by Jillian Dodd
"Hey, Princess," Phillip says, gently waking me. "I've got to run to the office for just a bit. Minor crisis to deal with, but I'll be back in two hours with whatever you want me to bring."
"A chocolate chip muffin and some orange juice sound really good," I suggest.
"Your wish is my command. I can't wait to spend the day with you." He kisses my forehead. "Go back to sleep."
I try but can't get back to sleep. I'm too excited for today. Instead, I get up, take a long shower and prepare myself for our two-day celebration. I shave, paint my nails, blow out my hair and curl it, do my makeup, and then put on a cute dress, tights, and boots.
I go stand in the room that will be the baby's nursery and stare at it. Imagine it with a soft color on the wall. Imagine different furniture arrangements.
We got a large basket as a wedding gift that I thought I would put throws in, but its soft blue color would look really cute in the nursery. I run downstairs, looking for the basket.
"Ahh!" I scream, as I catch a glimpse of the Husker gnome, who is staring at me from atop the living room mantle.
What the hell?
How did he get up there?
I grab my phone, run into our bedroom--so the gnome won't hear me--and call Phillip.
"Are you on your way home?"
"Yeah, should be there in a few minutes. Why? You just wake up? I was hoping to join you in bed."
"Did you move the gnome?"
"The what?"
"You know. That ugly little gnome we got as a wedding gift."
"The Husker one? Uh, no. I honestly haven't seen it since we unwrapped it."
"Or there's another explanation."
"Like, my mom moved it?"
"That or it's possessed and comes alive at night. He moved once before. I just didn't tell you about it."
Phillip laughs.
"Don't you laugh. I'm serious. He was on the dining room table and was creeping me out, so I covered his face with wrapping paper. The next day, the paper was off his head and crunched into a little wad by his boot. So then I shut him in a drawer with the cutlery. How did he get out of the drawer, Phillip?"
"I'm sure there's a logical explanation," he says. Phillip is nothing if not logical.
"Like what?"
"My mom cleaned up the dining room. She must have moved it."
"I'm going to check the drawer."
"For what?"
"To see if she put anything in it."
I run into the dining room, checking on the way to see if the gnome is still on the mantle.
Thankfully, he is.
And he's not holding a little knife or anything--that I can see.
I whip open the drawer and see that it's exactly the way I left it--minus the gnome.
"Shit, Phillip. It's the same."
"I'm pulling in the garage," he says.
I rush to the door, opening it and throwing a dishtowel at him.
He snatches it out of the air. "What's this for?"
"For you to cover the gnome with."
He laughs again. "You're got to be kidding me."
As I grab his hand and drag him to the mantle, he's still chuckling--until he looks the gnome in the eye.
"He does kind of look like trouble," Phillip says seriously, tossing the towel over the gnome's head. "Where do you want him?"
"Back in the drawer," I say, leading him to the dining room and opening the top drawer of the hutch.
Phillip lays the gnome face up, like I did before, and quickly shuts the drawer then grabs my ass. "You look pretty. You ready to go, or you wanna go back to bed?"
"Did you forget my breakfast?"
"It's in the car. I figured I needed to rescue you from the evil gnome first. I learned my lesson with the spider and got here as fast as I could," he says with a smirk. "I didn't want to find you on the ground, being stomped on by his little black boot."
I smack his shoulder. "You better not be making fun of me."
"Never," he says, giving me a deep kiss then picking me up and carrying me to the bedroom.
Now, I'm sitting in the car, eating my muffin, while we drive to the Plaza.
We wander through a bunch of shops, looking at clothes, shoes, and stuff for the house when Phillip stumbles upon something incredible.
"Look at this table," he says, running his hand across the soft wooden top. "People have carved their names in it."
"That's so amazing."
"Can you imagine how cool it would be for our kids to carve their names in it? All their friends. All our friends."
"It'd be a lifetime of memories," I agree. "Just the thought of that--us, with a houseful of kids--makes me feel so emotional. That's what I want our house to be, a place where everyone feels comfortable. Where if you spill juice or some beer, no one's going to freak out. Where you feel love. Happiness."
"I love how excited you are about our future," he says, his hands settling on my stomach. "You changed your mind, didn't you? You want a house full of kids."
"Yeah, I think I do."
"And I think we need a kitchen table like this."
"It looks expensive," I say, hoping my dreams aren't dashed.
Phillip whistles when he sees the price.
"It's one of a kind," I justify, reading the tag and cringing. "Custom designed to fit your space. You even have a choice of woods."
"I like it just like it is," he says. "Do you think it would go with our cabinets?"
"The rustic industrial vibe it has would pair so well with our kitchen design. And, my gosh, this wood is so thick." I bend down to examine it.
"It's a single slab," a salesman tells us. "The designer only makes a few pieces a year. If you're interested, you'd put twenty-five percent down as a deposit. That gets you a place in line. When it's time for him to work on your table, we get another twenty-five percent and then the balance is due upon delivery."
"And how long would it take for delivery?"
"He's running about six to eight months out."
"That's okay," Phillip says, shocking me. "We have the dining room table and we sit at the kitchen island most of the time anyway. We're going to have lunch and discuss it. I think we'll be back."
"Are you serious about the table?" I ask as we're headed into my favorite Italian restaurant.
Phillip takes my hand in his. "At our wedding, I promised to support your wild ideas. This one's easy to support because I think it's really cool. I especially loved the steel table edges. And it's pretty good timing, really. We'd get it right after the baby is born."
"It'll be a while before the baby can carve its name."
"That's true, but our first carving could be the baby's name and birthdate. Speaking of names, we haven't talked about them yet. Should we?" he asks as we're seated.
"Um, no, I don't think so yet."
"Why not?"
"The same reason I don't want to buy stuff for the nursery."
"What if we talked about names we like in general for all our possible future children? The kind of names you'd like to see carved in our table."
"Are you going to order it, really?"
"If you want it, yes."
"Do you want it?"
"I think it's cool but it's more than that. It's the way you reacted to it. I want our home to have things that are special to us."
"Me too, Phillip. You sure you're okay with the price?"
"It's more than I ever thought I'd spend on a table, but it's massive, custom made, and will last us forever. I didn't tell you, but I'm getting a bonus. A really nice bonus."
"When? What for?"
"Well, I won't get it for another month, but it's for hitting my goals. My division is up by thirty percent. Considering it was down when I took it over after graduation, that's pretty damn good."
"I'm proud of you, Phillip."
He gives me a grin. "And I want us to have that table."
"Then I think we should definitely go back after lunch and order it."
"So what's next?" he asks, after we've had lunch and put our deposit down on the table.
"Well, if we're doing our picnic by the fireplace tonight, we'll need supplies."
"Like lingerie?"
"And food."
He grabs my hand and leads me across the street to the lingerie store.
"Are you going to be embarrassed to go in here with me?" I tease.
"No way. And you're modeling everything for me."
"I'm not sure boys are allowed in the dressing room area."
"Then I'm going in the room with you."
"Your husband is so cute," the too-sexy-for-her-own-good salesgirl says. "He told me to bring you this. Says it's your anniversary."
"Yes, it is," I laugh. "And apparently the one month anniversary is all about lace."
"Oh, you're newlyweds. Did you date for long?"
"We got engaged on our first real date and got married four months later."
"Was it, like, an arranged marriage?"
"No, we'd been friends for a long time."
"So is it hard living with a guy who looks like that?" she asks.
"Looks like what?"
"He's so hot," she gushes. "But he doesn't seem like an asshole."
"Yeah, he's not."
"Every hot guy I date is. And the dreamy way he talks about you is so adorable. Where did you find him?"
"Next door," I say with a laugh. "Um, would you send him back here? I want to show him this one."
"Sure," she says, leaving me with more silk and lace.
Phillip comes strolling back looking sexy as ever. "Are you out there flirting with the salesgirls?"
"Me, no? I was telling them all about you. About our anniversary."
"They're all drooling over you--it's the scruff. It's practically devastating," I tease.
"You're silly. Are you going to let me see what you have on?"
I open the door.
"Wow. Now that is devastating. We might need one in every color," he says, feasting his eyes on my body.
"I'm glad you like it." I close the door because I only want him to see a peek, but his hand stops the door from shutting and he eases his way into the dressing room.
"You're not supposed to be in here."
"The girls out front said it was okay."
"I'm sure they did, but I don't care. I don't want you to see everything. I want you to be surprised tonight."
He leans back, supposedly taking in the lingerie, but his hands are sliding across my hip and toward my thigh.
"I think I'd rather see it all now," he says. "Anticipation is half the fun."
His lips cover mine.
"Um," I say.
"I have a sexy as hell wife," he whispers into my neck as he's kissing down it.
"Are you sure, Phillip? My stomach isn't as flat anymore."
"All I know is I can't wait to get you home and f--"
"How are we doing on sizes?" the salesgirl interrupts from outside the door.
"Can I try this chemise in a bigger size?" I ask, pulling it off and flipping it over the door.
"Of course," she says. "Be right back."
Phillip takes a step back and grins. "Naked is better." He picks up a bra and dangles it in front of me. "I'd like to see this on, though."
I slip the bra on, along with the matching teeny briefs.
"Damn," he says. "Your boobs look amazing."
He slides his hand across the top of my cleavage.
"So sexy. So gorgeous. I can't believe you're my wife."
I giggle. "You're just talking all pretty because you're hoping to get lucky tonight."
"There's no hope involved. I am lucky. You married me."
"Hmm. Totally cheesy line, but cute."
I reward him with a kiss.
Which turns hot.
"Here's the other size," the girl says, slinging it over the door.
"Thanks!" I say, ripping my lips away from Phillip's. "Alright. I don't want you to see this. Why don't you head over to the gourmet food store and buy food for our picnic tonight?"
He stays put, wraps his arms tightly around me, and slides his tongue in my mouth.
I almost forget we're in a public dressing room.
"Um, Phillip," I pull away, knowing if I keep kissing him we'll be celebrating early.
Right here.
"Later," he says, with a sexy smirk.
When we're driving home, I call Nick.
"Nick! How is the combine going?"
"Well--it's the first day."
"Actually, you don't need to answer that. Technically, I know how it's going, since Danny is texting us updates. But I would like to hear if you're having fun. Your forty-yard dash was screaming."
"I've been working out hard since the first of the year to get ready. Added muscle, speed, and we all know my kicking accuracy has always been good."
"I heard the psychological testing is tomorrow. I'm worried for you," I tease.
"Shut up. It will be fine. Danny still talking me up to Kansas City?"
"Of course. He wants you on his team again. So, how are you?"
"Alright, Jay. What do you want?"
"Phillip and I were wondering when you might be coming to visit us."
"Why?"
"Phillip met a girl he wants to set you up with."
"And how did he meet this girl?"
"He was crushing on her but since he can't have her he thought of you."
Phillip pokes my side, causing me to scream, then takes my phone.
"Dude," he says to Nick. "She's perfect for you. She works in a lingerie store."
"Ha. He says that's all he needs to hear," Phillip says to me.
Phillip puts us on speaker and continues talking to Nick. "But she's not just a hottie. She's getting her masters in criminal justice. And I'm pretty sure she could kick both our asses."
"Hmm," Nick says, noncommittally.
"Are you dating anyone?" I ask.
"She means are you hooking up with anyone on a regular basis," Phillip says loudly.
"What's this chick's name?" Nick asks.
"Does it matter?" I say.
"It does to me."
"It's Natalie," Phillip says.
Nick goes, "Hmm. I don't know."
"What were you hoping for? Gigi or Kiki? You know, shoving dollar bills down their thong is not the best way to meet women."
"Shut up," Nick says. "Or we'll talk about sex on the stairs."
"The drink?" Phillip asks.
"Yup," Nick says.
"I'm pregnant!" I yell out, to change the subject.
"What the fuck? Seriously? Did you know that Joey got Chelsea pregnant at your wedding? Does that mean you got pregnant there too? Jeez, thank god that's not catching."
"Nick! Did you hook up with someone at our wedding?"
"My lips are sealed," he says. "But, yes."
"Who?"
"It may have been one of the bridesmaids."
"One of the bridesmaids? Lisa was there with her boyfriend. Katie was definitely with Neil. Oh, my god. You didn't sleep with Phillip's sister, did you? She's married!"
"For fuck's sake, Jay. If I slept with Ashley, I'm pretty sure I would never speak of it to Phillip."
"That's right," Phillip grunts.
"Wait. Lisa was pretty drunk. You like drunk girls."
"Lisa was practically passed out. I don't like them that drunk."
"Wait, so were you. You were sleeping on the couch when we left."
"Just a little catnap," Nick says. "I rallied."
"Well, that only leaves Chelsea and--oh, no! Nicky! Macy is engaged! Her wedding is this summer!"
"Yeah, about that . . ."
"What about it?"
"Have you talked to her since you got back from the honeymoon?"
"Uh, we've texted some. Wait. Is that why she stayed in Kansas City for the rest of the week?"
"Uh, maybe."
"Nick, I went with her to pick out her weddin
g dress. Do you know how much she spent on it?"
"Eleven thousand dollars," Nick says flatly, like he's heard it many times.
"I remember you two dancing but I didn't think anything of it, since you walked up together. Was she drunk?"
"Jadyn," Phillip says, giving my knee a little slap. "Nick doesn't have any problem picking up women. And I doubt she was drunk all week."
"I know that, but I'm just so shocked. Why didn't she tell me?"
"Probably because she knew you'd react like you just did," Nick says.
"Are you two still talking? Or worse, doing? Is she still engaged?"
"It's complicated," Nick says.
"Oh boy," I say, sucking in a breath. "What does that mean?"
"It means she's trying to figure out what she wants."
"What do you want, Nick?"
"It wasn't the first time we'd hooked up," he admits.
"Really? When did you?"
"In the hot tub at our place," Phillip says. "I remember that."
"Where was I?" I ask.
"At the bar, probably," Nick says, once again warning me he knows way more than he should.
I'm not a fan of Macy's fiance. He can be kind of an asshole. So I ask, "Do you like Macy? Love her? What's she going to do?"
"It's too soon to say, but we both think there's something there. But she's feeling a lot of pressure. Her parents have put down deposits. She doesn't want to upset them. She jokingly asked if I'd want to get married this summer--at least I think she was joking. What should I do?"
I raise an eyebrow at Phillip, silently asking for his advice.
He purses his lips and thinks. Finally, he says, "Don't sleep with her again until she decides."
"Ah, man. I knew you were going to say that."
"That's because you know it's the right thing to do," Phillip says sincerely and, I swear, I fall a little more in love with him.
I squeeze his hand. He always knows the right thing to do.
"Yeah, I know," Nick sighs. "Alright, I gotta get to dinner. Talk to you later."
"Good luck with the rest of the combine, Nicky," I tell him. "Everything else will work out if it's meant to be."
When we get home, Phillip sets up the picnic in front of the fire while I go change into my first lingerie look, a sexy coral silk chemise with sheer insets.
Phillip is lying on a blanket, wearing just a pair of silky boxers.
And even though I was just thinking I was hungry, I suddenly could care less if I ever eat again. I slide onto his lap, straddling him.
"I didn't see this one in the store," he says. "You holding out on me?"
"You were probably too busy flirting with the lingerie salesgirls to notice," I tease.
"I wasn't flirting."
"But you knew her name. Her major."