Something Worth Saving

by Mayra Statham

  In the past, when it came to life and death matters and realizing that not every case he dealt with was a cake walk, focusing on things that were in his control had helped. Things he could somehow fix or work on. That sparked an idea in his mind. Something that would help both Nadia and him. Something that would help her know that even though he’d left, he had not stopped thinking about them and the effort they were putting into their relationship. Carefully and as quietly as he could, Owen slipped out of bed, leaning over to give his beautiful wife a whisper-soft kiss on her cheek before leaving their bedroom. His plan came together with every step he took.

  Nadia

  Opening my eyes, I blinked a couple of times, waiting for everything to come into focus, and felt him close in front of me.

  “Baby?” his deep voice called out. All I wanted to do was groan and roll over. By the darkness that engulfed our bedroom, I knew it was way too early to wake up.

  “Nadia... Baby? Wake up,” Owen’s voice sounded again, and as much as I loved him, another round of sex might kill me.

  “What?” I mumbled; my eyes shut on their own volition.

  “Baby… wake up.”

  “I’m up.” I cleared my throat and quietly soaked in the sight of him as I opened my eyes again. Sitting on the edge of the mattress right by me, his large, strong frame bent toward me, and all I could think about was how breathtakingly handsome he was. Maybe another round of sexy time wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

  “Fuck,” he cursed. “You’re freaking cute.” He smiled. “Wake up.“

  “I am. What’s wrong? What time is it?”

  “Nothing is wrong,” he said as I sat up.

  “The girls—”

  “They’re fine. I have a surprise for you. Come on.”

  “Surprise?” I repeated, licking my dry lips.

  “We were supposed to have a date last night,” he reminded me. I tried not to feel the sting of disappointment I had felt having to cancel our sitter. Not that I didn’t understand why; I had. There was no way it could have been prevented, but I was only human.

  “You were at the hospital,” I pointed out gently, not wanting to sound like I was throwing it in his face.

  “But I’m not anymore.” He grinned. I got lost in his beautiful smile. His smile always made my stomach flip-flop.

  Glancing at the digital clock on the old nightstand next to the mattress, I scowled. “It’s three in the morning, Owen.”

  “I know. Come on. I have reservations.” He winked and I frowned.

  “Baby, that’s sweet, but its three in the morning,” I felt the need to point out again, but he simply smiled brighter.

  “I know exactly what time it is, Shorty. But we gotta go. We can’t miss it,” he hurried me, and my frown grew deeper, confusion and sleepiness not letting me understand.

  “Miss it? Owen, where would we even go at three a.m.? We can’t leave the girls. We don’t have a sitter—”

  “Shhh... come on.” He stood up off the mattress and held his hand out to mine. “Trust me,” he said. I took his hand. “Let me surprise you.” Excitement started to bubble up slowly as I stretched once I stood up.

  We walked together, hand in hand. I followed him through the house and through the mess that was our under-construction kitchen then through the back door, where we stopped before he opened it.

  “Close your eyes,” he abruptly ordered, and I tilted my head in confusion, wondering if I was sleepier than I felt. Maybe I’m still dreaming? “Close them,” he prompted again a little softer this time, and with a deep breath, I did as he asked.

  “Closed,” I answered, feeling a little silly at standing in the middle of the night in a messy kitchen, barefoot and slightly sleepy.

  Suddenly, he picked me up in his arms like he had on our wedding night; my arms wrapped around his neck.

  “Keep them closed, baby,” he whispered into my hair. I didn’t even peek.

  Trusting him completely, I just enjoyed the moment. His body radiated heat, warm and strong. I simply relaxed into his hold. Not saying a word. Not when he stopped and not even when he sat us down, my body on his lap. I felt his lips at my forehead moving to my hairline before his deep voice rumbled.

  “Open them,” he ordered. The darkness washed away as I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the view, my breath almost gone.

  “What?” I whispered in surprise before turning to look at him and then back in front of me.

  Soft twinkle lights blinked on and off, tracing the grass around the big blanket and what looked like every extra pillow from inside the house sitting beside us. The night had a slight chill to the air but nothing bad, especially not in Owen’s arms.

  “Owen…” I couldn’t say anything else as I spotted a tray of food to the side. Nothing fancy. A couple of granola bars on a plate and some cut-up fruit and two water bottles.

  “I know the spread leaves something to be desired, but—”

  “It’s perfect.”

  “It’s our date night.”

  “I got that.” I stared into his eyes, holding his face in my hands. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” He shifted us slightly so he could pick up his phone, and I watched as he one-handedly brought up a playlist.

  An acoustic version of the first song we’d ever danced to played into the cool night air. I leaned into him, no longer hoping but knowing everything would be okay.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nadia

  CONSTRUCTION WAS GOING FULL speed in the kitchen. David Leon and his guys were good at what they did and didn’t really need much of our help inside, so as if kitchen remodeling wasn’t enough, we decided to work on the backyard together. The girls and I worked on creating a small garden with bright flowers in one corner, while I snuck peeks of Owen as he built a pergola from a kit we’d purchased at a home improvement store.

  Sweat glistened on his tan skin; drops rolled down his shirtless muscled back and disappeared into the low-hung faded jeans he was wearing. As if feeling my eyes on him, he turned to look at me, his head above his muscular bicep. My heart beat faster at the way he stared back before giving me a sexy little smirk. I turned around, my attention on Becca and her question about how deep we should dig a hole for one of the rose bushes; it was my turn to feel his eyes on me.

  We were on week three at the house, and I couldn’t have been happier. After our impromptu outdoor date, Owen made it a point to make up the other two tasks we had missed, and from then on, we hadn’t missed a single one.

  A shadow fell over Becca and me, and we both turned to look up. I watched him bend his body to kneel in front of us. Being this close to him made my mouth water.

  “Becca, why don’t you go help Viv? She went to get the new soil from the garage.” Becca smiled at her dad before running off. I tilted my head toward him, but before I could say a word, his big hand cupped my head perfectly before our lips met. He kissed me hard and demanding. His tongue plunged in and I opened, loving the slightly minty taste. He pulled away, ending the kiss too soon, but I could hear the girls talking as they returned. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw they were smiling and chatting away as they carried a bag of soil together.

  “You’re in trouble tonight, Mrs. Daniels,” he gruffed, his eyes dark with heat. I smiled thinking I was probably going to really enjoy being in trouble.

  “I can’t wait,” I mumbled softly and knew he didn’t miss my words when a small growl escaped. Shaking his head, he ruffled the girls’ hair as they passed one another and went back to work.

  ***

  “You like it?” he asked into the darkness. I stopped staring at my toes and glanced over toward him.

  “I love it.” The day had been long and tiring, but now as I sat in the new deck chairs, my feet resting on an ottoman under the pergola and the stars, a glass of sangria in my hand, it had been worth it.

  “They might finish the kitchen early,” he shared, and I nodded. “Simone comes back next week?”

/>   “Friday.” My best friend and her family’s vacation was mere days from being over; I would have her back soon.

  “We should have them over Sunday.”

  “We should?” I asked, slightly surprised. My head turned toward him.

  “Yeah. We can BBQ. We can get that pool we saw for the kids to swim. Set that up tomorrow.”

  “Owen… you’re going back to work in a week.”

  “I know.”

  “We will probably go back with you.” I spoke without thinking, realizing it was probably the best idea. We needed to get back. Not just the girls to their activities, but Owen and I. We needed to try to be us again in regular life. “The girls’ activities will be starting back up—”

  “What if we stayed here?” he asked. My eyes widened at his suggestion.

  “What?”

  “What if we make this home?”

  “Owen, you can’t be serious.”

  “Why not?”

  “First off, the girls’ school—”

  “They have schools here.”

  “I know. Then the hospital is far, not exactly ideal for commuting.” I pulled my feet off the ottoman and turned my body toward him. He wasn’t looking at me; his jaw was clenched so tightly it looked painful.

  “What’s going on?” I asked him before lifting my booty off my chair and walking to him.

  His hands moved to the armrest. I sat on his lap, my lips touching his scruffy cheek.

  “Talk to me,” I gently pushed, but he didn’t say anything.

  “We haven’t done our challenge today,” I pointed out while cuddling into his arms.

  “What are you most afraid of?” His voice was thick and hoarse, and from where I was sitting, I could feel the way his heart was racing.

  “What are you afraid of, Owen?” I asked him, sensing this was what was fueling the idea of us staying here on a permanent basis.

  “What if we get back and…” His voice cracked. I held still in his arms. Never in all our years together had his voice cracked that way.

  “And what?” I whispered into the darkness.

  “You don’t smile anymore. We stop talking.”

  “That isn’t going to—”

  “What if I lose you?” he continued. I tried to steady my own heart. The fear and regret in his voice were clear as day.

  “Owen, that’s not—”

  “How do you know?” he asked, finally looking at me. His conflicted gaze made me fall deeper in love with him than I knew was possible.

  “You’re worried.” I blinked once. Twice.

  “Aren’t you?” his deep voice vibrated. I shook my head.

  “No,” I answered honestly before resting my head on his shoulder. His arms wrapped around me.

  “For reals?” he asked, obviously dumbfounded by my answer.

  “We’ve been working on fixing things,” I tried to explain and knew I wasn’t doing a good job.

  “We’ve had three weeks,” he pointed out. I smiled, giving his neck a small peck.

  “We’ve had longer than that together,” I whispered against his corded neck. “We’ve been together for fifteen years, Owen.”

  “I know that, but how long—” I knew where he was going, but we were done going back. We were moving forward. There was no need to go backwards.

  “These last three weeks…” I paused trying to find the right words. “We have worked on us.”

  “I know that.”

  “The challenge was a great idea. It’s helped us find the skills for us to keep going. To make us stronger.”

  “Do you really think that?”

  “No.” I shook my head and smiled. “I believe it,” I softly responded, melting into his arms. “We are stronger together. We just have to keep going.”

  “Together,” he repeated almost to himself as his arms tightened around me.

  “Always,” I whispered as we stared out into the darkness of our backyard under the bright stars and big moon.

  Chapter Twenty

  Owen

  IT WAS THEIR LAST Saturday in Santa Barbara. The yard was full. Their friends and family had come up to visit and BBQ. Later, they were all going to the beach for a bonfire and to make s’mores with the kids.

  Owen couldn’t believe how far the house had come in the short four weeks they had been there. As David and his crew finished the kitchen, Owen and Nadia had worked together staining the exposed beam. The thought of staring at her ass while she insisted to stand on the ladder still brought a grin to his face. Once the kitchen had been done, they’d opted to paint the walls a soft dove gray, while the girls had finished the last couple of days at camp. The house looked great, and there was a deep-seated sense of accomplishment when he looked at it.

  “I need a burger. And try not to burn it this time,” Simone’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He chuckled.

  “I burned your burger one time, over ten years ago.” He had been in medical school and they had all got together during one of his rare days off.

  “And I can still taste how crispy it was,” she retorted. He shook his head, flipping the patties in front of him, the grill radiating its own heat.

  “Thank you, by the way,” he uttered after clearing his throat, his eyes meeting his wife’s best friend’s.

  “For what?”

  “The e-mail you sent me about the contractor.”

  “E-mail….” She tapped her finger against her lips and shrugged. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” Her mischief-filled eyes gave her away. “You guys better?” she asked, looking away. He followed her gaze to where Nadia stood with her mom and niece, each talking and smiling.

  “I like to think we are.” After Nadia and his conversation and the last week of his vacation, he knew they could handle whatever storm life might bring. As long as they stood in it together.

  “She told me about the thirty-day challenge you guys did,” Simone said, surprising him slightly.

  “Did she?” He braced for Simone to bust his balls, but it never happened. Instead, she patted his back before giving him a hug.

  “Thank you for making her smile again,” she whispered, her tone the most emotional he had ever heard from her.

  “Simone…” he started to say, but she pulled away and shook her head.

  “It’s been years since I have seen her like this,” she confessed, and he tried not to flinch.

  She wasn’t saying it to tear him down; she was only being honest. Watching his wife from afar, he got it now. He saw the difference, and it still shocked him to hell that he hadn’t noticed before. The way her smiles reached her eyes. How her gaze twinkled and glittered like she was bursting with happiness from the inside out.

  “Like what?” he risked asking, but he knew what she meant. He tore his eyes from his wife and looked back to Simone only to catch her staring back at him

  “Like she used to.” Simone’s wistful smile grew. “Like she knows what she wants from life. Like she used to when I first met her.” Her words made him swallow hard and silence fell between them. “You did good this summer, Dr. Daniels.” Simone winked, pointing toward the house, but he knew she meant more than that. She meant stepping up and working on fixing the mistakes he had made. Before he could respond, she walked away with a burger on her plate.

  Turning around to pay attention to the grill, he couldn’t help but feel proud of what he had done, and just like that, an idea popped into his head.

  They had already done the last challenge on the list, but he had the perfect idea for one more task.

  The prefect way to make sure they headed home on just the right note. A little something to remind them they had something worth saving.

  Nadia

  The bonfire was burning bright and the summer night on the beach was perfect. I couldn’t imagine a better day, even if it was bittersweet being our last, with us having to return to real life soon. Owen had tried to talk me into staying another week, but I honestly didn’t want to
be away from him. I was ready to start our lives back up again, and I knew the girls were itching to get back to ballet and gymnastics and their friends.

  It was time.

  My mom laughed, which snapped my attention over to them. My sister laughed at something my mom must have said as her grinning husband wrapped an arm around my sister’s shoulder. Before this trip and doing the challenge, the scene in front of me would have hit me with a pang of envy. Now I saw the beauty that was in it. Leaning to my right, I rested my head on my best friend’s bony shoulder.

  “Are you having fun?” I asked her, my eyes on the girls and Simone’s kids making s’mores with Owen and my dad.

  “The best.”

  “Thank you for the chocolate and the soaps.”

  “Anything for my best friend.” She hugged me, and I hugged her back.

  Owen’s eye caught mine and he called me over. Excusing myself, I went to him. Together, we sat and ate a s’more before he asked Simone to watch the girls while he took me to show me something.

  Walking hand in hand, we didn’t say a word.

  We didn’t have to. We were finally somehow back in sync. Things weren’t perfect, and I doubted they ever would be, but then again, who would want that? There was always beauty in the messes in life. But we were finally seeing one another, and that’s what mattered.

  The soft, warm sand underneath our bare feet, we reached the shore, where he looked at me. “What is it?” I asked, not recognizing the look he was giving me.

  “Do you remember when we got married?” he randomly asked. My eyebrows went up toward my hairline.

  “You mean…”

  “When we eloped,” he asked. I smiled warmly. Our parents had thought we were too young. Just graduating college, Owen was about to start medical school in the fall. My parents didn’t want us to rush into anything; they were filled with worry Owen wouldn’t be there for me as I pursued my own career goals while he was busy with his own, while his parents were afraid I would be a distraction.