Her Greatest Treasure II

Chapter 1:

2 years later...

I'm awaken abruptly by a wet kiss. And no, it's not Christian.

"Babe, can you take Lucky out?" I groan, knowing Christian has probably been awake for hours.

No answer. Huh.

"Babe!" I groan again. "Ugh!" I wobble out of bed and put my glasses on before heading out into the kitchen. I smile as soon as I see the mop of brown hair I've played with so many times cooking eggs at the stove.

"Good morning!" he sing-songs as he wraps his arms around my waist from behind me.

"Good morning. Lucky needs to go on a walk; can you take him while I shower."

"Of course I can," he says as he gives me a quick kiss. "You have morning breath."

I slap his arm. "You kissed me, need I remind you? You brought that on yourself bud."

His nose scrunches up in disgust. "Never call me bud again."

"Yeah I regretted it as soon as it came out of my mouth."

He gives me another kiss anyway. It's been like this for the past two years now; constant banter and snuggling on the couch with our dog, Lucky. I thank god everyday that my Dad is in jail, my Mom and Ken and the kids are in touch with us constantly, and we have the gold.

And get this: a few months ago Christian asked me if I actually wanted to get legally married. Of course I said yes, so these past three months we've been wedding planning, which is a lot harder than it seems. If it were up to me we would just elope, but Christian insists that we do it right with a ceremony surrounded by friends and family. I'll admit, that made my heart flutter. It's insane how after two and a half years together he still gives me butterflies.

So yes, life has been pretty darn blissful since the incident with my Dad happened. I haven't heard or talked to him since he went to jail, and i like it that way. It's easier just to launch myself into the family I'm building with Christian and maintaining a relationship with my Mother's family.

After the shower I get dressed into a light sundress to surprise Christian. We go on dates all the time, but I rarely dress up, and today I want to surprise him.

"Oh, hi," I hear Christian say to someone on the phone. It's probably one of his friends that he surfs with. I brush it off. "Come on in."

Wait. Someone's at my house? We both have been really hesitant about visitors since my Dad went to jail. I put a necklace on as I walk into the living room to investigate.

"Avalon, hi! So good to see you!" Erin squeals as she pulls me into a tight hug.

Definitely not an intruder. Just an overbearing soon to be sister-in-law. Christian gives me a tight smile, and I read it as help me.

"This is my girlfriend, Sabrina." I look to the strange woman Erin has invited into my home. "We've come to help with the wedding! It is only a week away, yes?"

"Uh, yeah," Christian tells her. "Erin I haven't talked to you in over a year, what are you doing here?"

"Well Sabrina made me realize it's important to stay connected with family. If there's no bad blood between us then why is it so hard to keep contact? And wow, how did you two afford all of this?"

"My Dad's inheritance when he died," I lie. They don't know the truth about my father. Sabrina looks at me suspiciously.

"I um... you stay here. I need to talk to my fiancée for a moment." Christian grabs me by my arm before leading me into the bedroom.

"Babe, we can't do this now; you're sister's in the other room," I joke as I swat him arm.

"I'm sorry she just showed up like this. I can't believe her—"

"How did she know we were getting married?"

"I... the night I asked you if you wanted to get legally married, I guess she saw it on my Instagram."

"Arg."

"I'm so sorry, I—"

"Hey, that's alright. We'll be inviting, but there's no way in hell two strangers are staying in our guest room. I know your sister isn't a stranger, but her girlfriend is giving me weird vibes."

"Almost all of Erin's girlfriends have had weird vibes. But I'll tell them to go to the bed and breakfast a few blocks over. Alright? Are we good?"

"We're good," I tell him with a lingering kiss. He places a hand on my back as he leads me into the living room again. Erin's toothy smile practically blinds me. "With the wedding coming up, we think it might be best if you guys stay at the nearby bed and breakfast. We're happy to have you at the wedding, though," I say as cheerfully as possible.

"Yay! Thank you!" Erin cheers with a clap of her hands. "You won't regret it."

"What an adorable dog you have," Sabrina says as she goes over to the couch to pet Lucky. "What kind of dog is he?"

"He's an Alaskan Klee Kai," Christian says.

"Hm. Well thank you for having us; we'll be in touch," Erin tells us as she shoos Sabrina out the door.

"Now we really have to take Lucky out."

Taking Lucky to the park is my favorite time of the day. Christian and I always hold hands walking our dog son before we let him run free to catch tennis balls and frisbees.

To be honest, I didn't know if I wanted kids before I met Christian, and even when Christian and I were together I still wasn't sure. But then we got Lucky, and that all changed. And I know that kids and dogs are completely different, but we treat him like our human child. Just watching the way Christian interacts and takes care of something other than himself (and me) makes my heart melt. Even though Christian and I aren't planning to have kids anytime soon, I can't wait. But first Christian and I have to live out what we want to do as a couple: get married (duh), travel the world, start a charity, and move to a much bigger house. The apartment has just gotten too cramped for when we bicker and need space. Thank god that doesn't happen a ton. We've learned over the years what ticks each other off, and so we've learned to bite our tongues a little bit more.

"Come here boy! Come here!" Christian says in his dog-dad voice as Lucky runs towards him, frisbee half in his mouth.

"My boys," I giggle as Christian lifts Lucky up and I pet his belly.

"My girl! Give Mom a kiss," Christian tells Lucky, and I lean forward before he kisses me on the chin.

I hear my phone vibrate in my pocket before answering it. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, honey? Where are you right now?"

"I'm at the park with Christian, why?"

"I'm at your apartment; I have your dress."

"My wedding dress?" I gasp.

"Mhmm."

"I'll be right there. Let yourself in." I tap Christian on the shoulder. "My Mom's at the apartment; we should go back. She has my dress!"

"Does she really? Well then what are we waiting for! Let's go!"

"Uh uh. You don't get to see it until the day we get married."

"Only six more days," he says against my lips before kissing me. "Then I get to call you my wife."

"You've been calling me that for two years."

"Well first you were my girlfriend, then my wife, now my fiancée, and in six days my legal wife!"

I chuckle. "Let's go, you weirdo. Whitney's waiting for us."