ENTRY 4
PROMISES KEPT
"Husband?"
"Husband!"
He rolled over to face her, propping himself on his bent arm as he studied her. She'd pinned plumeria blossoms in her hair, and their fragrance filled the air around them. An orchid lei looped around her neck and rested between the tiny pieces of her bikini top. Above them, palm trees swayed in the tropical breeze, and foam-flecked, sapphire waves kissed the sand just inches from their feet. They didn't notice—they only had eyes for each other.
"Wife," he whispered back to her.
They smiled at each other; the novelty of their new names causing her to giggle and him to chuckle. "My wife," he whispered again. "My wonderful, beautiful wife." His lips traced a teasing path from her forehead, along the tip of her nose, to her kiss-swollen mouth. "What do you need?"
"A promise."
"Anything. Anything for you, my sweet wife."
"Promise me." A slight frown creased her forehead, and he soothed it away with his fingers. "Promise me you'll always love me as much as you do now, and promise me we'll come back here again someday."
He lay back on the sand, laughing, then pulled her onto his chest when she huffed. "Oh, my wonderful, beautiful, sweet wife. I can't always love you as much as I do now because I'll love you more. I'll love you more tomorrow than I do today, and I'll love you more the day after that than I will tomorrow. Forever and ever and ever, I'll love you more everyday. And yes, I promise we'll come here again. Every Valentine's Day, we'll come back and celebrate our anniversary."
"Those are two really big promises you're making, Mr. Cullen," she teased.
"I always keep my promises, Mrs. Cullen," he teased back. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him before loosening the ties to her top. The palm trees still swayed above them, and the waves still kissed the shore, but they only noticed each other.
He tried to keep his promise; he truly did. But there were careers to build and bills to pay, a mortgage and car payments. There were midnight feedings, soccer practices, and dance recitals. There were elderly parents to care for, college tuition to pay, weddings to plan.
And then …
Then, there were doctor's visits, surgeries, treatments, and more doctor's visits.
Until …
Palm trees swayed in the tropical breeze. Foam-flecked, sapphire water swirled around his ankles. For a moment, it was cloudy with the ashes he scattered, but a wave pulled them away, dissolving them into the endless, timeless ocean. He tossed an orchid lei onto the next wave. The current took it, twisting it into a heart-shaped symbol of his undying love.
"I told you I always keep my promises, Bella," he whispered. "And I did. Finally. I kept them both, dear wife."
The salt spray from the ocean mingled with the tears on his cheeks.
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