Space in Our Harts
***Willow Pond***
Jennifer and Jonathan were upstairs in their bedroom, packing. It was going to be their first vacation in about 4 months. This was their 10th anniversary trip. Jennifer had no idea where they were going, only that they were going somewhere tropical. Jonathan was keeping mum on the rest of it.
She had pulled out all of her sun dresses and coverups.
She held up a sundress that was bright blue with pink pinstripes.
"Darling, do you like this on me?"
"Yes, actually, I do".
"But do you like it, or do you *like* it?"
"I love it".
"Ok, then it goes with us".
She finished packing her dresses and then started on her bathing suits.
She was mumbling around and looking in all her drawers. Jonathan could tell she was getting frustrated.
"What's wrong?"
He came over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"I cannot find my bathing suit tops".
He pulled her back against him and kissed her head.
"Why are you bringing the tops?"
"Jonathan!"
She turned around and kissed him.
They finished packing, and then put their suitcases on the window seat and headed to bed. They were leaving first thing in the morning.
Jennifer climbed into bed and wrapped her arms around Jonathan.
"You, me, and 10 days….in…paradise? Are we going to paradise?"
"Not giving you any hints, darling".
She started kissing his chest.
"Please?"
"No".
She kissed him again.
"Please?"
"No…"
She leaned up and kissed his lips nice and slow and did that thing he loved her to do on his bottom lip.
"Ok. One hint".
He rolled her so that her back was against him and he was holding her close, and leaned down to her ear.
"We are going…..someplace tropical".
"Jonathan! You promised!"
She reached back and swatted him.
"All will be revealed in due time, darling".
They snuggled up and fell asleep.
***The next morning***
Jennifer woke up when the alarm went off, and rolled over and kissed Jonathan.
She got up and went and got in the shower. Jonathan woke up and got in the shower right when she got out.
He couldn't help but notice that she was being quiet and not asking for hints. He figured she was doing it on purpose, hoping he would drop one.
Not gonna happen.
They were headed to the airport by 8. Jonathan ran through a Starbucks for him and Jennifer, and she doctored his coffee the way he liked it.
"Darling…we have been married almost 10 years. When are you going to tell me the secret recipe for your coffee?"
"I don't know. When are you going to tell me where we are going?"
"Not till we get there".
"Well, then my secret recipe is safe for a little while longer".
He smiled at her. She had sure outsmarted him this time.
She laced her fingers through his, and they continued to the airport. The whole way there, she kept thinking in her head-"Coconut oil, coconut milk, and a dash of vanilla".
They got to the airport and boarded the flight and took their seats.
She could tell it was driving him crazy that she wasn't asking for hints.
As soon as they were allowed to move about the plane, he scooted over towards her and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to him.
"It's possible that there are a few things waiting for you in the bedroom".
He kissed the side of her head.
She turned towards him and kissed him softly, and then headed to the bedroom.
She opened the door and immediately saw a present on the bed. She went over and picked it up.
It was wrapped in bright blue wrapping paper, which he knew was her favorite.
There was a gorgeous shimmery white ribbon tied around it, and there was a charm hanging off the ribbon. The charm was sparkly and "J" shaped. She slipped off the ribbon and began to open the present. Inside she found a beautiful gold ankle bracelet with opal stones.
She turned to find Jonathan behind her.
"Darling…it's absolutely beautiful. Thank you".
She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Now, I was thinking you might want to relax. So, why don't you go put on a nightgown, and I will give you one of my classic massages?"
"You got it".
She went over to her suitcase.
"Nuh-uh".
He was shaking his head as she looked at him.
"Alright."
She walked over to the closet.
"Nope".
She grinned and then went to the dresser. She slowly opened a drawer, and found a wrapped package.
She pulled it out and brought it to the bed, and unwrapped it.
She found a gorgeous shimmery white spaghetti strap nightgown, with a short short-sleeved white silk robe.
She was excited and leaned over and kissed him.
She quickly changed, while he got the bed ready, and then came and laid down on the bed and hugged a pillow.
He straddled her back, and slowly slid the straps down her arms and tugged the nightgown down so that her whole back was exposed.
He rubbed her with the tingly stuff that she loved for just a minute or so, and then leaned down close to her ear.
"Darling…we can keep doing this, or I can give you more hints".
"Jonathan! That's so mean…."
"Pick your poison, darling".
"I want both. Mix them together". He could hear the defiance in her voice.
He leaned down close and whispered.
"Ok, but only because you are cute".
"Darling…. See if you can follow my fingers. What shape am I tracing?"
He gently traced an A on her back.
"Mmmm. I think that might be the letter A? Or is it the Eiffel tower?"
"Letter A is correct".
"Next letter coming up".
He traced an 'M' on her back, right between her shoulder blades.
"That was easy. That's an M".
"Good job. Here's the next one".
He traced an 'I', which she got immediately.
"Last one".
He traced a 'C'.
She got that one too.
He started rubbing all her knots out.
"Ok, now put them together and what do you get?"
"A, M, I, C".
Jonathan chuckled.
"I forgot to tell you there were two more A's. Plus, you have to add in the J from the present".
She was trying hard to think and put it together but she was getting very relaxed from her massage.
"Amaica….Jimaica…oh I got it, Jamaica". She drifted off to sleep.
He climbed off her, and laid next to her and then pulled her onto him.
"Happy surprise trip, darling".
He kissed her forehead and then held her as she slept.
***A few hours later***
She slept for about 3 hours, and woke up to find herself in Jonathan's arms, on the bed. He was sleeping gently right next to her.
She softly kissed his lips and then laid back down against his chest.
They stayed like that another hour or so, and then he woke up and found her awake, just lying there with him.
"Hi darling".
"Hi".
"So, are you excited?"
"About what?" And then, she remembered that she had figured it out, and got all happy.
"Jamaica! Yes, I am so excited".
"Well, good, because there are more surprises to come".
He kissed her.
"Darling…do you ever wish we had children, or we had adopted a child?"
"Sometimes. But, I love our life together, darling".
"I do, too. You make me so happy, it's not that. I was just thinking that you and I have so much love to give, we could have given it to a child. And you were raised in an orphanage and longed for someone to adopt you-we could do that for someone who feels the same way".
"Darling…if you want to adopt a baby, we could. But, we would have to give up a lot, like traveling, nights out, our spontaneous sex life".
"I know. It's probably not the right time, I was just thinking 'what if'.
He nodded and kissed her.
"Jennifer-I just want you to know… even though we never had children, you have always made me the happiest man, just by being married to you and being able to spend time with you."
She thought she could see some hurt in his eyes.
"Jonathan-you make me happy too. It's not that I am not happy".
"I know, you said that".
"Jonathan-"
"I didn't mean to snap at you".
"It's the truth. I am blissfully happy. I was just imagining what our lives would have been like with children. And I was wondering if you ever imagined that, is all".
She sat up and tried to climb out of his embrace but he pulled her back towards him.
"I love you, Red".
"I love you too, Jonathan Charles".
She kissed him and then got up. He could see she was still concerned. She went to her suitcase and started to change clothes.
He got up and came and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"You and Max are all the family I ever needed. If we go to our graves never having children, I am just fine because I had you".
"Aww… how sweet".
He kissed the side of her neck and then let her get dressed.
"I'll meet you out front".
Even though she had heard him tell her that she was all he needed and he was acting as if things were fine between them, she just felt that he was still hurt by her question.
