"Good night Carl," Michonne whispered, closing the door softly as Colt looked on out of one eye from under Carl's bed. She stood at his door for a moment listening to the quiet in the hallway. These days a quiet house was few and far between. RJ was almost a year old and refused to believe he couldn't keep up with his older brothers and sister. He was into everything and curious about anything he could touch. He was discovering his voice and making sure everyone heard it. Her sweet baby boy was also at an age where he wanted to be held just long enough to get settled into her arms then he was wiggling away.
She said a silent prayer at each of their doors before making her way to the kitchen. She wasn't surprised to see the counters clean and everything put away when she walked in. Rick was good at lightening the load at the end of the day. She swiped a piece of chocolate from the counter before heading to her bedroom.
"What are you doing?" Michonne asked Rick as she watched him examining his face in the bathroom mirror. The green towel wrapped around his waist hung low, showing off the muscles in his back. She leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is something wrong?"
Sighed, he answered, "Where did all this grey come from?" He was scratching his beard when he turned around to look at her. The blue of his eyes sparkling under the bathroom lights. "When did I become an old man?" He turned back to the mirror.
Michonne laughed, walking to wrap her arms around him. She placed a kiss on his back, still warm and damp from his shower. "You're not an old man, Rick."
"I think you're biased." He took her hand and pulled her in front of him, leaning in close. "Can you see anything buy grey in all this?" He moved his head from side to side, giving her a chance to see his full beard. "You can't can you?" He waited for her to answer hoping she'd see something he couldn't.
"Rick, there's nothing wrong with your beard."
"Yeah," he said, disappointed in her answer, walking away. "You say that now. By the way things are going, I'll look like Santa in a few months." Rick opened a dresser drawer, pulling out a white tee shirt. He slipped it over his head looking in the mirror across the room before dropping his towel to put on pajama pants. He walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, sighing again when he looked at Michonne who'd come to stand in front of him. "Don't mind me. I'm just feeling old, I guess."
"First of all," Michonne started, placing her hands on the sides of Rick's face. "You're not old. Second, the kids would love if you were Santa." She laughed, letting Rick pull her onto his lap. "They're just a few greys. They make you look very- distinguished."
"Easy for you to say." He squeezed her thigh and gave her a small smile. "You're not aging. You look exactly the way you did the night we met."
"Rick, I look like I've had four of your kids." She pulled her yellow satin nightie up her thigh. "These stretch marks prove it."
Tracing a finger up her thigh, Rick lifted the nightie a little more. "You had some of these before the kids." He kissed her lips when she opened her mouth on a gasp of protest. "I know every inch of your body, Michonne. I've touched every single one."
She leaned in for another before having to break their kiss from laughing, thinking back to the night they met. "I was so mad at Andrea. She and Shane just sprung you on me out of the blue." Imitating Shane's voice and miming pulling up a pair of pants high on her waist, Michonne added, "He's my buddy Rick. He's like a brother to me, a good guy. Let him live with you because Andrea and I are in love."
"Wow, you're pretty good at Shane." Rick joined her laughter, his face starting to flush. "Thank you for taking pity on me and giving me a place to live." He kissed her neck, letting his lips linger on her smooth, warm skin. "You gave me a home."
"We," she said moving her finger between the both of them, "made a home, Rick." She looked toward the ceiling then moved her hand to showcase their bedroom. "We found this house and filled it with children and a dog." Her hand went to rest on Rick's chest over his heart. "We made this Rick. You and I." Getting sentimental wasn't on her agenda for the day, but here she was, trying not to become a ball of mush because of the way her life had turned out. "Do you remember the day you proposed to me?"
"No," Rick squinted pretending he was trying to remember.
"Don't play," Michonne said laughing. "You bought four bouquets of roses and now we have a yard full of flowers." She stood up even though he didn't want her to. The color of his eyes made her think of Santorini. "Remember our honeymoon, when we barely left the room?"
"What for?" Rick asked, grabbing for Michonne but coming up short when she took a step back. "All the good things were happening in our room." He scratched his beard and tilted his head slightly. "In the bed, the shower, that desk, and the balcony," he added with a smile.
Michonne couldn't help the grin from forming on her face. Suddenly hot from the memory of being naked under the moonlight as Rick knelt in front of her lifting her foot to rest on his shoulder. She grew hotter when she met Rick's eyes and he licked his lips. "Look here Richard Grimes," she pointed at him. "I'm trying to make you feel better. Focus." He pressed his lips together to let her continue. "Remember that time you got hurt?"
"It wasn't that bad," Rick whispered, watching her face somber at the memory. He'll never forget how worried she was. "Just a few stitches."
"You said no matter what happens you'd always do your best to come home to me." She walked to him, settling between his legs as she ran her hands through the thick curls on his head. "So far, you've kept that promise." She gently pulled on his hair to tilt his head back. "Thank you."
Rick hummed as he brought his lips to Michonne's. Bringing her closer with his hands to the back of her knees. "You don't have to thank me," he said against her lips. "I love you."
"I love you too." He leaned back, bringing her down with him, gliding a hand over her ass when she was settled on top of him.
"You know there was a time when you wouldn't let me tell you I love you."
"That was one time, Rick." She pushed off him and walked to the dresser. "And it really didn't count."
"How can you say it didn't count? I said it so I meant it." He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment but he knew it was instant and he fell hard. "As soon as I said it, you became my whole world." He stood up and walked to her, taking her hand. "Loving you is the easiest thing I ever did." Rick pulled her arms up and around his neck while he brought his arms low around her waist. He swayed them ever so gently as he relished in her embrace. "You and those four sleeping facing in there are who I live for. Who I'd die for if I had to."
"You're not going anywhere for a long time. You promised." Another kiss while Rick swayed, turning them as he hummed their wedding song in her ear. "You know I'm almost certain this one," she touched his chin. "Is from Judith thinking she could fly." For a month their tenacious daughter was determined to prove Carl wrong and show him she could fly. Every surface taller than three feet in the house was jumped off of while Andre kept time of how long she was in the air. After a couple of bloody noses and busted lips, Rick put a stop to it before bones started being broken.
"She got that from you," he said laughing, thinking about the way she stomped away, mad she wouldn't be able to prove Carl wrong.
"Oh, no. That's all you Rick. Once she sets her mind to something, she doesn't give up."
"It's how I got you."
It was, she could admit. It was also why she'd never forget Rick's name. Being pinned up against a door and "taught" a lesson only his tongue could teach. Michonne went on before she made him recreate that day. "This one here," she pointed to a spot under his ear. "This is from Carl, our adventurer, who likes to wander off all the time."
"I'll never understand why you won't let me put a bell on him."
"Because he's not a dag. Plus he always turns up. He never goes far."
"Just out of earshot." Last month they looked for Carl for over an hour only for him to saunter up to the porch, covered in dirt, carrying a huge stick he insisted was buried on their property by pirates because it took him forever to dig up. "You're not blaming that on me." He moved his face close to her. "What else?"
"When Andre was three and he ran a fever that wouldn't go down." She touched the space above his lips. "He cried and cried. I thought I was gonna have to hold both of you. You were so worried." A bout of bronchitis brought on a fever that no one was prepared for. They were assured by the nurse that the fever was fine, up to a certain temperature. His body was working to fight off the infection. Nothing she did calmed him. When Rick took over, he held him and walked him around the house, rubbing his back and singing. Before long Andre had fallen asleep. Rick wouldn't let him go, so they laid together on the couch. The peaceful pair brought tears to Michonne's eyes.
"RJ's too young to cause any yet."
"Wait till he starts teething," Michonne said, taking his face in her hands. "You are exactly the way we need you to be." She tilted her head up to get another kiss. And another, losing herself in the warmth and love that was her husband. "You know what we need?" She stepped out of his embrace to move to the dresser. "Music."
"What's wrong with my humming?" He pulled her back into him, dipping her back, planting kisses on her neck.
"Nothing," she laughed. His fingers gently pressed into her rib cage making her squirm as her laughter grew. "It's perfect, Rick. Absolutely perfect."
"Give me another kiss and I'll stop." He let her go to allow her to come to him. Their smiles faded when their lips touched. Soon the kiss was deepening. Rick's hand slid down Michonne's back searching for the end of her nightie so he could feel her skin without any barrier. He took a step back wanting to lead her to the bed, where he'd never been mistaken for an old man; make her do some humming of her own. His finger grazed the soft curly hairs between her legs. He heard a soft moan from Michonne as she leaned into him on his way down to the bed.
"Wait."
"What?" Rick asked, frustrated at the abrupt interruption.
Michonne laughed as she stood up and smoothed down her gown. "Stop distracting me. I want to play this song for you." She took a few steps backward to get back to the dresser.
Rick watched the way her mouth moved, not believing her lips were across the room now. The short satin gown did nothing to hid the way her nipples reacted to his touch and they were across the room too. "This better be the best song in the world, Michonne." He stalked over to her. Leaning over her shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her waist, watching as she pulled up her playlist.
"I think this song is perfect for tonight." She turned around in his arms and kissed him. "There's not a thing I would change about you or our life."
If I gave you my love,
I tell you what I'd do
I'd expect a whole lot of love out of you
You gotta be good to me
I'm gonna be good to you
There's a whole lot of things you and I
Could do
She stepped closer, her arms went around his neck "We went from being roommates to best friends to being in love. All because we took a chance. Those chances have turned into a beautiful life." Rick turned her gently then swayed to the beat as the lyrics of the song sank in.
Simply beautiful, simply beautiful, simply
Beautiful
Simply beautiful, simply beautiful, simply
Beautiful
Simply beautiful
What about the way you love me
And the way you squeeze me
Hey
Hey simply beautiful hey
And you get right down it
And the love is getting you through it
Simply beautiful
The dancing stopped when they made it back to the bed.
"Michonne," Rick said softly, seeing the shimmer of tears in her eyes.
She placed a finger over his lips to quiet him. "Yes, you might be getting old. So am I. We," she used that same finger to point between them." Are lucky enough to grow old together. To be able to watch our children grow into who they're supposed to be." She pushed him down on the bed, taking her place on top of him. "As long as I have you here to watch with me, I don't care how many grey hairs are in your beard. This life we've made is... simply beautiful.
THE END
I realize this story could go on FOREVER but I think this is a good time to close it out. I want to thank all of you who've been there from the beginning. When I started Taking Chances, I had no idea where it would go. Once I decided how I wanted it to end, I knew I had to have a sequel. Dreams Fulfilled has been so much fun to write. Writing the Grimes family as they grow has been a joy. They've made me laugh and cry and just want to hug all of them.
It's been a pleasure.
Song: Simply Beautiful- written and performed by Al Green