Alex's Legacy - 9. Chapter 9

“Hi Unca Sammy. I miss you and Unca Awec.”

“We miss you too, sweetheart.” My heart swelled upon hearing my goddaughter’s voice. Sophie was three years old now. She was born a year before Tom accepted a job offer on the west coast and moved there with a pregnant Allison and their daughter. I missed them all terribly, but understood that it was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse. Alex and I had just returned from spending a week vacationing with them. We spent a lot of time on the beach, building sandcastles with the kids, and groping each other under the water. The sight of Alex in his swimming trunks, dripping wet and shining in the sun, made me want to jump him every time I looked him.

“I wish you wived hewe. So does Emiwy.” Emily was her two-year-old sister. I never considered myself a kid person before I met these two. They were every bit as vivacious and lovely as Allison, and they almost made me want to talk to Alex about adopting. Almost.

“Me too, sweetie. Is your mommy there?”

“Wuv you!”

“I love you too, sweetie.”

“Shhh… You’re going to make Tom jealous,” Allison snickered.

I laughed. “I miss you guys already.”

“So do I. What’s up?”

“Not much. How are you feeling?” Allison was pregnant with their third child, a boy, and had suffered from morning sickness during our visit.

“Not too bad today, thank goodness.”

“Good.” I paused. “I called for some advice.”

“Well you’ve come to the right place. I specialize in advice!”

I rolled my eyes. I had wanted to talk to her during our visit, but never found the right time between playing with the kids, Allison’s sickness, and spending quality time with Alex.

“Well… our anniversary is coming up, and I wanted to plan something special for Alex. I was thinking of asking—“

“Oh my God! Are you going to propose?” she shrieked into the phone.

“No! Yes! I don’t know!”

“You have to, Sammy! Why you guys aren’t already married, is beyond me. You’ve been together five years, for God’s sake.” She gasped. “Do you think he’s going to propose to you?”

“I don’t know. I kind of thought he would have by now if he was going to. He proposed to Simon after they were together for only two years.”

“Do it, Sam. If you don’t, I’ll fly out there and do it for you!”

“Ok, Ok, I will…sheesh!”

“You’ve already planned it out, haven’t you?”

“Sort of. Alex is setting up a surprise for me. I was thinking of working the proposal in there somehow—“ I was interrupted by a loud crash followed by earsplitting screeching from the speaker.

“I gotta go, Sammy. DO IT!” Allison hung up.

I set the phone down on the coffee table and opened the box containing the ring I bought for Alex. I sat staring at it until my phone buzzed, indicating a text message. It was from Elise, so I headed downstairs so she could take her break.

*****

I collapsed on top of Alex, wrapping my arms around him and nuzzling into his shoulder. He pulled me even closer, running his hands along my bare back until my breathing evened out, and he softened enough to slip out of me. I rolled off him and nestled into his side, entwining our legs. “That was amazing.”

He brushed my hair out of my eyes and kissed my forehead. “You’re amazing.”

“So what do you have planned for our anniversary?” I asked, as I played with his chest hair.

He laughed. “So that’s why you pounced on me when I got home? You wanted to ply me with sex so I’ll tell you the surprise.” He tickled my side and I squealed as I tried to squirm away. He held me tighter. “It’s not gonna work, sweetheart.”

I shoved against him and he stopped tickling me. I sat up, trying to look pissed, but only succeeded in eliciting a smug grin from him. I sighed and settled back against him.

“I have something special planned, too. I was hoping we could do mine first.”

Alex traced lazy circles on my side. “Sure. If you promise to ride me like that again, you can do whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want, huh?”

“Well…within reason.”

“You’re in luck, since what I want to do is you.” I tilted my head up and kissed him.

“Perfect,” he murmured into my lips.

I reached between his legs and smirked. “Somebody’s ready for round two.”

He rolled me on top of him, wrapping his legs around my waist. “You know it, babe.”

*****

On the day of our anniversary, I sat staring out the window at the rain cascading down the panes of glass. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed only a half second apart, making me jump and move to the couch. I was depressed since the bad weather meant that my plans for our anniversary celebration had to be scrapped. I wanted to return to the nature preserve where we had had our first date. I planned on proposing to Alex in the meadow where we shared our first kiss.

The door opened and Alex stood dripping and shivering. He held a water-logged bouquet of roses in one hand and a soggy bag of groceries in the other. “Can you get me a towel, sweetheart? Man, it’s a mess out there!”

I took the roses and groceries from him, setting them on the kitchen counter before grabbing a towel from the bathroom and handing it to him. He dried his hair and took off his jacket. His shirt was dry underneath, but his jeans clung to his legs like a second skin. My own jeans became rather tight after I looked at him.

“I’m going to take a shower. We have dinner reservations for 7:00, so you might want to get changed now.”

I put my arms around him and kissed him, running my hands along the back of his neck. “I think I need a shower, too,” I murmured into his lips.

He groaned and held me loosely. “Sweetheart, I would like nothing more, believe me, but it took me months to get these reservations and we can’t be late, or they’ll give our table away.” He kissed me and brushed my hair out of my eyes. “Now after dinner…” He leered.

I grinned and grabbed his ass. “I can’t wait.”

I changed into the new suit I bought after Alex told me he made reservations at one of the most exclusive restaurants in town. The pants and suit coat were navy blue, and I wore a light blue shirt underneath with a dark blue tie. I had debated whether or not I should cut my hair, but Alex always told me how much he loved playing with it, so I decided to let it be. I slipped the ring box into my pocket. If the opportunity presented itself, I was going to go ahead with my proposal. I couldn’t imagine my life without Alex, and I hoped that he felt the same way about me.

The rain appeared to be lessening. I stood next to the window, watching the patterns the droplets made as they traced their way down the foggy panes. I turned when I heard a low whistle.

“Oh my God, Sammy. You look amazing, baby.” Alex stepped close to me, taking my face in his hands and kissing me softly.

“So do you.” He was wearing a new suit also. It was black and he wore a white shirt with a black tie. He looked stunning. “I don’t know how you expect us to keep our reservations, when all I want to do is undress you again.”

He laughed. “Believe me, the last thing I want to do right now is go to a restaurant.” He took my hand and led me to the door. “It will be worth it, though. Trust me.”

I was glad that I wasn’t wearing jeans. The car ride was uncomfortable enough in my suit pants. Every time I looked at Alex in the soft glow of the streetlights, a certain part of my anatomy reacted. I couldn’t wait until we returned home again, hopefully with the promise of a wedding in our future.

The restaurant was located in a non-descript brick building, but there was an attendant who tossed Alex's keys to a valet before showing us inside. The maitre'd then graciously escorted us to our table. We were seated in front of a stone fireplace. The restaurant’s low ambient lighting was enhanced by the warm glow from the fire and the flickering candlelight from the two candles that graced the middle of every table. Exquisitely dressed men and women were seated all around us, the majority of whom looked like they were there for a romantic dinner like ours. The maitre’d handed us menus and informed us of the specials before requesting our drink orders.

I thought my eyes were going to fall out of my head when I saw the prices of the food. “Oh my God, Alex! A hundred bucks for a steak? We could have gone somewhere a lot cheaper, and it would have been just as meaningful. The only thing I care about is being with you.”

The waiter cleared his throat and smiled at me. “My name is James, and I’ll be your waiter this evening. Are we here for a special occasion?”

“Tonight is our five-year anniversary,” I said.

The waiter beamed at me. “Congratulations!” He leaned close to me and whispered “You could have gone somewhere less expensive, but trust me, it wouldn’t have been as memorable. Let him spoil you.”

I smiled and nodded. “You’re right.”

“Can I start you off with any appetizers? Our oyster selections are world-renowned.” He looked at Alex with a sly smile and winked. “Oysters are a perfect aphrodisiac.”

“Sure. Do you want to try the oysters, Sam?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Do you know what entrées you would like to order, or do you need some more time?”

“I need a bit more time. It all looks so good,” I said.

“Very good. I’ll place your order for the appetizer and check back with you shortly.”

Alex reached across the table and took my hand. “Sammy, don’t worry about the prices. This is our night and I want it to be perfect. I don’t care if I have to max out my credit card.”

I squeezed his hand. “I’d kinda like to know what a hundred dollar steak tastes like.”

He laughed. “Me, too, although I’m thinking the surf and turf sounds pretty good.”

“I’m sure whatever we order will be amazing.”

The food was amazing. My steak was cooked a perfect medium-rare, and Alex’s surf and turf was just as delicious. We took our time and savored every bite. I was enveloped by a warm glow, courtesy of the wine, fire, good food, and even better company. We held hands frequently, exchanging soft squeezes, warms looks, and I felt the promise of the future like a physical presence sitting with us. It was magical.

I was expecting our waiter to bring us dessert menus after the busboy cleared away our dinner dishes. I fingered the ring box in my pocket and bounced my leg nervously. I was going to order dessert for the both of us, and figured it would be the perfect time to propose. Instead of menus however, the waiter brought us a chocolate cake with five lit candles. He was followed by more of the waitstaff, who formed a semi-circle around us and sang a lovely rendition of ‘happy anniversary’. I was delighted. They remained in place after the song, which I found puzzling. Alex and I blew out the candles together, smiling the entire time.

Alex stood and walked over to me, taking both my hands in his before he knelt in front of me. I gasped, and tears immediately filled my eyes. He pulled a ring box out of his pocket, and held it before me.

“Sammy…I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love another human being. The day I walked into the Nook was the best day of my life. The minute I saw you knock over that coffee pot, I knew that you were the man for me. I want to spend the next five years by your side. And the five after that. And the five after that… You get the idea. I don’t ever want you out of my life, Sam. You are the most incredible man I’ve ever met. Your capacity for healing, forgiveness, and love overwhelms me every time I think about it.” His voice hitched. “Please tell me you’ll be by my side for the rest of my life. I love you with every fiber of my being, Samuel Sullivan. Will you marry me?”

“I can’t imagine my life without you in it, Alex.” My throat constricted with emotion and it was difficult to get the words out. Tears streamed down both our faces. “Of course, I’ll marry you!”

We both stood, and Alex enveloped me in a bear hug so tight I thought he was going to break a rib. He took my face in both of his hands, brushing my hair out of my eyes, before giving me a kiss that would make anyone blush. The restaurant patrons and waitstaff erupted into cheers. I reached into my pocket and held out the box with the ring.

“I guess we both had the same idea.”

“Oh, Sam,” Alex exhaled my name, and we stood embracing for several minutes before he kissed me tenderly and we sat down to enjoy our dessert, even though the only thing occupying my mind was what I was going to do to Alex the minute we got home.