Disclaimer: I made up the restaurant but everything else is not mine.
This is a list of items I had to include in the story:
Eddie's Angel, snow, news, a black dog, delayed flight, New England patriots (sorry I couldn't resist), Ric, Alexis, Kristina, Viola, toaster, margaritas, candles, Hershey kisses, Scene it? (the game), camera, a storage container, snowplow, Ray Romano, chicken, a chocolate cake, Maryland, frozen tundra, jeans, Yale sweatshirt, and "Chocolate the moose" TY beanie baby, and Luke!
Ric's Angel
Ric, through the knowledge he gained on the day he moved in, knew that Alexis wasn't athletic by any stretch of the imagination. Yet he still picked a place where the whole idea was to go down a slope with poles strapped to your feet. For their honeymoon, she took solace in two things: being with the family that she loved so much and the spa. Thirty-two types of massages, she'd be in heaven. Alexis knew she'd have to ski for at least one of their days in Aspen in order to have a little bit freer reign on how her time without Ric and Kristina was going to be spent.
Ever since hearing of the plans for their honeymoon, Alexis had worried….about everything. First it was if they had packed warm enough clothing. Then it was about delayed flights around Aspen because of all the snow they had been getting. Finally, it was about how much time she would have to spend skiing. Ric was going crazy with all of her worrying.
"Alexis? Since you're having such a hard time having fun with this vacation do you want me to cancel it? I don't want you to be so worried that you end up not having fun."
"Oh, Ric. I'm sorry to be such a spoilsport, but you know about my asthma and…"
"Oh, the asthma! Why not just say it Alexis? Come on, say it with me: panic attack."
"No way. I'd never admit that. Even to my husband," she stated matter-of-factly and promptly walked over to their suitcases to check them again. "Besides, I'll have all sorts of time to relax over the course of the honeymoon. I mean, you did say there were many different types of massage, right? That sort of thing is right up my alley."
"Well, that's not the only thing we can do to relax," he said slyly.
"Yes, I'm well aware of those things that newlyweds do on their honeymoons. I just hope I won't be too tired from all the skiing," she said with a small laugh and a wink to her husband.
"Well, we'll need to be on the road in an hour, but don't panic. You've already checked that we have everything." Turning away so she couldn't hear he whispered, "Several times, in fact."
"I already told you, I don't panic," she said, her voice as soft as his own.
After quite a bumpy flight to their destination, they finally arrived. When Kristina saw the little novelty shop in the airport, she had to stop. Before long, she'd had her heart set on a Ty Beanie baby named "Chocolate the moose." Ric, being the perfect stepfather that he was, immediately bought it for her, along with a camera for some memories they were sure to accumulate, and they were on their way to the perfect vacation.
They took a cab to their five-star hotel and after checking in, got in the elevator to the honeymoon suite and the suite next door to it. Viola and Kristina went straight to their room to get unpacked and ready to go skiing.
Before Alexis could step into what would be their home for the next couple of days, he stopped her and said, "Traditions dictate that I carry you over the threshold."
With a squeal she allowed him to pick her up. He opened the door and they looked around their great room. Ric walked her over to the window where they gazed down at the beautiful view.
"It's gorgeous," Alexis stated breathlessly.
But he wasn't looking out the window. "Not nearly as much as you are."
Their eyes met and a tear slid down her cheek. He stopped it with his thumb and brushed it away from her cheek. "No need to get all sentimental on me. I know you want me."
With a chuckle and a kiss, she said "Alright, when do you start teaching me to ski? I'd rather get it over with so I can check out that spa downstairs."
To Alexis, the slopes were a very beautiful frozen tundra. She had done her duty and tried to ski, she really had, but the truth of the matter was that she was no good at it. On one of her falls, she had almost rammed into a snowplow, but a lucky twist at the end prevented her from going to the ER for a cast. Ric had enjoyed every minute of watching her fall down before helping her up again. Kristina was enamored with skiing and made sure that she and Viola were going to be able to ski to their heart's content on the trip. After hours of falling down in the cold snow, Alexis finally quit for the day. Alexis had noticed how much of a thrill Ric got out of skiing so she insisted that he stay on the slopes for as long as he wanted; she had a date with the spa.
Alexis, in her most comfortable jeans and her Yale sweatshirt, stood in the middle of the resort wondering what to do first. After vigorously skiing for hours earlier in the day, she and her sore muscles were in the mood for a soothing massage. She finally decided on the Swedish massage, figuring it would relax her enough for the day. If that didn't work, she could always try another one the next day.
Hours later she walked out of the most relaxing day at the spa she could've imagined. Who knew that skiing could be this fun?
Minutes later she stepped into the suite to find a sleeping Ric and the tv turned on to a football game. "Hope you aren't a New England fan, because they aren't doing so hot."
Ric sat up abruptly and stared at her. "Whatever happened to the peace and quiet around here? This place is going to the dogs," he stated with a wink. "And for your information, the Patriots are my favorite team. But this is the Super Bowl and they're losing. I think I might be depressed. I might need some comfort after the game."
"Well, I'll take that into consideration, Counselor. And may I ask what our plans are for the evening? If it's something big, I'll need time to prepare. You know how I am."
"What? Neurotic, pushy, practically perfect in every way?"
"Oh, so Kristina made you watch 'Mary Poppins,' did she?"
"Only twenty times since you bought it for her."
"Oh, poor guy. And for your information, you bought that movie, not me."
"Fine, I'll concede that point, but nothing else….ever. And to answer your previous question: the two of us are going out to eat in the city. Our reservations are at this little Italian restaurant called "Perfezione." It's a very well established bistro and very hard to get into, but I pulled some strings just for you. You'll need to be ready in two hours. Can you handle that?"
"For you, maybe." After planting a kiss on his cheek, she ran to the bathroom to begin getting ready for her date with her husband. After his wife turned away, he flipped through the channels trying to find something to get his mind off of the surprises he had in store for her that night. There was Ray Romano on Comedy Central, changed it to the news. After watching the segment about a black dog in Maryland that had a hero complex, he finally turned back to watch the Pats lose the Super Bowl.
Ric had planned their evening perfectly. He parked the car a few blocks away from the bistro in order to spend some quality alone time with his wife. They quietly walked in silence to the restaurant, reveling in the peace that was their relationship at the moment. The hostess approached them as they walked into the bistro and led them to the most secluded spot in the place. As they looked at their menus Ric said, "Let me guess…mineral water, salad and the fish, lightly grilled." He smiled as she tried to register where she had heard that before.
As she found the memory she was looking for, Alexis slyly stated, "Well, you Harvard boys are all the same. You think you know what women want, but you don't really, do you?"
"Well I haven't heard you complaining about me not knowing what you want. In fact, you've been very vocal in the fact that I do know what you want."
"Must you be so crude all the time?" Every time she flirted with her husband, she felt giddy. No one had ever made her feel this way, and she loved the fact that she could be so open with another person.
"Oh, I know you love me for it, so stop whining."
"Mr. Lansing, I'd advise you to stop telling me what to do or else you could end up on the couch. If that happens, this honeymoon might not be able to live up to all it's hype."
"Mrs. Lansing, I do believe your threat fell on receptive ears. So from now on, I will behave."
The waiter came and took their orders. Alexis got the grilled chicken with a side salad, while Ric got the manicotti. Both had wine with dinner. Their dinner was a quiet affair, with many loving glances towards each other. "When the waiter comes, will you ask him for one of those…you know…."
"One of those what?"
"You know, the storage containers…for your leftovers."
"Oh, you mean a doggy bag."
"Well, this is a classy restaurant, I wouldn't call it that."
"Call it what you want, but yes, I'll get one for you." After he got the waiter's attention, he stated their request for desert, along with Alexis's insistence for a doggy bag. For desert, they shared a piece of chocolate cake.
After dinner, Ric led the way back to their car. They passed a toy store with board games in the window and they both laughed as they realized they were far removed from knowing anything about these newfangled games that had been created in the past few years. Scene it? Texas Hold 'Em Yahtzee? With a last laugh, they continued walking toward their destination. Alexis didn't seem to notice he had been taking a different route to the car, but was surprised when they stopped at a little shop along the way.
"Ric, what are we doing here?" she said with a glance around.
"Okay, well this is our honeymoon, right? And we've been married for what, almost two months?"
"Yes…but what does this have to do with it."
"Um…well, Alexis, you know I love you right?" She nodded in affirmation. "Well, I kind of figured it was time…damn, this is hard."
She put her hand on his shoulder for support, "Ric, you're worrying me. What's going on?"
With that, he dropped to his knees, pulled out a ring box and said, "Alexis, will you wear this as a symbol of my love for you?"
Her eyes immediately filled with tears, and then she nodded. He placed the ring on her finger and then kissed her. They were both still teary eyed when they reached the car. They then made their way to the hotel.
When Alexis had been getting ready earlier in the night, he had made some calls concerning his next surprise. As they walked into the room, they found hundreds of lit candles around the room. Walking further into the suite, Alexis found a pitcher of margaritas waiting for them. "Well, you sure know how to make a girl feel welcome," she said with a grin. She turned to him and whispered, "Wait here, I'll be right back." Alexis left him with a quick kiss, and turned toward the bathroom.
He still had some little preparations for the room and while she was away, he put them into place. He got some long-stemmed roses and some Hershey kisses from out of the closet. Ric placed the roses on the night stand next to the bed, and he spread the Hershey kisses all over the bed, knowing they were one of her guilty pleasures.
While Ric was in the bedroom making preparations, Alexis was doing the same thing in the bathroom. Earlier in the day, she had placed a box in the bathroom with something she knew she would need for tonight. She pulled out her negligee and quickly put it on. Scholarly prude, indeed, she thought. Alexis knew he had shed this image of her since he had first uttered those words, but she liked to call him on things he had said in the past about her. She took her hair out of the barrette that was holding it back, letting it cascade down her back. Not wanting to give her secret up, she put on a robe and walked into the bedroom.
She noticed how busy Ric had been in her absence. She went up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He responded with a kiss, but stopped before they could deepen it. "Hey, hold on a minute! It's my turn to get ready now." She sighed with frustration, but let him go.
As he closed the door to the bathroom, she discarded her robe and set herself among the chocolate on the bed. Grinning at the roses on the night stand, she grabbed one and placed it in her teeth. Remembering the last time she had done something like this, she chuckled softly to herself. She had taken so much flak from everyone about that, none more so than Luke; he had been relentless. But she was no longer Eddie's Angel. She was and forever would be Ric's.
Ric hurried out of the bathroom, but was unprepared for the vision that met him as he reached the bedroom. His beautifully gorgeous wife was just sitting on the bed in a negligee that left nothing to the imagination and a rose between her teeth. "Now, get over here," she demanded of him.
The next morning, she woke to someone jumping on the bed. She reached up to her daughter, receiving her morning hug in the process. Kristina then lay down and snuggled with her. Ric, ever the cook, waltzed out of the kitchenette with some coffee and a smile. "The toast is still in the toaster, so breakfast will be ready in a moment." He kissed both of their foreheads, glad he finally had them all to himself.