16 August, Sunday:
It's Nikki's last day of shore leave and she's feeling a little down, so Josh suggested they take a ride to Port Douglas, go to the beach, do some shopping, and have a quiet dinner watching the sunset. Packing everything they needed for the day, they set out early, arriving a little before 9:00.
After parking the car and with Gale settled in her stroller, they headed for the Sunday Market. Nikki was pushing the stroller while Josh walked beside her, his arm around her waist. Wide awake, Gale was enjoying looking around while they moved through the Port Douglas Sunday Market.
Nikki found a sarong set at one of the stands, and Josh picked out some beaded bracelets for her. He also found a sleeveless shirt in a lightweight fabric for the beach. There were some cute outfits for Gale and a new sun hat.
After shopping, they hit the foody tents, picked out something for lunch, and then found a place to set down their blanket. After lunch and some people watching, they headed to Four Mile Beach for the afternoon.
" Let's walk, shall we?" Nikki said after they were there for a while.
Josh settled Gale in her chest carrier, and Nikki made sure that she was covered to protect her from the sun. They set out holding hands while walking in the surf.
"Poppet's asleep," Josh said after they were walking for about 10 minutes.
"This has been a wonderful shore leave. I'm going to miss you both even more this time."
"It's been great having you home. How are you liking being back out there? Other than missing us, of course," said with a teasing smile.
"Other than being away from you and Poppet, I love it."
"That's good, then."
"Josh, I was looking at the calendar, and I don't know how I missed it before, but it looks as if Hammersley's patrol rotation is going to put me on patrol for our anniversary. Our first anniversary and the Navy comes through again."
"I thought that that might happen. We'll just have an extra special celebration when you get back. Hopefully, we will be able to Skype."
"I'll talk to Kate, ask her to keep me off night watch that day if possible."
Stopping and pulling her to him, he kissed her, " I've wanted to do that all day."
"Me too." They kissed again.
"Josh, let's skip dinner and just head home. I'm getting tired."
"Sure, whenever you're ready."
Later while driving home, "Do you want to order pizza?" Josh asked.
"That sounds perfect; pick it up or delivery?"
"Let's go home and get Poppet settled and then call in a delivery."
Once at home, together they got Gale settled, sharing her bath time and giving her her nighttime bottle. With her all snug in her bed, they went into the shower together…
Dressed in her new sarong and matching top, Josh in shorts and an open shirt, they waited for the pizza. Josh set the table with candles and wine glasses then he set up his phone to play through a small portable speaker. The pizza arrived, and they talked and laughed through their dinner.
Their few dishes sorted out, Josh went and sat in "his" lounge chair with a glass of wine. When Nikki came back outside, she joined him by sitting in his chair with him and leaning against his chest. They sat this way drinking wine, Josh kissing her neck and temple and listening to the music.
After the wine was finished, they moved to the living room, turned on a movie, and continued to snuggle.
"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow."
"I know, it goes by way too fast. Today was fantastic and such a nice way to have to return, thank you."
"Hmmm, no worries," he said, nuzzling her.
The movie finished, Josh stood, pulling Nikki up with him. Wrapping her in his arms and holding her close, he kissed her deeply. "Ready for bed, Mrs Holiday?"
Kissing him back, " More than"...
The morning sun was just thinking about rising. There was a faint pink glow on the horizon when Nikki walked out onto their bedroom balcony. Time I was getting ready, she thought with a sigh. She had to report for 0700. Josh made her breakfast while she got Gale ready. After breakfast, Josh grabbed her seabag, Nikki picked up Gale, leaving for the Navy pier.
Josh walked her to the gangway, then pulled her into his arms and gave her a thorough goodbye kiss. She clung to his neck and held him for a long time, then she turned and picked up Gale from her stroller, then holding her tight while giving her kisses and talking to her softly. Nikki passed Gale to Josh with a deep sigh and kissed him one more time before she went up the gangway, waving before she went into the ship.
By Thursday, Josh was a little bored and wanted a change of scenery. He decided to take a ride to Palm Cove and visit John and Scotty from his old dive boat. Being Thursday, there was a good chance that they would be in port.
Pulling into the marina car park, he was pleased to see the Reef Explorer at the dock. There wasn't any activity around the boat, which meant that they wouldn't be going out anytime soon.
He parked the car, picked up Gale, and headed down to the office. Scotty was at his desk working on the books and looked up as Josh walked in.
"Oi! MY GOD! As I live and breathe! It's great to see ya Mate!"
"I'm sorry I haven't been by sooner; we're finally pretty much settled in. Things were a bit crazy for a while."
"I can imagine. Hey now, who is this beautiful little Sheila? She has to be yours; just look at her!"
"Thanks, Scotty, this is Gale."
"She's lovely. How old?"
"Just about 5 months."
"Five months…" Scotty thought for a moment, "that means that she was born while you were still on the island! That's crazy!"
"Yeah," chuckling, " It was fairly intense."
"And how is the gorgeous LT Nikki? Is she still in the Navy?"
"Gorgeous and back on active duty. She's out on patrol now until September 1st."
" Hey, can you grab some lunch? We can catch up." Scotty said.
"That sounds great. Where's John?"
"He's out of town checking out some dive equipment. One of the excursion boats is closing up shop."
"Tell him that I'm sorry that I missed him."
"Any idea where you'd like to go?"
"How about that family pub just down the road? We could walk."
"Perfect," Scotty replied.
"Just have to stop at the car and get her stroller."
Walking up to the Outback, Scotty chuckled. "A daddy mobile, you've gone fully domestic! A far cry from that sexy Sebring."
"Huh, yeah. But it is a nice car, and it works perfectly for hauling all kinds of stuff."
"Like baby stuff…"
Laughing, " Yeah, like baby stuff.
Settling Gale in the stroller, they walked to the pub. Once they were seated and had ordered, Scotty had a million and one questions about their life on the island.
"Want to hear something crazy? The Navy marked it as 'Holiday Island' on the charts."
"Bloody hell, you have your own island!" Laughing. "Are you interested in coming back? We'd love to have you, Mate."
"Not right now, Scotty. For now, I'm 'Super Dad'. Just not ready to leave her with a sitter. Also, Nikki and I discussed it. We're not sure that it's wise for both of us to have risky jobs. I've had two close calls that revolved around diving."
"You like being 'Super Dad'?
"Actually, I love it, and I'll be starting Uni the next semester, going for my teaching certificate."
"I thought that you loved diving."
"I do, I do, but with a family, I think that this will be best. Besides, I think I'm going to like teaching."
"Do you have a subject in mind?"
.
"Yeah, electronics in a tech school."
"Nice, Well if you ever change your mind or want to do some casual work, you're always welcome."
After lunch, they said their goodbyes at the car. As Scotty walked back to the office, he was chuckling and shaking his head… ( an Outback!)
That evening he was able to Skype with Nikki. As soon as he opened the chat window, Nikki started crying.
"Baby, hey, what's wrong?" he worried.
"My...My...ring, it's cracked." she sobbed.
"Oh honey, Baby, I know that you wanted it to last forever, and it's special. It's special to me too. Put it on your tags for now so you don't lose it and I'll see what can be done when you get home."
Getting herself calmed down, " Alright. What did you and Poppet do today, anything fun?"
"Well, I took a ride to Palm Cove and had a visit with Scotty."
"Are you thinking about going back to work with them?" she asked, concerned.
"No, No, Babe. You and I, we talked about that. It was just a hello. Scotty bought me lunch, and we caught up."
"That must have been nice."
" It was."
" You will never guess who I saw today, Zariya."
"You're kidding. How did that come about?"
"Well, the unrest on Tamaru is over, and patrol boats out of Cairns have been tasked with keeping the pressure on for the time being. Hopefully being a deterrent to any further violence. We went ashore to check on the village and lend any support needed. Goodwill, you know. She saw me and immediately started walking away. I called out to her, and she stopped. I apologized for being a bitch. I explained that we were trying to be together but that it was hard because of the Navy and that I got jealous. She wanted to know if we were seeing each other. I told her that we were married. Then I asked her if she had anyone."
"Does she?"
"No."
"That was good, apologizing, I mean."
"I felt bad, Josh; I was evil to her, evil to you. That green-eyed monster came out from the frustrating circumstances with our relationship, I guess."
"Nik, you should have known better."
"I know."
"I'm really disappointed that you will be away for our anniversary."
"I am too. Let's hope that we can Skype."
"That'll be good, at least."
Then over the PA… " Nav to the Bridge."
"Sounds like I've got to go. Talk to you tomorrow. I love you."
"I love you too, so very much."
"Bye Bye little one," she says, waving at Gale. Josh took her little hand and has her waving back, saying ' bye-bye'."
Closing out his laptop, he went to get Gale settled for bed. That done, he grabbed a beer, got comfortable in his lounge chair and started to think about Nikki, her ring, and their anniversary.
( I think that tomorrow I will hit some jewellery stores and look for the perfect rings for us.)
The following day he was anxious to get out and look for their new rings. The morning routine completed, he headed for the shopping district. After he parked the car and got Gale comfortable in her carrier, he went to the first store on his list. After three different shops, he was becoming frustrated and disappointed. He couldn't find anything like what he was picturing in his head. Not until the fourth store. He walked in, and the bell on the door tinkled. This was a family-owned jewellery store, not a franchise. Their pieces were all handpicked from specialty suppliers.
"Can I help you?" the saleswoman, who was also an owner, asked.
"Could I just look at your cases for a moment?"
"Of course. Anything special that you're looking for?"
"Wedding bands."
"Here you go, they are in this case here. Just let me know if you want to see anything," she said, leaving him to himself.
Josh went over to the case with the wedding bands. He immediately saw exactly what he was looking for, matching two-toned gold bands with a hand-carved design of intertwined leaves.
( Perfect! The leaves represent the island) Josh thought.
He went over to the woman and asked to see them. Opening the case, she removed the rings so Josh could look at them closely.
"These are perfect."
"When is the wedding?" the woman asked.
"They're replacements. I made our first rings, and my wife's cracked."
"Wait... you're the man that was rescued from an island!"
"That's me. We married on the island; I made rings for us," he showed her his ring.
"That's really quite good, original and well crafted considering your resources. Incredibly romantic."
"Nikki's ring has bits of shells embedded in it."
"Sounds lovely."
"When we got back, I offered to get us new bands, but she refused. Her band was very special to her. Well, her ring cracked, and she's quite upset. It's time that we have new ones."
"Well, this set is beautiful. Did you want to wait until she can come in and see them before you purchase them?"
"No, they're a surprise, an anniversary gift."
"How lovely. Let's go and write these up. Now when is your anniversary?"
" The 25th, August."
"Good, we have time. Would you like anything engraved on the inside?"
"I would, our names and the date, and in Nikki's ring, My Love Forever."
"That's beautiful. I'll get these sent out right away. They should be back in a week."
"That's great."
"This little one must be your daughter. How old?"
"She's going on for five months."
"She seems like she's a good baby. So calm."
Josh laughed, "yeah, for the most part."
Gale was sleeping all snuggled in her carrier when Josh walked back to the car, grinning like a fool.
21, August, Friday, Hammersley:
0950… Kate was sitting in the captain's chair while Swain was at the helm. Dutchy watched over things, and Nikki was looking over the electronic charts and positioning systems when all the screens went dark.
"What just happened!" Kate call's out. "Stop all engines!"
"All engines stopped, Ma'am," Swain responded.
"Charge?" Kate asks.
"I don't know, Ma'am."
Sparky, Two Dad's replacement, who was Josh's replacement, rushed onto the bridge. " Ma'am, I don't know what happened. I was working on one of the panels, and there was a power surge. Several panels blew out."
"Can you fix it?"
"No, it's going to take shore techs, I'm afraid," Sparky replied.
"Great… Alright, Nav, plot a compass course for Cairns and take us home. RO call NAVCOM; they're going to have to crash sail Kingston and get me, Commander Flynn."
"Swain come to port 30, steer 220, revolutions 880," Nikki called out.
"Port 30, Steer 220, revolutions 880, Ma'am."
"Very Good."
"Nav," Kate said, "We're fairly blind here. How long before we reach port?"
"Two days. We should be back Sunday afternoon."
"Alright, going to be a long two days. Dutchy, extra spotters round the clock."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"ET would have gotten something going," Spider whispers.
Under his breath, Charge responds, "ET wouldn't have blown three panels."
"Ma'am, Commander Flynn."
"Thanks, RO," taking the phone. "Mike, we have a serious problem: almost all of our electronics are down, including navigation. We're heading in."
"What the hell happened? They just went down without warning?"
" It seems that Sparky was working on a panel when three panels blew with a small fire that was immediately extinguished by him."
" Aggg, I miss ET."
"You and me both."
" When do you expect to be in?"
"Nav says Sunday afternoon. I'll call when we're close."
"I'll be following in NAVCOM as well. Guess I have to crash Kingston; they'll be happy. Does Sparky have any idea how long the repairs will take?"
"Not really. I believe he thinks 4 to 5 days."
"Great. Well, Fairwinds Kate. Stay safe."
"Will do, Sir. I'll call later."
"Good."
Fortunately, the ship's satellite wifi was still operational. So the computers were still functional, and Nikki would be able to email and Skype with Josh. That evening at 1900, Niki called Josh.
In the kitchen heating up pizza, Josh heard his laptop ping with a message. He shut off the oven and went to his laptop, which was on the outside table. There was a message that Nikki was trying to reach him. He opened up Skype and called her back.
"Hey, Luv. I wasn't expecting a video chat tonight. This is great!" Josh says excitedly.
"Hi Babe, I have some news. Good news for us but bad news for the ship."
"What's up?"
"You know Sparky? Our new Electronics guy?"
" No, not sure that I do. What happened to Two Dads?"
"He was transferred to Melbourne at the end of the last rotation. Anyway, we have this new guy, Sparky, and he is literally just that. Sparks are always flying. He was working on a panel near the engine room, and he managed to blow three of them."
"Jeez, what panels?"
"Most of our electronics, including navigation."
"Could he get any of them up?"
"Ahh, no. They burned."
Josh was trying not to laugh, and Nikki could tell he was holding it in.
"Charge and Spider were giving him heaps. Told him that would have never happened under your watch and that even Two Dads never screwed up that bad. I was actually feeling bad for the guy."
"So what's happening?"
"We're on our way in. I have to navigate the old fashioned way. The good news is, thanks to Sparky, I'm going to be home for our anniversary! We should be in on Sunday."
"That's fantastic! Do you have an estimate for repairs?"
"Sparky thinks 4 or 5 days. I hope he's right about this one."
"Yeah, me too. From what you told me, he probably is. Might even be a bit longer depending on the damage done by the fire."
"So, anything new with you?" Nikki asks.
"Nah, same ole. I started the admission process for Uni. The fees are waived because of my veteran's status, and the tuition will be lower. I'm going to challenge a couple of courses, math, science, and history. We'll see."
"Josh, that's great! Will you be able to study from home?"
"For now, I will, yes, not sure about down the road. I found a desk at the used furniture place near Macca's. It's in great condition and fits perfectly in the alcove made by the stairs."
"Nice. How are my fishies?"
Josh laughed, " swimming, they look happy."
Now Nikki laughed. They carried on for another ten minutes or so then said their goodnights. Before saying goodbye, Josh carried his laptop into Gale's room so that Nikki could see her sleeping.
"Thanks for that Josh, have a good night, eat some ice cream for me. I love you, miss you."
"Ice cream sounds good, and Diving Adventures is coming on in a half-hour. Good night Baby, I love you, miss you." They broke the connection.
Nikki sat back on her rack and started to think about Josh's gift. ( I was worried about how the delivery was going to work out. Now I'll be home, perfect!)
Josh was ecstatic over Nikki's news, and he immediately started planning.
First, a babysitter. He emailed Kate: * Kate, hi. I know it's not a happy time for you with what's happened to Hammersley, but I can't help but be thrilled that you are coming into port early. It's our anniversary on 25 August we weren't going to be together, and now with Hammersley's misfortune, we will be. I want to give Nikki a special night. Would you and Mike be able to stay with Gale for a few hours? If you could, that would be fantastic. Don't say anything to Nikki; I want to surprise her. Josh *
At 2130 Kate went to her cabin for the night, turned on her laptop and opened her email. There were several that were Navy business, one from Mike and surprisingly one from Josh.
She always opened her personal emails first. She started with Josh's being curious as to what was up. Reading his note, she couldn't help but chuckle. This was an easy request. That got her thinking back to when they were " Nav" and "ET" on the ship and how hard they worked at keeping their feelings for each other undercover. ( I'm glad that Mike decided to pretend that we didn't have a clue, Navy rules be damned on this one. Those two goofballs were pretty obvious with their long stares and sneaky touches. It would have been a sin to keep them apart and ruin whatever chance they had at being together, and It all turned out perfectly as they solved the problem themselves ) Kate stared off thinking.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, she opened Mike's email, smiling while reading it, feeling his love warming her. When she wrote back, she told him about Josh's request.
Thirty minutes later, Kate's laptop signalled a new email from Mike. He was thrilled to be watching Gale.
Kate wrote back to Josh, telling him that he was all set and they were looking forward to staying with his little one. She told him to just let them know when he had his plans made.
Getting a quick response from Kate, Josh grinned.
The next day, Josh made dinner reservations at the Sarayi Boutique Hotel restaurant in Palm Cove. It had a fabulous view of the beach. Making the reservation, he requested and paid extra for two tables for privacy. He asked that they be seated where there was a view of the beach and the sunset. They assured him that he would have their best table. He also ordered a bottle of champagne and strawberries to be served first.
Mrs Lamont from the Jewellery store called and told him that his rings would be ready for pick-up on Monday, after 12:00. Josh was thrilled. Everything was falling into place.
23, August, Sunday:
Josh watched from their balcony as Hammersley approached the harbour. Nikki had said that she expected them to be in by 1330, and as usual, her navigation was spot on.
"Okay, little Poppet, let's go get Mummy."
Waiting at the gangway with Sally and other family and friends, all of them excited to have extra time with their loved ones, Josh and Sally chatted. Then Swain came down the gangway, followed by several more crew members. Then there was Nikki, looking fantastic in her whites.
Nikki rushed over, grabbed Gale and kissed Josh. "Welcome home, Babe," he said, stealing another kiss. They said goodbye to the Blakes; Josh picked up her seabag, and they headed off to the car.
Monday afternoon, Josh told Nikki that he was meeting some of the guys at the pub for lunch. She was happy that he was getting out of a few hours. In fact, he was planning to stop in at the pub for a while after going to the jewellery store. Later, that arvo he received a text from Kate asking what time he needed them for tomorrow.
* Hey Kate, I made reservations in Palm Cove for 7:30, so 6:30 or so?*
* We'll see you then*
After the jewellery shop, Josh stopped at a florist and ordered roses for Nikki. Smiling ( everything is falling into place), he thought.
25 August, Tuesday:
Josh woke before Nikki. It was 6:30, and he liked to let her sleep in when she was home, remembering the 0530 " wakey, wakey" calls.
"Happy anniversary, my love," Josh leans over and kisses her softly, not waking her. He got up, showered and dressed, and looked in on Gale. Surprisingly she was still asleep. Going to the kitchen, made a brew and brought it outside. He was just finishing his coffee when through the baby monitor he heard Gale making noises.
Walking into her room, "Hey little Poppet? Wakey, Wakey? Come on, let's get you sorted, then we'll give Mummy a wake-up call." Picking her up and giving her kisses on her neck, he brought her over to the changing table to get her changed, dressed, and then downstairs for her breakfast.
After her breakfast, Josh put her in her playpen and returned to the kitchen to get his and Nikki's breakfast ready. He was making Nikki's favourite eggs benedict over the corned beef hash. The hash was warm, the English muffins ready to be toasted, and the hollandaise sauce was in the sauce server, ready to be warmed in the microwave. Making Nikki a brew, he headed upstairs to their bedroom. Placing the cup on the bedside table, he laid down next to her and started kissing her awake.
"Happy anniversary, my love," he said while nuzzling her neck.
As she woke, she put her arms around him, kissed him and wished him a happy anniversary as well.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"Almost 9:00. Breakfast's ready when you are."
"Okay, Babe, I'll take a quick shower and be right down."
While Nikki was in the shower, Josh set the outside table. Ten minutes later, she was walking into the kitchen. Josh was at the bench, getting ready to cook the eggs, when she went over behind him and grabbed him into a hug. He turned around, and they shared a deep kiss.
"Go and sit, Luv; everything will be ready in a jiff."
"Josh…"
"Go, sit. Here's your coffee."
Josh made up two plates of the eggs benedict over hash and brought them to the table. Then he got his brew and sat down.
"My God, Josh! This is wonderful. Thank you."
"You're welcome, anything for you, Babe."
After breakfast, Josh started to gather up the dishes, " No, let me," Nikki said. "You've done enough."
"At least let me help."
"You can empty the bin," she said with a cheeky grin.
Josh brought the bag down to the garage to put it in the garbage bin. Coming back in, the doorbell rang.
"I've got it, Nik," he called upstairs.
Nikki dried her hands and rushed downstairs, knowing that it would be the delivery of Josh's gift.
"Can I help you?" Josh asked, a bit confused as he looked at the man on his stoop and the delivery truck that was parked in the street in front of their house.
"We have a delivery for Josh Holiday."
"That's me, Mate, but I'm not expecting a delivery."
Nikki speaks up, "Oh, but you are," with a wide grin and giggling.
"Can you show me where you want it, Ma'am?"
"Of course, come on this way," she led him upstairs to the living room. Right here, along this wall."
"Perfect, we'll get it unpacked and then bring it right on it."
Josh is looking very confused, "Nikki?"
"It's your anniversary, prezzy. I hope you like it," she said, kissing him quickly, then made their way back to the front yard and watched as the delivery men muscled an extra-large crate from the truck. Then they used crowbars to pry the wooden crate apart. Once that was done. The large object still had a protective covering which they left on.
"Nikki? Is that a piano?"
"Happy anniversary my, love. You seemed to enjoy playing when we were at our parents. I wanted that joy to continue and to give you an outlet."
"I...I… don't know what to say," he stammered. "It's too much, thank you!" he pulled her to him and kissed her right there in the front yard.
The men muscled it up the stairs, set it down near the wall that Nikki had indicated, and removed the protective covering. The piano was settled in the living room in short order. Nikki signed for the delivery, and the delivery crew left.
"This is fantastic! It's beautiful!" Josh went over to the piano, running his hand over the finish. Then he noticed the small brass plaque that was affixed to the cover. He rubbed his finger over it as he read, " For Josh, You are my world, My love, My life. Happy Anniversary 25 August 2020" He turned to her, eyes tearing, and kissed her deeply. "I love you so much, Nikki Holiday!"
" I love you, Josh Holiday."
Then he sat down to play.
"Someone will be here in about an hour to tune it for you."
"Nikki, this is so special," and he began to play their wedding song.
Nikki picked Gale up and sat with him at the piano as he played and sang to her.
They had just finished lunch and settled Gale in for a nap when the doorbell rang, " Nikki, can you get that? I'm in the middle of something."
Nikki bounced down the stairs and opened the door. Standing there was a woman holding a large bouquet of red roses. "Delivery for Nikki Holiday," she said. Nikki, surprised and with a broad smile, reached for the flowers, "Thank you."
"Enjoy your day!" the delivery woman said as she returned to her van.
Josh was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. "Oh! Josh! They're beautiful!" laying them down on the table, she wraps him in a hug
"Breakfast, roses, you treat me well."
"Well, the day's not over, Princess; I've made reservations for dinner in Palm Cove. Kate and Mike will be here at six."
"Josh! A date? When's the last time?"
"Can't remember, so I guess it's time."
"I think we need a nap if we are going out, don't you?" she says suggestively.
Breaking their hug, she gets out a large vase and puts her roses in water. Then she takes Josh's hand and leads him upstairs.
They spent the rest of the day relaxing and taking a walk to the park. As they walked down the street, one of their neighbours was walking her little dachshund and came over to say hello.
"Mrs Watson, have you met my wife?"
"Please, it's Emma. No, don't believe that I've had the pleasure."
"Nikki, this is Mrs Watson, Emma; she lives two doors down."
"Pleased to meet you, Emma."
"Likewise. I thought that I heard someone playing the piano earlier. Sounded like it was coming from your place."
"That was Josh," Nikki said.
"I hope I wasn't disturbing you; I'll try and play softer."
"Please don't; it was lovely. You play very well."
"Thank you, I've surprised myself not having played in 15 yrs or so."
"Why so long if you enjoy playing?" Emma asked him.
" I joined the Navy at 18, not a lot of opportunities to play on a Navy Ship."
Emma laughed, "Well, I would guess not."
They chatted for a few more minutes, Emma admiring Gale, then they continued on to the park.
Later it was time to get ready for their date. "Josh, how do I dress?"
"Wear something not too dressy…casual, and comfortable. I'm wearing one of the shirts that you bought me and board shorts."
Going into her closet, she picked out the sundress that Josh likes so much, a shrug sweater, and low sandals.
Kate and Mike arrived at 6:00. Walking into the living room, Kate went straight for Gale and picked her up. " We're going to have a grand time, aren't we, angel." Then she noticed the piano. " When did you get this?"
"Just today, my anniversary prezzy from my amazing and beautiful wife."
"Didn't know you could play," Mike said.
"I started playing when I was about 8. I played all through school. I loved it, still do."
"Will you play something?" Kate asked.
Josh went over the piano and reached out for Nikki to join him. She sat down next to him, and he started playing their melody, and she joined in with the harmony.
"That was wonderful! And you both play! I see piano lessons in your future little one."
Saying their goodbyes, " We won't be too late," Josh tells them.
"Don't rush; take your time," Mike said.
Josh and Nikki went down to the car Josh hurrying over to open Nikki's door.
"Josh, really?"
"Humor me, Luv."
They arrived in Palm Cove, and Josh pulled into the car park at the Sarayi Boutique Hotel.
As they walked in, Josh had his arm around her waist. "I've always wanted to try this place," Nikki said, laughing, "are you reading my mind again?"
"Guess great minds think alike, kissing her temple as they went in and were met by the maitre d.
"May I assist you, Sir?"
"Reservation for Holiday."
"Of course, this way, please."
"This is nice, Josh."
Reaching their table, the maitre d went to assist Nikki with her chair, but Josh intervened.
"Thank you, I've got this," he said as he helped Nikki and then pressed a kiss to her cheek. Laying across Nikki's place setting was a single red rose.
Josh sat, and the maitre d took the champagne out of the ice and showed the bottle to Josh. Josh smiled and nodded, and the maitre d filled their glasses.
"Will there be anything else, Sir?"
" No, thank you."
"When you're ready, your server is Michael; he'll be watching for your signal."
"Thank you." Before he walked away, Josh slipped him a note, along with a small envelope containing $50 for the band, asking if the band could play their wedding song, Ed Sheeran's "Perfect".
"My God, Josh! You are amazing! This is wonderful. I feel like royalty," Nikki exclaimed.
"That's because you are, Baby."
Josh had spoken with the manager at length about what he wanted, and with what Josh would be paying for the night, he assigned his best servers to their table.
Josh picked up his champagne glass, and Nikki did the same.
"To us and one extraordinary year. May we never be apart through eternity."
They touched glasses, "To my extraordinary husband whom I will always cherish," Nikki said. They went on to drink their champagne and eat some strawberries.
Micheal came over to the table as soon as Josh signalled, and they ordered their dinner. They were just about to order dessert when the band started playing their song.
"You did this too, didn't you." Josh grinned, stood up and held out his hand for them to dance. Dancing next to their table, they nuzzled and kissed to the delight of other diners.
They had their dessert, and then Josh signalled Michael for the bill. Without looking at it, he gave him his card. When he returned with the receipt for him to sign, Josh asked to see the manager.
"Was everything okay, Sir?" Michael asked worriedly.
"Everything was perfect, Michael, thank you,"
"No worries, Sir. I'll send Mr Allen right over."
A Few minutes later, the manager of the restaurant approached their table. " Mr Holiday, was everything to your satisfaction?"
"Absolutely Perfect," Nikki answered for him.
"Thank you, Mr Allen. Everything was just as I hoped," Josh added.
"I'm pleased. Happy Anniversary."
"Thank you," they both said.
They left the restaurant, and Josh took her hand as they walked to the car. He stopped in front of the boot and pulled her in for a long kiss.
"Could we walk on the beach?" Nikki asked.
"As a matter of fact," Josh said, opening the boot and handing her the flip flops that he had stashed in the boot along with his backpack.
"You certainly came prepared."
"I know you well and expected that you would want to walk on the beach."
She laughed, "What's with the backpack?"
" Part of my plan…" he said with a grin. Taking her hand, he led them to the water, where they walked, talked and kissed. After they had been walking for about fifteen minutes, he spotted a nice secluded spot on the tree line under the palms.
"Come on, this way," he said, guiding her to the spot that he had picked out.
"What are you up to now, Mr Holiday?'
" Shhh, you'll see." He removed the blanket from the backpack and spread it, then ushered her onto the blanket.
"Please sit."
"Okay…"
He then brought out six large pillar candles, set them in the sand around the blanket, and lit them. Finally, he joined Nikki sitting facing her, taking both her hands in his and kissing them.
"Josh?"
" Nikki, when I first saw you, I swear that my heart stopped. I knew that I had to meet you, get to know you. I was at a place in my life where I was just floundering, untethered, not grounded. But when I saw you, I couldn't explain it, but it was like a hammer to the head. That's her; she's the one I've been waiting for.
The year that followed, with all of our ups and downs, was incredible and then when I asked you to marry me, and you said yes, you made me the happiest man in the world, and I still am.
We got dumped on an island before we could even start planning our wedding. On the island, I would sometimes lie awake, unable to sleep…
"Josh, I…"
"Let me finish Luv, I need to get this out," she nodded with tears in her eyes. "I would lie there contemplating all that had happened and how lucky we were to have each other, and even though we were stuck there, I was happy. I knew that we had to be married. Then you gave us a beautiful baby girl."
Taking her ring from his pocket, "This past year has been incredible and amazing. Nikki, will you marry me again?"
As tears ran down her cheeks, "Josh, I love you. I will always marry you." Josh took her hand, slipped on the new ring, then leaned in and kissed her. They kissed like it was their first and last.
Then breaking the kiss, he took his ring out of his pocket and handed it to Nikki. With tears, she removed his wooden ring and slipped the new one onto his finger.
"Josh, I love you so much. I feel incredibly lucky that we found each other. The past year has been a strange journey, but it brought us closer than I ever thought possible, and I am so happy that we are continuing that journey." Then reaching for him and holding him tight, she kissed him passionately. They laid down and held onto each other, kissing and caressing, making out like teenagers.
Nikki held up her hand to see the ring, "this is exquisite! Where ever did you find them?"
"This private jewellery store in the business district. I had an idea in my head as to what I wanted. When I saw those, they were perfect. The leaves symbolize our time on the island."
"I absolutely love it."
"I absolutely love you," he said.
A short while later, Josh looked at his watch, "We had best be going, don't want to take advantage of Mike and Kate too much."
Reluctantly they stood and began to pack up then walk to the car. Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the garage. When they reached the top of the stairs, there was Mike and Kate snuggled together on the couch, asleep.
Whispering, Nikki said, "They look so cozy. I hate to wake them up."
"Maybe we should just cover them and leave them."
Nikki laughed, "Okay, I'll leave them a note offering them the sleeper sofa in Gales room."
Nikki wrote a quick note, thanking them and inviting them to stay on the sofa bed in Gale's room and then have breakfast with them.
While Nikki was writing the note, Josh was putting some linen on the sofa bed. Then he met up with Nikki in their bedroom. She had already removed her dress. Josh moved quickly to catch up with her. They slowly undressed each other the rest of the way, then kissing, made their way to their bed.
"Josh, thank you for an unbelievably amazing anniversary. I can't say it enough, I love you!"
"I love you too, Babe, so very much."