The Hoodie Girl

Part 1

It's been five years now since we got married. Asher proposed in the spot where he made me burn my hoodie all those years ago. He was so silly about it. "Wren?" He asked. He hardly ever called me by my name anymore; just Birdie, so I knew it had to be something serious. I looked at him, nervousness written all over my features, and I found him, kneeling, a beautiful gold box in his strong hands. Hands that helped build us a cabin on this land. Hands that fit into mine like they were made to. Hands that I noticed were shaking just the tiniest bit.

"Wren," he continued. "This is where I first told you I love you. I told you it's hard not to fall in love with your laugh, or even your smile. I said it's hard not to fall in love with the twinkle in your eyes when you're happy. Now, I'm going to tell what is hard." He winked quickly, just as he always does, and my hand shot up to my mouth to stifle my laughter. He cleared his throat and continued. "What's hard is getting through all the walls you put up. We've been together three years now, and sometimes, I still feel you closing yourself off from me. What's hard is dealing with your stubbornness all the time. What's even harder than that though, is being away from you. Away from your laugh, and smile. Away from that happy twinkle in your eyes." By this time, my tears are everywhere, and I noticed there were tears in his blue eyes too. "I love you, Wren Martin, and I never want to know how hard it is to be away from you. I want to continue to wake up next to you when your hair is a mess and then get hit by all of your pillows so that I can't kiss you before you brush your teeth. I want to buy a home with you. I want to have kids and raise them in that home with you. And I want to grow old and die with you. I want to spend every moment of the rest of my life making sure you know how much I love you. Wren," he stood up, taking my hand in his. "You already make me the happiest man alive." Now he was crying too. I took my thumb and wiped away his tears, choking out a laugh as he shyly looks back to me. "You already make me the happiest man alive. Give me the chance to make you the happiest woman. Wren Martin? Will you marry me?" I shake my head, laughing at the memory. I said yes, of course, and we weren't even engaged two years before we were finally married.

"Hey Birdie? Help me with some firewood?" We were back at our cabin to celebrate our anniversary.

"I'm actually going to finish getting the stuff from the car! I'll meet you inside though okay?" I threw a look over my shoulder and watched Asher disappear into the woods. I grabbed his three presents, 2 gift boxes, the wrapping paper, and went into the cabin.

Scraps of wrapping and tissue paper were all over the table as I was finally finishing up. Right as I was putting on the last strip of tape, Asher walks in and sees what I'm doing. "Are those for me?" He asks. "You know I'd rather just unwrap you." He says, winking at me. I throw a wad of balled up tissue paper at him. "If you don't shut up, you won't get to unwrap anything!" I say teasing. He comes over and places a quick kiss on my cheek before putting the firewood in the bin.

Asher walked over to the door and propped it open, letting the cool June breeze filter in. He leaned against the doorway, just staring out. He looked so handsome just standing there; the light reflecting off of his features. He had his arms crossed, and I could see the content set of his shoulders, the small smile playing at the side of his mouth, his chest rising and falling with every leisurely breath. I loved this man with everything in my body. It's been almost ten years, but the blue-eyed monster still gives me butterflies every time I look at him.

"You gonna stare all day, or are you gonna come join me?" He asks, throwing the invitation over his shoulder. I got up from where I was sitting and walked over to him. He put his arm out, and I slipped under it, tucking myself into his side, and my head into his neck. He tightened his arm around me and took a deep breath.