Passion's Instinct

Seventy Two

Natalie

When I came home a few evenings later, I flicked my hair off my shoulder so it covered my neck, back to shoulder length again. I couldn't wait for what Hayden would say.

When nobody came out to see me, I sighed. "I'm home!" I called.

Then that's when everyone realized I was back.

The kids came running down the stairs with Hayden behind them, crashing into me and hugging me around my legs.

"Hi, guys!" I said, laughing and throwing my arms around the kids. "What were you doing upstairs with Daddy?"

"Dress up!" Temple answered, and pulled away to show me she was wearing one of my undergarments, which just so happened to be a lacy, white one.

I laughed again and looked up at Hayden, my eyes wide. He just shrugged.

And then his eyes went wide too as he stepped closer and took a lock of my hair, running his fingers through it.

"Natalie, why did you do this to your hair?" He put a pouty face on. "I like it long."

"Aww, I'm sorry. It was just getting in the way."

His expression melted into a smile as he tucked my hair behind my ear. When he kissed me, I brought the hair back out from behind my ear and flicked it back behind me.

He pulled away to look at me and noticed my hair was behind me, but didn't have time to say anything before I distracted him.

"Hayden," I said, training his eyes to look back at my face. "Do you want to see something else new?"

"I don't know. Do I?"

"Sure," I said, smiling. First, I tucked the strand of hair Hayden had originally tucked behind my ear again and turned to show him the new piercings in my right ear. I pointed to the three heart-shaped earrings in my cartilage with the hollow middles, then to the second-hole piercing in both my left and right ears. "Do you like them?" I asked, and met eyes with him.

I couldn't read his expression exactly, but slowly, the corners of his mouth upturned into a smile. "Yes. I love it."

"Really?" I asked, covering my mouth and squealing with excitement, then laughing. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, of course."

"Oh, and I have something else to show you."

"Alright. Show me."

I nodded and turned around, brushing the hair that clung to the back of my neck to show him something, but covered it back up again. "I'll show you later."

"Why?"

"I don't want to take my shirt off in here!" I cried, beaming.

He smirked. "Okay, well let's go upstairs and you can show me there."

Of course, as we were walking up the stairs, I was called by one of the kids. "I'll be there in a second," was my response, and I hurried up the last couple of stairs and ran in our room, cracking the door behind me once Hayden had come in.

I turned my back to him and lifted my shirt so I was exposing the fresh tattoo I had gotten, the black words inked from the back of my neck all the way down my spine. It read, 'he is my love, he is my everything' in cursive, the word 'everything' in a more slanted font. Hayden ran his fingers down my spine, and I shivered. I don't know why, but to this day I still do when he touches me there. I thought it was because it's a sensitive area, but who knows? Maybe it was just him.

He was silent for a minute, when I turned around to face him, but then he smiled, his eyes glassy. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and wrapped my arms around him as my heart felt for him. He kissed my neck once softly, his head buried in it. "I love it. I love you."

I never thought my husband would be emotional over something like that, but I guessed it just hit something inside him. I pulled away and kissed him, smiling. "I love you too."

"Why did you get the piercings and tattoo."

"Because I wanted to."

He laughed. "I know that, but other than just because you wanted them."

"Oh. I was bored."

He laughed again, smiling a small smile. "I get it. Anyway, um... hey, I have to run a message. Do you want to come with me?"

"Oh, I needed to do some things here, but you could take the kids," I suggested.

"True. Yeah, I guess I'll do that." He started towards the door, but stopped in his tracks, and said, without turning around to look at me, "you're welcome," and then walked out.

I smiled to myself, happy to have the house to myself an focus on the chores I had to do, also smirking at the adorable Canadian terms Hayden used. Run a message. Usually we would say run an errand. Whatever. I had gotten used to it. After all, I did live in Canada where most people said different things like that, and one side of the family used terms similar to that, and I was married to a man who used terminology like that all of the time.

So yes, I guess you could say I was used to it by now.