Catherine couldn't believe it. Not only was he here in Afghanistan to ask her to come back home with him he was also asking him to marry her. Catherine looked deep into his eyes and saw that he meant every word he said.
"Come on Catherine, get over you fears," Catherine told herself. "He's came all this way to get you back. He loves you and you love him. You want this. Just say yes."
Catherine pulled Steve to her and kissed him deeply.
"Yes Steve, I will marry you," Catherine whispered to him.
"Really?" Steve asked with a smile.
"Yes really."
Steve kissed her again and picked her up. Catherine automatically wrapped her legs around him. They stopped kissing when they heard giggling. Catherine and Steve looked towards the door way and saw the kids standing there. Catherine had totally forgotten the time. She had to teach the kids again.
"I guess you should go back to teaching," Steve told her.
"Yeah. It's only for an hour."
"Okay good. Mind if I wait here?"
"No absolutely not."
Catherine started with the lesson but the kids wanted to know about Steve. Catherine told them about her and Steve and that they were getting married. One of the kids asked if she was going back to her home. Even though it was hard for Catherine to leave she was going home. After an hour the class had ended and the kids went outside to play.
"Do you have someone to teach the children?" Steve asked her.
"Yes, I've been training some of the mothers."
"That's good."
"I still can't believe you're actually here."
"I didn't want to spend Valentine's Day and the rest of my life without you. Are you finished for today here?"
"Yes I am."
"Do you have your own little house here?"
Catherine smiled at Steve. She had an idea what Steve was getting at. "Yes, sort of. I changed this into a school and I made an extra room for me next to it. It's nothing big but I can sleep and eat there."
"Great." Steve pulled her hand and took her outside. "Which way?"
"This way."
Catherine pulled Steve towards her 'house'. She closed the door behind her and made sure that it was locked. The window was high so the kids couldn't see through it. She closed the piece of wood that was in front the window. Since it was day time there was still enough light coming through the small holes. Catherine turned around and saw Steve looking at her. Before she realized it Steve came walking up to her and lifted her up. He pushed her against the wall as Catherine wrapped her legs around him. Steve kissed the spot in her neck that he knew drove her crazy.
"I've missed you so much," Steve whispered to her.
"I've missed you too Steve."
God this man knew exactly what she liked. She was already starting to turn to jelly in his arms. Thank god he was holding her in place. Steve moved his hands underneath he shirt and lifted it up over her head. It felt so good to hold her in his arms again and to kiss her. She was his. He would never let her go again. He turned around and put Catherine down on the bed. He took the rest of their clothes off before he pushed himself inside of her. It felt so good to make love to her again.
Catherine was in heaven as Steve made love to her. She couldn't believe that she had managed so long without him. Now he was here again she realized how much she had missed him. And he came all this way to get her back!
Once they were finished they lay together on the bed. Catherine had her head on Steve's chest and Steve with his arms around Catherine.
"I've missed this," Catherine uttered.
"I know, me too. I've missed you so much. I should have never let you go on your own. I should have come with you."
"We both know that wasn't the best idea."
"Neither was you staying here."
"I know. But I just couldn't leave. I wanted to make sure the kids were alright."
"I get that. But you told me to move on."
"Yeah I know, that was stupid of me. I was scared."
"About what?"
"That things would change after we said I love you."
"Of course things would change but for the better in my opinion."
"It was just stupid. I'm glad you didn't listen to me."
Steve pulled Catherine closer and the two of them just lay in the bed for a while and they occasionally made love. They pulled themselves out of bed and had dinner.
The next day Catherine made sure everything was taken care off. She made sure the kids were taken care off and she promised to come back a couple times a year. Catherine said goodbye to the kids and packed up her stuff. Steve loaded her stuff onto the bike as Catherine said goodbye. The parents of the kids came to thank her for everything she had done for them. Once she had said goodbye Catherine climbed onto the back of Steve's bike and they rode off. Catherine looked back once more to make sure she had made the right decision. She loved being here and to teach the kids things but her heart was in Hawaii, with Steve.
Steve drove them to airport. They checked their bags and went to the gate. They got on the plane and waited for it to leave. Catherine sat by the window. Steve looked at her as Catherine kept looking out of the window. He wondered if she was truly happy with her decision.
"You okay Cath?"
"Yeah I'm good."
"You don't regret coming back home right, do you?"
Catherine looked at Steve and grabbed his hand. "Absolutely not. I am gonna miss the people there but I'm very happy to go home with you."
"That's good."
"I'm really sorry I stayed here just like that."
"It's okay. We're together now. But why did you tell me to move on? You clearly still love me."
"I do Steve and I never stopped loving you. The truth is I was scared how it would be when I would come back. I was scared we, us, had changed, because you told me you loved me. I know I said it back and I meant it, I mean it. I was just scared that that would change us, our relationship. For the first time there was really a label on our relationship and that scared me."
Steve had to smile a bit.
"What are you smiling about? I'm serious."
"I know Cath, it's just that I'm a bit scared too. I never told someone before I loved them. I was never good at saying that. I was scared to finally tell you how I felt. Too bad you were so many miles away when I finally found the courage to tell you. But I'm not scared anymore. I want you in my life. I want you as my wife."
"I want that too Steve. More than you know. And I'm so sorry for staying in Afghanistan for so long."
"It's okay Cath," Steve spoke and he took Catherine's hand. "You're home now. We're back together."
Steve was really glad that Catherine had come home with him and that they were getting married. If it were up to him they would get married today. He thought it would be nice to get married on Valentine's Day. But that was in 3 days already and he didn't know if Catherine wanted that.
…
Catherine took a deep breath and breathed in the Hawaiian air as they stepped off the plane. It felt good to be back in Hawaii again. This place was her home. Steve grabbed their bags and they walked to his car. Steve put their bags on the backseat of his car as Catherine got in the passenger side. Steve got in the driver's seat and started the car.
"You're okay Cath?" Steve asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm good. It's just a little getting used to, to be back in Hawaii again but it feels right."
"Good," Steve replied with a smile.
Steve drove them to his house. Catherine looked around the house as they stepped in. Everything looked exactly the same as when she left. She walked outside and sat on one of the chairs at the beach. She had missed this view. Steve walked out a little later and he pulled Catherine up. He sat down on the chair and pulled Catherine on his lap.
"I'm so happ you're home again. I've missed you," Steve stated.
"I've missed you too. There wasn't a day that I didn't think about you."
"Me neither, there were so many moments I just wished you would walk into the door. I wanted to come over for Christmas but I got wrapped up with work."
"It's okay Steve. It means a lot to me that you came to get me."
"Of course, I love you Catherine."
"And I love you Steve."
Catherine gave Steve a kiss and they just sat there for a while enjoying the view.
"Hey Cath, can I ask you something?" Steve spoke after a while.
"Sure, what's up?"
"How would you feel about a Valentine's Day wedding?"