I managed to make my way back to the porch just before Nick arrived. "What's that smirk for?"
"Nothing," I said knowing full well I was going to be ready if he was going to finish the job he started.
"I bet it's not."
"You'll find out."
"I guess so," he said with a brief uncertainty to it.
"I've never noticed how nice the foliage in the neighborhood and on the street are."
"One of my favorite things about it. Unfortunately the scenery isn't matched by the neighbors. I swear almost all of them are antisocial."
"That's too bad."
"At least I don't have to worry about what they think of you once any of them notice you've moved in. IF they've noticed."
"If they do, I hope they don't get too jealous or anything. I wouldn't want them to plot something against us out of a vendetta of us being perfect."
"Shhh! Not so loud," I said half serious.
"You don't actually think they would... Do you?"
I was enjoying too much of the raspberry filled lemon confetti cake that he added a zesty orange and lime garnish. "Wow, you experimented with this, I'm guessing."
"Just a hair. Wait 'til you've had Pasadena's famous Bacon Brownie. Three layers of brownie with three alternating layers of gnash topped off with caramelized bacon covered in a little brown sugar."
"Ugh, tomorrow!"
"Maybe later in the coming week. Also known as heart attack on a plate. And maybe since you're a mac-n-cheese girl, Las Vegas' own mac-n-cheese waffle."
"Stop! That sounds sooo heavenly good."
"Well..." he said nervously "we don't really know them so it's not out of the realm of possibility. But you don't have to do anything for that to happen." Continuing back on topic.
"This is nice. I think I'm starting to get used to this being OUR house."
"I think I need my sunshine to set on me."
"Is that a come-on?"
"Do you want it to be?" What was I gonna say? How was I gonna turn it back on him? I couldn't.
"I did, actually. Touche."
"Then what are we waiting for? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. We can go into the observatory some other time." I was hoping we might even make whoopee in there eventually.
I took the opportunity to dart up the stairs so that I could make my preparations from earlier complete. I generally tried to plan my sexual activity within a few days after I had had my period. I would still do all the other preventative stuff, but I liked that extra precaution. I slipped into that nightie, slapped some lipstick on just for fun and I was ready. But when I was approaching the closed bedroom door, the muffled noise I had heard from down the hall was getting louder. It wasn't sexy music and it wasn't just any romantic music. It was sexy romantic music, the tasteful stuff. But what I wasn't expecting was what I saw when I opened the door.
New from the last time I was in that room, LED candles on the desk and nightstand as well as LED lights that gradually changed colors illuminated from the floor along the walls. An aroma of peach-lavender wafted about the room. A few Hershey's Kisses lay on my pillow to complete a fresh bed set covered in the same yellow rose petals from my birthday as well as some red ones. It was a pretty open room so there wasn't much to bump into. Speaking of bumping into, in that moment, I had felt what was Nick's hands wrap me in a hug from behind as he kissed the top of my head. "I need my angel to feel welcome and happy when she's here," he said.
"I shouldn't have expected anything less, baby."
"I wasn't expecting that much less. I see you had ideas too." He was maybe considering the idea of not getting too intimate, but at least in the mood not to love me too much. "It's wild to think of where we've gotten."
"It can get even wilder," I hinted as I finally turned around to face him, hoping we could get a little extra frisky tonight. But I wasn't gonna push it. I wanted the night to go its own course.
~~~
"That beautiful face. A value more than any painting could be," I said as I cupped my hand for the palm to hold her head, gently moving my hand about her cheek.
"You've gone through a lot of trouble just for this, Nickie. I'll never forget it." Dottie seemed playful to the point of getting restless. So much so that she started biting at the tip of my thumb as it made its way back to the corner of her mouth.
"Just seeing your smile is always worth it." It was true. Made me melt every time.
And it was in that moment, we gave each other lip service with her backpedaling as we entered the room, at which point I spun us around 180 degrees and I grabbed her hands to lead her to join me on the bed.
We fell on the bed as though the bed were a lush green rainforest understudy. I wouldn't dare trying to describe what happened over the next fifteen minutes to half an hour. That one is just too personal from the perspective that I will cherish that moment most of all. I will say we didn't do anything over the top naughty, but for having sobered up, neither of us were ourselves.
...
Unfortunately the next three weeks were mostly comprised of a road trip for the Canaries and I was asked by the big club to join our scouting department. There was a string of high profile prospects coming through the area among amateur leagues as well as colleges and high schools. The draft was a month away and we had to move fast on a decision. Having been a lead scout several years in the minors prior to being the Houston Greens Double-A affiliate's Vice President of Baseball Operations down the interstate and now the General Manager here, I had some pull in decision making now more than I ever had.
I told Dottie the morning after in the conservatory, right as I had gotten the news. I think that was officially her favorite spot in the house. I was originally planning to check-in with our Single-A affiliate in Corning and Low-A affiliate in Saratoga the first week and try to take it easy heading into All-Star weekend. Of course I didn't have the final say. One of the series I had to go to was in Poughkeepsie so at least she could come with then if she wanted.
"So much for our weekend in Saranac Lake."
"There will be other times Dottiekins. I know Poughkeepsie isn't Saranac, but it's at least some time we can spend together."