It had been one beautiful year since Rebeca Mitchell-Benson had become Rebeca Mitchell-Benson Swanson. Yes, she had kept all her last names. Today was the last night of summer and coincidentally her one-year anniversary. To Beca, it could not have even been possible that a year had passed. For it stilled felt like only seconds since she had met her wonderful husband and children. Yet, she smiled and took in every ounce of joy that her life now brought her. She was busy this evening. Brady was starting middle school tomorrow. Kara started her first day of fifth grade. Beca herself started teaching third grade tomorrow, jumping ahead two grades that she was used to teaching. And she could not lie, she was a little nervous. Plus, the fact that Jesse had not really gotten a new scoring job since before the wedding was weighing a little on their finances. Still, she would never let her spirits dampen.
A lot had changed in the year since the wedding. Chloe had her beautiful baby, who was eleven months old now, Lindsey Anne Matthews. The beautiful little girl had brightened the Matthews family even more. Benji and his wife Lena were proudly expecting a baby, and her little seven-month belly was bursting with life. Amy and her husband, Evan, had moved back to Australia for good with their eight year old daughter Paisley. A decision that had been so hard and the girls spent hours crying together over it. Aubrey and her husband were splitting up. Something that had seemed inevitable after she caught him with another woman. Beca had been her shoulder to cry on and a hand constantly refilling her wine glass.
A lot had changed for the family itself. Brady had broken an arm and recovered. His teeth were now plastered with braces. His descent into puberty shot him up like a skyrocket. Something he had obviously not gained from his father. Kara was turning into a little woman. Dirt under the fingernails had been traded in for polish. A special trip to the store bought her very first of many special undergarments. Jesse was graying a little more these days. His children obviously providing sources of stress in his life. Plus, his lack of job had not been easy on him. He spent the entire year getting fit again, something that looked great on him. And Beca herself had changed. She quit wearing the dark and scary makeup all together. She bought a tube of, dare she even say it aloud, pink lipstick. She chopped her long locks into a stylish bob that she now kept a deep auburn color. It was a change for the family all around, but a change that was good.
The sounds of pencils on the table reminded Beca that her children had successfully procrastinated in doing their summer assignments until now. She chuckled in her head and went about her business. Double-checking her own bag, she knew it was packed with all the essentials. Kara had been helping her set up her room for the past two weeks now and that had been a big relief. Brady was nervous to be starting middle school tomorrow, yet at the same time very excited. She packed his lunch in a brown paper bag, something he had wanted as opposed to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lunchbox. Kara's still went into the purple one with the butterfly on the front. And Beca smiled at the small bit of youth her children still possessed. As she finished making lunched for the three of them, she started on a dinner for the four of them. It was the last night of summer, so Jesse and Beca had opted to stay in.
Beca was happy though. In the last year, something she had worked on was hr cooking skills. And since her children were no picky eaters, she made a romantic dinner for four. More like a super gourmet family dinner. She had even dissuaded her kids from eating lunch so that they would be hungrier when dinnertime finally arrived. Her menu was great. It started out with a soup, an onion soup with a cheese crostini atop it. Then, it went onto the appetizer course, where she served two different things. First, a rosemary shrimp skewer, which was one of Jesse's favorites. Alongside the shrimp came sausage and cream cheese stuffed mushrooms. Then, it was time for the salad. An intricate one that Beca loved, she called it the heartthrob salad. A concoction of a salsa like mix with kalamata olives, lettuce, and cheese. And the dressing she made was to die for. They had beef filets with cognac-onion sauce, fresh pan seared scallops over linguine with a tomato-cream sauce. For sides they had roasted garlic asparagus and mashed potatoes with marsala. She had even made a fresh garlic bread. After all this food, she was sure they would be stuffed. Yet, she made a special dessert for the kids. Their favorite. Chocolate chunk break puddings and sugar coated pecans. The meal was to die for.
The kids continued to work and Beca prepped the meal she had been planning for a week. She set out the beautiful tablecloth she had received for her wedding. Next, four placemats went atop this to preserve the cloth. She had gotten the same bouquet of fresh cut flowers from her wedding and had them in the center of the table. She lit the candles around the room and put out some incense. Smiling at her work, she went to finish her dinner.
At around six-thirty, Jesse rolled into the driveway. He had been out all day, first at the gym, then job hunting, then helping Benji move into his new house. When he walked in, he was greeted with the smell of his wonderful wife's cooking. He had been so blessed to find her for himself and his children. She appeared in the doorway and smiled.
"Hi lovey. Can you go shower and get into something nice?" She winked. There she stood, as gorgeous as ever. Her newly chopped hair (which he loved) was straightened and perfect. She wore a deep neck halter dress. It was a coral color, and it went perfectly with her summer-tanned skin. She wore a necklace he had bought her before the wedding, and diamond earrings that cascaded down her ears. She had on nude colored pumps and looking stunning.
He nodded, "Of course I can." He went up to her and kissed her. Then whispered into her ear, "I cannot wait to get you out of those later." He nibbled at her ear and neck causing her to shiver.
"Uh huh! Not until after dinner." She winked, he smacked her butt as she walked by and she smiled at him.
Jesse returned down twenty minutes later, dressed in a pair of khaki slacks, a mint green button up shirt a tie and his sports coat. He had on the watch Beca had given him this morning (along with another thing ;) for their first anniversary. He put on his boat shoes and made his way into the dining room, the smell making his stomach growl. When he entered he smiled at his two children sitting at their seats, obviously waiting for his arrival to start devouring the soup in front of them. His own son was dressed similarly to him; his hair gelled up in the typical kid style. His daughter had pulled her curly hair back with some clips and wore an adorable pink dress; a white shall veering her shoulders. She had even put on some of Beca's new lipstick, he noticed, and he chuckled.
Beca appeared from the kitchen, carrying what must have been the appetizers, and she smiled, "Okay, dig in!"
The family spent the next hour and a half at dinner. Savoring every bite of Beca's delicious cooking. They talked about all the wonderful things of the past year and all the great things to come. They discussed school the next day and laughed at the kids' jokes. It was a perfect evening. In the middle of the meal, Jesse would catch himself staring at Beca. Something he had done everyday since they had been married. And even before they had married. He never could quite believe that she was his and he was hers. They are each other's. A fact that every single day amazed him, just like she did. She caught him once and leaned over to kiss him, causing an eruption of "ew's" and "gross's" from the children. But they did not care, they were in love and happy about it.
After dinner, Jesse cleaned everything up with the help of Brady. Beca went to help Kara pick a first day of school outfit (something only two women could enjoy so much). He then took watched a little bit of the basketball game with Brady before it was time for showers and bed. He tucked each of his kids in, a ritual that they had formed before the first day of school. He kissed each of them on the heads and then stopped Beca as they walked towards their room.
"Okay. It's my surprise time now." He handed her a blindfold. "Put this on."
She giggled and did as she was told, "Okay. Where are you taking me?"
He led her into their room and gently helped her on the bed. She was smiling the entire time. Leave it to her husband to do something so corny and romantic. She could here soft music playing and smelled candles. He slowly took her blindfold off and Beca gasped.
All around her were rose petals. Of every color and size. The room smelled of her favorite candle scent, lavender coconut. She could hear the bath running and smelled the bubble bath he had bought at the store a few weeks ago (something she had found odd then). There was some soft jazz music playing and Beca smiled at her husband. He had put on the special sheets they had bought when they wed. There was a bottle of her favorite wine in a bucket near the bed and two glasses, the two glasses from their wedding. She leaned up and kissed him. Then, she noticed three envelopes on the bed.
"Open this one first." He handed it to her.
She giggled and carefully opened the envelope, which had a lavender sprig under the flap. She began to read:
To My Beautiful Bride,
It has been one whole year since I married you. One whole glorious and wonderfully beautiful year. Every day with you is filled with an abundance of joy and happiness. My love for you deepens every day, every moment, every time I look at you. Life since I met you has been perfection. The cherry atop the sundae, the icing on the cake. You get more beautiful every time I see you. And I hope I never ever have to wake up without you by my side. For you, I would do anything. Your wish is my command. Sometimes when I look at you, I think of how lucky I am. And I often wonder how I did get so lucky. The way you love our children and me has me more mesmerized every single time I look at you. You really are absolute perfection. Even your imperfections make you perfect. Enjoy this evening with me, before you go back to your busy work schedule tomorrow. Start with a relaxing bath (hopefully I can join you) and remember that I love you to bits and pieces. Happy One Year Anniversary to my beautiful Beca. I love you. Please never forget that.
All My Love,
Your Groom, Jesse
Beca looked up with tears in her eyes at the man she loved, "Baby… this is beautiful Thank you love." She kissed him passionately, "Please, come join me."
He took her hand and led her to the bathroom. He kissed her tenderly and let his hands find the zipper on her dress. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt and then slipped it off along with his sports coat. She delicately took her earrings and necklace off, putting them in her jewelry box by the sink. He slipped her dress down her body and she stepped out. She tugged on his jeans and they fell to the floor, stepping out of his own pants. He slowly unclasped her bra. Her breasts spilled out into the pale light of the candlelit bathroom and her bra fell to the ground. She slid her hands on the elastic of his boxers and slid them down, and he did the same with her underwear. She stepped into the warm water of their bathtub and he followed her. They kissed and made love and kissed again. They washed each other, savoring every moment with the one they loved. They got out and he slipped her robe over her shoulders. She then slipped his over his and they returned to the bed. He helped rub lotion all of her legs and she kissed his chest sending shivers down his spine. They finally laid back on the bed and he handed her the second envelope.
"Okay. Read this one next."
She smiled and opened the envelope, another spring of lavender falling into her lap:
To My Beca,
At first, I wanted to write a reason I loved you for every day since we have been wed. Yet, I figured that, although I could list 365 reasons I love you so, reading them before bed might be a bit tiring. So here, I will list twelve reasons I love you. One for each gloriously rewarding day:
You are so beautiful. Even in the little things you do. The way you crinkle your nose, or snort when you laugh to hard. The way you brush Kara's hair or cheer at Brady's games. You are the image of total perfection.
You are the most caring and kindest person I have ever met. You come with a gentle touch and a kind heart. The way you mother our children. You are the sweetest little human I have ever met.
Never have I ever been so impressed by anyone's intelligence. The way you cook. The way you smile and laugh. You're the smartest person I have ever met. I love that you can always put me in my place.
I love the way you keep me guessing. Your emotions, your favorite restaurants, the movies you want to see. You never make life easy for me and I love the way you challenge me. It makes me excited.
I love the way you make me excited. From the moments when we make love to the second you come in the door in the afternoon. Every time I even glance at you, my heart swells.
I love how much you love me. Your tender kisses. Your sweet hugs. The way you smile whenever I talk to you. The way when we argue, you never let it go long enough to ruin our dreams.
I love how open you are to everything. The way you embrace our friends' craziness. The way you encourage our children to try new things. The way you order the craziest menu item they have. It makes me smile.
I love the way that your body connects with mine. I love how we have discovered that we fit together like a glove. I love how you fold right into me and I do into you. It makes me feel safe to have you so close.
I love how ticklish you are. Whenever you're upset, I always know what to do to make you happy. Your little giggle whenever I tickle your neck makes me smile and I know it makes you too.
I love the fact that I know you'll never give up on me. I love how you know I will never give up on you. I love how no matter what, we have one another and can share in the everyday pleasures and struggles of life.
I love how we can complete each others thoughts and sentences. I love how a glance in your direction and we know what the other is thinking. I love the perfect way we connect every day.
Lastly, I love the way that I can thank God everyday that you have been blessed into my life. I love you and really everything about you. Yet these are some of my favorites. I love that our relationship has blossomed into something so spiritual and rich. I thank you for loving me. And know I will love you always.
Your Blissfully Happy Husband,
Jesse
The tears were heavily flowing by the end of that. She reached and threw her hands around his neck throwing him into a passionate kiss. They mad love again. And she gave herself over to him completely. Her orgasm rang through her body and reminded her of the sheer happiness he brought her. He collapsed on the side of her and kissed her temple. He pulled one more envelope from his bedside tables. She took it and kissed him lightly.
"Will I be able to handle this one?" She smiled through happy tears.
He nodded, "It's the gift part, my love."
My Love,
This letter is much simpler. For I just have some joyous news to share. I received the best news last week. Some of my music has been picked up for the next Spielberg flick. The pay is incredible and our lives should be able to return to some normalcy. But first, I have to give you the gift I have been wanting since I met you. Turn this paper over to reveal something special.
She flipped the handwritten card over and revealed an image of a house. She looked up at him her eyes wide. Slowly, she read the words on the back.
Welcome Home My Love. This is all for you. Eight spacious bedrooms. So one day we can fill them with our children. Six spacious baths so you never have to wait for me to get out of the bathroom again. A kitchen fit for a palace and a dining room fit for feasts. A finished basement (with a bar :) ) and two living rooms. An office space and am upstairs den. Best of all a swimming pool in the back and a tire swing near the edge of the lot. I hope that this is everything you could have ever imagined. I love you to bits.
1682 Magnolia Crescent
Rolling Hills Estates, Los Angeles, California
She began to cry and kissed him all over, "You are so absolutely perfect. I love you so much. I cannot believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you. You are so incredibly amazing. I cannot believe I got this lucky. You are so lovely. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
He kissed her, "I love you too darling."
"Happy one year, my king. I love you." She kissed him.
"Happy one year, my queen. I love you more."
They made love one final time before falling asleep entangled in one another's arms. A night seemingly perfect for them. Because all they needed was each other and their family to survive.
