Snowflake Kisses

by Thea Valentine

  Snowflake Kisses

  Thea Valentine

  Snowflake Kisses

  Copyright © 2020 Fiery Vision Publishing

  Thea Valentine

  Cover Design: Fiery Graphics

  Photo: Megapixl

  Editor: Tiffany Sokolowski

  Formatting: Fiery Vision Publishing

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information and retrieval system without express written permission from the Author/Publisher.

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Snowflake Kisses

  Thea Valentine

  Chapter One

  Birthdays are the same every year. Nothing ever changes. Sitting at my kitchen table, thoughts fill my mind. I hear the same thing over and over again. “Ireland, birthdays are for children. Don’t you think you’re getting too old to celebrate?”

  Kennedy, my boyfriend, is in the military. Luckily, I receive phone calls between visits home. This year is particularly hard since I’m turning the big 4-0. He has already told me that he isn’t sure he will be able to get a leave in place. Doesn’t he know I want to see him more than anything in the world? I would give up birthdays for the rest of eternity just to be able to spend every moment with him.

  The sun is making every attempt to shine through the thick clouds. Chills in the air remind me that winter has made an appearance. I decide that I must hurry up so that I can get to work. The quicker I finish my day, the sooner I get to come home and sulk.

  A knock at the door brings me out of my daydream state. Grumbling as I walk to the door, the knocking becomes rather annoying. “Hang on a minute! I can only move so fast,” I yell from inside. Opening the door, I’m not surprised that my sister has paid me a visit.

  My sister Rose is a big younger than I am. She was the sibling that followed me everywhere I ventured off too. Then there were times that she took the heat from mom and dad when I broke a house rule. What can I say, she’s my best friend.

  “Hey Rose! Do you have to knock so many times? You do know you’re annoying.”

  She starts to laugh at me. “Well, Happy Birthday, you twat! I came over to see how you were doing this morning. You’re so damn mean. I don’t know what Kennedy sees in you. Rotten!”

  I couldn’t help myself, the giggles emerged. She was always so blunt. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from my favorite sister.” Moving past me, she discovered the coffee. Pouring herself a cup, she stared at me. I already knew what was coming. “What?”

  Shaking her head. “Have you heard from Kennedy this morning? You always get like this when you have gone longer than a day or so without hearing from him.” She hit the nail on the head. I hadn’t heard from him in about three days. The last I heard he was going to try and get that leave. I’m assuming the worst. Another let down.

  “Rose, I haven’t heard from him in a few days. He said he was going to try and get a leave. I don’t think Kennedy is in my future this birthday.”

  Rose always knew what to say and do when I was down in the dumps. “Sis, you know he is in the military. He wouldn’t purposely let you down. That man loves you. I still don’t know why. You’re a hot mess. Why don’t I take you to work and pick you up? We will go out to dinner after you get off. Mom and dad have been wanting to see you. How does that sound?” Giving her a hug, I nodded.

  Rose dropped me off a couple of minutes before I was due to clock in for work. I always teased her that she ran on hippie time. She knew that I needed to arrive early enough so that I’m not rushing around. Working at the aquarium brought me a sense of calmness. Today was the day I was due to work with a couple people that have worked with me for years. Jacob and Megan! I would trust these two with my life. We worked together for the past nine years.

  The day went on with nothing special to report. I had to listen to my overbearing boss, Brian, go on and on about several tanks. He knew that I was working to get them completed. The asshole just thinks that you can throw fish into a tank. I guess that’s why I’m the one with the Marine Biology degree and not him. We bump heads, but I tolerate him.

  My phone dings, letting me know that I have a message. I see ‘partner in crime’ displayed across the screen. It’s Rose. I guess I could take a few moments, opening my phone. “Hey Sis! Something came up and I cannot pick you up from work. I spoke with Jacob and he said that he and Megan will bring you to the restaurant. I hope you’re not mad at me. Love you and hope you’re having a great day, Bunny.”

  I had to laugh. She still calls me Bunny after all these years. It was a name she gave me in high school. She claimed that I was quite promiscuous. I wasn’t upset since I knew I still had a ride. “Hey Turtle! That’s fine and I will see you later.” I’m sure she will get a kick out of me calling her Turtle. That sister of mine just moves way too slow.

  Even though my day was calm and pleasant, my mind drifted off to thoughts of Kennedy. I wanted to see him more than anything. One day we will be able to be together, but today seemed to be not be it. He knew that I understood his job and would always wait for him. It would be so nice when I wouldn’t have to wait weeks in between letters. Just the thought of being away from him made me anxious. Lying in bed, I often would catch whiffs of sandalwood and cardamom. “Oh Kennedy, I can’t wait to see you,” I whispered.

  A knock at my office door snapped me out of my daydreaming thoughts. “You ready to go?” Jacob and Megan ask.

  “Yeah, let me finish up really quick.” I raced to clean up my desk so that I could get out of there. Pushing my chair in, I turned off the lights and locked up. “Jacob, Megan, let’s get out of here.” I could tell that they were ready to leave.

  Jacob made me sit in the front seat of his car. “You need to sit in the front seat. Only the best for our birthday girl.” I took my place in the front.

  Megan squeezed her head in between the seats. “One little thing before we go. Ireland, we need you to wear a blind fold. It’s a surprise.” Both of my friends stared at me.

  Sighing. “Fine. But don’t try anything funny.” Megan took a red cloth, placing it over my eyes. This made me nuts not being able to see what was going on, but I’ll play along.

  Chapter Two

  The drive to the restaurant seemed to take forever to get there. I was getting irritated by the minute. “Are we there yet?” I nagged.

  I could hear Megan snicker. “You know you’re worse than a kid. We will be there shortly.”

  I wasn’t done putting in my two cents. “Well, I wish you would hurry up. My hair and makeup are getting ruined by this blindfold.” This time I could hear Jacob huff.

  With all my nagging, I didn’t realize that we were parked. Megan said she was going to go inside to make sure they were ready for us. Not only was I impatient, but my stomach was growling since I didn’t eat anything since breakfast. I could have sworn that I heard my stomach holler, “feed me, bitch.”

  “Okay, Megan has given the signal. They are ready for us.” Jacob got out of the car so that he could help me.

  We slowly walked until I reached two steps and they guided me in. The vibe felt a bit different for a restaurant. Megan took my hands, pulling me in her direction. When we stopped, I was standing on some sort of carpet. It felt quite strange. I stayed quiet so th
at I could try to tune in to what was going on around me. The room was too quiet. Now I was getting a bit anxious to see where they took me. A pair of hands went over my eyes as the blindfold was removed.

  “Ireland, before Jacob and I let you see where we are, you need to promise that you won’t make us do grunt work tomorrow.” I agreed. Megan continued. “Now what is the one thing you wanted more than anything for your birthday?”

  I thought about it for a second. “The only thing I’ve ever wished for was that Kennedy was here with me. So, you can say I want Kennedy!”

  Megan’s voice became chipper. “Well…. Happy Birthday, Ireland!” My eyes had to quickly adjust but standing in front of me was Kennedy. A bunch of voices yelled, “surprise!” I didn’t even look around to see who was present. There was Kennedy standing in the middle of my living room.

  I took off running until I jumped up into his arms. Kissing him passionately until the both of us needed air. There was so much excitement running through my veins. I couldn’t get over how good he looked. Jeans that fit him nicely in all the vital areas. He was wearing a tight black shirt under a sports jacket. My mouth was watering with lust. Then it dawned on me. Smacking him lightly in the arm.

  “Kennedy, what are you doing here? You told me that you weren’t able to get a leave.” Tapping my foot, I patiently waited for him to answer.

  Shrugging his shoulders, “Babe, aren’t you happy to see me? Your sister wanted to surprise you for your birthday.”

  My sister felt that was her queue to enter the conversation. “Happy Birthday, Ireland! You don’t know how hard it was for me to keep this secret from you.”

  It must have been the happy energy in the room because I was forgiving both for lying. “Well, even though you both lied to me, this has to be the best gift ever.”

  It was the first chance I had to really look around the room. Some of our friends were there for the party. My parents, brother, and cousin made it. I was so happy to see everyone. My dad came up to me and gave me the biggest hug. “Your mom and I want to give you lots of wishes. We hope that you enjoy your time.” I loved my dad so much. He always knew how to make everything better.

  The night had carried on with an excessive amount of alcohol, food, laughs, and obnoxious dancing. I kept looking over at Kennedy and could tell that he wanted to speak with me in private. Taking a hint, I grabbed his hand, leading him to one of the spare bedrooms. Closing the door, I turned to see him, sitting on the bed.

  “Kennedy, I’ve noticed that your mind has been preoccupied. Do you need to tell me something? I just feel you need to talk.” Not sure what was going to come out of his mouth, I waited patiently.

  Clearing his throat, he began to speak. “Ireland, I have to speak with you. I thought I wanted to do this in front of everyone, but I froze when I saw all of their faces. You know I love you more than life itself. I’m just going to blurt it out. So…would you do the honor of being my wife?”

  Standing there in shock, I couldn’t believe that Kennedy Gray was asking me to marry him. I was going to go from Ireland Ricci to Ireland Gray. I needed to give him an answer. He deserved it.

  “Oh Kennedy! I can’t believe you’re asking me to marry you. You know I will. That’s a big YES!” Jumping off the bed, he took me into his arms, twirling me around. Meeting his lips, we latched onto one another. This was where I was truly happy.

  I was the first one to break our kiss. “You know we need to tell the family. My parents are going to flip. They’ve been bugging me to get married for the longest time.”

  Smiling at me, he let me babble before interrupting. “Ireland, Baby, are you done? I need to talk to you about our marriage. I want to marry you in a few weeks.”

  My mouth dropped. I was in utter shock. “A few weeks? Why?”

  This is where I knew he was going to hit me with some kind of news. “I received my orders and they’re sending me overseas. I want us to be married before I go.”

  I felt the room spinning. Kennedy, my Kennedy, was being shipped to a hostile territory. I was able to catch my breath long enough to wrap my arms around him. “Kennedy, I love you so much.”

  Pulling me away from him, he held my face in his hands. “There is one more thing. I’ve arranged it to where we will be able to get married in the one place you’ve dreamed of. We are going to NYC to exchange our vows in front of the Christmas tree you love so much.” Tears were strolling down my cheeks. How did I ever find a man so genuine?

  I was so elated to tell everyone that I rushed back into the main room. The music stopped; eyes stared at me. They were all waiting for me to respond. The smile on my face showed nothing but excitement. Finding my parents, I told them the news together.

  “Mom, Dad? You’ll never guess what I have to tell you?” The look on my father’s face told me that he had a good idea. Mom covered her mouth as she waited for me to confirm their suspicions. “Kennedy just asked me to marry him!”

  The room burst into loud cheers and congratulatory wishes. Person after person approached Kennedy and I, wishing us nothing but the best.

  I knew deep down that I needed to tell my parents the rest of what was planned. If I learned anything from my mother, it was that once she knew there was a wedding, you could bet that it would be fit for royalty. Kennedy and I were simple people. Romance was our way to go. First thing I would do, in the morning, is have a good talk with mom.

  Chapter Three

  Over the next few weeks, I fluttered about trying to prepare for our wedding. My parents weren’t happy with our arrangements but agreed to honor our wishes. They even arranged to be there for our day, along with my brother and sister, Micah and Rose.

  Rose sensed that I was a bit stressed, so she suggested that we go out for lunch. “Sis, I think you need to just take a break from this wedding stuff. It will all come together; besides I don’t think Kennedy cares what your dress looks like, or if your make-up is spot on. He just wants to marry the woman he loves. His loyalty to you is rare in men today. Snatch him up while you can.”

  I knew that Rose was right, but I just couldn’t help but think that I wanted everything to be perfect. In fact, it had to be perfect. No exceptions!

  We agreed for lunch that tacos were calling our names. A cute little cantina around the corner was known for their tacos. Rose and I were regulars there. Taco Tuesday was a serious thing in our lives. My sister joked that if I ate anymore tacos, I would turn into a taco. That didn’t stop me.

  Luis, the cantina owner, seated us at our usual spot. Being the sassy one, I made another poor attempt at my Spanish. “Muchas gracias, Luis.” With a nod, he turned to walk away, shaking his head. Faithfully, we ordered our tacos.

  Rose kept the conversation light. All talk of the wedding was forbidden. As much as I wanted to enjoy the time my thoughts kept running. Rose was sensing that I was distracted. “Ireland! I invited you to lunch so that you could get you to just step away from all of the chaos. But here we are sitting, enjoying our food, and your mentally not here with me. Calm down! I told you everything is going to be okay.”

  I heard every word that she said, but it just wasn’t registering. It wasn’t until my sister yelled that I focused. “Ireland! Ireland! Don’t turn around. Tim just walked through the door.”

  My heart hit the floor. Tim was my ex-boyfriend that had a sick way of spinning me into his web. I sat still until I knew it was safe to move. The look on Rose’s face told me that it wasn’t going to get any better. A shadow appeared out of my peripheral vision. Turning to see whom it was, I just froze. Tim was looking down upon me. Flashing me that alluring smile.

  “Ireland! How nice to see you? I see that you still can’t resist a good taco.” I hated to admit that the man knew me inside and out. Damn!

  “Hi Tim. You know me and food.” I wished he would stop smiling. I was short and curt with him. I had no intention of striking up conversation with him. He was an ex for a reason, and I wanted it to stay that way. He must have
taken the hint. Tim just smiled and walked away.

  Rose was sitting there in awe. “I can’t believe how rude you were to him. That’s my sister! That man put you through a lot when you broke up. You have no room in your life for guys like Tim. In fact, you never have to worry about another Tim again. Kennedy is your forever angel.” My sister was always good with words. I had to hand it to her, it all made sense. Too many bad memories from my time with Tim.

  “Hey Sis! Are you almost finished? I want to get home so that I can finish a few things.” I wanted to get out of there. My appetite was lost. The sight of Tim was making it very unpleasant. In less than a week, I will be getting married to a good man.

  Rose took the hint and finished her food. “Let’s pay and get you home. You’re such a downer.” All I could do was huff.

  Rose had left me alone for the rest of the day. She claimed she had enough of my negative vibes. I would have to remember that when she had something important going on in her life. It’s funny how one person can go from happy to be completely annoyed with every breathing soul. I wanted to take care of a few things before Kennedy stopped over for the evening.

  Throughout the day, I attempted to keep myself busy. This cannot be happening! Not now. The more I work, the harder my brain pulls me away from the task at hand. I keep thinking of Tim. Sitting on my bed, I needed to take a few minutes to have a good cry. I wasn’t in love with him anymore. The pain of our breakup was difficult to bear. It haunted me for the longest time. Tim was supposed to be the guy I was going to marry. It was in the plan. A plan that he destroyed when he found comfort in the arms of a skinny, frumpy brunette that worked at the hospital. She had taken care of him when he was injured in the line of duty. I cannot believe I wasted so much time by staying at the hospital while he recovered. That cunt looked me in the face everyday single day as if nothing was wrong. It was several months after he came home that I found out the hard truth.