october 13, 1989
your and nikki's shared home
"okay, were surprising my wife cause im not supposed to be home yet," nikki speaks quietly to a video camera as he steps into the house. he sets down his duffel bag and glances around the living room. he looks down at the bouquet of babies breath wrapped in brown paper and fixes a flower before walking up the stairs.
"i think she's asleep," he whispers to the camera again. he adjusts the camera so that its looking up at the bottom of his jaw. he opens the door slowly and sees a lump under a pile of blankets and mop of familiar hair strewed across the pillows. "yeah, its raining. thunderstorms put her to sleep."
he sets the camera down on the table facing the bed so that it catches the entire interaction. he looks down at you asleep, your facing the giant exposed window where rain punches the tinted glass. he slides onto the bed next to you, fingers lacing into your hair and running through it gently.
he leans down to press a kiss to your temple. "baby, wake up," he whispers, lips brushing against your skin.
"hm?" you hummed, reaching up to rub your eyes. you roll over at sit up, finally processing who's sitting in front of you but your too sleepy to care. "oh, your back."
he laughs and tosses his hands up. "yeah, your supposed to be surprised."
"oh," you smile before letting your own laughs escape your lips. "you wanna go back downstairs? ill pretend to be surprised this time," you joke.
"well not now," he tells you, rolling his eyes teasingly. "here, sleeping beauty," he hands you the flowers.
"oh, these are pretty," you smile brightly, biting your bottom lip in excitement. he watched you with a loving smile. "let me go put them in some water, ill be right back," you tell him, switching the flowers to your other hand so you can toss the covers off. he watches as you climb out of the bed in his t shirt, which engulfs you.
your short frame shuffles out of the door and down the stairs. he grabs the camera, shakes his head at it, and walks down the stairs just enough so that he can see you in the kitchen. you reach under the sink for a vase and fill it with some water and a little packet of plant food you had before laying the babies breath on the counter and unwrapping the paper.
"dude, like thats my wife. how did i get this lucky, man?" he whispers to the camera as it pans to you.
"hey hey hey, lover," you hum softly to yourself as you cut the stems of the flowers and place them in the vase. nikki smiles, finally walking the rest of the way down the stairs and putting the camera down again on a table pointing to you before walking over to the record player and slipping in the record he had made from your wedding day so that hey lover comes on.
you smile and look up. "this is not very heavy metal of you," you tsk.
he rolls his eyes, stepping over so hes next to you. you put down the scissors and look up at him. he picks you up and puts you on the counter, leaning on his hands placed next to your thighs. you hold his face gently while you sing softly, "hey hey hey, lover, you dont have to be a star."
he wraps his arms around you, hugging you tightly which you quickly return. "im glad your back, i miss you," you mumble into his shoulder.
"me too," he kisses the side of your face before pulling. "cmere," he hums and pulls you of the counter. he laces one hand with your and puts the other on your waist, slow dancing with you.
he spins you around and pulls you back, dipping you down to kiss you.
and thats where the tape cuts.
december 23, 2005
yours and nikki's same shared home
"thank god, i did not want to witness the making of lina. especially on the same counter i eat at." your oldest son, zane, complains.
"well you didnt have to watch it thank you very much. and, it wouldnt have been lina, actually it was you," you tell him as you get up from your spot on the couch to change the tape.
he looks back at nikki and to you with disgust. "you filmed it!?"
"no!" you both deny. which is true, you were both worried you have a sex tape scandal and luckily you never did.
"okay, good," he sighs in relief.
"aw, dad you were a sap," your middle daughter, mila, teases.
"were? still is, babe," you tell her.
she laughs and snuggles back into nikkis side under her blanket as home alone starts playing. you return to your spot on his other side with your five year old daughter in your lap as you watch the movie.
you were glad things played out the way they did even if you and nikki had had a rocky relationship the first year. this, having him here and your three kids, it was well worth it.
