E: Can you please tell me what you have planned for Saturday? I need to know how to dress.
K: Just dress casually with comfortable shoes.
E: Comfortable as in sneakers or sandals?
K: We'll be doing some walking, but you will be fine in sandals, Swan.
Killian and Emma had decided to have their date on Saturday, and he'd insisted on planning it himself, while keeping the plans a secret from her. As they texted each other throughout the week, she kept trying to glean information from him, but he wasn't disclosing very much. Both of them looked forward to these exchanges every evening.
E: Is there a certain color I should wear so it won't show if I spill some food on myself?
K: Ah, ah, ah. That might be revealing a bit too much information!
E: I don't want to ruin our night by having an unsightly stain on my clothes.
K: Why Swan, are you in the habit of being a messy eater? Perhaps I should bring a bib along for you!
Besides sending messages that made her laugh, he also included face emojis with various expressions, which added to the humor. Sometimes Emma had to remind herself that this was the same man who was so withdrawn and closed-off when she first met him.
E: Why are you picking me up so early? Are we eating a late lunch or an early dinner?
K: Does it matter which it is?
E: I need to know if I should eat lunch at home or wait until we eat on our date.
Every time she mentioned the word 'date', he got a goofy grin on his face. He was still having trouble believing that she'd actually agreed to go out with him. When he'd worked up the nerve to ask her, he had prepared himself to be disappointed in case she said it was too soon. He knew he couldn't push her, but now that they had a better understanding of where they stood with each other, he wanted to continue to build on it, even if it had to be brick by brick.
K: Eat something light for lunch. We won't be going straight to the restaurant after I pick you up.
E: Then where ARE we going?
K: You'll have to wait and see.
E: UGH! Just tell me already! I'm dying to know!
K: Tis only one more day. I think you'll survive until then!
E: (sends a series of angry face emojis, with one winking face at the end.)
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Friday evening, before he bid her goodnight, Killian made sure to get Emma's address to put into his GPS app, and verified that he would be picking her up at 4:00 the following day.
What he had planned wasn't anything elaborate, but he'd still had a good time playing the guessing game with her. He hoped she wouldn't be disappointed, and would truly enjoy the evening. He also hoped that they would find ample time to talk. He'd decided that it was time to tell Emma about Milah.
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On Saturday, Emma dressed carefully in a flowy skirt that hit about an inch above her knees, and a sleeveless V-neck blouse. She finished her outfit with a short sleeve, lightweight cardigan and a pair of strappy sandals that were dressy looking, but comfortable. Her hair was styled in soft waves and her makeup was light and natural.
She allowed plenty of time before Killian arrived so she could take Evie for a short walk and play with her for a while, before she had to be put into her pen. The puppy still tended to get overly excited when she met new people, and Emma didn't want her jumping all over him.
By 3:50, she was ready and waiting. She felt proud of herself for planning everything so well that she had time to spare, but she spent that time pacing around the living room, waiting for him to arrive. When the doorbell finally rang, she took one more quick glance in the mirror, then opened the door.
Killian was dressed in dark wash jeans, a royal blue button down shirt which had the sleeves rolled up, and a dark gray vest, with casual slip-on shoes. When he saw her, his jaw dropped a little and his eyes went wide.
"You look stunning, Swan," he said, in a hushed tone.
"You look…"
"I know," he grinned. Then he pulled his left arm out from behind his back and produced a single red rose.
"Oh, it's beautiful! Thank you! I think I have a bud vase in one of my kitchen cabinets. Come on in while I try to find it."
He followed her into the house and closed the door behind him, remaining in the entryway. Soon she reappeared with the flower in a crystal vase. She closed her eyes and inhaled its beautiful fragrance, before setting it on the end table beside her couch.
"It really is lovely, and very thoughtful," she smiled, picking up her purse and turning back to him.
"I'm glad you like it." He looked around. "Where's your little dog?"
"I already put her in her pen. I'll let you meet her another time."
"Sounds good," he said, hoping that there would soon be another time. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, let's go! I don't think I can wait any longer to see what you have planned!"
He laughed, then followed her out the door, and waited while she locked it. They walked to his truck, where she gave him a big smile as thanks for once again opening the door for her. When he slid into the driver's seat, she observed, "You cleaned your truck, didn't you?"
"I had an appointment to have it detailed this morning," he explained.
"Wow, you really went all out!"
"Well, I wanted you to be comfortable."
"It seemed pretty clean when I was in it on Tuesday."
Killian chuckled. "I try to keep it neat, but I've had it for a couple of months now, so it was due for a good cleaning."
"Now can you tell me where we're going?"
"Wouldn't you rather wait just a few more minutes and be surprised?"
"Um, maybe, I guess? It has been fun trying to figure out what you have planned."
"Any guesses?" he smirked.
"Not really. You've been VERY secretive!"
"Well, I hope you're not disappointed when we get there."
"I'm sure I won't be. I trust your judgement."
"That's good to hear."
"Will you at least tell me how far away it is?"
"About twenty minutes, give or take. You can turn the radio on if you want."
As Emma tried to find music that they both liked, they soon realized that it was another area in which they had a lot in common. Both of them named 80's rock as one of their favorite genres, which led to a discussion of groups and songs that they enjoyed. When an Eagles song came on, Killian started to sing along.
"You've been holding out on me, Jones," Emma remarked as the song came to an end. "You've got a really good voice!"
Killian cheeks reddened. "I used to be in my high school choir. I was even in a couple of musicals."
"Oh really? Which ones?"
"'Singin' in the Rain' and 'Oklahoma'. I never tried out for a leading role, but I enjoyed having bit parts and being in the chorus. It was a way for me to fit in at school."
Emma nodded. "I understand that. I participated in band, both marching and concert."
"Really? What instrument did you play?"
"Saxophone."
"Impressive! Were you involved in anything else in high school?"
"Just Science Club. I spent a lot of time in the library because I was always reading. I still love to read."
"We'll have to discuss our favorite books sometime."
Killian's GPS told him to turn right at the next intersection, and that his destination would be on the right. When he'd followed the directions, Emma looked up to see that they were at a Botanical Garden. She turned to him and saw that he was looking at her dubiously, waiting for her reaction.
"The rose was just a preview," he explained, before she could respond.
"This is a wonderful idea, Killian! I have never been to one, and I've wondered what they're like. Have you been here before?"
"No, it's the first time for me as well. I was trying to find something different than a movie, or dinner at a fancy restaurant."
Emma unfastened her seat belt. "Well, I can't wait! It looks beautiful inside!"
He could tell that her excitement was genuine, and not simply so that she wouldn't hurt his feelings. He hurried around to open her door, and they walked hand-in-hand to the entrance.
Killian paid the admission and they entered together. Immediately they were met with gorgeous landscapes and displays of plants, topiaries, and flowers of every type and color imaginable.
Emma moved from one display to another, exclaiming how beautiful they were with growing enthusiasm. Killian was enjoying them also, but was having even more fun watching and listening to her childlike exuberance.
He pulled out his phone to take pictures of her in front of some of the exhibits. When she noticed what he was doing, she insisted that he join her, so he turned the camera lens around to get selfies of the two of them.
In one area, there was a butterfly room filled with dozens of varieties of the colorful insect. Emma gracefully moved from bush to bush, with a smile so large that he thought her face would start to ache. At one point, two butterflies landed on Emma - one on her shoulder and the other on top of her head. She tried not to giggle and scare them away before Killian could snap a picture. His breath caught in his throat as he captured the scene on his camera. He didn't think that he'd ever witnessed anything so beautiful in his entire life.
They walked and explored to their hearts' content, until he unlocked his phone to take another picture. That's when he realized that over an hour-and-a-half had passed, and it was nearly time for the gardens to close. He mentioned this to Emma, whose face fell a bit at the news.
"Don't worry," he reassured her, "we can come back another time, if you'd like. We could come earlier in the day to give us more time."
"I'd love that!" she replied honestly. "Killian, this was such a great idea for a first date. It's a very special place, and being here with you makes it even better."
"I'm glad that we could enjoy it together, Emma," he replied with a warm smile.
As they walked to his truck, he slipped his arm around her shoulder, and felt her lean into him. "Are you ready for dinner?"
"Yes I am. Are you gonna tell me where we're going?"
He chuckled. "Sure. We have reservations in about fifteen minutes at a nice Chinese Restaurant. Not one that's part of a chain franchise, or the kind with a buffet. This is an authentic restaurant."
"Mmm, sounds good! Do we have enough time to get there?" she asked, as she settled into the truck.
"It's just a few miles down the road, so we'll have plenty of time." He handed her his phone. "Would you like to go through the pictures and videos I took and send any that you like to your own phone?"
"You wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not. I've already unlocked it for you."
Emma scrolled through his photo gallery to see all the pictures that he'd taken, then went back and selected several that she forwarded to herself. "These are really good, Killian. I'm glad you took so many, even if pictures don't do it justice."
Killian smiled. He'd been worried that she wouldn't appreciate the Botanical Gardens, and now he hoped she'd like the rest of his plans as much as she had enjoyed them.
They arrived at the restaurant, checked in with the hostess, and were told that their table would be ready in just a few minutes.
"You planned this out perfectly, didn't you?" Emma asked with a grin.
"I don't know about that, but it has worked out pretty well so far."
They were soon seated and looked over the menu together. After ordering, they chatted amicably until their food came. They had decided on two meals that both of them wanted to try, so they could share with each other.
The food was delicious and they had the leftovers boxed up to go. Killian paid the bill, allowing Emma to pay the tip at her insistence.
When they walked out to his truck, he unlocked it and put the food boxes behind the seat, then closed the door. She looked at him quizzically.
"There's a garden with a walkway behind the restaurant. Since the weather has cooperated, would you like to take advantage of it?"
Emma smiled. "That sounds like a lovely idea." She took his offered hand and they set off for the path that was lit by Oriental lanterns. Along the way, they stopped on a bridge spanning a small stream to share a brief kiss, and when they reached the end of the path, there was a pond.
Killian led them to a wooden bench to sit down. As they looked out over the water, Emma suddenly called out, "Oh look! Swans!"
His eyes followed where she was pointing and saw two graceful swans gliding across the surface.
"Did you plan that too?" she smirked.
He did his adorable nervous scratch. "I'd like to take credit for it, but I have to admit, it's just a happy coincidence."
Emma noticed that he seemed a bit tense. "Is everything all right?"
He smoothed down his hair. "I, uh, I wanted to...talk to you about something. To explain something, actually."
She turned to face him fully and placed her hand on top of his thigh. "What is it?"
He took a deep breath. "Before I was deployed this last time, I was uh, I was dating a woman for several months. Her name was Milah. She was older than me by a few years, but that didn't really matter. I was...I was in love with her, and I thought she loved me too, but…"
Emma gave his leg a squeeze to encourage him. When he remained silent, she spoke softly. "But what, Killian?"
"But when she saw me in the hospital, she uh, she decided she couldn't handle me being….injured." He paused and swallowed before looking up to lock eyes with her. "You know, you're quite perceptive, Swan."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember at one of my first treatments when you asked me if there was one person in particular who called me a cripple?"
Emma sucked in a breath. "Oh Killian, no! She didn't!" Anger flooded through her at the thought of anyone saying that to him, let alone someone who supposedly loved him.
He looked down to where her hand had a tight grip on his thigh, just above his knee. Then he set his jaw and continued, "Most of the guys in my unit knew what she was like and tried to tell me that she was no good for me, but I didn't listen. I was blind to her flaws because I was so enamored with her."
When he met her eyes again, she saw the anguish in his that had been present in those early therapy sessions. "She called me damaged goods, then she...walked out on me," he gritted out.
Emma tried to remain calm, knowing that her indignation wasn't what he needed right then. Instead, she reached up to take his face between her hands. She gently traced over the scars with her fingertips, and then ran her right hand down his arm to touch his prosthesis. "These are a testimony to your bravery, Killian. Anyone who can't recognize you for the hero that you are, isn't worthy of you."
He wanted to tell her that he wasn't a hero, that he had just been doing his duty, but when he looked in her eyes, he saw that she truly believed what she'd said. He didn't know how to respond when his throat was so tight with emotion, so he decided not to say anything at all. Instead, he lifted his hand to run it across her cheek and into her hair. He briefly thought that it was as soft as it looked, before he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
Emma shifted to get closer to him, then wrapped her arms around his neck. After a few moments, she slid her tongue along his bottom lip, and he opened for her, teasing her tongue with his.
Killian pulled her into a closer embrace as the kiss went on and on. It wasn't hurried and it wasn't a battle between them. It was soft and slow and sweet, and when it came to an end, they pressed their foreheads together while they tried to catch their breath.
He could feel her caressing his face again as she spoke. "You are a good man, Killian Jones. You are strong and courageous, and don't ever let anyone make you think differently. I'm so glad that I've taken the chance to get to know you better."
Killian hugged her tightly, and spoke against her hair. "Thank you, Emma. I'm glad you did too."
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