Chapter Thirty-three
"Seriously Rafe - carrying me over the threshold is one thing - all the way up the stairs is another." Alison giggled.
"I promised I would - and I wasn't going to disappoint you."
"You could never disappoint me." She said with a sigh as he eased her out of his arms and onto the floor. She looked around the apartment. "It looks exactly the same."
"Alison - we've only been gone four days." He laughed at her.
"I know. I know. I just thought maybe it'd look different - that something would be different now that we're married." She said as she grinned at him.
Rafe grinned back despite the weird feeling he'd had all day. It was humming in the air around him. He didn't want to worry her - and he didn't want to spoil their last official honeymoon day. The gym was closed until tomorrow and on the way home they'd talked about just going out for dinner and relaxing at home for the night. He had promised her and he was determined to give her at least that.
Alison walked over to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Wow. This is weird. On the train we were in our own little world - but it's finally starting to sink in. You're really my husband."
"And you're really my wife." He replied as he leaned down to kiss her. As he pulled away she rested her head on his chest. His arms tightened around her, keeping her close.
She could hear his heart beating and the sound reassured her that he was really here, that they had finally made it. Rafe kissed the top of her head and released her and walked over to the table in the kitchen. "I almost forgot. I bought you a little present." He said as he picked it up and moved back to where she stood.
"Rafe." she sighed as she moved to sit down. He handed it to her. She was completely impressed. It was wrapped beautifully. "You shouldn't have."
"OK." He said as he tried to take it back.
"Rafe!" She cried, not letting it go.
She looked at the flat package on her lap, not wanting to tear the wrapping. "It looks too beautiful to open. You didn't wrap this yourself did you?"
"No. The woman in the shop took pity on me." Rafe replied with a smile. "Just open it."
Carefully easing the tape off, Alison unwrapped the gift. As she had begun to suspect - it was a book. Flipping it over, she saw that it was a book of baby names.
Her heart began to melt. As sweet as this was, Alison wasn't sure they'd need a book to decide. She already had some ideas of own.
"Rafe." She whispered.
He sat across from her and looked into her eyes. "I know we haven't really started to talk about names - but I figured we should soon."
She took her hand and touched his cheek. "It's so sweet of you Rafe, really. But I actually already thought about this"
Well - here's the first little bump in the road of their marriage. Could she really be saying that she'd made a decision on a name without even asking him? He'd bought the book because was hoping this was something they could decide together. Rafe looked down and tried to hide his disappointment. "Oh. OK. Well. Whatever you want is fine."
Alison could see he was hurt. She lifted his chin so his eyes met hers again. "Rafe. I didn't mean for it to sound like you don't have a say. I actually sort of just wanted to surprise you."
"What?" Rafe asked, now completely confused.
She took his hands in hers. "I already picked out two names. One if it's a girl - which is my prediction by the way and one for a boy. We can use whatever one we don't use the next time - providing it makes sense, of course."
Still disappointed she'd done all this on her own he couldn't help but be touched that she was already talking about their next child. Distracted for a moment, he heard himself ask, "OK. What are they?"
Alison took a deep breath and looked deeply into his eyes. "I have so much of my family still with me Rafe. Even though I've lost my father and my mother is kind of crazy I do have her and my nana and now I have Abby. But you - you just have Lucy and of course, now you have me."
Alison squeezed Rafe's hands as she continued. "One of the things I really want to give you is a family you can call your own. So, if it's a girl, I think we should name her Katrina - after your mom and if it's a boy, maybe we could name him Grant after your dad - since - I'm sorry - Edward is a nice enough name - but I really can't see myself calling a tiny baby Ed." She said with a smile.
Rafe was once again awestruck. Just when he thought he couldn't possibly love her more than he did she would do or say something to prove him wrong. When he didn't speak she kept talking and flipped through the pages to help make her point.
"See, not only is it a way to remember your mom - but her name means, "pure" - which I thought was nice. We could maybe call her Kate for short. And for a boy I think Grant is a better choice anyway because it means - "great". Edward means "wealthy guardian" which is OK I guess but I think I'd rather him be "great" - just like his father." She kept rambling on and on - wanting him to say something.
He just sat there and stared at her.
"Is that OK with you?" She asked her eyes hopeful. "If it's not we can look through the book and find something else that maybe -"
Rafe silenced her with a kiss as an answer. He eased back and looked into her eyes, his own filled with emotion as he simply said "Thank you."
"For what?" She asked, finally relieved and smiling.
"For always surprising me - in the best ways possible. It's amazing that you'd want to do that - for me." Rafe replied as he kissed her again.
Alison sighed as he pulled her up off the chair and back into his arms. "Rafe - you've already given me everything I ever wanted. It's the very least I could do."
"Seriously Rafe - carrying me over the threshold is one thing - all the way up the stairs is another." Alison giggled.
"I promised I would - and I wasn't going to disappoint you."
"You could never disappoint me." She said with a sigh as he eased her out of his arms and onto the floor. She looked around the apartment. "It looks exactly the same."
"Alison - we've only been gone four days." He laughed at her.
"I know. I know. I just thought maybe it'd look different - that something would be different now that we're married." She said as she grinned at him.
Rafe grinned back despite the weird feeling he'd had all day. It was humming in the air around him. He didn't want to worry her - and he didn't want to spoil their last official honeymoon day. The gym was closed until tomorrow and on the way home they'd talked about just going out for dinner and relaxing at home for the night. He had promised her and he was determined to give her at least that.
Alison walked over to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Wow. This is weird. On the train we were in our own little world - but it's finally starting to sink in. You're really my husband."
"And you're really my wife." He replied as he leaned down to kiss her. As he pulled away she rested her head on his chest. His arms tightened around her, keeping her close.
She could hear his heart beating and the sound reassured her that he was really here, that they had finally made it. Rafe kissed the top of her head and released her and walked over to the table in the kitchen. "I almost forgot. I bought you a little present." He said as he picked it up and moved back to where she stood.
"Rafe." she sighed as she moved to sit down. He handed it to her. She was completely impressed. It was wrapped beautifully. "You shouldn't have."
"OK." He said as he tried to take it back.
"Rafe!" She cried, not letting it go.
She looked at the flat package on her lap, not wanting to tear the wrapping. "It looks too beautiful to open. You didn't wrap this yourself did you?"
"No. The woman in the shop took pity on me." Rafe replied with a smile. "Just open it."
Carefully easing the tape off, Alison unwrapped the gift. As she had begun to suspect - it was a book. Flipping it over, she saw that it was a book of baby names.
Her heart began to melt. As sweet as this was, Alison wasn't sure they'd need a book to decide. She already had some ideas of own.
"Rafe." She whispered.
He sat across from her and looked into her eyes. "I know we haven't really started to talk about names - but I figured we should soon."
She took her hand and touched his cheek. "It's so sweet of you Rafe, really. But I actually already thought about this"
Well - here's the first little bump in the road of their marriage. Could she really be saying that she'd made a decision on a name without even asking him? He'd bought the book because was hoping this was something they could decide together. Rafe looked down and tried to hide his disappointment. "Oh. OK. Well. Whatever you want is fine."
Alison could see he was hurt. She lifted his chin so his eyes met hers again. "Rafe. I didn't mean for it to sound like you don't have a say. I actually sort of just wanted to surprise you."
"What?" Rafe asked, now completely confused.
She took his hands in hers. "I already picked out two names. One if it's a girl - which is my prediction by the way and one for a boy. We can use whatever one we don't use the next time - providing it makes sense, of course."
Still disappointed she'd done all this on her own he couldn't help but be touched that she was already talking about their next child. Distracted for a moment, he heard himself ask, "OK. What are they?"
Alison took a deep breath and looked deeply into his eyes. "I have so much of my family still with me Rafe. Even though I've lost my father and my mother is kind of crazy I do have her and my nana and now I have Abby. But you - you just have Lucy and of course, now you have me."
Alison squeezed Rafe's hands as she continued. "One of the things I really want to give you is a family you can call your own. So, if it's a girl, I think we should name her Katrina - after your mom and if it's a boy, maybe we could name him Grant after your dad - since - I'm sorry - Edward is a nice enough name - but I really can't see myself calling a tiny baby Ed." She said with a smile.
Rafe was once again awestruck. Just when he thought he couldn't possibly love her more than he did she would do or say something to prove him wrong. When he didn't speak she kept talking and flipped through the pages to help make her point.
"See, not only is it a way to remember your mom - but her name means, "pure" - which I thought was nice. We could maybe call her Kate for short. And for a boy I think Grant is a better choice anyway because it means - "great". Edward means "wealthy guardian" which is OK I guess but I think I'd rather him be "great" - just like his father." She kept rambling on and on - wanting him to say something.
He just sat there and stared at her.
"Is that OK with you?" She asked her eyes hopeful. "If it's not we can look through the book and find something else that maybe -"
Rafe silenced her with a kiss as an answer. He eased back and looked into her eyes, his own filled with emotion as he simply said "Thank you."
"For what?" She asked, finally relieved and smiling.
"For always surprising me - in the best ways possible. It's amazing that you'd want to do that - for me." Rafe replied as he kissed her again.
Alison sighed as he pulled her up off the chair and back into his arms. "Rafe - you've already given me everything I ever wanted. It's the very least I could do."