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The roses were scented sweet . . .
Terryman clasped them to his chest; every beat of his heart echoed out, enough to drown him to the usual sounds of the ranch beyond their home, and his mouth ran dry, as he swallowed back the lump that formed in his throat. A blush swept over his cheeks, as he licked at his lips and raised the back of his hand to the bedroom door. He shuffled from foot to foot. A sticky sweat clung to his shirt in an uncomfortable manner, as he finally found courage.
He knocked at the wood.
A soft ‘come in’ was the only response. He slowly pushed open the door, as he stepped inside their bedroom and cast his eyes around in search of just one person: Natsuko. A tear pricked at his eye to see her sat beside the bay windows, where she perched on the edge of the windowsill with her dark eyes gazing out over the rising sun in the distance. The long locks of auburn hair fell about her shoulders, cascading down in loose curls.
Natsuko turned, as the door clicked softly closed. The smile she bore was beautiful, bringing soft lines about her face that were caught by the soft light, and her pinks were tinged pink, as she lowered her gaze and giggled with her hands clasped within her lap. He stumbled. It brought a muttered apology, as he dropped his head with a soft groan, but she only laughed a little harder and – even now – Terry could only laugh at how she could make him lose his composure, as if he were seeing her for the first time. Terry walked to her side.
“Are these for me?” Natsuko whispered.
Terry dropped onto one knee and thrust them forward. It was a less than elegant gesture, with a few petals falling from the force, but Natsuko took them into her arms and held them close to her breast, as she leaned forward to take in a deep breath. He clasped at his chest, as his heart raced to breaking point. Terry could stand it no longer. The rising sun cast long shadows, as he jumped up and sat beside her, where the cushions on the windowsill dipped a little under his weight, and – with a grin – he used it as an excuse to wrap an arm around her.
“They’re beautiful,” said Natsuko.
“N-Not as beautiful as you.”
“And you even knock before you enter.” Natsuko giggled. “How long have we been engaged, Terry? It must have been seven years since we first met, too. It always amazes me how you blush when you catch me changing, or how you watch me when you think I’m sleeping, or how you still buy me roses . . . I guess you’re not tired of me yet, huh?”
“Ah could never be tired o’ you,” gasped Terry. “Yer were always at my side, no matter what, and ah can think of no one else that I’d want to spend a lifetime with, and yer so beautiful and smart and loyal and courageous, an’ . . . an’ I left you to go have that fight.”
“No, you did me a favour by granting a sick woman her one wish.”
A hand slid onto his chest. It rested just above his heart, where it felt every single beat, and her long fingers – soft and supple – toyed with the rough fabric of his shirt, while her head rested against his shoulder and her eyes fell closed with adorable flutters. He remembered all too well how she looked in that hospital bed . . . Warsman and Buffaloman asleep on the benches outside, machines beeping with an uncanny rhythm, tears blurring and blinding his vision . . . Terry pressed his face against her hair and breathed deep the scent of cinnamon.
“I should o’ stayed at your side. What if you’d –”
Natsuko brought a finger to his lips. He resisted the urge to kiss it, although he smiled even as the guilt and sadness boiled behind his breastbone. A gentle kiss was pressed to his clean-shaven cheek, before she brought her head back down and hummed a strange sound, and he ran his fingers through her long locks of hair, while he kissed over and over against her scalps with whispered apologies and promises of undying adoration. Tears pricked at his eyes, as he smiled and remembered every whispered ‘I love you’ and every stolen embrace.
“I couldn’t have asked you to sacrifice your dream,” said Natsuko.
“It wouldn’t o’ been a sacrifice when –”
“It meant the world to me that you were willing to make that sacrifice.” Natsuko blushed. “I just don’t want for us to feel like the choices we make are ‘sacrifices’; when you left for your match, I was happy to know you were happy, and if you’d stayed at my side, you would have been happy to know that I was happy. I feel we worry too much about each other.”
“Ah know what you mean.” Terry sighed. “All I ever want is for you to be happy, an’ each day closer to the wedding . . . I get more and more scared, ‘cause I don’t ever want for you to miss out or feel like it’s got t’ be all about me! I can’t be happy unless yer happy.”
“I’m beyond happy, Terry. I never thought someone like you would even look my way, but here we are about to be married an you’re willing to spend a lifetime with me, and every day I ask what I did to deserve such a blessing, but . . . but there’s something I need to tell you, because you deserve to know and I can’t keep it inside much longer, Terry.”
“W-What is it? A-Are ya sick again?”
“No, but . . . there may be someone else, Terry.”
A stab of panic hit him hard in the stomach. He opened his mouth to speak, as his brow furrowed and lips trembled, but he knew one thing . . . she would never cheat on him . . . a few deep breaths kept the hurricane in his chest at bay, until he locked eyes with her and saw that she was struggling to hide back laughter. Natsuko winked. A hand slid down to her stomach, where she rubbed in slow circles and – very slowly – nodded towards him. He felt his mouth fall open. There were tears in her eyes, while her smile was so bright.
Terry half-laughed and half-choked. He shook his head. He slid from the windowsill onto the floor, before he crawled between her legs and she took his hands with a warm touch, and they were pressed flat against a small swell to her stomach, which marked the start of something new . . . hope, love, happiness . . . tears rolled down his cheeks, as he pressed dozens and dozens of kisses over the soft silk of her shirt and whispered ‘I love you’ to their child.
“It – It’s mine?” Terry asked absently. “I’m a pappy?”
“Who else would he belong to, doofus?”
Natsuko delivered a playful hit to the head, mussing his silver hair, but the tears continued to fall as he gently lifted her shirt to expose the skin beneath . . . the slight extending of flesh, the feeling of warmth from soft flesh . . . his baby was there . . . waiting to come out! Terry struggled to slow his racing heart and the rush of adrenaline, as he let loose a loud cheer and punched the air hard with a raucous whooping sound and a wink to match hers.
He jumped high on his feet. Natsuko was crying with laughter, when his hands encircled her waist and he lifted her high into the air, and – suddenly – they were spinning . . . twirling . . . lost in a world of their own making, as the sun rose ever higher and light burst through the bedroom windows, and no one else mattered except those brown eyes and growing child. He eventually put her down, but pulled her flush against him with loud sobs. Both arms encircled her waist, while he nuzzled against her neck, and he knew he could never let her go.
“I never thought ah could be happier than ah was,” said Terry. “I had the most amazing fiancé in the world, but now I’m goin’ t’ have the most amazing kid, too! I promise t’ ya that I’ll be the most amazing pappy in the world. Thank you. This is just . . . thank you!”
“I’m the one that should be thanking you. I love you, Terry.”
“I love you, too, Natsuko. I love you. . .”