Chapter Forty: The New Family

Mika and I were in our room figuring out where we'd put all of her stuff when Ushio appeared outside our door. "I think Mika-senpai's parents...I mean…I think the Hiiragis are here."

I noticed that Mika winced as I looked over to address my daughter. "Okay, I'll be right there."

"Go ahead; I'll be along in a minute," Mika told me as she moved to close the closet door. "We can come back to this later."

"Sounds good," I replied before heading out of our room and down the hallway to the entrance.

"Okazaki!" Kappei greeted with a raised hand when I opened the front door.

I couldn't help but smile at his typical exuberance. "Hey Kappei, Ryou; welcome." I stepped aside to let them through, then made a special point of greeting the Hiiragi boy as he passed. "Tadashi, good to see you again."

"Good to see you as well, Okazaki-sama, though we did see each other earlier," he replied.

"Tadashi!" Ryou scolded. "Don't be rude!"

"Rude?" I was a little puzzled. "I'm fine, if that's what you're worried about; he's right, after all."

She opened her mouth to reply, but snapped it shut with an audible 'click'. "O-Of course," she managed while blushing. "I-I'm sorry; I-I guess I'm a little sensitive right now."

I figured I knew why but decided to not press the issue; in any case, it was interesting seeing a bit of the old 'Fujibayashi'. "Don't worry about it, and…welcome."

"Thank you," she replied with a bow.

"Where's Mika?" Kappei asked, looking around.

"I-I'm right here," my wife replied as she hurried out of the hallway that led to the bedrooms. "I-I was just making some room for my belongings."

Kappei looked back to me with a smile, though it seemed a bit forced. "Has she taken over your place yet, Okazaki?"

"Kappei!" Ryou scolded before snapping her mouth shut again; she must have been having a really tough time dealing with the idea of her daughter moving out. "S-Sorry."

At that moment, Ushio came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with several glasses on it. "Can I offer you some iced tea?" she offered, indicating our guests with the tray.

"I'd probably better, before I say something stupid," Kappei laughed before taking a glass from the tray. "Or, something else stupid. Or whatever. Anyway, thank you, Ushio-san." He took a sip before gesturing toward me with his glass. "You think you could help me out with unloading the truck after I finish my nerve medication?"

"Sure," I chuckled.

He quickly downed his drink, and after thanking Ushio again he and Tadashi headed out the door with me in tow. Outside was an average-sized pick-up truck, with boxes of various sizes loaded in the bed. "This is all of it," he told me as I examined the load.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," I mused. "Or as much, I mean."

"No, I hear you," Kappei said with a sigh, and I briefly wondered if the reality of his daughter's departure was starting to hit him again. "Anyway, let's get this stuff inside."

"Anything breakable I should know about?" I asked as I carefully retrieved a box from the truck.

"We marked those with 'fragile' on the top," Tadashi explained as he pointed to a box just behind the truck's cab; I looked and, sure enough, the word 'fragile' had been written on the top in black ink.

"Should we use your living room as a staging area?" Kappei asked as he and his son each picked up a box.

I pushed my lips to the side as I thought for a moment. "I think it'd be best if we could check with Mika as we bring them in; that way we're not moving them twice. She should still be in the living room."

We spent the next hour carrying boxes into Mika's new home. There weren't a lot of them but we wanted to be careful, and there were a few times where we had to wait until she could make room for one or more of them.

"Is this the last one?" I asked as I hefted what appeared to be the last box out of the bed.

"That's it!" Kappei announced with his usual gusto.

"Is that the last one?" Mika called from the front door, and I smiled at her unintentional echoing of my question. "Come on inside and have some tea."

Kappei and Tadashi followed me as I carried the last box into my home. At Mika's request I took it down the hall to my…to our room and carefully placed it in a corner. After a quick stop by the washroom to clean my hands and face I joined everyone else at the kotatsu.

We had barely settled into a conversation before there was a knock at the door. "I wonder who that could be…" I murmured as I got to my feet. "'Scuse me a minute." I made my way to the door and opened it partway.

"Hey, Tomoya," Kyou greeted from the other side; with her was Pastor Jeff. "I hope you don't mind, but we thought we'd-"

I suddenly heard a mashup of "Kyou-sensei!" and "Aunt Kyou!" just as Ushio and Mika snatched the door from my hand and opened it fully to drag the couple into our home; it all happened so quickly that it didn't register until we were already back at the kotatsu that I had somehow avoided injury in the ruckus.

"I hope this is all right, Tomoya-san," Jeff finally managed to say as he and Kyou sat with us, drinking tea. "I thought we should call ahead, but Kyou wanted to surprise the two-er, three of you."

"I figured you'd be okay with it since this is a special occasion," Kyou added with a knowing smile.

She had a point. "It's fine, but don't make a habit of it," I teased while wagging an admonishing finger her way.

"Just don't have too many special occasions, and you won't have any problems from me," she quipped.

"I'll do my best," I snorted with a wry grin.

"Lord Jesus, thank you for our time together as we celebrate the creation of this new family. Bless our time together, and may we all be edified by each others' presence as well as yours. Be with us as we celebrate this joyous time, and bless this food to our bodies' health. Let your will be done."

As I blinked several times to readjust to the light I heard Jeff say, "Well done, Tadashi; that was a beautiful prayer."

"Thank you, Uncle," Tadashi replied with a duck of his head. "This might sound prideful coming from me, but it felt…natural."

"Not at all," Jeff said easily as Kyou collected his plate and started filling it; out of the corner of my eye I saw my plate disappear and figured that Mika was doing the same for me. "I've found that the best prayers are the easiest ones; they come from the heart, so they feel natural." He chuckled. "They should, after all; prayers are supposed to be about talking with God."

"That stands to reason," Tadashi mused while nodding thoughtfully.

The food was served up and we all started to eat. "So, how does it feel to be an Okazaki?" Jeff asked between bites.

"It feels good," I heard Mika reply as I glanced over at her parents; I wasn't too surprised to see them eating rather slowly. "I miss…. It's going to take a while to get used to being away from Mom and Dad and Tadashi, but we don't live so far away that I can't go visit them."

"And they're welcome to visit any time," I emphasized, glancing over at Kappei and Ryou again. "Nagisa never had to deal with loneliness since it seemed like Mom and Pops were over almost every day." As I took my next bite I suddenly felt self-conscious, and when I looked up everyone was staring at me for some reason. "What?"

"Daddy," Ushio prompted, her voice barely above a whisper. "You mentioned Mom."

Had I? I looked around at the expressions of discomfort save for Jeff's, whose appeared to be one of curiosity. "Uh, sorry about that; I don't remember mentioning her, but if I did I didn't mean to make everyone uncomfortable." I caught Kyou glancing to my right, so I looked over to my wife, whose expression was unreadable. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Mika."

"I'm…I'm okay," she replied quietly.

"I don't think any of us are really bothered by it per se," Jeff told me. "I think it's just that bringing up your late wife with your newly-wedded wife next to you leaves us...now knowing how to respond." He looked to the others. "Would that be a fair assessment?"

"I was speechless… For the first time in my life, that is," Kyou quipped with a smirk, drawing chuckles from the rest of us.

"It's cool, Okazaki," Kappei declared, reaching over to clap me on the shoulder. "Most of us didn't know your first wife, so we kinda forget that you're a, uh…a widower."

That made sense, even if the reminder stung a little…but only a little, thankfully. "Thanks, guys. And, uh…sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," Mika replied as she gave my arm an encouraging squeeze. "Nagisa-sama was an important part of your life; she helped make you who you are today, and I am grateful to her."

"Well said, nee-san," Tadashi said with obvious admiration.

The rest of the meal was pretty tame conversation-wise; hardly surprising, considering how much we'd talked at the wedding party. On several occasions I noticed Ushio glancing over at Tadashi, which reminded me of the 'twisted family trees' from a while back.

We finished our uneventful meal and we men cleared the table and took everything to the kitchen, where the women took care of washing all of it.

Kyou and Jeff were the first to leave. "Thanks for letting us come," she said as they finished swapping out their footwear. "We would have understood if you weren't comfy with so many people in your home."

"No, I'm actually glad the two of you came," I admitted before glancing over at my wife, who nodded her agreement. "It's always good to have family around for events like this."

"It's a shame that the Furukawas weren't here," Jeff said; I'd noticed him talking with Pops quite a bit at the party earlier, so his remark was unsurprising.

"They're supposed to be here tomorrow," I told him as I took my wife's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm not sure I can explain it very well, but they see themselves as kinda 'outside' this one, so they're keeping a respectful distance."

Jeff appeared to briefly mull over my words before nodding. "I believe I understand."

"They don't think they're not part of your family anymore, do they?" Kyou asked worriedly.

"No, they know that they're very much a part of it," I replied with an awkward chuckle. "Like I said; it's kinda hard to explain."

Kyou studied me with a thoughtful nod before shifting her attention to her niece. "Congratulations," she gushed as she grabbed Mika up into a rough embrace. "I'm so happy for you."

"Th-Thank you, Aunt Kyou," Mika stammered, surprised at the sudden contact. "And thank you for teaching me how to prepare pork cutlets."

Jeff and I exchanged a knowing smile at her words.

"I'm just glad I could help," my old sparring partner replied while giving me a wink. "You take good care of him, okay?"

"Oh, definitely," my wife sighed happily, causing me to wonder exactly what her response meant.

"I'm sorry to ruin the conversation, but we'd better get going," Jeff said to his fiancée as he extended his hand toward me. "Tomoya-san; good to see you as always."

"Thanks, you too," I replied as I took hold of his hand and shook it. "Gotta get your girlfriend home so she doesn't get grounded?"

"Seriously, Tomoya?" Kyou grumped with her fists on her hips and a look of disbelief, though it resolved itself into a grin. "Naw, you're partly right; Mom and Dad will be going to bed before too late, and it'd be rude to be clunking through the front door when they're trying to go to sleep."

"That reminds me," Jeff said as they stepped aside so I could open the door for them, "you'll be attending our wedding, won't you?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," I replied with an easy smile.

The pair stepped out onto the front porch, and Jeff turned back to look over his shoulder as Mika and I, and it seemed like he was studying us. Then, he faced us fully. "Congratulations, Tomoya and Mika Okazaki; I look forward to seeing the future you create for yourselves."

"Thank you, Uncle Jeff," Mika croaked; I, on the other hand, was too tongue-tied to reply beyond a nod.

He smiled at the two of us. "Have a pleasant evening." With that, he and Kyou headed out, arm-in-arm, toward the train station.

"We'd better get going as well," Kappei announced as Mika and I entered the apartment. "Ryou has a shift kinda early, and I've got a coaching gig a couple towns over so I'll have to scoot early, too."

"So you'll be the man of the house tomorrow," Mika said to her brother as the latter worked on switching his shoes along with their parents.

"I'll be okay, Nee-san," Tadashi replied as he straightened. Then he looked to me. "Okazaki-sama…" he looked like he was about to say one thing but instead bowed deeply. "Please take good care of my sister."

"I'll do my best," I promised, bowing as well. "I'll-er, we'll be home tomorrow, so feel free to call if you need any help."

"But only if you absolutely need something," Mika added in a trembling voice as she wagged her finger at him. "After all, we're-" I heard her cut herself off and had to suppress a smile at I realized what she was about to say. "…I'm getting settled in."

Tadashi gave his sister an odd look but nodded. "Understood, Nee-san. Thank you." He studied her a moment more before stepping forward to give her a hug. "Congratulations. It will be difficult to adjust to your absence, but I am happy for you."

"Thank you, Tadashi," Mika replied as she held her brother. It was neat seeing how close they were, and I wondered how I would've gotten along with a brother or sister myself.

They pulled away from each other, and I noticed that Tadashi had his lips pursed, likely trying to keep himself from tearing up. He then nodded before turning to step through the door, and we followed him onto the front porch, where Kappei and Ryou were waiting, the latter with her hands folded before her chest.

I glanced over at my wife before releasing her hand. "Take your time," I told her as reassuringly as I could before taking a respectful step back to give her time with her parents.

She smiled at me over her shoulder, and beyond her I saw Kappei gave me a grateful nod along with a wink before refocusing his attention on his daughter.

"Mom…? Dad…?" Mika's voice sounded thin as she addressed her parents, bowing as she spoke. "Thank…Thank you so m-much for raising me so…s-so…"

"It's okay, Mika," Kappei said, his voice sounding strained as well. "We understand. We'll miss you, too."

A hiccup from Ryou was all it took for the four of them to rush toward each other, holding each other as a family for the last time.

As Ushio relaxed in the bathtub, I watched as Mika sat staring vacantly at the top of the kotatsu as she absently stirred her tea, the spoon making small clinking sounds with the movement. Her family had left an hour prior, and I had a feeling that she was experiencing a combination of fatigue and loss. "You doing okay?" I asked.

She blinked, her hand ceasing its motion to pull the spoon out of the mug and place it on a napkin. "I'm fine," she replied quietly. Then, she looked over at me with a small smile. "I really am glad to be here; I guess everything happened so quickly that it's just starting to hit me."

"I think I understand," I said softly, reaching over to cover her hand with my own; thankfully she didn't pull away. "You know, I'm really grateful that we met."

That seemed to catch her interest. "Really?"

I nodded as I ran my free hand through my hair. "Yeah. I've been thinking, and I realized that after my mom died and dad and I fought, I retreated into a shell of sorts. I mean, I had friends when I was a kid, but they all seemed so distant to me."

"But it wasn't them, huh?" she murmured. "That is, they weren't the ones being distant."

"Nah, it was me," I admitted, "though I didn't realize it at the time. I was, what, eight, so how would I know the difference?" I shrugged. "Anyway, by the time I reached high school, Sunohara was my only 'friend', and I think you have a pretty good idea by now what that was like."

"Yeah," she giggled, thankfully starting to perk up.

"It wasn't until I met Nagisa that things started to turn around for me," I continued. "She helped me to start coming out of my shell, though I'm sure she wasn't consciously trying to do that. After she died, Ushio kinda took over. And now…" I felt my face start to heat up, so I quickly looked down at the table top.

I felt her give my hand a squeeze. "And now you have me…"

I nodded, my gaze still locked on the kotatsu. "Yup…"

"Tomoya…" The tone of her voice caused me to look up to find her gazing at me with tears in her eyes, and she removed her hand from mine to place it on my cheek. "I'm so glad that I could be here for you."

"Me, too," I grunted, then cleared a lump from my throat. "Thanks."

We quietly enjoyed each others' company until Ushio emerged from the hall a few minutes later. "Washroom's free," she announced. "Wow, it's quiet in here; is everything okay?"

"We're fine," I replied as I gently stroked the back of Mika's hand with my thumb. "Just helping her get settled in."

Ushio's expression resolved to one of understanding. "Mika-senpai; would you like the bath next?"

My new wife sighed before looking over at me. "Would that be okay?"

"Of course," I replied, giving her hand a couple of affectionate pats. "For what it's worth, I think you've earned it."

She giggled and gave me a peck on the cheek before hopping up and heading down the hall, hugging Ushio along the way.

"She seems happy," Ushio observed as she settled into her usual spot across from me.

"She was kinda up-and-down while you were in the bath," I told her as I lifted my mug to my mouth. "She's having to go through so many changes in a relatively short period of time, and especially at such a young age."

"You're talking like you had nothing to do with it," she giggled, then ducked her head with an expression of regret. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said consolingly. "We've been through quite a bit ourselves, haven't we?"

"True," she replied, giggling again. "It sure is going to be different, having Mika-senpai around all the time."

"Are you going to be okay with this?" I asked, suddenly concerned. "Now that I think about it, I never did ask you about it." I reached across the table to rest my hand on hers. "I'm really sorry about that; it all happened pretty quickly for me too."

"No, it's fine," she said, shaking her head with an awkward smile. "It's not like I didn't have any warning or anything. Besides, I encouraged you two, didn't I?"

"True."

She squirmed in her seat. "Do…you think that Mika-senpai can replace Mama?"

"Huh?"

She squirmed again. "Do you remember when we were at the restaurant for my birthday and you said that no one could replace Mama?"

I vaguely remembered the conversation; so much had happened since then. "Kinda; it's been a while."

"No kidding," she giggled, ducking her head into her shoulders.

I leaned back on my hands as I thought about her question. "To be honest, I'd have to say 'no'."

My daughter blinked in surprise. "No? Why?"

"Because Mika isn't Nagisa," I replied, deliberately choosing to use my late wife's name even though I was talking to our daughter. "Mika has qualities that Nagisa didn't, but Nagisa also had qualities that Mika doesn't, and that's fine."

"Are you saying that Mama added one thing to your life, but Mika-senpai adds something else?"

I mulled over her question. "I…think that's a fair way to put it."

"Huh…"

We sat quietly for the next few minutes, occasionally grinning at each other at the sound of Mika splashing in the bath.

"I…talked with Tadashi-san," Ushio said out-of-the-blue.

"Really?" I placed my empty mug on the table and gave her my full attention. "I've seen you talk to him before, so I'm assuming that this time's special?"

"It is," she said, ducking her head sheepishly. "Before I tell you what it was, though, I have to admit that you were right; I had a crush on him."

"'Had'?" I echoed. "You don't anymore?"

She shook her head again. "While everyone else was talking at the party, I found the chance and confessed to him."

My eyebrows jumped. "That was brave of you. I take it he turned you down?"

She nodded, and I thought I saw tears brimming in her eyes. "He was very kind about it; not that I thought he'd be mean about it or anything." She tilted her head back and wiped at her eyes with both hands. "He said something like 'As difficult as it is for me to say due to you being so pretty and so kind… I think you should find a man who is already established in his field'."

"That sounds like Tadashi-san," I chuckled. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"It's okay," she replied, lowering her eyes to mine. "It would've been weird being your sister-in-law, anyway."

"I would've felt a little awkward," I admitted with another chuckle.

"But, I think he's right; if I'm going to look for a man, he should be someone who's already established so we don't have to worry about money and I can just take care of the home and our children."

"Does this mean that you've definitely decided to put off university?" I asked, remembering her previously-expressed desire to hold off on college.

"For now, yes. I know it'll be hard going later, when most of the other students will be around nineteen, but…" Her eyes lost focus. "I'd hate to miss out on enjoying my children due to a work schedule."

I remembered a prior conversation with Mika telling me about a conversation between the two of them. "So what caused you to fall for Tadashi-san, anyway?"

She paused a moment before answering. "He's very intelligent and…articulate?" She looked to me for help, then giggled. "He talks well."

"Yeah, 'articulate' would be the word," I confirmed. "Okay, I think I understand; he's a pretty sharp kid."

"Yeah…"

A few minutes later Mika entered the living room, rubbing at her head with a towel and clad in a light purple robe that matched her hair color nicely. "The bath is free, Tomoya."

"Thanks," I grunted as I got to my feet.

Ushio got up as well. "I think I'll go to bed early; it's been an exciting day, and…well…"

Mika and I glanced at each other as we waited for Ushio to finish her sentence. "W-Well, good night," Mika offered just as I started to open my mouth. "Sweet dreams, and we'll see you in the morning."

"G-Good night, Mika-senpai," Ushio replied before hurrying down the hallway; apparently it would take some time for her to get used to my new wife's presence. Understandable, really.

"Well…" I started, uncertain of how to proceed, "…do you need anything from me before I take my bath?"

She flashed a hesitant smile before averting her gaze to the floor. "I…I don't think so."

"All right, then; I'll be as quick as I can." With that we exchanged a too-brief hug before I headed to our room to grab my nightclothes in preparation for a much-needed bath.

My worries regarding our finances made a return as I rinsed myself off in preparation for my bath; I made enough money for Ushio and I, but I still wasn't sure how much I would need to make to account for my wife. "Maybe I could take a second, part-time job…?" I pointed the showerhead directly at my face to try to clear out the worries before shutting it off to head for the tub. I grunted contentedly as I settled into the heated water, and I could feel it simmering my tensions away as I soaked.

I didn't let myself soak for too long, though, and I exited the tub and quickly dried myself off before getting my nightclothes on. After making sure that the bathroom was squared away for the next morning, I padded down the hall to my-…to our room. "Hey, Mika, I-"

My bride stood at the foot of our bed, wearing a thin, white robe, along with an awkward expression; I couldn't be sure, though, since her face was downturned. "T-Tomoya…?"

"Yeah, Mika," I said as I entered our room; as I stepped closer I could see that she was trembling. "Hey, are you okay?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly through an open mouth. "I'm…I'm scared."

Alarms sounded in my head as I started to look around. "What's the matter? Is there a bug in here or something?"

"N-No," she giggled as she shook her head. Then, to my wide-eyed astonishment, she opened her robe to reveal a lacy purple bra and a matching set of panties that didn't cover a whole lot of Mika. They were both made out of a shiny material…no, 'shimmery' was a better word. "I've been waiting for this for a long time," she trembled. "Am…Am I pretty?"

I realized that my brain had frozen and forced it to thaw. "You…" I gestured to her lamely; how could I describe the vision of loveliness before me? But she needed an answer, so I stepped up to her and gently tilted her face up with a finger. Once her eyes were looking into mine lowered my head until our lips touched.

She gave a shuddered gasp and wrapped her arms around me, pressing her partly-clad body to mine, and I could feel her heat through my nightshirt; was she was warm from the bath, from nerves, or a little bit of each?

I allowed myself to bask in her warmth and love before carefully pulling away. "Does that answer your question?"

She nodded as she reached up to wipe away an errant tear. "It does," she replied in a trembling voice.

We tenderly undressed each other, and I made sure to kiss every part of her I could while respecting her dignity.

"Wh-Whoa…" she breathed, her eyes wide as my manhood came into sight. "That's…"

I felt my face heat up as she openly stared at my….at me. "Is…" I cleared some self-consciousness from my throat. "Is it okay?"

"Amazing…" She reached out, but quickly jerked her hand back. "I'm sorry; is it okay if…?"

"B-Be my guest," I replied awkwardly, spreading my hands as though to present my body to her. "This is all yours now, right?"

She glanced up to my face. "That's right…" She stepped back with a hesitant smile, bringing her glorious body into view. "And this is all yours now, isn't it?"

We moved to the bed, kissing and exploring each other with caressing hands, both of us trying to discover where and how the other liked to be touched.

"T-Tomoya…" she gasped as I traced lazy circles on her tummy as she lay on her back, "…please…"

I smiled down at my wife's flushed face; we'd been enjoying each other for easily over a half an hour, and the truth was I'd been on fire for the last ten to fifteen minutes. "How do you want to do this?"

"I just want us facing each other," she said as she took my face in both hands. "And…I know it's going to hurt at first, so…please be gentle."

My brow jumped; it had never occurred to me that Mika was a virgin. So many youths her age – and younger – were sexually active, so the revelation kinda surprised me. I never would have thought of her as anything but chaste, but still… "I'm honored to be your first," I murmured softly before placing a kiss on her forehead. "Let's try this." After a few adjustments, we ended up with me sitting on the bed with my legs over the side and Mika straddling my lap, facing me. "This way, you can control…" I glanced to the side, suddenly feeling shy. "…how…far…"

"I think I understand," she breathed as she smiled down at me, though with as tall as I was compared to her we were nearly at eye level. "Thank you."

"I'm ready when you are," I said reassuringly; then, feeling impish I added, "Literally."

I felt a little anxious as she took me in, and her expression told me that she was anxious as well, but our worries seemed to disappear as she lowered herself onto me. "Oh, my…" she breathed, presumably at the new sensations. "Oh, my…"

I would have responded but couldn't as the sensations overwhelmed my nerves. It was more than just the physical feelings, though; a feeling of acceptance, of trust, of…love. I hadn't felt like this in years, and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out…or just plain crying.

"Ah!" she exclaimed just as I felt myself bump against her barrier.

"You okay?" I managed to ask.

My voice apparently drew her attention, because she looked into my eyes, took a deep breath, and lowered herself the rest of the way, consummating our marriage with a cry. "Oh god, it hurts…"

"Shhh, shhh…" I whispered as I caressed her back. If she said anything to me in response, the thundering of my pulse in my ears drowned it out. "Try to relax, breathe…"

She started to softly cry just as there was a knock at the bedroom door. "Daddy?"

I felt Mika tense up at the same time I did, though she was apparently unable to stop crying; it must have really hurt. "Y-Yes, sweetie?" I croaked.

"Is everything okay? I thought I heard someone cry out in pain."

"We're fine," I replied. "But…thanks for worrying."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night." As Ushio's footsteps padded back down the hall I turned my attention back to my sobbing wife. "I'm sorry, Mika; I-" Something about the way she was crying changed, though, and I didn't know what to make of it. "Mika?"

"Finally…" she whimpered. "After all this time…. I'm so h-happy."

The realization that a dream of hers had come true combined with my own feelings of acceptance brought tears to my eyes as well, and we held each other tightly and cried together.

"Wow…" my bride sighed, snuggling into my side as I lay on my back with my arm under her head like a pillow. "That was…amazing…"

"You were amazing," I replied, taking the hand resting on my chest to kiss its palm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm a little tender," she admitted with a shy giggle. "I don't think I'll be able to do that again tonight; is…is that okay?"

"Of course," I replied, curling the arm that was under her to give her a squeeze. "I'm more than happy. Leagues beyond happy."

I felt more than heard her giggle. "I'm just…I want to make sure I'm good enough for you."

"What do you mean 'good enough'?" I asked, concerned by her choice of words.

"I just…" She trailed off with a sigh. "I know that you've done this before – well, this kind of thing – and I just want to make sure that I'm doing this right."

So she was feeling insecure. "Mika, sex isn't about trying to achieve some kind of standard," I tried to explain. "It's about expressing love for each other. Trust and appreciation, too." I gave my words a moment to sink in before continuing. "You gave me your love and devotion a long time ago; this is another expression – an extension, really – of that love and devotion." I rolled up onto my side to look into her lovely eyes. "And I really appreciate that you're willing to trust me like this, to make yourself vulnerable to me like this." I reached out to caress away a tear from her cheek. "I'm honored to be considered worthy of that trust."

Her lower lip started to tremble. "I love you so much," she whimpered as she pulled me into an embrace.

A few minutes later she released me, and I rolled back onto my back. Hoping to lighten the mood a little I jostled her slightly and joked, "You know; this is going to be old hat after a while."

"I know," she replied reluctantly; then I heard her giggle. "But I also know that what we do over the next two weeks will also carry into those times."

"True…" I grunted, then blinked as it hit me: "Wait, next two weeks?"