Rachel Dyken - Fearless

All for one giggle.

One laugh.

Yeah, I was done for.

We were in the best suite they had at The Market Inn downtown. It was a beautiful boutique hotel, but I chose it for a specific purpose, one I hoped would make Kiersten cry happy tears…

“Are we at a hotel?” She asked once I pushed open the door and helped her make her way inside.

“Yup.”

“So is that the surprise?”

“Nope.”

“Okay…”

“Keep walking straight.” I lined her up so she wouldn’t knock anything over. “I’m going to open the sliding glass door really quick and then I’ll take off your blindfold. Alright?”

Kiersten nodded, her smile making me feel like it was Christmas morning and I’d just gotten her a puppy.

She shivered as I led her outside. The moist air had a bite to it, so I took off my suit jacket and wrapped it around her small frame.

“The ocean.” Kiersten lifted her nose into the air and sniffed. “We’re right on the Sound?”

“Yeah.” I watched her like a crazed fool, watched while her smile grew at the idea that we were near the water. “So, my surprise?”

Hands on hips, she shouldn’t have even known where to stare, but there she was, blindfold in place, expecting something like a piece of jewelry or maybe even something like a boat ride.

“Have a seat.” I gently sat her on the wooden lounge chair and took off her blindfold. Her green eyes were still a bit wet with tears. I leaned down and kissed each cheek and whispered. “Surprise.”

Her eyebrows shot together in confusion. “You’re my surprise?”

“Would that be enough?” I tilted my head.

“Yeah.” She reached for me. “Every day of my life that would be enough, more than enough.”

I backed away from her so that I could focus. It seemed every time her skin came into contact with mine, my knees felt like they were about ready to buckle and my brain screamed for me to do something about the way she made me feel.

“Your wedding present.” I smiled and pointed across Elliot Bay.

“You bought me…a boat?” Kiersten guessed her eyes darting across the bay, obviously trying to figure out where I was pointing.

“Hmm, you’re getting warmer.” I kept pointing in the direction of the piece of land across the way. “Hey, maybe these will help.” I handed her some binoculars and winked.

With a teasing scowl, she snatched them out of my hand.

I didn’t look at where she was looking—no, I watched her. Because I knew I’d recognize the minute she discovered her little surprise.

With a gasp, Kiersten jerked back and then look through the binoculars again, then looked at me, then back through the lenses.

“Y-you…” She covered her mouth with her hands.

“I?” Grinning, I pulled her into my arms. “Yes?”

“You.” Her lower lip trembled. “You bought us a house.”

“I did.”

“The house I saw last time we went to that bed and breakfast across the bay—the house with the red door.”

“Yup.”

“The house that wasn’t even for sale when we first saw it.”

I shrugged sheepishly. Yeah, it had been hell to get the people to move out, but when I offered them twice the market rate and told them my story, I was almost afraid they were going to try to give it to me for free. Had they not been an elderly couple that vacationed in Florida half the year I wouldn’t have even pushed it.

“Look again,” I whispered. “This time see if you can’t focus on the large bay window in the front.”

Kiersten, shakily lifted the binoculars back up to her face—but this time when she saw the rest of the surprise, she dropped them and fell into my arms sobbing.

Because above the window I’d had a metal sign made for all to see.

It read simply…The Beginning.

Emotions are a funny thing. They drive us to either make good or bad choices, they can either make our day or ruin it. Emotions for the most part cant’ be trusted because a lot of times, they help us justify our own bad behavior. They allow us to stay mad at someone, to take offense, to keep forgiveness at bay because we’ve been hurt or are still hurting. That’s why, I can honestly say, when I look at Kiersten? It’s not my emotions speaking—but my heart. Because the heart is pure in its pursuit—whereas your emotions can cause you to stumble. Why in the hell would I want to stumble in the race towards owning every part of her soul?—Wes

Wes

When Kiersten didn’t stop crying, I panicked. Had I gone too far? I knew she was still sensitive about everything that had happened, but I wanted to prove to her that the house we bought…it was our new beginning. The fresh start, the one we had dreamed about, the one we’d stayed up late in the hospital to talk about.

I rubbed her back, trying to calm her down, but if anything, my touch made it worse. She didn’t stop trembling.

And then without a word, she shot out of the chair and freaking attacked me—not in the sense that the tiny girl beat me with her fist and it tickled like she had a feather in her hands. Hell, no. She launched herself into my arms, wrapped her legs around my waist, and kissed me so hard on the mouth that I stumbled backwards, nearly colliding with the sliding glass door and giving myself a concussion.

With a grunt, I gripped her body in my hands and lifted her higher so I wouldn’t’ drop her then returned her kiss.

With. Every. Damn. Ounce. Of strength I had.

Kiersten’s response was to drop the jacket I’d lovingly placed on her shoulders and claw at my shirt.

Denying her would be like willingly shooting myself in the foot.

I freed up one of my hands and opened the sliding glass door then stepped through and shut it behind us. Kiersten opened her mouth, sucking on my tongue, making my knees shake a bit and blood roar in my veins. Where the hell were the bedrooms? I saw a living room, I saw no bed, I saw a hallway, okay hallways were good, right? Because they led to rooms?

“Holy shit.” I bit off when Kiersten’s nails dug into my back. Was my shirt off? How? How was that physically possible? I’d been holding her and then…I looked around, pieces of my shirt lay around the floor. I broke off our kiss. “Tell me the truth—were you Wonder Woman in another life?”

Kiersten’s answer?

Her clear green eyes narrowed as she wrapped her arms tighter around my neck and tugged my ear with her teeth.

“Yup,” I said hoarsely. “We’ll get you spandex later.”

Gently, I let her slide down my body and set her feet on the floor. Staring into her eyes, I smiled, and then I grabbed her hand and made a run for it. I was the romantic guy, the one who took things slow, the one who wanted to savor every moment with the girl I loved.

But right then? In that moment? I was a man possessed with such an obsessive need to claim what was mine—that I ran.

I freaking ran.

Like I was going for a Superbowl Ring and I dragged Kiersten behind me.

I pushed the first door open.

Bathroom. I groaned. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Was I sweating?

Kiersten tugged my arm towards the end of the hall, and opened the door.

We both froze.

She dropped my hand and covered her face.

White daffodils were spread across the bed in the shape of a heart. In the middle, our initials stood out against the red satin.

A small trail of orange and yellow daffodils led us to the bed and to a waiting desk with a bottle of champagne and a card.

Kiersten picked it up and nodded once, twice, then shook her head and handed it to me without saying anything.

Snatching it, I read the first few lines.

Wes Freaking Michels. HAH! Fun fact, Daffodils are symbolic of new beginnings and fresh starts. Thus, the reason your room is littered with them. Saylor never wants to see another daffodil in her entire life so please, keep all flowers contained lest she stuff one in my mouth while I’m sleeping. I love you two. I was trying to think of a wedding gift that would do you both justice—that would show my love for my best friends. All that kept coming to me was that you guys got a second chance to write a very original story. A love story. One that’s so epic that even your grandchildren won’t believe it. So here you go. Attached to this note is a pen. I wrote the first part, hope you don’t mind. Enjoy your wedding night, enjoy the new beginning, and know…you’re stuck with me forever. Tell Kiersten not to roll her eyes. It’s rude.

Laughing, I grabbed the simple pen that was taped to the card and flipped it over to see what Gabe had written.

“Girl runs into boy…” I read aloud.

Kiersten looked down at the card and read the next part, “Girl feels up boy.”

I chuckled while Kiersten crossed her arms and scowled.

“Boy chases girl.”

“Girl—” Kiersten’s voice was hoarse. “—decides she wants to be chased.”

The next part was hard for me to read, I wasn’t sure why.

Kiersten put her hand over mine and slowly spoke for me. “Boy gets very sick.”

“Girl—” I held Kiersten tight. “—sticks by his side.”

“Boy and girl…” Tears streamed down Kiersten’s face, and she sniffed softly before she continued. “…fall asleep holding hands, and he tells her that even death couldn’t keep him from a lifetime of her smiles.”

A tear fell from my face onto Kiersten’s head as I murmured, “Boy lives.”

“Girl lives,” she whispered.

“They lived,” we said in unison…

The last line was a picture of us together with a giant heart drawn around it. Under the picture Gabe had written… So LIVE.