Romantic love story

Chapter Thirty-two: Hand in Hand

Silence hugged Madison as she opened her eyes and saw the morning sun play on the ceiling. Her gaze drifted down to the man sleeping at the end of the couch, just one whole cushion away.

Slumped on one side, one arm under his head, the other draped over his stomach, Terry had the look of someone who wasn't exactly comfortable but was still managing sleep. His lightly messy hair, the half open mouth as he snored, the beard just showing on his chin-- it all made her long after Terry. She cozied with her pillow and watched him, the small moments as he stirred and shifted and then fell back to sleep.

Everything made her happy; he could have scratched his nose, and she would've sighed with delight.

Madison glimpsed down at her gray T-shirt and saw the butterfly. She was a newly born butterfly and her wings were trembling with longing for the sky.

How she wanted to fly. To be where she belonged.

Pushing back her blanket, and hoping she wouldn't wake him, Madison crawled across the cushion separating his space and hers. She paused when Terry's snore grew a little louder, then edged closer to him when he kept on sleeping. Careful not to jostle him, she settled against his arm and hugged his shoulder ever so lightly.

This was her sky.

A snore caught in Terry's throat and she looked up to see him struggling against sleep and surprise.

"It's only me." She touched his face and he relaxed. "Sorry, Terry."

"It's okay. For a minute, I thought you were someone else." He yawned, then broke into a groggy smile when she felt the stubble on his cheek. "I can't even begin to tell you how good that feels, Maddie. You might want to stop."

She touched her cheek to his and let his beard scrape against her skin.

"Maddie--"

"Please, just one kiss. Just one?" He didn't try to stop her, and they kissed until she had to push away. Her hand clutched his shirt, but she pushed away and hugged his shoulder while Terry struggled without her. He was awake now, and he deserved more than what she'd just given him. "I know what you've said already, but you're going to be sorry you married me, Terry. I just know you are."

"Cut it out."

"I can't help it."

"Don't do this to yourself." His voice had a sleepy tug to it, an inviting closeness that made her want to crawl inside one of his pockets, just to always be near him. "We went into this trusting God, so let's not panic, okay?" Terry took a deep breath and she could see him collecting his thoughts. "We're about to leave this hotel suite, and I want us to do it in faith. God got us this far, didn't He?"

Madison nodded.

"That should give us reason to hope for the future. We've got a Bible full of promises to feed our courage with, and as far as you and I are concerned..." Terry took a moment and Madison could see his determination grow. "If God shows us that you can't be intimate, that it's not a part of His plan for us, then that's what we'll accept. I will accept it, Maddie. I'll love you, and cherish you, and I believe God will bless us. I also believe He has more in store for us, but even if He doesn't, as long as God gets what He wants from us, then who am I to complain? I'll have your love, and that won't change what I have in my heart for you." Terry touched her cheek and let out a long breath. "Are we in agreement? I don't want to wake up one morning to find you've left me because you thought it was for my own good."

A lump pushed down Madison's throat. She nodded in agreement as Terry's hand went back to her shoulder.

"No more talk about my being sorry, okay? Unless I tell you differently, you're to assume I'm outrageously happy, just as I am. Married to this sweet woman right here."