Battle-Hardened, War Weary Ch. 08A

"You and your fascination with my breasts," she moaned against his lips.

Ryan let out a girlish giggle in response and she scoffed. "What can I say?" he inquired once his laughter died down. "Your tits fascinate me. I can't wait until they become engorge with milk."

Kali gave him a glare that reeked of skepticism. "Why?" He didn't verbally respond to her instead he just leveled a glare at her. She recognized that smoldering look. She had 'put two and two together'. "You want to drink my breast milk, don't you?" Ryan smiled lasciviously. Her hands covered his hands. "Ryan, but these are for the baby and the milk is for the baby," she said in a sarcastic way.

"I don't want much," he reasoned. "Just a sample."

She giggled. "Just a sample? You make it sound like I am supplying samples of teriyaki chicken like one of those chicks down at a food court in the mall." He laughed.

"It's just a sample, baby" he repeated.

She snickered. She reached over and gave him a kiss on the lips. She pinched his cleft chin in between her index finger and her thumb. She gave his chin a slight wiggle. "As much as I would like to make love to you again and in the tub nonetheless..." She slowly rose to her feet. She glanced at him. "I am starving right now and I want to eat a fancy piece of dead cow and eat half of a chocolate mousse pie."

Ryan laughed as she stepped out of the bathtub. He quickly stepped out of the tub and stood next to her. "Stay right here," he instructed. He walked a few feet away, over to the vanity table and chair. He grabbed the towel that was draped over the back of the chair. He brought the towel over and proceeded to dry her body.

When he kneeled in front of her to dry off her thighs, she asked, "Why are you so good to me?"

Ryan tilted his head backwards to gaze up at her face. She noticed that there was a sense of seriousness in his aura. "It's because you love me and you allow me to love you..." Then, he glanced down at her shins. He began to dry her left calf with his towel. She smiled as her cheeks blushed. She eyed his face as he continued with his task. Then he stopped. He gave her a glance. "And plus, your tits are awesome!" he declared with a broad smile. She chuckled as well as gave his left shoulder a love tap. He finished drying her wet body off. Afterwards, he wrapped the towel around her torso.

"Thank you," she said to him with a smile.

Ryan reached down and they kissed. "You're welcome baby." He clasped onto her biceps and squeezed. "Let's go and get you something to eat."

"And can you give a massage later on?" she asked with a smile.

He nodded his head. "Yes, I can give you a massage later on."

"Yes!" she hissed as she pumped her right fist in the air. He chuckled.

He grabbed a hold of her right hand and then he glanced down at the both of them. The sight of her brown-skinned hand and his slightly pale hand made him recalled that ill-fated day back in 1982. He recalled the moment when he stared down at the joining of their hands after Junior and Keith begun to tease them. Then he remembered the moments that followed. He bristled from those memories.

He was brought back to the present by the touch of Kali's lips on his left cheek. He gazed over to her. Her face looked lovely. There was a beautiful smile on her lips while her purple eyes shone brightly. He gave her slender hand a squeeze. 'No one is going to take you away from me,' he mentally declared.

"Let's go baby."

Ryan led the both of them to the bathroom's closed door. He twisted the ornate doorknob and pushed the door open. The couple exited the steamy and humid bathroom. They entered the elaborate and grand closet. They walked through the area and traveled to the closed door that led to the master bedroom. Ryan opened the door. Both of them were greeted by a dimly-lit bedroom, a blast of cold air and music. He entered the bedroom first. Unbeknownst to his pregnant girlfriend, he entered the bedroom with a toothy grin that served as a mask to hide his nervousness. After he made his sixth step inside of the room, he heard a loud gasp. Then he noticed that she stopped walking. He smiled and silently cheered. It was the reaction that he hoped for.

When Ryan led Kali out of the bathroom, she didn't notice the change of the bedroom's atmosphere. She was busy thinking about dinner. It wasn't until after she made five steps in the bedroom that she took notice of the dimmed lights. Then she focused on the bedroom's environment. Her mind had gone blank as she became surprised. She wasn't aware that her walk faltered, her eyes had grown wide while her mouth opened and a gasp fell out.

'That was...' her brain whimpered, which was the first thought that ran through her mind. Kali's eyes tried to take in everything that was displayed in front of her.

The bedroom looked beautiful. Ryan had turned off the large lighting structure that was mounted on the ceiling. The dim lighting came from the candles that were placed throughout the bedroom. She guessed there had to be at least one hundred candles that were inside of the room. Kali was impressed with his dedication. Her nose caught the fragrance of roses. She scanned the bedroom and saw that he lined the polished, hardwood floor with rose petals. She blushed as well as smiled. She glanced over at her boyfriend, who was staring at her.

"So, this is what you were doing huh?" she asked while she smiled.

"Yes, I was praying that you wouldn't get out of that tub and come out here during the entire time," he confessed. They both laughed. He placed her in an embrace. They listened to the music for a moment as she took in everything. "I have something else that I want to show you," he announced. He gave her hand a gentle tug.

She wondered what else he have planned. She continued to stare at him. "Okay," she murmured before she allowed for him to guide her to his second surprise.

Ryan led the way over to the massive platform that he held his bed. The couple had walked around to the front of the bed, where Kali received her surprise. For this surprise, she made another gasp and then started to cry.

"Oh baby," she heard Ryan groan. Then, she felt his two strong arms wrap around her shoulders and his body press up against her back. He gave her left temple a kiss. "I take it that you like your surprise."

"No..." she moaned. Her mouth created a loud sigh that trembled. She felt his eyes stare at her. "No, I love it." She reached up and held on his wrists. She squeezed them. "I love it, baby." She heard him chuckle before he gave her left temple another kiss.

"Do you think that Athena would love it?" he asked her.

She nodded her head. "Yeah, I think she would love it." She continued to ogle her gift.

He released her from his hold. "Baby, why don't you take a closer look?"

She gave him a parting glimpse before she walked over to the cradle. She stood by the side of the furniture. She inspected the piece. Her hands grasped onto the thick, hardwood and checked the sturdiness. Her fingers searched for splinters or nicks in the wood. She checked the space that was in between each dowel that made up the sides and the railings. She peered inside of the cradle and inspected the bed's linen. Her fingertips touched the soft, white linen as she observed.

She stared at the rocking cradle and an inquiry popped in her head. "Where did you hide this?" she asked him as she took a step away from the cradle. She stared at Ryan. "It wasn't in here when I came in here earlier."

"It was in here, sort of. It was in there..." She watched Ryan point up towards the room that was upstairs. She glanced at the black door that led to the room that always intrigued her. "I had assembled the cradle and then I had kept it in there. I thought that I would have a troublesome time getting the cradle down here because of the staircase, but I managed."

"I've always been curious about that room. What is in there?" she asked him as she gazed at the door.

"It's my office and my studio—

"Your studio?" She glanced at him.

"Yeah, when I have the urged to draw or paint, I'll go up there and I'll spend hours up there. I used to consider that place to be my sanctuary," he explained. She watched Ryan stroll up to her. She drew him into her arms for an embrace. She nuzzled her face into his bare chest. He groaned out his contentment. "Now, you are my sanctuary."

Kali snorted and then snickered. "That was corny," she said into his chest. He gave her left ass cheek a slap in response. She chuckled. Then she felt his lips pressed against her forehead.

"But it is true," he informed her. "You and Athena, y'all give me peace and comfort. Every day, when I leave out of this house and I go off to work, all I can think of is you and her. If I had the choice, I would buy an island and we would live on it. I would quit my job and you would quit yours. We'll take ourselves and Athena out of this state and this country. We would move to the island and live in solitude."

"Mmmm," she groaned. "That sounds nice, baby."

Ryan led the two of them to the center of the bedroom. They stood in the small lounge area that was ten feet away from the fireplace and twenty feet away from where the bed was located. He stood in front of her. They exchanged glances for a moment.

"Wait here for a moment," he instructed.

"Ryan, what's--?"

Her inquiry was cut off when he kissed her lips. The kiss was gentle but it spoke volumes to her. He stared at her as the tips of their noses brushed against each other.

"Please, just wait right here, all right?" he asked with a gentle voice.

"Okay," she whimpered.

She watched his lips turn into a grin. He gave her a glance and then he walked away from her. She stared at his retreating form as he walked to the small boutique that was his closet.

'What is going on with him?' she wondered. Kali let out a sigh and then bit on a corner of her bottom lip. It was a tick that she done when she was nervous or unsure about something. 'I'll find out sooner enough.' She proceeded to survey the bedroom once again. 'He's trying,' her brain murmured. She felt her daughter moving inside of her womb. She made a difficult swallow and then she glanced down at her belly. She held on her stomach.

"Your daddy is trying, sweetheart," she whispered.

Athena's daddy returned back to the bedroom a few minutes later. He emerged from the closet, fully dressed. His tall, sculpted body was adorned in a pair of black knee-length shorts and a red tank top.

'Hey...' her brain murmured. 'What about...' Kali saw that Ryan held onto a light blue, bath robe in his left hand. It was her favorite bath robe. 'Oh, he didn't forget about me.'

"I figured that you might want this," he stated as he walked over to where she stood. He removed the article of clothing from his hand and he helped Kali slip the robe on. Once the robe covered her body, he tied the sash. He placed his hands on her expanded stomach.

Kali sighed and smiled. "Do you plan on telling me about your plans?" she asked him while she felt amused.

"I just wanted to do something nice for you," he explained, while his fingers played with the collar of the soft, terry cloth bathrobe. He used the collar to gently sway Kali into his embrace. Her arms wrapped around his waist and her hands rested on his shoulder blades. She pressed the side of her face against his pectoral muscle. Unbeknownst to the couple, they soon began to dance to the music.

"Awww," she hummed, being sarcastic. Ryan gave her ass another slap in response. She laughed. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" she giggled. Her laughter had gradually stopped and the music was the only noise in the bedroom. Kali glanced up at his face. "But on a serious note, I am happy and I appreciate everything that you've done for me. And when I say 'everything that you've done for me', I mean everything that occurred in the past two months. I mean..."

Kali's voice trailed off and a whimper left her mouth. She was overcome with emotion. She thought about the past few weeks. She thought about the moments that she spent with him. Her act of contemplation lasted a span of a minute. When she glimpsed at his face, she saw that his eyes were glossy.

"Ryan, I love you very much and I..." She let out a shaky breath. "I want you to know that I am so proud of you. Baby, I am so proud of everything that you've doing as of recently. I know that you've..." She paused, when she felt Ryan's thumbs touch her cheeks. He wiped away her tears. She made a simpering smile. Then she resumed with her monologue. "I know that people will probably think that we are crazy for getting together due to our past history. But, I know that I am doing the right thing for me and for us..." She nodded her head. "...I know that we're right for each other..." She chuckled. "We're two lovey-dovey kids that managed to make it out of our fucked up childhoods—

"At least your childhood managed to get better when you had gone to live with your grandparents," Ryan pointed out.

"Yes, you're right about that. My childhood did get better once I was in the custody of my grandparents. But I still had to deal with the mental trauma."

"I understand, baby" he murmured.

Both Kali and Ryan stopped speaking. They enjoyed the moment of lack of dialogue and danced during this time. Both of their bare feet danced a lazy form of a 'two-step' against the polished, hardwood floor. It was during the second verse of Nina Simone's "Seems I'm Never Tired Lovin' You", when he changed it up by giving her the chance to twirl. She giggled as she did a less-than-graceful spin. Then, they embraced again and resumed with their dance. She rested her head on his chest. She listened to the sounds of his heartbeats. She took note of how fast-paced they were beating.

"I'm enjoying this," Ryan stated. She moaned as a way of agreeing with him. "We should do this more often," he suggested.

"Yeah, we should" she said to him. "But I don't think we will get too many opportunities to dance when the baby is born. I think we'll be too tired to do anything besides feeding the baby, changing diapers and cleaning up after Athena." Both Ryan and Kali laughed.

"True," he said softly. "But I think... No, I know that we will have at least one more dance in the near future. Perhaps, we might have a few more times to dance on that night."

"On what night?"

Ryan removed his hands from off of her body and took a few steps back. Kali halted her movement and she glanced at him. She saw that held an intense glare. He continued to hold that gaze as he sunk down onto his left knee. Kali's eyes bulged with amazement.

'Oh, he is not about to...'

The two of them continued to stare at each other. In her peripheral view, she saw his right hand made a few movements. She returned her full attention back to his face. "Ryan, what's going on?"

Ryan took a swallow and then a deep breath. Then he spoke. "Before you say anything else, can you please just listen to what I have to say, okay?" He paused and waited for her answer. Kali nodded her head. He let out a rugged breath before he talked. "Baby, I love you. I've loved you since we were kids. You are the only thing that's in my life that is good and healthy. I've hurt you and you were able to forgive me. You're having our baby and you love her—

"Of course I love her, Ryan, even if you and I weren't together. I would still love her."

"And you managed to love me, even though I have been a monster towards you. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. I want to prove to you that I am changing for the rest of my life. I love you. I want to have more kids with you. I want them to witness the love that I have for you. I want to be able to grow old..."

Kali listened to Ryan ramble on. She assumed that he was nervous. He appeared to be nervous due to his eyes surveying everything, his rushed speech and the thin layer of perspiration that decorated his forehead. She thought that his behavior was adorable. In her mind's eye, she imagined Ryan behaving this way when he had to answer their hypothetical children's questions that made him feel uncomfortable.

"... What I am asking you is...?" He ended up taking another deep breath. "Will you—

"Yes, I will marry you."

His eyes widened in response. She thought that he was shocked from knowing her answer. "You... You... Y-Y-You will marry me?" he stammered out.

"Yes baby, I want to marry you."

He didn't say anything. Ryan's eyes closed and his face did a slight grimace while a whine slipped out of him. His hands grabbed on her round hips and he gently pulled her closer to him. Once she was a hair's length, he placed his face against her swollen belly.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you..." He gave her tummy a kiss after he spoken every 'thank you' into her stomach.

Kali smiled. Her right hand reached down and cradled the curve of his skull while her fingers sifted through the soft strands of his hair. She gazed at her fiancée as he doted her belly with affection.

While she viewed the top of his head, she thought about the mental conversation that she had with herself, earlier on that day. She believed that Ryan was that rare tiger who was able to change his stripes, which was why there was that capability of falling in love with him. She knew that she loved him. She recognized the powerful emotion, two weeks ago. At first, she was in denial about it. She tried to pass it off as being the case where she confused the feeling of being grateful with the act of falling in love.

It was on a hot, late spring night in April. It was after Ryan had stated an 'I love you' to her before he had gone off to bed. He always professed his love for her before they parted ways, but this particular one made her feel different. Her heart raced while the muscles in her stomach quivered. Her body grew warmer while the urge to kiss him lingered on her lips. Instead of acting out her natural instinct, she meekly mumbled a 'good night' and gone to her bedroom. She was awake for several hours on that night. Her mind was busy as she contemplated about that moment. She refused to go to sleep that night. It was a few minutes before her alarm clock had gone off, when Kali admitted to herself that she was in love with Ryan Whittler.

The physical sensation of having Ryan's lips on her bare stomach brought Kali back to the present. She blinked her eyes a few times before focusing on her man. He was close to her stomach, but this time, he was speaking to her extended body part.

"Your daddy loves your mommy, Athena. You are one lucky little girl..." he said in a soft voice. "Once you turn eighty-six, you're going to find yourself one handsome, ninety-nine year old man and you're going to get married and..."

She giggled as she stared at her love. "No, thank you, Ryan."