Today. Tomorrow. Always (Free Falling, #3.5)(17)

My mother took my face in both hands and placed a kiss in the center of my forehead, undoubtedly leaving behind a trace of her red lipstick there. My father shook my hand and there was so much behind his eyes, so much emotion, but he didn’t speak on it. As a man who rarely shared his feelings, I knew the words he’d spoken to me in my office the day before were straight from his heart.

A gentle tug of my left arm drew my attention back to Sam. She leaned in, and I craned my neck down to listen. “You have to open the present I got you now,” she said.

Confused, I looked around at all the guests I still hadn’t spoken to, hadn’t yet greeted, but she insisted.

“It’ll only take a second,” she assured me.

Who was I to keep her waiting? I followed willingly, watching as she pulled a large flat object from the gift table on our way back inside the house. It was wrapped in shiny blue paper with a matching bow. The sliding door closed behind us, leaving us to sit alone in the living room with the party getting louder outside as our guests began to mingle.

“Hurry and open it,” she urged, excitement brightening her beautiful, brown eyes.

With her watching, I peeled the paper down, revealing the hollow backing of a canvas. It was a painting. Something she’d done herself, just for me. Now with more enthusiasm, I removed the rest and turned it to view the front.

“Sam…”

She clasped her hands together. “You like it?”

I looked the piece over again, wondering when she’d had the time. I’d never seen her paint anything like this before. The walls of her studio above the garage were lined with landscapes or beautiful abstract pieces straight from her mind, usually her interpretation of something she’d seen or felt that day, but this…

…this was us.

“I used one of the pictures we took on our honeymoon,” she explained, bringing my mind back to the warm, sandy beach we’d vacationed on in Morocco for two weeks. I even remembered taking this particular shot myself. Sam was lying there, soaking up the sun in the white swimsuit and matching hat she wore, and I took the picture after finally convincing her to kiss me in front of all those people. It was a close shot with nothing showing in the background. Only she and I.

“This is incredible,” I finally said. I couldn’t believe how accurate the details were.

“Yeah?”

I glanced away from the painting long enough to look her in her eyes. “Yeah.”

She was pleased to hear it. “Good.” I watched as she eagerly took the canvas from my hands and set it aside, next handing me an envelope.

“Your card,” she clarified.

I took it from her hands and lifted the flap to slide the card free. “To my loving husband on his special day’, I read aloud, opening the cover to reveal a handwritten message from her instead of the generic print I was expecting.

‘To my one and only true love,

Life has led me down some dark, lonely roads over the years, but there was always a light at the end of it, pulling me closer, reminding me that I’d find a place of happiness no matter how farfetched that may have seemed at one time or another. That light was your love for me, a love so strong that we demolished barriers that would’ve left most broken… but not us. Together, with determination in our hearts, we’re unbreakable. On today, your special day, I wish you all the love, joy, and happiness you deserve.

Loving you more each day,

your super lucky wife, your beautiful son,

…and baby.’

I read that last line twice, not understanding. “And… baby.”

Sam gave me nothing but a blank stare.

“Are you…” The rest of the sentence wouldn’t come out.

She nodded to confirm, letting me know I wasn’t losing my mind. I’d read that line right. “But I thought… Didn’t you say…”

“I found out last week,” she confessed. “I was just waiting for the right time to tell you,” she explained. “I didn’t realize this was something you actually wanted until my talk with Terrell the other day. If I’d known, I would’ve told you sooner, but… after me and you discussed it, I knew today would be perfect.”

I took her into my arms and held her close. It felt like I’d just been given the world… as if I didn’t already have it all. This woman, this beautiful woman, never ceased to amaze me. Just when I started thinking it wasn’t possible to be happier than I already was… she found a way to prove me wrong.

“You’re really happy?” she asked.

I couldn’t believe she even had to wonder. “Sam… I’m beyond happy.”

Her face lit up at the sound of my words.

This thing we had was solid; only growing stronger with each passing year. Nothing would ever tear us apart because we had a one of a kind love—the kind that would keep us together until the sun grew tired of shining. A love that would last forever.

Today.

Tomorrow.

Always.

*****

~Delivered: Angel & Kai (Free Falling, #4), coming soon~

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