Novel Hearts

by Rebecca Boucher

  “Do you need time away from everyday life and stress? A weekend of pampering, exquisite dining, and a day of soaking up the sun ...”

  I huff, taking another sip of my beer as I continued to watch. I recognized the room, the beach, the spa and I couldn’t stop thinking about Tatum and everything that happened yesterday and how I’ve been behaving lately. I was feeling really low about ruining our Valentine’s Day trip. I shouldn’t have behaved in such a manner; it was immature and totally … well … not me.

  I smiled at the thought of Tatum being right. I mean, was me taking her there in my nature in the first place? No, it wasn’t. I’m very old fashioned and like to do special things for her, I always have. But, to me it’s the things I do for her from the heart that makes her happy and, in return, it makes me happy. That’s why we’ve always gotten along so well from the first day I met her. She appreciates the small things I do for her instead of some posh Inn like the one we went to yesterday. I remember when I told her I reserved a room at the Inn, I was so excited to tell her, thinking it was what she really wanted, but was it? I looked back now to the day I told her.

  I came home from taking a tour of the Inn after I made reservations, scheduled our massages at the spa and couldn’t wait to tell her. I saw that the twins were down for a nap and Tatum was cleaning the kitchen from lunch, singing to the music playing in the background. I snuck up behind her and snaked my arms around her waist. She jumped, dropping a plastic sippy cup into the sink.

  “Oh, Lance, you scared me!” she exclaimed, laughing, then continued cleaning the dishes.

  “Sorry,” I said, kissing her cheek. Then, I backed away and leaned on the counter.

  “So, guess what I did this morning?” I asked impatiently.

  “Hmmm ...” She thought about it for a second before closing the dishwasher. Then, she turned around to face me. “You got the screen to repair the back door that the twins stuck their fingers through?” she smirked.

  I laughed. “Yes, babe, I got the screen,” I agreed, “but, I also did something else.” I winked.

  “What?” she asked, drying her hands off with the dishtowel.

  “Mrs. Mitchell,” I said as seductively as I could, slowly walking up to her. “I just so happened to check out that Inn you and your friends talk about so much.”

  “You did?” she asked, shocked.

  “Yup,” I said, smiling, “and I made reservations for us for Valentine’s Day!” I fist pumped the air.

  “Oh wow! You did?” she asked. “How exciting is that?”

  “Right?” I smiled.

  Apparently, I was so excited thinking that’s what she truly wanted I didn’t pay attention to her tone. She was happy, but her eyes didn’t sparkle, and well, she didn’t do what most women do—shriek, bounce up and down, etc.

  I continued to think about that day and the following few weeks up until Valentine’s Day. As the days passed, and the more I thought about leaving Madeline and Tane, the more nervous and distant I became. I could also remember Tatum not really saying much about going, except to her friends when they came over the following day to visit. The girls freaked with envy, and … well … Tatum was just said, “Yeah, I can’t wait.”

  I don't think she truly wanted to go. I think she wanted something that I planned, something that I truly wanted to do for her. Lavishing gifts and surprises on her are nice as long as they come along with a lavished plan of your own.

  “I got it,” I said to myself. Why was I so blind to all of this after so many years with her? She didn’t want me to take her to the Inn, she wanted me to bring the Inn … to her. Hell, yes!

  ***

  I was up pretty much all night coming up with an elaborate plan to give Tatum the Valentine’s Day she always wanted. Before Tatum and the twins came down, I was already at work, preparing for that night, for in the Mitchell household, it was going to be Valentine’s Day.

  I went to a chic place that sells smelly good things like candles, oils, lotions … things of that nature. I purchase some oil for her massage, candles for not only the Mitchell Spa, but for the heart I am going to light in the sand behind our home. It may not be a private beach, but tonight, it will be.

  I ran to the grocery store and bought the groceries I needed for dinner and breakfast in the morning. I picked out her favorite wine—Pinot Noir—and five dozen red roses.

  I made it home in time to see that Tatum was backing out of the driveway. I stopped next to her and rolled down my window.

  “Daddy!” the twins say.

  “Hey, babies, where are you going?” Yes! She was leaving! Perfect!

  “Were going to meet Lainey at the mall,” she said, smiling.

  “Well, I’ll see you when you get home, have fun,” I replied, smiling back.

  I mouthed “I love you” as I rolled up the window and she mouthed “I love you” back. She didn't seem so mad at me anymore. She probably just needed a night to cool off, but it didn't matter, as this was something I needed to do for her … and for me.

  I stayed in the car until I saw her disappear out of sight. Then, I quickly hopped out of the truck and got everything out of the backseat. If I was lucky, I had a few hours until she and the kids got home. I excitedly let myself in and turned on the music. Cleaning time … I roll up the sleeves of my plaid shirt and got to work.

  I was running through the house like a chicken with my head cut of, cleaning like a maniac. I found half-eaten cookies under the couch, dirty socks in random corners of rooms and empty toilet paper rolls in every bathroom. I am such a pig! I can’t believe I do this to her and not think twice about it. I grab the glass cleaner and go to town squirting and wiping every surface I can see has a fingerprint, a smudge, a … what is that? Ugh, I scrub harder. Then, I ran into the laundry room and saw a heap of clothes in the laundry basket. I reached in, grabbing everything I could get my hands on, then ran to the washer and shoved it in. The load was so big that it got stuck at the top. I yanked, trying to get it out when the clothes give and someone’s wet pajamas smacked me in the face.

  “Ah, God! Come on now!” I cried out, wiping my face with the bottom of my shirt.

  A little over an hour of vacuuming and mopping later, I’m done with the house work. I stood with my hands on my hips, spinning around in circles, admiring my ability to clean up. Then, I looked down at my watch. I had less than an hour to go before they get home, so I hustled and started dinner. I add water to a large pan and turned up the heat before adding spaghetti sauce to another. I buttered the French bread, then added a dash of garlic and parmesan cheese. I quickly spread the red roses all over the dining room, which I made into an official spa. I threw a sheet over the dining room table and voila! Who knew? I set the oils out and lit the candles on the table, then dimmed the lights and turned the satellite radio to a soothing station. I closed my eyes and felt the spa I was in yesterday … perfect.

  I ran back to the stove and added spaghetti to the boiling water and stirred the sauce a few times and threw the French bread into the oven. Then, I covered the sauce and quickly ran out back to set the table up on the patio. I placed a silk table cloth over the table, then candles, our china out of the cupboard and crystal wine glasses. With the added touch of the plastic plates, and sippy cups, I smiled. Next, I grabbed the silver bowl Tatum’s mother had given us on our wedding day and filled it with ice and shoved the bottle of wine inside and set it on top of the table. I took a step back, admiring my handiwork. Perfect!

  Hurrying as fast as I could, I quickly drained the noodles, turned the sauce down low and pulled the French bread from the oven and set it onto the counter. Dinner was done. I grabbed the bag off of the counter that had about fifty tea lite candles in it and ran toward the sandy shore and placed each one deeply into the sand, forming a heart. I stood up and licked my thumb, holding it out to the air … no wind. Alright!

  With the weather cooperating, I lit them and saw that I made a perfect, blazing heart. I stared at it for
a moment; the flickering flames are hypnotizing. I think back to the first day I saw Tatum in the diner—biting her lip, her eyes sparkling—and smiled. I couldn’t help but be nervous about everything that happened with my brother three years ago. The thought of losing her or the twins makes me go mad. I would walk to the ends of the Earth for them if I had to, but for right now, I settled with being over anxious.

  The crashing of the waves against the shore snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked down at my watch again and could see that I was cutting it close … too close. Running toward the house, I tripped through the sand and fell flat on my face. I lifted my head and open my mouth, letting sand fall from my mouth. I coughed and spit several times, but to no avail. I stood and dusted myself off, and ran into the house. Swiftly, I took a red rose from one of the many vases around the house along with a few tea lites I had left and headed up the stairs toward our bedroom. I burst through the door and pulled the petals off, then scattered them all over the bed and onto the floor. Next, I ran to the bathroom and shoved the empty stem into the trash, poking myself with a thorn.

  “Ah, jeez,” I said under my breath, shaking my hand.

  I suck on my finger as I started the shower and quickly stepped in, letting the spray of water blast into my mouth to try and get rid of the rest of the sand. I jumped when I heard Buster bark outside over the noise of my shower and gasped, sending water down into my lungs … choking. Then, I bent over to cough and smacked my forehead right onto the knob of the shower.

  “Ah, God! Why?!” I say aloud, holding my forehead. I could still hear Buster barking outside. “Stupid dog,” I mumble to myself as I stepped out of the shower. My forehead was still throbbing as I threw on a nice pair of jeans and a white button down shirt, then I rolled up the sleeves, and ran my fingers roughly through my hair … done. I. Am. Done.

  Now, I wait …

  ***

  I sat on the couch for a good twenty to twenty-five minutes, flipping through the channels with the sound on mute, listening to the serene sounds of the rainforest humming through the speakers. I suppose I underestimated the amount of time, as they had been gone for three hours now. My eyes fluttered, starting to close. Now, I could see why they play this stuff in spas.

  Then, the car doors closed and I jumped and my eyes flew open wide, quickly turning off the flat-screen television. I rushed to wait in the dining room. I couldn’t wait, eager to see Tatum’s surprised face. I knew her, and I could honestly say that she would love this.

  “Hello?” I heard her say as the front door opened, then bags dropped in the entry way.

  “Daddy!” Madeline yelled. “Mommy, I hear birds.”

  “I’m in here,” I hollered back, trying not to laugh. Within seconds, the twins ran into the dining room, finding me first. They stop dead in their tracks when they see the spa—candles, and roses.

  “Whoa, Daddy!” Tane said, jumping up and down with excitement.

  “Pretty, Daddy!” Madeline said, looking around. “Did we get a bird?”

  “Sorry we were gone so long. Lainey found a cute …” She stopped dead in her tracks when she took in the scene around her and entered the dining room.

  “Lance …” she said, overwhelmed. “This is amazing!”

  “Happy Valentine’s Day, Tatum,” I said, smiling.

  “You understood what I meant last night,” she said, starting to cry. “This is you, this was all I ever wanted.” Then, she walked up and kissed me softly.

  “So, Mrs. Mitchell, what shall we do first? Dinner or spa?” I whispered against her lips. Or possibly some ibuprofen and an ice pack?

  She looked up at my forehead. “Babe, your head! The knot is huge!” She tried to touch it and I winced.

  “I hit my head in the shower. I’m fine,” I reassured her.

  “Seriously, why don’t you go lay down and I’ll get you some ice,” she said, starting to walk away, but I grabbed her and spun her around.

  “Babe, I’m fine, I promise …” I said, kissing her gently. “Now, what should we do first?”

  She looks down at the kids hugging our legs. “What do you think, guys? What should we do first?”

  “Spa, spa!” Madeline said, jumping up and down.

  “Mommy, what is a spa?” Tane asked, confused.

  ***

  An hour later after I started the massage, the kids fell asleep at the table. Their cheeks were pressed firmly onto the sheet. Both of them were drooling, with oil in their hair and all over their clothes as they insisted on helping with Tatum’s massage. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Babe,” I whispered into her ear, rubbing my thumbs up the length of her spine.

  “Hmmm,” she mumbled.

  “They fell asleep,” I said, leaning down to kiss her softly on the exposed skin of her neck. “Let’s have some dinner.”

  I carried the kids to the couch and laid them down, careful not to wake them up while Tatum cleaned herself up. I turned to head back to the kitchen, when I saw Tatum staring at me with a huge grin on her face.

  “I’m in love with you, ya’ know,” she whispered.

  “I know,” I said softly, wrapping my arms around her waist. “Actually, dinner can wait … I have something I want to show you while the twins are sleeping.”

  “Wait … you mean there’s more than this?” she asked. I give her a look as though she should know better and she did. “Of course there is,” she answered herself, laughing. I smiled, took her hand into my own and pulled her toward the back door.

  I open the sliding glass door and led her out back.

  “Lance,” she gasped, taking in the restaurant ambiance I put together. “I can’t believe you did all of this in such a short time.”

  “I was actually nervous that I wasn’t going to get it all done,” I said, clenching my jaw, biting down on a piece of sand.

  “This isn’t what I wanted to show you … yet,” I smirked, watching her beautiful smile grow even bigger.

  “First thing’s first, though,” I said, then leaned over and grabbed a long piece of fabric that lay on the table. “A blindfold,” I said, laughing, spinning her around.

  I found it very sexy that she didn’t object. She didn’t sigh … she just kept smiling … a smile that took my breath away … a smile that I hadn’t seen in weeks since I told her we were going to the Inn. I was so wrapped up in my anxiousness about leaving the twins that I hadn’t even noticed. I carefully led her onto the sand behind our house. We laughed, tripping through the sand, as her fragile hands held onto me tightly until I stop.

  “Okay, Tatum, ready?” I asked, holding onto the knot of the blindfold. She nodded, biting her lip, nervous. I quickly undid the knot.

  She stared toward the ocean, blinking rapidly for a moment before the flickering of candles caught her eye. She looked down toward the ground. I watched her expression as she stared at the glowing heart in the sand. Her skin radiates under the candlelight as she smiled, but I could also see that she was starting to cry.

  “Do you like it?” I asked, almost a whisper.

  She looked at me as a tear escaped, slowly rolling down her flushed cheek. “Lance,” she sniffed, wiping the tear away. She took a step closer to me until her chest was against mine. “I love it,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to plant a soft, sweet kiss on my lips. She turned and took a few steps down the beach to look at the heart one more time.

  “I am so sorry that I behaved the way that I did yesterday. I ruined everything,” I said, walking up to her slowly, pressing my chest against her back and whispered into her ear, “Please, forgive me.”

  She turned to face me. “Lance, of course I forgive you. I wanted to go more than you know, but the truth is, I don’t want elaborate getaways, spa treatments or private beaches. All I want is you … and this, Lance …” Then, she gestured toward the heart in the sand and toward the house. “What you did for me tonight is you. This is why I love you so much.”

  I smile. “Really
?”

  “Do you remember the time you made me my necklace?” she asked, smiling as she touched the Ivory Pikake around her neck.

  I laughed. “Yeah, I do.” I smiled, remembering how frustrated I had gotten chipping away at the ivory stone, trying to make flowers out of it.

  “Right? You worked on this thing for weeks past my birthday,” she said, smiling at the memory. “I love you for making things special in your own way and I love you for making me feel special. Expensive things don’t make me feel the way you do. You and the twins are all I need.”

  I sigh. “You know, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you guys. Because of my brother, I almost lost you when you were pregnant with them. I can’t live without you, and I want you to understand why I get so upset about leaving Tane and Madeline, especially overnight. I’m just so sorry that I went to such extremes.”

  She smiled, placing her soft hand against my cheek. I leaned into her touch and closed my eyes for a moment. “I do understand, Lance. That’s half the reason why I was so upset when I found the laptop. I was ignorant to your feelings about leaving the kids,” she said, looking at me with sincerity. “I’m so sorry. I love you and I shouldn’t have pushed you to go.”

  “Tatum, don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for …”

  “Yes, I do,” she said, cutting me off, “and I’ll never push you to be away from them again, until you’re ready. To me, your happiness is far more important than going anywhere without the kids.”

  “You’re amazing, Tatum. You know that?” I asked, smiling widely.

  “I try,” she said with a shrug.

  I looked toward the house then back at her. “Are you ready for dinner?”

  “No, not yet,” she said quietly as she looked into my eyes. I get elated staring at the intensity her sparkling eyes. “I think we have a few more minutes.”