Jordan came up to the white fence of Steve's house and used her walking stick to make her way down it until she found the archway entrance. She went through and walked up the stone path toward the house.

Steve sat on the front porch in a chair and set his beer down next to him. He smiled as he watched her approach. She had a pink backpack on her shoulders and her GPS in her other hand. "Hi. How was class today?"

She stopped and smiled, "Hi! I didn't know you were going to be home early."

"I had something to do this afternoon so I took the rest of the day off."

He reached out for her hand as she got closer, taking the walking stick from her and setting it against the house as she slipped the backpack off.

"Come here," he said, siting down in the chair and patting his legs, pulling her down on his lap. "How do you think you did on that math quiz?"

"Pretty good," she said happily, "I feel good about it."

He moved her hair back away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Good. I'm sure you aced it."

She put her arm around his shoulder. "How was your day today?"

"It was good." He leaned over by his beer and picked up a small box. "I got you something."

"You got me something?" she smiled sweetly, excited over that. "What did you get?"

"Just something small."

"What is it?" She squirmed on his lap impatiently.

He laughed over her childlike excitement. "Hold your hand out."

"Should I close my eyes?" she teased, doing just that and holding her hand out, palm up.

He took ahold of it and turned it over, slipping a ring on her finger. "Now we are official. It's a princess cut set in platinum."

She opened her eyes and took her arm from around his shoulder and glided her fingers over the smooth diamond, getting a feel for the shape. "Oh Steve, its beautiful. And it's so big!" She looked at him concerned, hoping he didn't spend too much. "You shouldn't have gotten one so big."

He rubbed his fingers up and down her back. "This is something you're going to wear for the rest of your life. It's not the time to be cheap."

She put her hand on his face leaning down and kissing him. "I love it, thank you."

"Are you sure? Because if you don't we can exchange it for one that you might like better, a different cut maybe."

"Never! It's perfect." She kissed him again. "I love it and I love you for knowing just what I would like."

He was thrilled over that because he had stressed about which one to choose, and after about an hour of trying to decide between three different cuts he'd finally chosen that one because it just seemed more like her, not flashy but elegant and set in platinum so it was durable, because she certainly wasn't a couch potato. Most days he would come home and she would either be on a walk or just getting back from one. Her classes had started a week before at the university and there was a bus that picked her up at the end of the street that took her back and forth to her classes. She was always on the go and he couldn't have been more proud of her.

"All we need to do now is set a date," she said.

"You tell me when and I'll be there."

"That's the other thing, where?"

"Where ever you want Jordan. I have some money put away so if you want big we can do big."

She loved him for that, but knew it would be silly to spend his savings on that. "I was thinking in the backyard. Patsy said it's really pretty back there and she even mentioned getting married on the lanai and just have the reception in the yard. It would be a lot more intimate and I just think it would be a waste of money to have it someplace that neither of us will probably ever set foot in again, and here we can walk through the memories every day. What do you think?"

He reached up and kissed her, knowing how important a wedding was to a woman, yet she seemed genuinely happy with a wedding that he could afford and not one her father would have thrown for her. He was glad now he had bought the most expensive ring. "I think I'm pretty damn lucky to be marrying you."

She smiled, "You say that now, but just wait."

"I'll say it now, and twenty years from now I'll say it again."

She put her arm back around his shoulder; "I honestly don't know how my life could possibly get any better than it is right now. We are going to be so deliriously happy together."

"I'd do anything for you Jordan. You know that don't you?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"I mean it too, its not just words. Your happiness is very important to me, more than anything else, and I'll do whatever I have to make sure you're safe and taken care of. You can always count on me, I promise."

She felt as if they were rehearsing their vows now. "And I promise to always make sure you feel loved and wanted. I trust you. I trust your judgment and I'll support it knowing that you will always have our best interest at heart."

If he had to choose three things that he needed from this marriage more than anything else, love, trust and support would have been the ones he asked for, in that order. The fact that she already knew it sealed the deal for him right then and there. As far as he was concerned in his heart Jordan was already his wife.

Jordan laid wide-awake in bed listening to him breathe softly next to her as he slept. She gently tapped him on the arm that was over her chest, "Steve," she whispered.

When he didn't respond she tapped him again a little harder. "Steve." He moved his legs and moaned slightly. "Steve," she said again as he stirred awake.

"What?" he mumbled half asleep, "Cold?" He nestled his naked body closer to her, settling back to sleep almost immediately.

"No." She tapped his arm again. "Steve."

He lifted his head this time, "What? What's wrong?"

"Do you want kids?" she asked.

He blinked trying to wake up. "What?"

"Do you like kids, do you want them?"

He sat up on his elbow looking down at her, still slightly confused. He ran his hand over his face, trying to focus. "Yeah, I like kids. Why are you asking me that now?"

"I was just lying here thinking how we have talked so much about the wedding and stuff but we never talked about that and I was just wondering."

He lay back down on his side, caressing his hand over her stomach. "I guess I just assumed it was apart of the package."

"Okay."

He closed his eyes again and then started having questions of his own. He sat back up on his elbow, "Do you want kids?"

She nodded, "Yes, very much."

He was satisfied by that and laid back down, closing his eyes.

"Are you scared to have kids?" she asked next.

He sighed, "I wasn't until you woke me up in the middle of the night to discuss it, but now I'm getting a little freaked out, so Jordan why don't you just tell me what's on your mind."

"It just scares me a little I guess."

He sat up resting his head in his hand, "It scares you a little?" he questioned. "You're lying here in the middle of the night dwelling over it and you're telling me it only scares you a little?" He moved his hand over her belly, "I think you're scared a lot, but tell me why?"

"How am I going to take care of a baby?"

The fear in her voice was unmistakable. "The same as anyone else. It's going to be scary. It's scary for everyone the first time around."

She huffed, "You know what I mean. How the heck am I going to take care of a baby being blind?"

"Jordan," he said passively, "you might have challenges that others don't, but I have all the confidence in the world that you will be an amazing mother. From everything that I've heard, parents learn as they go. We'll just be picking up different tricks than other parents that's all, but we'll be fine." He pulled her closer, "You'll be fine. Besides you won't be alone. I'm here, and I think the two of us together would have no problem raising a healthy, happy little kid."

She smiled over that explanation. He had an extraordinary way of calming her. "I'm just overreacting, aren't I?"

"No, it's a legitimate concern and I'm glad you told me about it."

She rolled over so she was facing him. "You just wish I would have waited until morning though, right?"

"Well to be honest if you're going to wake me up in the middle of the night to talk about babies," he wrapped a leg around her, "then I'd prefer the subject be more about how to make a baby."

She giggled over his reply, playing along. "Maybe we could practice the technique right now for future reference. I'd love to see your ending?"

"The ending?" he acted like that shocked him. "That's the easiest part." He rolled over on his back, taking her with him. "It's the beginning that always has me troubled. Is there enough foreplay? Do I go slow and work up to it, or should I start out of the gate like I'm chasing the rabbit and then just find a good stride?"

Jordan giggled over that analogy. She sat up on him and began to slowly stroke his chest. "You can chase the rabbit, or you can take a leisurely stroll in Jordan park, because believe me sir," she slowly leaned down until she could feel the warmth from his breath, "everything that you do always closes with a fabulous ending for me." She toyed with him by just barely brushing her lips over his.

His mind went blank over the playful subject discovering a new one that was so much more entertaining. It was her body that she began to slowly move over his, particularly her hips that she glided up and down, stirring his libido. He put his hands on her back, slowly pulling her shirt over her head until she was free of it, letting her hair fall over his chest and shoulder. He tossed it to the side and put both hands on her face, moving her hair back until he had it in a ponytail in his hand.

"You are so beautiful Jordan."

She never got tired of the way he admired her, it gave her confidence and made her feel every bit as beautiful as he declared. She laid her head on his shoulder, sliding her hands under him, holding him tightly. "I love you. I love you so much that I don't think you realize just how deep it goes."

He knew. "Yes I do, because it's the same for me."

"It scares me sometimes. I don't think I could make it without you."

"Don't say that Jordan," he whispered, knowing in his line of work the threat was always hanging over their head. "You don't need me to survive, and if something did happen to me the last thing I would want is for you to revert back to your old life. I'd expect you to pick up and keep moving forward, otherwise it would be an injustice to me, because all I want is for you to be happy and successful." He said it and he believed every word of it, but if the tables were turned and it was he who lost her, it would kill him. In this short time of knowing each other they had formed a tight bond that neither one took for granted or questioned. It was fate that brought them together, they both knew it; there was no other explanation for it.

The subject had turned from babies to death, which was too morbid of a subject in his opinion to waste their emotions on. He held on around her waist and in one quick motion he lifted her up and rolled her over so she was beneath him now. She let out a shriek at the sudden move, catching her off guard.

"I guess you're wide awake now," she giggled.

He settled between her legs, "Yes and since I have to work in the morning I really need to find a way to help me back to sleep." He moved down to her right breast, giving small kisses around her nipple and then continuing to the other. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Counting sheep," she recommended, holding her breath as his hand slid down between their bodies; she let it out along with a gentle moan as it came to rest between her thighs.

"No sheep," he grinned, enjoying her body movement that was responding to him. "Try again."

She put her hand over top of his that caressed her, gasping for air as it became more enjoyable. "I could…I could sing to you."

He liked the sound of that. "Ok." He moved up on her, kissing her neck as his hand slid under her, aligning his hips into position. "Sing to me."

She couldn't think of one song. She couldn't think of anything except the feel of his body as he moved on her, giving her a glimpse of the moment she was begging for. He imitated the motion of making love to her as her hands roamed over his firm body, pushing herself up into him, feeling just the tip of his erection as he playfully tormented her. She wanted him so badly at this point the anticipation was agonizing. And just when she didn't think she could take it anymore, he gave her what they both wanted.

"Sing to me Jordan," his voice just as needy as he entered her in one swift motion, going deep as she gasped. Her body responded at once to the feel of him as she laid her head back, moaning his praises, clutching his hips as he repeated it over and over. She sang to him but not in words but by the pleasurable sounds that came from deep inside her as he made love to her, satisfying both of their wants.

He was catapulted into some unbelievable euphoria that was brought on by the sounds of her gratification. All he cared about was making her feel good, and achieving that goal gave him the greatest high.

The combination of what he was doing to her body and the raw emotions that she felt for him was astounding. She loved it. She loved him.

"I love you," his voice weak and vulnerable, trying desperately to get closer to her. "Don't ever be afraid Jordan. I'm here for you. I'll always be here when you need me."

She kissed him feeling the tears slip out the corners of her eyes, knowing he meant every word and would die defending them.

Danny sat in the car out in front of Steve's house and honked. He glanced down as his cell phone buzzed, opening up the text from Patsy that included a selfie of her in her bra and panties from the neck down. He blew out a breath and smiled, "I've got a stellar girlfriend."

Steve sat up on the couch and looked out the window. "He's early," he growled. He pulled Jordan's robe closed and sat up on the couch as Jordan sat up with him.

"You can't leave now!" She straddled him as he tried to get up. "We were just getting started."

He fell back into the couch laughing. "I have to go." He looked at his watch. "The bus will be here to pick you up for class soon too."

She put her hands on his shoulders, "Let's play hooky."

"As pleasing as that sounds I can't." He grunted as he pushed off the couch, standing up with her still straddling him. "I have a meeting today with some people downtown, including the Governor."

"No!" she laughed, holding tightly around his neck and waist. "You can't go!"

He laughed with her as he held her around the waist and went to the closet, grabbing his gun and holster off the small table inside of it. "This might be kind of hard to explain to people today, why you are attached to me."

"I don't care," she said stubbornly. "I'm not letting go."

They heard Danny honk again and Steve laughed. "Jordan! I have to go!" He let go around her waist as she slowly slipped down his body until she was forced to stand.

"Okay fine," she pouted, "Go."

He went to kiss her and she pulled away just as his lips touched hers. "Oh no! You better run along." She stepped back and felt him grab her around the waist.

"I want a kiss goodbye," he laughed, reaching in again.

She felt his body movement and pushed on his shoulders, playfully screaming and laughing at the same time. "No kiss! If I don't get mine you don't get yours!"

"Come on baby, just one little kiss. I'm going off to battle the bad guys of Hawaii, I need something just incase I don't make it back."

Jordan's smile faded. "Don't say that!" She really pushed him this time, wiggling out of his arms. "Don't ever say that to me again!"

He realized his error, but didn't mean anything by it. "I'm sorry," he halfheartedly laughed.

"It's not funny, Steve!"

"I know. I'm sorry. But I'll be home tonight. I can promise you that."

"Don't make jokes about it."

'Strike two,' he thought, feeling like he was just digging himself in deeper and deeper. "Jordan," he started when there was a knock on the door and Danny stuck his head in.

"I've been honking for an hour!" He saw the look on both of their faces and knew he was interrupting something not so good. "Ok then…just hurry up. I'll be in the car." He closed the door.

He went to her as she bent her head, putting a hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry. I guess it's just something that I'm used too and I shouldn't have been so insensitive, but you also have to understand Jordan that even though in your eyes it's a dangerous job, I know how careful I am and I just can't dwell on what if. I can't live that way."

She nodded, "I know. I just worry."

He pulled her against this shoulder, "I like that you worry. It feels good and it makes me even more careful because I have you to come home too." When she didn't respond he felt uneasy about leaving her. "Jordan I have to go."

"I know."

"Are we okay?" He leaned back looking at her.

She nodded her response. "I'm sorry. I'll get used to it too." But she knew she never would.

He kissed her and she reached up, kissing him back this time and even smiling for him. "I love you. Have a good day." She kissed him again. "Tell Danny I'm sorry for keeping him waiting."

He hesitated about leaving, hoping she was really okay. "I love you too. I'll see you tonight."

She could hear the uncertainty in his voice and didn't want him spending the day worrying about this. "You know that you owe me for leaving me hanging like that on the couch."

He smiled, "Okay, how about if I take you out to dinner tonight?"

She smiled, shrugging as if she would settle for that, but the idea was very pleasing. "Okay."

He kissed her again. "Good. I got to go or Danny's going to have an aneurism."

She waved her hands at him. "Go!" But as he walked out and closed the door, she felt that wave of anxiety. "Don't do that," she scolded herself. "He'll be fine. You'll be fine. Life is good." She turned and went upstairs to get ready for class.

Steve jumped in the car and looked over at him sheepishly. "Sorry."

Danny set his phone down; making sure it was turned off and backed up. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just said something stupid."

Danny laughed, "What did you say?"

Steve sighed uneasily, "We were joking around and I said something to fact that she should give me a kiss just incase I don't make it back. You know, incase I get killed."

Danny looked over at him shocked. "What are you stupid?!"

"I didn't use the word killed!"

"But you insinuated it?"

He moaned gliding his hand down his face, "Yes."

"What are you stupid?!"

"I know! Okay, it was a slip-up. I didn't mean it intentionally."

"Don't EVER say anything like that to her," Danny ranted. "Do you have any idea what she's thinking when you walk out that door everyday?"

"Yes." He felt worse than ever now.

"I don't think you do, otherwise you wouldn't have said anything so stupid."

"Can you please stop? I feel like shit already. I apologized to her, do I have to apologize to you too?"
"Rachel left me because she couldn't handle the job." He looked over at him. "Jordan is just learning how to deal with it. She's already got fears floating around in her head, don't plant any new ones or make her feel unjust for the ones she has, it'll only make it worse, believe me."

He listened and took notes. Danny seldom had advice for him and when he did they usually argued over it, but this was one time that he was clearly an expert on the subject. "Okay." He looked over at him, "I get it, thanks." He knew she'd be getting ready for school right now so decided he'd call her later just to make sure she was all right. His guilt was getting the better of him and felt that maybe flowers tonight along with dinner would be a good apology as well.

Jordan came down the steps with her backpack and felt around the coffee table for her GPS. Steve had been playing with it the night before and told her it was on there. She almost knocked a glass over, silently cursing him for leaving it on the table and then scolded herself. She had to get used to a house that wasn't perfect all the time. He had to be able to live comfortably and he left glasses and dishes on the coffee table, she had to deal with that.

Her hand hit the GPS and she grinned. She stuffed it inside her backpack and swung it over her shoulders when there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked in a pleasant tone but was still surprised that anyone would be there that time of the morning.

"Jordan?" Terry said on the other side.

"Terry?" she asked confused, making her way over. She hoped her father wasn't with him, or wondered if he sent him there, maybe as a good-will deed.

"Yes, it's me. It's about your father Jordan."

She opened the door, "What about him?"

"He's had a heart attack this morning. I've come to take you to the hospital. Get your things."

Her stomach turned to knots. "Oh my God! Is he all right?"

"I'm not sure, but we should hurry."

"What happened?!"

"I'll tell you on the way."

She backed way from the door, trying to remember where she left her purse. "Oh God," she paused trying to collect her thoughts. "Steve! I should call Steve."

Terry came in the house and scanned the room, seeing her cell on the kitchen table across the way. "Where is your phone and purse? We really should hurry."

He pretended to help her look but went directly to it, moving it out her way.

She felt along the table. "I swear I left it right here."

"I don't see it." He smiled and was mildly entertained as he watched her scramble around. He recalled the things Bradley had told him, about how she had lied about his duties and was going to get him fired. 'For what, he thought bitterly, for doing his job!' He felt no remorse for her and the hundred and fifty thousand that Bradley was giving him took away even the slightest bit of guilt over what he was about to do. "Forget about it. You can call him from the hospital. Let's just go."

She agreed and felt his hand as he took hers and put it on his arm, guiding her out the door. "Thank you for coming Terry."

"It was the right thing to do," he replied, closing the door behind her and scanning the area around them to see if anyone was around. He bent his head, letting the brim of his baseball cap cover his face as he guided her to the older car that Bradley had supplied for him. He glanced over at the shirt she had on, admiring her breasts. He mentally focused on the huge sum of money from Bradley and getting her top off once they were alone, finally able to feel what he'd been fantasizing over for months, it helped calm the anxiety over the actual job he had to perform. She deserved everything that was coming to her. He and Bradley both had been good to her. 'Bitch deserves it,' he told himself again, feeling his body stir over the things he was going to do to her first.