From This Moment On

FROM THIS MOMENT ON

This is for Literotica's 25^th Anniversary Challenge.

And I hope you enjoy it.

As always, your votes and comments would be appreciated.

©2023 Smuttyandfun All Rights Reserved.

"Oh, my god! Can you believe that. Look what it's doing out there. It's a freaking blizzard!" My friend Josie shrieked as we stepped out of the elevator. Everyone looked around at each other, shocked, as we watched the raging snowstorm swirling around outside, covering everything in a heavy blanket of snow.

All of us seemed to be hesitating, and no one wanted to be the first one to step outside in front of our office building. The way it was snowing, I really couldn't blame them. It was coming down so heavy I could barely see across the street.

I had been planning to take a bus to my sister's place. Where I'd offer to house sit while she and her hubby were soaking up some sun in Hawaii. But now I was hoping I'd be able to get a taxi, so he could drop me off at her front door.

This morning when I got dressed, I thought my new leather ankle boots looked perfect with my black fitted suit. Now I realized, cute as they were, they wouldn't do much to protect my feet, especially in that much snow.

Muttering under her breath that her husband better not have stopped at the bar for a few drinks on his way home, Josie pulled out her phone. "I'm calling my husband. And I just hope he can come and pick me up." She nodded at me. "Do you need a ride, Laurie?"

"No, I'm okay, thanks. I'm heading up to my sister's place, and I'm going to grab a taxi."

When I finally found the courage to take a step outside, I gasped as the cold wind hit me. I pulled up the collar of my short leather jacket to try and shield my neck, just as a strong wind gust almost knocked me over.

"Holy shit!" My boss Brad muttered behind me, grabbing my arm and catching me before I fell. "This is crazy!" No kidding, I thought, while I struggled to keep my footing on the icy sidewalk.

Thankfully, I noticed a taxi with it's light on, and I anxiously waved him down. As I opened the door and climbed in, I called out to my boss, "Brad, do you need a ride?"

He shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm heading out to the airport, and I've already called a limo."

I gave him a wave and slammed the door shut, glad to be in the warmth of the cab.

"Where to?" the cabby asked, eyeing me in the rear-view mirror while I shivered.

I gave him my sister's address, and snuggled into the back seat, wishing now that I'd worn my big down-filled coat. I didn't hear anything about a storm this morning, or I would have dressed for the weather.

I noticed the driver sounded pretty frustrated, pointing ahead at the traffic. "I don't know why the heck they wait so long. The city should have had these roads plowed hours ago. Now look at this mess. How do they expect us to drive in nearly a foot of snow?"

I noticed he was hanging on pretty tight to the steering wheel, when the car ahead of him barely managed to stop without sliding into the intersection at the red light.

Not sure what to say, I just nodded in agreement, hoping he knew what he was doing.

When he pointed ahead at the mess of the icy, snow-covered road, I could feel my heart sink as he said, "I just hope I can make it up that hill. Looks like everyone's getting stuck. Even the bus has pulled over. And he's probably waiting for a tow."

Afraid someone was going to get hurt, I flinched, watching the cars fishtailing as they tried to make it up the icy hill without crashing into each other.

As soon as the light turned green, I clutched the arm rest as he gunned it to try get some momentum. But we didn't get far, and his wheels started spinning, before we started sliding sideways, thankfully with no one beside us.

I had to give him credit, he did everything he could to get us moving. I was hanging on with both hands, because I was getting jolted around while he kept throwing the car into reverse and then gunning it again. But no matter what he did, we weren't getting anywhere, we were just spinning in place.

Finally, he looked back at me and shrugged. "Sorry, lady. I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon. The snow is too deep and it's icing over, so I can't get any traction. But it's not too far from here, if you want to try walking up the hill."

After I'd paid and thanked him, I opened the door and tried not to scream when I sank almost up to my knees in icy cold, slushy snow.

Gritting my teeth, I dragged my feet through the heavy snow, till I managed to make my way over to the sidewalk. Or at least what felt like it, since the snow was so deep, I couldn't tell where the road ended and the sidewalk began.

"Damn," I muttered, trying to shield my eyes as the cold, biting wind nipped at my face, and the snow blanketed my hair, making me feel even colder. Wishing now that I'd worn a hat, and gloves, I tucked my head down and tried taking a few steps, but the way the snow was sinking into my boots, it felt like my feet were about to freeze off. My ankles were so cold, they were aching.

I kept trudging on, trying to ignore the pain. The only thing forcing me to keep moving was thinking how good it would feel once I finally got to my sister's house, so I could get a hot shower and curl up in bed with a pile of blankets to try and defrost.

Suddenly, I cried out when I lost my footing and stumbled. Trying not to land on my face, I threw my arms out, hoping I wouldn't break anything, like my nose.

Feeling winded when I landed face down, I was trying to catch my breath when I felt two strong hands circle my waist and lift me off the ground.

When I turned my head to get a look at whoever was holding me, I couldn't believe my eyes. "Michael!"

From the look on his face, my soon to be ex-husband, seemed just as surprised to see me.

"What the hell are you doing out in this storm?" he yelled over the howling wind whipping around us.

I pointed back at the taxi, still spinning its wheels, so he could figure out what happened. Because obviously I wasn't out for a stroll.

"Where are you headed?" he asked, stepping in close in front me to try and shield me from the wind.

I gestured up the hill. "I'm trying to get to Judy's place, but I don't think I'm going to make it. My feet are so cold they're throbbing."

"Put your hands on my shoulders, so you don't fall." He dropped to his knees, pulled off one of my boots and shook out the snow. Once he repeated the process with my other foot, though my boots were still cold and damp, it felt so much better without the snow packed around my feet.

"Thank you so much," I murmured, glad that he'd happened along when he did.

He turned and faced away from me, and pointed at his back. "Wrap your arms around my neck, and hang on, and I'll carry you."

"You want to give me a piggy back?"

He grinned at me over his shoulder. "It won't be the first time." When we were dating, our friends would tease him about the way he carried me everywhere, because he said I barely weighed a thing, plus I think he hated taking his hands off me.

Though I felt a little silly being carried on his back like a kid, I didn't argue. I was just glad not to be hiking through the snow, freezing ass and my feet off.

When he stepped back onto the road, I touched my lips to his ear so he could hear me over the wind and asked, "Where are we headed?"

He nodded across at what looked like an older four-story apartment building. "We're going to my place."

We hadn't really talked much since we broke up six months ago, so I had no idea where he was living. Though I was a little surprised that he was renting and hadn't bought another house, after we'd sold our family home.

The way I had my arms wrapped tightly around his neck, trying not to fall, I hoped I wasn't choking him. But typical Michael, he just kept on trudging through the snow and didn't complain.

The wind was so bad, I had to tuck my head down, to try and keep the ice pellets from stinging my face and blowing into my eyes. I could tell from the way he was grunting, that he was struggling to make it to the other side of the road. Obviously, it would have been a lot easier for him get across, without me on his back.

Even after trekking across four lanes of deep, heavy snow, when we finally got to his place, he carried me all the way into the lobby before he put me down.

He pushed the button to summon an elevator, and I awkwardly shivered in place while we waited.

Shaking his head, Michael reached out and brushed the snow off my long blonde hair. It was dripping over my face and running down my neck and into my breasts as it melted, making me feel like I'd been doused with ice water.

I could feel my cheeks burning from the shock of coming in from the freezing cold into the warmth of his building. I tried to clench my jaw, but I couldn't keep my teeth from chattering I was just so cold, I was hopping from foot to foot, to try and warm up.

Once the elevator came, we stepped inside, and exchanged a fairly awkward smile. Though I guess deciding it best not to talk about us, he mentioned the weather. "I can't believe the way it's coming down out there. Before I left for work, I watched a few minutes of the morning news, and the weather report never mentioned anything about a snow storm."

"Tell me about it. If I knew, I would have worn something warmer. And I sure as heck wouldn't be wearing these silly ankle boots."

While he glanced down at my feet, and smiled, I took a moment to look him over. I noticed he had a few more gray streaks in his hair, though it was still a nice deep shade of brown.

Even at forty-seven he was a really good-looking man. Which had me thinking back to the night when we'd first met.

I was out celebrating the last of our exams with my college friends, and Michael was at the next table with a bunch of his buddies.

He looked over at me and flashed me the sexiest smile, and I couldn't look away, and we just sat and stared into each other's eyes. I think I fell in love with him the moment our eyes met.

When a slow song came on, he got up and asked me to dance. As we talked and swayed to Shania Twains,' From This Moment On, it just like we clicked.

A few months later, they played the same song for the first dance at our wedding, when I discovered I was pregnant with our daughter Rebecca.

I remember how romantic it felt, as we danced to what we thought were the perfect words to express what we were feeling for each other that night:

From this moment, as long as I live

I will love you, I promise you this

There is nothing I wouldn't give

From this moment on

I can even remember the kiss we shared when he held my face in his hands, looked into my eyes as the song ended, and claimed my lips. It was long and lingering with a promise of so many wonderful things to come. Though I was blushing, we still laughed at the cat-calls from our families and friends as we headed off the dance floor, with his arm tight around me.

It was exactly twenty-five years ago tomorrow, though I wondered if Michael would even remember. Considering we'd split up, and we were living separate lives, I didn't imagine he'd be thinking about our anniversary.

I sighed, as a little pain in my chest drove home the fact that in a few more weeks, we'd be divorced. And that part of our life would be over. Although we had drifted apart, I still felt bad that we couldn't make it work.

When we stepped inside his tidy little apartment, I was just glad it was warm, since I couldn't stop shivering.

Knowing how I hated to be cold, he pointed to the bathroom. "Laurie, if you want to have a hot shower to warm up, my robe's hanging on the back of the door. And when you're done, I can put your clothes in the dryer."

I winced, feeling a little guilty about putting him out. "I hate to impose."

He chuckled. "Hey, you're still my wife. At least for another couple of weeks, so we don't have to act like strangers."

"Actually, I would love a hot shower. And um... thanks for coming to my rescue," I said, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"I didn't know it was you until I picked you up, but I'm just glad I happened along when I did."

I was, too.

Wandering down the hallway toward his bathroom, I noticed his apartment was neat as a pin, but Michael was never messy. And he never minded helping around the house, or fixing dinner if I worked late.

Once I got out of my clothes and I stepped into the shower, I tipped my face up and relished the feeling of the warm water cascading over my body, melting away the cold that seemed to have gone right through me.

As I soaped up and gave myself a quick wash, I still couldn't believe how lucky I was that Michael happened along when he did. Or I might have still been out there, probably frozen to the sidewalk covered in snow, for who knows how long.

When I finally stepped out, feeling so much better, I dried off, and slipped into his robe. Without even thinking I buried my nose in the thick, black terry fabric, and smiled as I inhaled his distinctive musky scent along with a hint of his aftershave. I don't even know why, but it stirred something inside me. Maybe because I wasn't wearing anything underneath, it felt kind of naughty to be wearing his robe over my naked body. Or maybe, it was because I'd always loved the way he smelled, kind of musky and all male.

Deciding it best to push those thoughts aside, I bundled up my clothes in a towel and walked down to his kitchen where he was pouring us some hot tea.

"Trade you," he said with a grin, offering me a cup, while I handed him my wet clothes.

I noticed he had a little compact washer and dryer in the corner, when he put everything inside, including his own wet clothes to dry them.

He nodded at the stove. "I'm just heating up some soup, if you're hungry."

It smelled delicious, and of course just the thought of finally eating something had my stomach growling, which made him chuckle. Since I'd skipped lunch to try and leave work on time for a change, I was glad he had something nice and hot, heating up on the stove.

"So, how have you been?" he asked, glancing over at me while he stirred the pot.

"I'm surviving," I admitted, without even thinking. Because that's exactly what it felt like I'd been doing since we'd split up. I'd just barely been keeping it together. Though I tried to put on a brave front, so that no one would know I hated being alone and could still hardly believe that our marriage was over.

Since my well-meaning friends could tell I wasn't happy, they were forever trying to set me up on blind dates. But it just wasn't in me to go out with another man, since technically, the two of us were still married.

When I bit into my lip, wishing I hadn't said that, I was glad he let it go, and just nodded over at his living area. "How about I put this on a tray. And we can have it in there, and watch the news to see what the weather man has to say now."

I laughed. "Yeah, I'd love to hear him talk his way out this one. I can't believe they had no clue we were going to get dumped on like this."

Once I'd had my first spoonful of the warm, savory cup of veggie beef, I kind of closed my eyes and moaned, it was just so good, and I so hungry, it really hit the spot.

I pointed at my cup. "Did you make this, Michael?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, you know I love to cook."

He did too, always dreaming up new things to make for dinner. While I was glad there was always something hot and tasty waiting for me.

Except for the weekends, when we had fun cooking together, as well as flirting and teasing and often making out. He made me laugh like crazy when he'd push me up against the fridge and nearly kiss me senseless. Or, drag me down to the floor, till he had me screaming his name.

Since our kids were away at college, we had the freedom to do whatever we wanted, and often did.

Of course, since Michael owned his own business, he could work from home. But working my way up the ladder in a family law practice, most nights I was lucky to leave before six.

Noticing he was watching me, rather than share my thoughts, I gestured at the soup. "This is really good," I told him dipping in the slice of warm buttered bread. "Don't tell me you made the bread, too."

He laughed. "No, I picked that up at that little Italian bakery we always went to. But I did bake some carrot muffins last night, if you'd like one with your tea."

"Oh, I always loved your carrot muffins. You're such a good cook, you put me to shame. Now days I usually just grab something on my way home from work. And it's never half as good as this."

"Well, I baked a couple a dozen, so you can take some home with you, if you want."

I nodded and spooned up some more soup, wondering if he was looking forward to the storm passing so I could leave, and let him have his place to himself.

I guess noticing I had my bare feet tucked under me, to keep them warm, he rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I forgot to give you something to cover your feet. And I remember from the way you always tucked them under me in bed nearly freezing my buns off, how cold they get."

We both kind of laughed at that. But when he put his cup down and started heading down the hallway, hating to put him out, I called after him, "Michael, it's okay, I'm starting to warm up. You don't have to go looking for socks."

Of course, he came back with a pair of long, wool socks, sat down again and pointed at my feet. "Give me those feet."

I couldn't stop myself from moaning when he pulled my feet into his lap and began to massage them, I'm guessing to try and warm them up. Though, I could see the amusement in his eyes as he worked the muscles up to my calves, and just barely traced his fingers over my lower thighs, probably knowing he was getting me aroused.

As I watched him finally slip the socks on me, I don't know why, but I got a lump in my throat so big I could hardly swallow. Probably because he'd always been so selfless, never thinking of himself, always thinking of his family first.

"Better?" he asked, patting my feet once he'd covered them up with the socks that almost went up to my knees.

I gave him a little smile. "Much better, thank you."

Carefully wiping a tear from the corner of my eye, I hoped he didn't notice, or I knew he'd ask me what was wrong. And no way could I tell him that I'd been having second thoughts. When I knew he was probably counting down the days till our divorce was final so he could move on. Probably with that shapely little brunette I'd caught him with that night at the mall.

Which was how the whole thing started.

I was on the escalator heading down to the main level, and I noticed him standing and smiling at someone approaching. And I remember how sick I felt when I watched her run up to him and throw herself into his arms and kiss him right on the mouth. They both looked so happy, while I was frantically wondering how long it had been going on, while my stomach started to heave.

Until I saw the two of them together that night, he just never seemed like the type to cheat. Though I had kind of wondered if something was going on, because he wasn't talking much at home anymore. And I noticed he always seemed kind of distracted.

Of course, I turned around and took the escalator back up, so I wouldn't have to watch them making out. While hoping that he hadn't noticed that I'd caught him in the act.

Days later, when I'd finally got the nerve up to confront him, and accused him of seeing someone else, I couldn't believe that he pretended to be shocked and seemed offended that I would accuse him of seeing another woman. He even turned it back on me, trying to make me feeling guilty for doubting him. "Laurie, you really think I'd do something like that? Seriously?"