted down where she’d obviously drooled at some point, and yeah, his girl could saw logs when she was sound asleep, but man, she was the best thing God ever created.
His finger touched her cheek softly as he replayed yesterday in his mind. There was one moment where he wished that he had come to her as innocent as she was before him, and it was humbling to see such trust, love, and acceptance in her eyes. Every time she jumped, laughed nervously, purred like a kitten, or made an indescribable sound – he felt like a titan that could move mountains.
And a dark eye cracked open, meeting his.
“Hey…” she said hoarsely – and immediately moved her hand to wipe the drool from her chin.
Somehow, Lance was able to stifle the chuckle in his chest because she’d left a wet spot on his chest for the last twenty minutes. As she sat up, she rubbed her hair wildly scratching her head, he grinned. He did the same thing sometimes because it just felt so good.
“Hey yourself, Mrs. Cortes… are you hungry?”
“Is that an invitation, Hero?” she asked huskily, wagging her eyebrows at him as he melted into a puddle. My goodness, he’d unleashed a monster and was here for it. If this was what married life was like – he would have married her a long time ago!
“For food, you insatiable woman…”
“Oh hush, we both know you don’t mind.”
“Not in the slightest,” he laughed, climbing out of bed and handing her the pale blue satin robe that said ‘Bride’ on the back. “I’m gonna go start the coffee and make a little something for us.”
“I’m going to hop in the shower and calm this chaos down,” Blythe replied, pointing at her short hair that was sticking up in various places. “I guess if you can make it through this, then you can handle anything.”
Lance laughed and shook his head at her words. He liked this playful side of Blythe, and it was just so wonderful that she was natural around him. He’d dated girls who refused to let their makeup get mussed up, or they needed to spend twenty minutes in the bathroom brushing their hair right after they were seated at a restaurant. That wasn’t his thing. To be honest, the drool and snoring surprised him more than her hair, but that secret would go with him to his grave.
Blythe was everything he needed in his world, and maybe he didn’t know what he wanted before, but he did now. All the little things didn’t matter when the ones that truly mattered appeared before you.
Smiling at his thoughts, he grabbed a peach and cut it into thin slices, putting them in the skillet right beside the tiny pancakes that were browning. Oh yes, they both brought different things to this marriage, and he was about to ‘Wow’ his bride with his culinary skills.
And he felt a hand caress the back of his thigh, jumping slightly and bumping into the oven. Lance let out a small goofy giggle at the unexpected touch and nearly purred in delight at his affectionate wife.
“Hi…” she whispered as he turned, marveling at her.
“Hi yourself,” he replied hoarsely. “Breakfast will be done in a few minutes...”
Her smile, the look in her eyes, followed by the step she took toward him, closing the gap was enough to make his knees weak, but her words finished him off.
“Me too, Hero…”
Message received loud and clear!
“Wooohooo, jackpot!” he yelped with mindless abandon, shoving the skillet off the burner before attempting to turn off the knob. It took three tries to turn off the front coil of the stove because he was so darn excited. He finally got it, heard her slight chuckle of amusement knowing how she affected him, and then let out a shriek of delight as he scooped her over his shoulder bodily, running toward the bedroom. “Buffet’s open, Bay-beeee! Time to make the squishies!”
Blythe’s laughter echoed throughout the house – and his soul.
Gosh, I love this woman.