Prevailing Love

Chapter 28

I wait until I hear Steffy turn the bath water upstairs off before beginning my mission of setting up. I have all I need to make this a romantic, memory filled evening, but I am at loss for words and what I should and shouldn't say, what memories should I remind her of, and which ones should stay locked away.

I feel nervousness creep up while I am setting up as if this is our first date. I feel rusty, like I haven't done something like this in a long time, when in reality it was only a few weeks ago. But this has to be different, this can't be ordinary. I need to make a good impression. This could be a make it or break it night for us. I know I shouldn't be nervous, that it is only Steffy, but I don't want to scare her or disappoint her. I want her to relax and be able to connect to the memories and be able to move forward. I feel my hands sweating as I light the candles and my heart is racing. I lick my dry lips. It always baffles me how after all this time, and now memory or no memory she has the ability to make me nervous. "Come on Liam, get yourself together. It's only Steffy," I whisper to myself when setting down the last candle.

I light the last candle before pulling out our collection of Bob Hope and picking a couple of Steffy's favorites. I put them neatly on top of the fire place. I go outside quietly onto the patio and grab the vase with red roses that I bought earlier and sneakily put outside against the house so Steffy wouldn't see them. I place them onto the coffee table and line tea candles in a circle around the vase. I debate if I should turn music on, but ultimately I decide against it. I'm not sure if it would add anything. I walk over to the fridge pulling out one of Steffy's favorite red wines before reaching up into the cabinet for the wine glasses. I set them down on the coffee table as I head to the back fridge in the walk in closet in the kitchen to grab the cheese and fruit platters. I couldn't risk putting those items in the kitchen fridge and Steffy seeing them and ultimately my surprise night be ruined.

I smile as I look around the room, pleased by the set up, but still nervous about what will come tonight. "Hopefully, we get our lives back tonight. Hopefully, my love, you will come back to me."

I hear movement in the bathroom as well as the hair dryer, so I know that Steffy has gotten out of the tub. An image of Steffy getting out of the tub, naked and dripping wet flashes through my mind. I know right now, knowing her the way I do that she is probably standing in front of the bathroom mirror in her bra and panties, while blow drying her hair. I gulp as I stifle another groan. I am aching for her. What I wouldn't give right now to be holding her and burying myself deep inside her, as we fall from the high of our love making. It's been too long since we have shared a moment like that. I think back to Steffy's words before she left for Napa.

"Liam, it's barely been 5 hours."

"Too long," I reply. "It's been 5 hours and I'm acting like this, how do you think I'll be after four days?"

"What I wouldn't give to know that it would only be for four days," I sigh sadly to myself.

I pour two glasses of wine for us and I then sit down on the couch and wait for Steffy to appear. After a few minutes I hear some rustling in the bedroom, before finally hearing the bedroom door jiggle. It's only been a few minutes, but I feel like it's been an eternity since she went in to the bedroom to relax in the tub. I stand, still nervous, my heart beating as fast as a marathon runner. I pick up one of the glasses of wine and hold it steady in my hand while looking at the door.

She appears at the door, in long silk pajama bottoms and a black tank top. Her hair is pulled back away from her face in a ponytail, and she wears a smile on her face. I can't help but stare at her. Her beauty even in pajamas just emulates everything that is in this room, or even more so in this world.