Meadowlarks

by Ashley Christine

  What's she up to?

  Addison finally comes out, holding a plate with a single white candle burning. She holds her hand in front of it so it doesn't blow out before it reaches me.

  She places the plate down on my place mat, leans down and kisses my cheek. She whispers, “Happy Birthday. I love you.”

  “Blow it out, Uncle Blaine!” Casey can't contain herself, so I lean in to blow...but suddenly stop. My heart slows down to almost barely beating, then flips back and starts hammering out of my chest.

  Marry Me? is written in the red drizzle, just like the dessert at the fancy restaurant in Maine. I look across the table. Addison is now sitting in her chair with a half smile on her face, and I'm speechless.

  “Blaine? Everything okay?” Maria asks, sounding worried. “Blaine?”

  She's trying to snap me out of it, but I'm in too deep. I'm caught, and Addison is reeling me in. I don't say anything else; I keep my eyes locked on her face and I blow out my candle.

  Now she's not smiling anymore. She looks unsure because I haven't said anything, so I get up and walk over to her. I turn her chair sideways and kneel down in front of her.

  “Oh, my Lord!” Maria realizes what was on my plate, and there is a huge commotion at the table. “Addy, you're the sweetest little thing! Blaine you better say something!”

  Addison does before I can. “Well, baby? Aren't you going to answer me?”

  “You first.” I reach down and pull the tiny box out of my pocket, opening it up to her wide blue eyes. The silence is deafening.

  Her breath hitches at the sight of the open box, but no sound comes out of her mouth. “Blaine…I...I...yes!” She hugs me so tightly I'm almost winded, and I float out of my shoes, straight out of the house.

  “The drizzle! Look at the drizzle everyone!” Maria holds up my plate, the cheesecake slice slowly sliding downward. “Does anyone have a camera? We are not missing out on capturing this memory!”

  Everyone around the table congratulates us and jokes how truly in sync we must be to have proposed to each other on the same day, without knowing the other was going to do it, too.

  “Baby, you're unbelievable. You never stop surprising me. I love you so much.” I tenderly kiss her cheek, my stubble tickling her soft skin.

  “I love you, too. And this ring! Blaine, it's beautiful. Thank you.” She holds out her hand for me to slide it on her finger—perfect fit.

  “I asked your parents for their permission when we were in Maine.”

  “When? Where was I?”

  “Well, when Alex finally came home after his sleepover.” I nod my head toward Alex and wink. He grins back at me. “Your dad didn't even seem surprised, but your mom almost started crying.”

  “Well,” my dad interrupts. “We've got to celebrate a little more now that the birthday boy is engaged!” He stands up and puts his hands on my shoulders.

  “I'll get some glasses!” Maria bounces all too happily into the kitchen, and Casey follows right behind her.

  I didn't think to buy champagne, but we do have wine, so I pour some in each glass. Fruit juice is for the kids, and the older boys sneer at their parents when they get passed by with the wine bottle.

  “Thank you for coming to this delicious dinner that my beautiful fiancée has made for us.” I hold up my glass and smile. “Also for being a part of this special moment.”

  “Cheers!” Everyone raises their glass and begin to clink with each extended arm around the table. If anyone had of told me that on my thirtieth birthday, my father would really hug me for the first time, and my beautiful girlfriend would propose marriage when I had every intention of asking her instead, I would have told them they were crazy. Certifiable, even.

  I feel like a giant puzzle, with a thousand tiny pieces scattered everywhere with only the outside trim put together. I realize that was me only a few months ago, and now I'm finally being completed, filled in; the full picture is almost clear.

  Maria and Kelsey swarm Addison, asking her when she plans on going dress shopping, who her bridesmaids will be, and where she wants to get married.

  She looks at me. “I think Blaine and I have a lot of planning to do.” She's kindly telling them she has no idea and that everything will be up to the two of us…I think.

  “Well, we are here, sweetie. Anything you need, you ask!”

  They both hug her tightly, Maria laughs softly. “We’ve got a lot of connections!”

  Jeremiah slides his chair closer to mine. “Looks like the ring was a hit.” He takes a chug of his wine, and in my happy moment, I have a twinge of sadness for him. I wish he could feel as happy I was right now.

  “You'll be my best man, obviously…”

  “Yeah, of course! And you know what that puts me in charge of?”

  “Bachelor party!” Alex chimes in.

  He's all too excited, and they high five across the table. Nick and Owen both grin, and I swear I see Kelsey momentarily lose her eyeballs in the back of her head.

  By the time everyone starts to leave, it's almost midnight. The three girls have discussed having lunch this week and roped Addison in to visiting a bridal show in Cheyenne next month. I'm glad they came, but I'm happier to see them go; I finally have the love of my life all to myself.

  I fully expect her to kiss me or hug me or something when the door closes, but she doesn't. She starts filling the dish washer with plates and cutlery.

  “Everything okay, babe?” I ask her, and she opens the top rack, putting cups and mugs on the wires.

  “Of course. I'm just really tired.”

  I walk over and stop her from doing anything else. We hug, and I lift her chin up to kiss her lips. “I love you. You have made me the happiest man in the world tonight. Do you know that?”

  “I love you, too, so very much.” She smiles at me affectionately and holds my face in her hands. Then they start to travel down my neck to my chest, unbuttoning my shirt.

  “I thought you said you were tired...” I lift her up so she's in my arms, her legs wrapped around my waist, and I carry her upstairs. She nuzzles into my neck and kisses me every time I take a step. When we get to the bedroom, she jumps out of my arms and starts slowly walking away from me, backwards.

  “Where is your hat, cowboy?” she asks in a quiet voice. She bites her lip and goes into the bathroom; before she closes the door, she slowly starts lifting her shirt off her beautiful body. “Go and get your hat, put it on the bedpost and strip.”

  Yes, ma'am!

  I hear the click of the door closing before it registers that she's shut it on me. I am hard as a rock, and she hasn't even really touched me yet. I run downstairs, grab my hat, and I'm back in less than twenty seconds. I actually slide across the wooden floor on my socks, just like Tom Cruise (except I don't have a broom) because I'm in such a fluster to undress. I toss everything in a pile at the end of the bed and climb in, staying on top of the covers. I lay down, very impatiently, as I wait for her to emerge from the bathroom.

  When she does, it takes every single strand of my existence not to spontaneously combust, or jump out of bed and take her right there in the doorway, or both. I control myself, slow my breathing and obvious excitement as much as I can, but I am ready to burst, and she can clearly see how badly I want her.

  “Excuse me, sir. I really hope you don't mind if I borrow this.” She picks my hat from off the bedpost and places it on her head. Aside from her smile and the hat, she's only wearing a pair of black panties and my belt, the leather one with the giant golden and silver buckle with a bull on it. It's synched much further than the last notch and is hanging slightly on an angle around her hips. Her long hair is pulled down over her shoulders, covering her breasts, but the curls are parted just enough to see her nipples. Her saunter tantalizes me as she slowly climbs on to the bed and then on top of me. Tipping the hat down, so her eyes are barely visible, she grinds herself into me, rubbing against my stone hard length.

  “You're going to make me explo
de!” I reach up to grab her, and she quickly pushes my hands down.

  “Oh no, baby. Not yet.” She puts my hands on her thighs, and I start to slowly rub them to the same rhythm as her movements against me.

  Her slow and sensual torture is building and building my need for her, and I'm not sure how much more I can take. She unfastens the belt, and lets it fall behind her across my legs.

  “Do you like these?” she asks playfully, holding my hands, travelling them up her thighs and on to her hips, putting my thumbs into the top of her panties.

  “Mmm. Yes, ma'am, I do. Very much.” I lick my bottom lip and close my eyes.

  “Rip them off,” she commands, making my eyes fly wide open.

  I’m not one to disobey an order, especially when it comes from someone so beautiful, so I do. I rip the lace in two swift tugs, and she throws them on the floor, next to my pile of clothes.

  The slow agony ends when she lowers herself on to me and picks up speed. I reach up and caress her breasts; she pulls her hair to one side over her shoulders, and I pull her down so her breast is in my mouth. I suck and bite it gently. She starts moving faster and faster, and I know I'm seconds away.

  “Baby...” I breathe, but it doesn't slow her down. She sits back up and leans back holding herself up with her hands resting on my thighs. My hat falls off her head as she throws it back, then she sits up straight, pulling her hair up with her fingers and letting it fall all around her face and shoulders.

  Boom. I'm done, in every sense of the word. I just can’t hold on any longer, and as soon as I start to heave, she does, too. She falls on to me, chest to abdomen, she rests her head under my chin. I'm still inside of her, feeling her pulsate around me.

  “Oh...my...baby...” I feel her warm breath rapidly blow across my chest. I feel like I've run a marathon, and I was only laying there. Her heart is thumping out of her chest right into mine. I wrap my arms around her, running my fingers through her hair and gripping gently. I pull so her face looks up, and I kiss her.

  “That was...wow.”

  “I have one more present for you.” She sits up and carefully climbs off of me, walking naked into the closet. She comes back with a small blue gift bag. “Happy birthday.”

  I look at her. “Another present? You have given me more today than I ever expected.” I don't want or need anything else in my life; as long as I have her, I'm golden.

  Inside the bag is something heavy, wrapped in white tissue paper; I open it, and a large silver buckle falls into my hand. It's a stunningly made western-style piece with an ornate B in the center, surrounded by small horses running and rearing up and a large bull with horns. In the top corner are three flying birds.

  I trace my finger around each detail, and I stop at the corner. “The birds?” I ask.

  She smiles. “Meadowlarks.”

  I remember our first ride, when the meadowlarks flew out of the ground and spooked the horses.

  “I love it, baby. Thank you.”

  * * *

  Addison has come back from the bridal show with Maria and Kelsey, with bags, of what I'm told is swag. They are piled on the island in the kitchen. She's reeling about her day and about all the vendors, dresses and tiny details she's managed to jot down in a small white binder.

  “Come look at these with me!” She opens a thick magazine and flips to a section about tuxedos. “What style of suit do you think you would want to wear?” She scans each image and flips the pages too quickly for me to actually see what they're wearing.

  It's been over a month since our engagement, and I really haven't given any thought to what I want to wear on our wedding day.

  “Did you find a dress you like?” I ask.

  “I saw a few I like, but nothing really stood out. I like simple things. I don't want something big and flashy.” She sighs softly, closes the magazine with a loud thud and frowns. “Maria and Kelsey love big and flashy. They kept handing me hangers with ball gowns attached, big shoulders…” she winces. “Not my style.”

  “We could always just get married like this.” I laugh and point at myself in my jeans and button-up shirt.

  “You know...I like that idea.”

  I don't know if she's joking or not...this could be a trick. “You do?”

  “Yes, I love it! You are most comfortable in jeans, and I like simple dresses.” She grins. “Besides, I can't really picture you looking comfortable in one of these suits.”

  She holds up the magazine and tosses it into a bag of swag. “Let's get married here, surrounded by our friends and family.” She wraps her arms around my neck. “You wear your boots, and I'll wear my flip flops. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds like I'm going to marry the woman of my dreams.” I smile and sweep my lips against hers. Then I kiss down her cheek and neck. “Mmm. Have you thought about a day yet?”

  She breathes. “I was thinking in May. The day we met?”

  One year since I asked her for coffee, one year since she agreed, and one year since I first felt her lips on mine. On that day next year, it will be another first kiss, as husband and wife.

  I can't sleep. The moonlight pools in, illuminating the room, and I count all the knots in the wooden beams on the ceiling. Twenty-seven. An angel is sleeping next to me; softly her chest rises and falls as she breathes. I gently brush her hair off of her forehead and I kiss it.

  As I lay there watching her sleep, I feel a cold tingle in my skin, a fear washing over me like a wave. I don't know what I would ever do if I lost her, just like my dad lost my mother. The thought terrifies me, and I almost can't bear it.

  Morning comes, but I don't think I slept at all.

  “Good morning,” she says sleepily and stretches like she's had a very restful night. I know she has, since I witnessed all of it.

  “Good morning, my love.” I kiss her forehead again in the same spot as only a few hours ago.

  “Ugh. I don't want to work today!” She pouts, looking at the alarm clock. “I'm on twelve hour shifts this week. I told you, right?” She rolls over onto her stomach and frowns at me.

  “You told me.” I stick my bottom lip out and throw my arm and leg over her. “But how can you go to work when you're trapped at home?” I laugh, and she reaches down under the sheets, gripping me gently.

  “I think I can persuade you to move, one way or another.”

  “You shouldn't start things you can't finish, my dear.” I thrust my hips, and she moves her hand faster. I close my eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Rolling over on to my back, she's off her stomach quickly and between my legs.

  “Baby,” I breathe, as she takes all of me into her mouth. I don't think my head can get any deeper into the pillow. Addison devours me, soft and hard all at the same time. I'm like a cracked window, and the slightest blow is going to shatter me at any minute.

  Her eye contact and slow sensual grip makes the pleasure more than I can take. I release, her hand running over my abdomen and gripping the base of my length.

  “I can't...Oh, fuck!” I can't handle any more, as she slowly squeezes the last ripple of orgasm out of me. I'm still deep in my pillow with my eyes glued shut. Before I can say or do anything, she climbs off the bed, and I hear her turn the shower on.

  I'm not going to let her leave without me giving that intensity right back to her. I don't care if she'll be late for work. I slow my breathing and sit up; my head is dazed, but I stand and walk into the bathroom.

  She's in the shower, her beautiful body showcased by the glass surrounding her like she’s a doll in a box. The sound of the shower door opening gives me away, and she turns, grinning.

  You know those shampoo commercials with hot models standing underneath waterfalls? That's exactly how she looks at this very moment, her hair soaked and wild. The water trails down her body, running over her breasts like little rivers. I almost forget why I'm in there, but once my eyes travel below her belly button, I remember.

  “Your turn.” I raise an eyebrow and smirk
.

  “I have to go to work, Blaine!”

  Is she actually refusing me? Her hand on my chest almost pushing me out of the shower tells me exactly that.

  “Do you really think you can do something like that to me, and I'm not going to want you in the same way?”

  “I like teasing you; isn't that obvious?” She smiles and squirts some shampoo into her hand. “Besides, it'll give you something to think about all day, and when I get home, you can have me any way you want.” She's lathering now, the little rivers now streams of tiny bubbles flowing down her chest, stomach and down to the place I want to be in most right now.

  I’m standing as close to her as I can, my erection sliding in between her legs but not inside of her.

  “Blaine!”

  That's all I let her say…all she can say because I grab her behind and lift her up, sliding into her. She moans, and I lean her against the glass wall. We make love with the water flowing over us, and I get lost in her waterfall.

  Jer and Alex arrive for work, and I try not to let my obvious grin give away my good mood. Jer grins at me, knowing exactly why I'm amused. I'm sure Alex knows, too, but is ignoring it, considering it is because of his sister.

  “Well, today's the big day!” I tell them, turning the handle of the trailer and pushing the wide door open.

  “Did you say your goodbyes?” Alex smiles and pats my back.

  We're taking twelve cattle and Del Mar to an auction. I've thought long and hard about it, and Addison and her happiness mean more to me than a few adrenaline-charged seconds of uncertainty. Besides, there are other ways of making money as a rodeo cowboy.

  “I did. Thank you for your concern.” I joke and pretend to pout.

  The auction is just on the outskirts of Buffalo, and since Addison is working until 7:30, we have all day to spend there. Within four hours, I've sold all the cattle, bringing in a nice profit.

  Del Mar is placed in a box stall, assigned a number, and when it is announced, bidders from left, right and center raise their cards and start a bidding frenzy. Alex drops his jaw when a man in a big white Stetson interrupts the auctioneer and calls out a bid for twenty-seven thousand dollars. No one outbids him.