My Man, My Marine, My Lover! Pt. 06

"No. No second thoughts. But, our timing is a little off." I kissed him again and whispered in his ear, "Would you mind if we changed the order a little? Because, you're going to be a daddy, marine."

The look on his face was priceless. His smile was angelic and the tears came streaming down his face again. We sat there, holding each other for a long time. We cried, we laughed, and we kissed.

"I love you, Brat. I love you more than ever. I can't tell you how happy you make me."

"I love you, marine. And you make me happier than one woman has the right to be. I've loved you since I was a little girl and I will love you until I'm old and gray. I want you to know that."

He laughed and pulled me into his arms and kissed me over and over again. "Till we're old and gray. I like that idea, Brat. I like it a lot."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Epilogue

When we arrived home, we kept our secrets between us. We went on as if nothing were different, well, except that we announced our engagement and our wedding date. Of course, our parents already knew of our plans, but they were still happy to celebrate with us.

That Thursday, we went to Brian's doctor's appointment. Brian was right, his vision was starting to return. I happened to mention that the first thing Brian saw was the Christmas lights blinking. The eye doctor said that it wasn't unusual for someone with Brian's condition to first see lights in a dark environment. He did a full eye exam and seemed pleased with what Brian was able to see. The eye specialist said there was no reason we couldn't hope for a full recovery, but that he couldn't be sure how much of Brian's vision would return or to what clarity.

Our faces must have shown our disappointment in his words. He quickly added that every improvement was a good sign and he was impressed with what Brian was able to see right now.

He said it could be weeks to months before we would know for sure how much of his vision Brian would recover. We decided to be optimistic, but kept our secret for a while longer.

As we drove home, Brain took my hand. I knew immediately that he had something he wanted to tell me. I could tell he was holding something back in the doctor's office. I was hoping it wasn't something bad or discouraging.

I squeezed his hand.

"What is it?" I asked, quietly.

"How did you know?"

"I always know, marine. I may not ask immediately, but I always know when something is bothering you. What is it?"

"I have to tell you something, but I don't want you to get mad."

"I'm not making any promises. Give it, marine."

"The Christmas lights may not be the first thing I saw," he said. He turned and looked at me. "I wasn't sure when it happened, so I didn't say anything. It lasted only a second or two and it was gone. I thought I was imagining it."

"What are you talking about? You weren't sure about what happening?"

"The night we were making love in the bathroom. For a second or two, I thought I could see your face in the mirror. It was a blur and then there was only a blink of the candle light and it was gone."

I nodded, then smiled. "I thought so," I said. "That night, at that exact time, I thought you looked at me. I felt like you could see me. I wanted to say something, but if I was wrong, I didn't want you to think it mattered."

He took my hand and kissed it. "I know it doesn't matter to you, Brat. That's what separates women like you from the rest."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Year's Eve arrived and our wedding was perfect. The Victorian farmhouse was spectacular and it was decorated perfectly for a holiday wedding. Red and white poinsettias were all over the house. Thick greenery and vines of holly bush wrapped around the banisters and were draped over the fireplaces and doorways. White Christmas lights and candles lit each room.

We had a perfect day, cold and gray, but beautiful. Our family and friends surrounded us with love and friendship as we shared our vows.

After the ceremony, we gathered with our parents in the small room off of the main entry. Brian and I were holding hands and kissing everyone, and telling them how grateful we were for their support and love. We had a beautiful gift for both of our parents. As we handed them each their gifts, we asked them to open them as we counted to three.

"One," we said together. Then, "two" and finally, "three."

Our parents opened their boxes at the exact same time. They looked from one box to the other, unsure of what it was. Then my dad picked up the little silver frame and held it in front of him. A huge smile crossed his face as he looked at the picture of the ultrasound.

My mom looked at my dad and smiled. My dad looked at me and asked, "My baby is having a baby?"

"Oh my Lord," cried Brian's mom as she held the same frame and photo in her trembling hands.

My mom stood there crying and holding on to my dad's arm. "A grandma! I'm going to be a grandma! Let me see that," she said and took a good close look at the ultrasound. Then she looked at me with a question on her face.

I nodded, winked, and smiled.

We all started to hug and kiss each other. Our moms cried and our dads pretended something was in their eyes as they wiped away stray tears.

"They're a little blurry. But we knew you'd want a copy."

"Oh my Lord," Brian's mom said again, "could this day be any more wonderful?"

I looked at Brian and we smiled.

He stepped over to his mom and whispered quietly, "Actually it gets even better, mom."

"Impossible, son," she said as she kissed him and wiped away her tears. "I don't see how this day could get better."

He kissed her cheek and said, "You look beautiful today, mom. You always did look great in green."

"Thank you, Brian," she said. It took a few seconds for what he said to register with the group and then they looked from Brian to me and back again."

"What did you say, son?" his dad asked. Brian smiled at his dad and gave him a big hug. Then he looked back to his mom and held her in his arms, looking down at her.

"I said, you look beautiful, mom."

She touched his face and looked into his eyes. Then she began to sob. Brian's dad came to her side. He held her and pulled his son into his arms and hugged him at the same time.

"Your sight. You got it back, son?" His dad asked in the quietest voice I'd ever heard him use. "You can see."

"It's not perfect, Dad. But yes, I can see. And the doc assures us it will get better."

Again, the tears began to flow. It was truly a perfect day full of love and surprise.

Finally, when all the secrets were shared and the tears were shed, we enjoyed the rest of our wedding day. When we cut the wedding cake, Brian gave me a devilish grin as he lifted the cake from the plate.

I smiled and said, "My marine wouldn't shove wedding cake in the face of his pregnant bride, would he?"

He smiled and gently placed the cake to my lips for a bite. "No, of course he wouldn't."

"Good choice," I winked at him as I took a bite of cake and licked the icing from my lips.

Everyone applauded as we fed each other cake and kissed, and licked the remaining icing from each other's lips.

Brian and I planned to enjoy a beautiful honeymoon close to home. We both decided there wasn't anywhere we'd rather be together for our honeymoon than at the lake cabin. We'd celebrated every major event in our lives there. We shared friendship, love, fear, and faith there. We recovered there. We wanted to celebrate our marriage there too. It was our place, our paradise.

It was late in the evening when we finally arrived. We were surprised when we pulled up to see the entire cabin was trimmed in white lights. There was smoke coming from the chimney. We grabbed our bags and headed to the front door. As soon as I opened the door, I was surprised again.

"Oh my!" I said and squeezed his hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's perfect."

"What's perfect?"

"I'll show you in a minute. Let's get in."

"Hold it," he said and pulled on my hand before I could step into the cabin.

"Why?"

I looked at him and watched as he smiled and shook his head at me.

"I want to carry my wife over the threshold," he said and tossed his bag down, then leaned over and picked me up in one swoop of his arm and held me close to his chest. Kissing me, he asked, "Ready to start our life together?"

I laughed. "We did that a long time ago, marine."

"So we did, Brat. So we did. Let me rephrase that. Ready to start our married life together?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

I slid my arm around his neck and lifted my head to his. Our lips found each other and we kissed as he carried me over the threshold and into the warmth of the cabin. Everything was so beautiful. Twinkling white lights were hung around the fireplace and throughout the cabin. Flowers were strategically placed throughout. The fire was roaring. A small round table and two chairs sat next to the fireplace. The table was set with my mom's china and crystal glasses. A bottle of champagne was propped in an ice bucket. The aroma of warm bread came from the kitchen area.

"Something smells good," Brian said as he placed me down.

"Come with me," I said and took him around the room. We walked over to the fireplace and he saw the twinkle of the white lights around the mantle. He could make out the table, but not the pretty details of everything. As we moved toward the kitchen, there were a few vases of flowers placed in out of the way places, but they too were beautiful. I commented on them and Brian and I leaned over to smell the bouquet of white roses mixed with lilies.

"I smell something even better than roses," he said.

"That would be food," I laughed.

When I opened the oven, there was a bowl of dinner rolls, a whole chicken and some roasted veggies in a casserole dish.

"Looks like our mom's took care of dinner for us."

"Dinner. Hmm...not what I originally had in mind," he said, "but now that I smell it, I realize I'm starving."

"Not exactly what I had in mind either, marine. But neither of us has eaten since earlier this afternoon. I'm kind of hungry too."

"Eat first? Dessert later?" He winked and teased.

"Marine, when you say 'dessert', are you referring to me or that luscious looking chocolate cake sitting on your mom's cake dish over there?"

"Where?" He asked excitedly as he turned his head.

I stuck my finger along the icing and fed it to him. "Right here," I said as I slid my finger into his mouth. When I kissed him, I tasted the chocolate still on his tongue.

"Well, I'm a growing boy. I can handle two desserts. After all, it is our wedding night."

By the time we ate dinner, unpacked our bags, and crawled in bed, we were both exhausted. We barely started kissing when I yawned and snuggled up into Brian's chest.

"Babe, I'm exhausted," I whispered. "How about we save our second dessert for breakfast?"

"Sounds like a plan," he said and pulled me closer. Within minutes, I could hear his breathing slow. It didn't take long before my eyes fell closed too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wasn't sure why I couldn't sleep, but sleep evaded me. Maybe I'd fallen asleep too early. Maybe I was anxious, or simply too happy to sleep any longer. It was very early in the morning. I didn't want to wake Brian, but I was wide awake and knew I wasn't going to be able to fall back to sleep again. I wrapped a blanket around me and headed out to the deck. For some reason, I took the pad of paper and the pen from the desk out with me and curled up in the lounge.

Pulling my knees up and tightly tucking the blanket around me, my thoughts vacillated between my earlier years with Brian and present day. A combination of smiles and tears marked many of the significant moments we'd shared here. It occured to me how amazing the mind is. It has the ability to weigh things differently when you look back at them. Somehow, the present alters the memories of the past.

The things you once thought were important, aren't so important anymore. Times you thought of as bad or difficult, take on a new meaning when you look back and see how much closer you are as a couple because you lived through them together. Also, when you survive tough times together, you realize just how much more difficult things would have been if you were alone.

Closing my eyes, I sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Thanks for the blessings given to me in my life. Thanks for bringing my man home safe and alive. Thanks for allowing me to have more days ahead with him in my life. I was wise enough to know that I had been given a gift many others did not receive. I sent a second prayer out for those who don't have what I was blessed with having and for those who won't return home to their loved ones.

Reaching to the table, I took the pen and paper I brought out. I realized how much Brian and I have been through in our short time together. Especially over the past year. I realized that every test we faced, every bad time or stressful time had tested and strengthened our relationship. I felt the need to let Brian know just how much he means to me. I wanted him to know how much I loved him and how much I loved our babies. I had another secret. A little surprise wedding present for my man.

Sitting there on the porch deck, I was surrounded by silence. Memories kept playing in my mind. I looked back into the bedroom to see Brian still sleeping. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon. It was cold and the mist layered over the lake like the thick down comforter over our bed. The sky was a hazy blue-grey, but the light coming up from the tree line in the East was a soft yellowish white.

It was quiet and I was enjoying the solitude of the early morning on the lake. It was something I'd always done when I stayed here.

Sweet memories and personal thoughts took me to the love letters I wrote to Brian when he was stationed in the Middle East. I missed writing him love letters. I missed the intimacy of sharing my thoughts on paper with him. I decided I would always continue to write my marine love letters. I started to write my first love letter as his wife.

For some reason, out of nowhere, the thought of him never being able to read it entered my mind. What if he is never able to read it? What then? I asked myself. A tear slowly streamed down my cheek as I realized that may be our reality. Brian may not regain full sight. My sadness lasted all of a second or two. Then I felt the smile come across my face as I was instantly calmed by the idea that I will always be there to read it to him if that is what is needed.

******

My dearest Brian,

I sit here, watching you sleep as the sun rises and the mist over the lake floats like a cloud on the water. It's going to be a beautiful day. I'm not talking about the weather being beautiful, so much as, I'm referring to the time we will spend together. It's been too long since I've written to you, but I plan on doing it often from now on.

I realize how much I was able to share with you in our love letters and I miss that. I still love sharing my thoughts with you, my concerns, and my ideas, but there is something special about doing those things in a love letter. Maybe it's actually seeing the words in print. I'm not sure. I only know that I love it. I love you.

There are a million things I want to say, but my thoughts are all over the place. So, I will tell you the most important things of all. The only things that truly matter.

I loved you from the very first day I saw you. Yes, it may have been puppy love, but it was love nonetheless. As time went on and we grew up, my love for you only grew stronger. We are bonded, my love. It's a bond that will never be broken. A bond that can only grow stronger as long as we nurture it. I know you, like I know myself. I love you, like I love no other.

You were my first love, my only true love, and you will always be that in my heart. I want you to know that no one, and nothing, can ever change my love for you. The only thing that I can see happening is that my love for you will grow as we grow together. You are the beat to my heart and the warmth in my soul.

I loved you before you were a military man, before you became a Marine. I loved you before you wore that uniform, before those dog tags hung around your neck, and before your pledge took you away from me. If possible, I love you even more now that you are home with me and we are together again. I love you for the man you are, for the Marine inside of you, and for my lover that you will always be. I love you now as, not only as my best friend, but also as my husband. I love you as the father of my baby. The father of my babies...yes, babies. And, I love you as my man, my marine, and my lover.

I will love you forever and always.

Love, Your Brat xo

I folded the letter and placed it between the pages of the notepad. As I quietly walked back into the room, I thought about how much I loved my man. Closing the doors to the deck, I watched him as he slept. I placed the notepad on the desk and wiped the dampness from my cheeks. I don't know when I began to cry, but I did. Happy tears my mom called them. She told me they happened when your heart was full.

My heart was full. Unknowingly, I found my hand caressing the tiny baby bump that was beginning to form. My heart was full of love. Love for my man, love for my babies, love for our future. Looking down upon Brian's sleeping face, I realized how much he meant to me and how much I loved my husband, my Marine.

I slipped into bed beside him and curled around him like I was made to fit his body, because in my mind, I was. Holding him close, I smiled at that thought. How perfect was the idea, the fact, that I was made to fit Brian. We fit together as one. He was my soulmate and I was his.

Without waking he draped his arm around my back and pulled me to him. A slight turn to his side had me cocooned in his arms, exactly where I needed and wanted to be. It's where I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Being in Brian's arms was my favorite place in the world. My arm easily found its way around him and I rested my face against his chest. Slowly, sleep returned and my mind was at peace. My body was where it belonged, next to my man, in my lover's arms. In my husband's arms. I was exactly where I wanted to be, side by side, with my marine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our honeymoon was absolute perfection. We enjoyed our time alone. More often than not, Brain's arms were around me and I'd find his hands slowly make their way to my baby bump. I waited till one night, after dinner, when we took a walk down to the lakefront to tell him my surprise.

"I have a little surprise for you, my husband."

"I have everything I want right here," he said. His hands sliding down my sides and coming around to my tummy. "I have my best girl in my arms, my baby is protected in her tummy, and I'm the happiest man alive."

"Well my love, you're about to be a little more happy and a lot more surprised," I said.

He kissed the side of my head, then my ear, then made his way to my neck. "Impossible," he whispered as he bit my shoulder.

I placed my hands over his and laughed as he licked the side of my neck and nibbled on my earlobe.

"Babies," I said.

No longer paying attention to what I was saying, he didn't quite hear me as I told him. It may have been because his hands had left my baby bump and made their way up to my ever growing breasts.

"What?" he said lost in his own thoughts.

"Two babies, marine. Twins."

All of a sudden it hit him. He stopped moving and went completely still. Turning me in his arms, he looked into my eyes.

"Twins?"