I grab the blanket that sits on the back of the couch and lay down on the couch. I must’ve dozed off because I wake up as Ember walks into the living room, wearing nothing but the t-shirt I wore to bed earlier.
“Can’t sleep?” I ask her. She nods and pulls the blanket back, climbing on top of me and laying her head on my chest. I bring the blanket back down on us and wrap it close. She’s warm from crawling out of the bed and I welcome the heat. She snuggles closer and says, “Our first Christmas together, Hale. It’s the best one I’ve ever had. I love you.” Jesus she’s got me wrapped around her finger.
“You know this trip wasn’t the only thing that I got you right….” I trail off and smirk at her. Her eyes get wide and she starts to say something, but I cut her off, sitting us both up. I set her to the side and retrieve the blue box that I ordered online weeks ago and sit back down beside her.
“Merry Christmas baby.” I tell her, handing her the box complete with the white bow. The tears well in her eyes and she hasn’t even seen the fucking thing. Shit I hope she loves them. Her hands shake as she opens the box revealing a set of two carat diamond earrings. She looks at me then back down to them, a shocked expression resting on her face. She looks back at me and I see... disappointment? What would she be disappointed about? It hits me like a ton of bricks. She wanted it to be a ring. Ah, my Sweet Girl. I would marry her tomorrow if she’d have me. I thought she wasn’t ready and I didn’t want to push her.
“I love them Hale, they’re so beautiful. This is too much.” She glances back down at the small box and smiles, fingering the earrings. I can tell she likes them, but it wasn’t the diamond she was expecting when she saw that box. That’s okay, she’ll get that ring before she knows it. That’s all I fucking needed to know.
“I’m almost scared to wear them Hale. What if they fall out or something? They have to be so expensive.” She says as she removes them from the box and puts them in her ears.
“Don’t worry about the cost Em. I got them because you deserve them and I wanted to do something to make you happy.” I pull her to me and place a kiss on her head. We cuddle on the couch and soon drift off with Deacon laying close by.
Ember
The next couple of days pass blissfully. Our time at the cabin comes to an end and all I feel is disappointed to be heading back home to the real world. As Hale begins to load the car up, I take Deacon for a walk around the property and stop at the edge of the lake. The sight in front of me is breathtaking. The water shines as the sun beats down from above, glistening and slowly rocking with the waves. As I close my eyes I say a silent prayer. Praying nothing penetrates this happy bubble that surrounds Hale and I. We’ve come so far in such a short time... I just can’t even bear the thought of being without him. I feel like we of all people deserve some happiness in our life. Looking back towards the car I see him leaning against it, arms folded over his chest, and a grin on his lips. I call Deacon and we head back towards him.
“You know we could just stay here forever?” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his neck. His fingers come up to the diamonds in my ear.
“Gotta get back to the real world baby. I’ll take you all over the world if it’s what you want.” He plants a kiss to my forehead and moves to shut the trunk. I open the driver side door letting Deacon inside and then I climb in behind him.
“Don’t tempt me Ember Ann.” I hear him call from behind me. This man, insatiable.
Soon, we’re on the road and heading back to town. The weather seems to be getting colder by the second and I can’t wait to get in front of the fireplace. Two hours and a nap later we’re pulling into Nan’s. Yawning, I stretch my arms above my head. My body feels so tired and beat down, I guess I’m still not back to one hundred percent from having the flu. I climb out and walk to the trunk, taking my bag from it and walking towards the house, only to be intercepted by Hale who insists I do not carry my own bag. In his caveman words “His woman doesn’t carry her own bags.” Rolling my eyes, I give him a quick kiss and head inside. The house is stuffy from being shut up for almost a week, but I immediately welcome the feel of home. Hale first said that he would be staying at his dad’s and not moving into Nan’s, but I don’t think he’s spent one night at his dad’s since I moved into Nan’s. His clothes began to pile up until his military grade OCD began to take over and then they went into a drawer... until the drawer was full and I had to make space for his jeans and shoes in the closet. His shampoo and soap a regular staple in my shower, along with his black toothbrush, and shaving cream next to my moisturizer. We fell into a comfortable routine and it hasn’t been brought up again. He fits seamlessly into my life.
As he brings our bags in I begin putting everything away and getting the clothes together to wash. My head is pounding and seems to be getting worse the more that I do.
“Baby, where are you?” I hear him call from the living room.
“In here!” I tell him. I bring my fingers to my temple and massage.
He walks into the laundry room and leans against the door frame.
“Everything okay?” He asks.
“Yeah, I just have a bad headache and I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to go lay down. He takes the laundry basket from me and sets it back on to the shelf.
“Go rest Sweet Girl. I’m going to put everything away.” His lips skate across my forehead and for the hundredth time this week, I ask myself how I got so lucky. I head upstairs and turn the lights off once I reach the bedroom. Drawing the curtains closed, I remove all my clothes and throw on a big t-shirt then crawl into the bed. The sheets feel cool against my face and soon I’m drifting off. I wake briefly when I feel the bed dip beside me and I feel the heat of Hale’s body envelope mine. His body is hard and warm and I drift off when I feel him wrap his arms around me, pulling me to him.
My eyes snap open as I feel pain radiate in my stomach. The room is completely black and I can barely breathe with the pain that shoots through my stomach.
Reaching over, I nudge Hale, trying to wake him up as another sharp pain hits me.
“Hale, wake up. Something’s wrong,” I cry, my voice strangled.
“What’s wrong baby?” He says groggily as he reaches for the lamp next to the bed and turns it on. Worry is etched on his face. My hands clutch my stomach and I’m in the fetal position on my side. The pains feel like horrible cramps and it hurts to even move.
“I don’t know it’s a sharp pain in my lower stomach.” I tell him unevenly. He pulls the covers back and looks my body over
“Ember you’re bleeding, there’s blood on the sheets,” he tells me quietly. Looking down I see a small red circle of blood dotting the cream sheets. He immediately hops up, throwing his shorts and t-shirt on.
“We need to get you to the hospital.” He says, taking charge and rounding my clothes up. He hastily helps dress me and then picks me up. I cry out as another pain hits me. Clenching my teeth I try not to let the tears spill. We make it to the car in record time and I don’t even flinch as he puts me inside and buckles me. He’s in the car and we’re on the way in what feels like seconds. We make the drive in 5 minutes and he parks illegally under the emergency overhang. I don’t even bother trying to open the door because he’s there, opening it and lifting me out. He storms through the door and sets me gently in the chair next to the nurse’s station.
“I’ll be right back with someone baby.”
Not five minutes later he and an older nurse are walking towards me. She immediately bends to help me up and escorts me to a nearby bed that is hidden behind a white curtain. Her voice is soft and nurturing as she begins asking me questions, assessing my symptoms, and helps me lay back in the bed. She takes my blood pressure and temperature, then feels lightly on my abdominal area which causes me to whimper in pain.