Mari & Ilna- you guys are the absolute best. Thanks for EVERYTHING! There are no two people I'd rather be on this ride with.
Sandy-what would I do without you?
REAL Worlders-I can never fully express what all your amazing support means to me. All I can say is that in our fourth calendar year your support and encouragement keeps me as enthusiastic as I was about this project day one.
Wildflowers (1/1)
"Night night Ann Caf!" Joanie couldn't stifle a yawn as she leaned close to the screen of Mary's laptop. When she'd heard her mother mention a planned Skype with Catherine to discuss wedding issues she'd insisted on staying up to say goodnight to her beloved aunt.
"Good night, sweetie. I love you." Catherine beamed in response.
"I wuv you, too." Joan threw her arms out to the side and hugged the laptop.
"Maybe just blow Aunt Catherine a kiss," Mary suggested with a chuckle.
Joan placed both hands to her lips. "MWAH!"
Mary reached for a bottle of water on the coffee table and grabbed it just before her daughter's flailing arms could knock it to the floor.
Catherine laughed a blew a kiss of her own in return.
"Is Cammie dere? I kiss her too!"
"Cammie is actually having a sleepover with Uncle Joseph and Aunt Elizabeth and Grandma Ang and Smokey tonight."
"Smokey!" Joan threw her arms in the air.
"That's right." Catherine grinned. "You'll get to see him in a couple of weeks."
"I see Cammie and Smokey?"
"Bedtime now, peanut." Mary kissed her daughter. "You'll get to see them very soon."
"YAY!"
As Aaron picked up Joan and headed off for bedtime stories the little girl called over her shoulder, "Tell Unca Steve night night!"
"I will," Catherine promised.
She lifted her laptop off the coffee table in front of her, resituated herself more comfortably on the couch and rested the computer on her tummy.
"Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" Mary asked as Catherine's face came back into view.
"Positive," Catherine assured her. "Niblet just likes to insist I change position quite frequently these days."
"Not long now," Mary replied excitedly. "Three more weeks."
"Can I tell you a secret?" Catherine whispered conspiratorially even though she was alone in the house.
Mary leaned closer to the screen. "Of course."
"I have absolutely loved being pregnant," Catherine said sincerely. "Every minute of it. Even the swelled ankles, the cravings and needing to know where the nearest bathroom is at all times."
Mary smiled.
"But I am so ready to wrap this up," Catherine continued. "Obviously because we can't wait for her to get here but also because I just realized I'm not sure I can get up off this couch without help. If Steve and Danny's interrogation of the suspect lasts longer than expected I may have to call my dad to come over and help me up."
"Poor thing," Mary chuckled sympathetically. "How great is it having your parents so close?"
"So, so great." Catherine's beaming smile told the story. "But you didn't call to hear my pregnancy woes. How's the wedding planning going?"
"Good." Mary's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Did I tell you I got the sweetest email from Boris a few days ago? He sent a wedding planning checklist and told me to feel free to call him if I have any questions. Isn't that awesome?"
"Sounds like Boris." Catherine smiled as she shifted slightly, searching for a more comfortable position.
"We've narrowed the announcements down to these two." Mary held the samples up to the camera.
Catherine examined them closely. The first one had ornate silver script and beautifully embossed bells. Two delicate doves held the ribbons that formed the card's border in their beaks. The second one showed a simpler black script superimposed over a colorful field of wildflowers.
"I like the wildflowers," Catherine said honestly. "I think that one fits you and Aaron much better."
"Really?" Mary sighed with relief. "That was our favorite too. We were just worried it isn't wedding-y enough. You know what I mean?"
Catherine nodded. "I do." She smiled mischievously. "See what I did there?"
"Very clever." Mary grinned.
"Seriously though, Mare. You and Aaron should pick the things you love and that make you happy. It's your day."
"Wildflowers it is then," Mary squealed happily. "I was thinking if we ended up choosing this one I could take it to the florist and ask if they could kind of use it as a guide for the centerpieces."
"That sounds beautiful. It'll work perfectly with your venue."
"That's two things off the checklist then." Mary held the printout of the email Boris sent. "Only about a thousand to go."
"You'll get there," Catherine said confidently. "Just remember to breathe and remind yourself this is supposed to be fun."
"I just want everything to go smoothly, you know?" Mary bit her lip nervously.
"It will," Catherine assured her. "Do you think Steve would let anything go wrong on your big day?"
"There are some things even my big brother can't control."
"Don't tell him that." Catherine grinned. "Seriously, Mary, he loves you. We all do. But Steve will move heaven and earth if he has to to make sure you have exactly the day you want."
Mary smiled softly. "And I appreciate it more than you know. I don't want to ask too much of you guys since I know you're going to be busy once Niblet makes her arrival."
"We will be," Catherine agreed. "But please, promise me, whatever you need from us, you'll ask. We want to be part of this. Every step of the way. We'll figure out a way to make this work. We will never be too busy for you or Joan or Aaron."
Tears sprang to Mary's eyes. "You guys really are the best. I'm so lucky."
"Oh, don't do that," Catherine teased. "If you start crying I'm gonna start crying and then Steve will get home and find me stuck on the couch and sobbing and I'll never hear the end of it."
Mary snorted. "You gotta admit though, that would make quite a picture."
"You just wait." Catherine shifted again. "Someday this will be you."
Mary beamed. "Someday."
Catherine picked up on her sister-in-law's dreamy tone immediately. "Do you have something you want to tell me?"
"Oh no." Mary waved her off. "Definitely not." Her eyes twinkled. "Not yet anyway. But Aaron and I have talked about giving Joan a sibling. Or two."
"How exciting!" Catherine clapped her hands.
"It's a ways down the road." Mary couldn't help but smile at the thought of her future with Aaron and Joan and the possibility of expanding their family. "But when it happens … if it happens … I'll be glad to have a sister like you by my side."
"Well, that did it." Catherine sniffled as she swiped at the tears running down her cheeks.
"Sorry." Mary chuckled. "Okay, dry your eyes. Let's talk about dresses."
"I'm home." Steve dropped his keys on the table. "Sorry it took a little longer than we expected."
"That's ok." Catherine emerged from the kitchen carrying a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of water. "I was talking to Mary about the wedding until twenty minutes ago."
Steve took her arm and steadied her as she lowered herself to the couch.
"How's the wedding planning going?" he asked.
"Great." Catherine took a sip of water as Steve kicked off his shoes and sat down next to her. "We had a really great talk about the two of them putting their own stamp on the day and not doing things just because they think everyone else expects it."
Steve grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Very good advice."
"Are you hungry?" Catherine asked. "There's antipasto in the refrigerator. And lots of watermelon."
"I'm good." He chuckled. "Danny and I grabbed something while we were waiting for Rinker to be processed at HPD."
"How'd the questioning go?"
"He wants a deal before he rolls on the higher ups." Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "Someone from the PA's office will meet with him first thing Monday morning. The weekend in jail will do him good. Give him some time to think about how wise it would be to cooperate."
"Oh good." Catherine leaned her head on his shoulder. "Does that mean you don't have to go in in the morning?"
Steve kissed the top of her head. "Barring an emergency I'm yours for the entire weekend."
"I like the sound of that," Catherine purred.
"What exactly do you have in mind, Lieutenant?"
Catherine reached out towards her laptop and Steve picked it up off the table and handed it to her.
"After talking to Mary I'm kind of in the mood to look at our wedding pictures." She smiled softly as she opened the file that held both the shots from the professional photographer and the candid shots taken by their friends.
"Sounds like a great way to spend an evening." Steve put his feet on the coffee table and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Let's do it."
As they made their way slowly through every shot they stopped to reminisce about the special moments from both the wedding and reception. As beautiful as both events were, and as impeccable as Boris's planning proved to be, it wasn't the sights and sounds of the day they remembered most. It was the feelings that sharing such a perfect day with so many friends and family members evoked.
The love and support they felt from new and old friends alike. The joy of basking in the unconditional love of family, both blood and chosen. The joy of watching people they'd known for years forge instant friendships with people who had become part of their lives since they settled on the island.
During the years they were deployed their lives had felt fragmented. There was rarely a chance to bring family and friends together. Friendships forged through combat in faraway places felt completely disconnected from time spent with family.
Catherine was lucky. Her parents understood. They'd lived the lives themselves. Still, the once or twice a year she managed to see them it was always so far away from her current posting it felt like a separate world. They spent their precious time together catching up on family news and enjoying each other's company.
For Steve there were no visits home. There was only Catherine. As familiar as she was with his life and his missions he did everything he could to shield her from as much of the horror of his duties as possible. There were things he kept to himself because he had to. Because his position demanded secrecy. And there were things he kept to himself because he didn't want her living with the same horrific images in her head that regularly haunted his dreams.
On the coveted occasions when he got to spend time with Catherine's family he made a conscious effort to wall off his experiences in the field and be as present in the moment as he could. His SEAL life felt a million miles away as he reveled in the feeling of being part of a family. He still could scarcely believe it was real, and was worried it could disappear at any minute when both Catherine and her extended family realized she could do so much better than him.
But that never happened.
Catherine's love and support never wavered. Even when he felt like he didn't deserve it. Especially when he felt like he didn't deserve it. She was always there.
Once they settled on the island, started putting down roots and building a life together they slowly began to integrate all the previous fragments of their lives. To stitch them into a single tapestry. The good moments and bad meshed together to create who they are as individuals and as a couple.
No more walls.
No more barriers.
No more secrets.
There was no need for those things anymore.
Steve's hand came to rest on Catherine's tummy.
"You know, I remember thinking as we were dancing our first dance as husband and wife that I could never be happier or feel more complete than I did in that moment."
"Me too." Catherine sighed happily.
He rubbed her tummy softly. "I was wrong."
She looked at him with watery eyes. "Me too."
He kissed her softly on the lips. "What do you say we finish looking at these pictures upstairs. You need to get in bed and rest."
"Excellent plan." She smiled.
Steve turned off the lights and set the alarm as Catherine returned the popcorn bowl and now empty water bottle to the kitchen. They made their way upstairs but couldn't resist one stop on the way to their own room.
They stood quietly in the doorway of the nursery for several minutes before Steve kissed her temple and said, "It won't be long now."
THE END
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