Michaela stood before the floor length mirror in her bedroom gazing at her reflection. She cupped her hand under her belly and turned sideways. The baby was due in four weeks. She felt very large and uncomfortable. She had begun feeling some early contractions. She knew from her medical training that they were Braxton-Hicks. They were harmless but uncomfortable, nonetheless.

She let out a sigh and walked over to the bed where she had three maternity dresses spread out. The first was a black maxi dress with white chevron stripes. The second was a Kelly green sheath that fell to her knees and the last was a tangerine colored sundress with an empire waist and a matching white cardigan sweater. She stood back from the bed and carefully studied each dress.

She thought to herself, which one would be the most flattering but still comfortable? She pondered the answer as she touched the fabric of each one. Sully had never mentioned which restaurant they were going to. Since their destination was still a mystery, she opted for the sundress and paired it with strappy sandals. As she was putting the finishing touches on, the doorbell rang.

"Hi, Sully, she stated, stepping aside so he could walk in the house.

Sully could not believe how beautiful she looked. Her hair was pulled up in a soft ponytail. She had a soft smile on her face as she greeted him. He had to fight with everything he had not to take her in his arms and kiss her. He could sense that she was nervous about tonight. He took her hand in his, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, let me grab my handbag, "she answered, removing her hand from his electrified touch.

As they left her house, Sully could sense that Michaela was still holding on to the nervous tensions. She sat in the passenger seat of the SUV with her hands clasped tightly in her lap, a pensive look on her face.

"What's wrong, Michaela?" Sully asked.

"Nothing, I guess I am nervous," She admitted, shyly.

He patted her hand, "There's nothing to be nervous about," he stated reassuringly.

"I know, Sully, but it's been a long time since I have been out with anyone other than David,"

"I understand. We can think of tonight as a dinner among friends. Nothing implied, nothing expected," Sully stated.

She stared out the window of the SUV, thinking of how lucky she was to find someone who was always putting her feelings ahead of his own and appreciated the fact that he was always concerned for her wellbeing. She continued to day dream about David and what he had told her in her dream the other day. She still struggled with the sudden loss of him but felt confident that David would approve of Sully and the special way that he treated her.

"We're here! Sully exclaimed, pulling her out of her revelry. He jumped down out of the SUV and went around to her side of the car to help her out. Michaela looked around at the beautiful landscape. The restaurant was nestled among tall pine trees and gorgeous wild flowers. They were only a few minutes from town but it felt like they were days away from civilization.

The place Sully had brought her to was a tiny restaurant in an A-Frame log cabin with a wraparound porch, green metal roof and smoke coming from the chimney.

"How did you find this place?" she wondered, turning in a circle to view everything around her.

"I rebuilt the porch last summer when it was damaged by a storm," he answered.

"It's a beautiful place," she remarked.

She slipped her arm in his and they walked together up the steps, toward the front doors. The windows at the rear were floor to ceiling and made the landscape appear as if you were dining outside. The walls were made of wooden logs, polished to a shine. The fireplace was in the middle of the room and could be accessed from all sides. There were logs burning to provide the ambiance for the room. The tables had pendant lights over each one to provide a soft white glow which created an intimate setting for each diner. There were white curtains hung on café rods on some of the windows and each table had a red tablecloth. The smell of bread baking permeated the room and served to make Michaela all the more ravenous.

"I hope you like Italian food," Sully stated.

"It is my favorite, Sully," she exclaimed

They were seated at a table in the rear of the restaurant, nestled into a corner with the view of the landscape outside. They were both very hungry and placed their orders right away. Sully ordered the lasagna and Michaela ordered the Fettucine Alfredo with a small salad. There was some awkward silence between them after they gave their orders.

Sully broke the silence. "How are you feeling these last few days?"

"I'm getting fatigued more quickly but doing well," She answered, she didn't want to mention the contractions she had been experiencing from time to time.

"I can imagine. Abby was very tired in her last few weeks of pregnancy with Hannah."

Michaela was surprised that he brought up Abby's name. He didn't mention her very much. She could see his expression change slightly when he mentioned her. He had said that he had worked through the grief of losing her but she could tell the pain was still there. She still felt the loss of David as well. She accepted Sully's dinner invitation as the first step in moving forward.

Their food came to the table as both were lost in thought. The delicious aromas brought them out of their revelries. They enjoyed their meal and each other's company. Michaela was starting to relax and enjoy the night for what it was-dinner with a friend. She couldn't help but wonder about Abby. What happened to her? What was she like? She knew this was a touchy subject with Sully but she needed to know.

"Sully, could I ask you about Abby?" she asked, haltingly, looking down at the last of her food.

He was finishing the last forkful of his lasagna. He looked up surprised at her question. He knew that Michaela would ask about her eventually, he just didn't expect it tonight. He hesitated then began, slowly.

"Abigail and I met when we were in high school. She was a sophomore and I was a senior. The attraction was almost instant for us. She was a shy, quiet girl. Our paths crossed one day after school. She was just leaving a club meeting and I had just finished football practice."

His eyes lit up at the memory of her. Michaela loved the look on his face. He seemed comforted by the memories of their past.

"We clicked almost immediately. We dated for a few years then eventually married. What about you and David?" he asked, shifting the conversation away from him for a bit.

Michaela shifted in her seat. She wasn't prepared for his question so soon. "David and I met some years ago in Boston. I was just out of medical school and he was on leave from the Army." She placed her hands under her chin as she thought back to their early days together. She had pushed a lot of her memories of David to the back of her mind. When she left Boston, she tried to run away from their relationship. She had felt so alone in those days after he died. Sully watched the expression change on her face as she recalled their life together. This pleased him as he understood her exact thoughts. His lips curved into a slight smile.

"David has left for his 2nd tour of duty to the Middle East," she mentioned, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Sully leaned forward and took Michaela's hand and squeezed in reassurance.

"I begged him not to go, but he told me he would be back in just a few weeks, "she dabbed at the tears. "Sully, it was just a week later that two uniformed officers came to my door. He had been shot."

Sully's heart ached for her. He wanted to hug her and take her pain away. "Michaela, I am so sorry," he felt that no matter what he said, it wasn't adequate for her pain.

"Thank you, but it's getting better, a little each day. I didn't tell you but he came to me in a dream and spoke to me! I feel more at peace now, even though it's still painful to talk about. She wanted to shift their conversation back to him. You didn't finish answering my question."

Sully didn't like to be the center of attention for very long. But he felt that he could trust his private heartaches with Michaela. "We had only been home with Hannah for six weeks," he began, feeling the pain flooding back to him. He took a deep breath. "We had ran out of diapers and a few other baby necessities. Abby was eager to get out of the house, she hadn't left since she'd gotten home from the hospital. She hadn't been gone an hour when a police car pulled up in front of the house." He could feel his heart starting to pound as he hadn't spoken about this to anyone. "She was killed by a drunk driver on the way home."

Michaela sucked in a ragged breath upon hearing those words. She could see his eyes start to glisten with tears. She felt honored that he was sharing his pain with her. He took a deep breath to clear the lump that was forming in his throat. He glanced outside and wanted to get off this subject.

"I have some ideas for the design for Katie's furniture. Would you like to stop by on the way home to take a look at them?" he asked, starting to feel calmer.

"Yes, I would love to see your ideas!" she answered

Sully paid the bill and helped her from her chair. They made their way through the restaurant, feeling a little more close to one another. They had shared their private pain and it had helped them both move closer to healing their wounds.

A few minutes later, they had arrived at Sully's home. He helped her down from the SUV. She followed him down the narrow pathway that ran beside his house to the detached garage in the back yard. He unlocked the wooden door. It slowly creaked open and he flipped the lights on. The bright, florescent lights revealed some of the most beautiful wood work she had ever seen. She could tell that he was passionate about his work and possessed a great talent for doing so.

She ran her hand along a sofa table near the door. She felt its smooth, lacquered finish. The rich cherry wood and dove tail designs on the drawer. "This is beautiful, Sully."

"Thank you. Here are the designs I've come up with for Katie's furniture." He mentioned, unfurling plans akin to an architect's drawing. He was very detailed and had planned every piece beautifully. She was amazed at what must have taken him hours to complete.

"These are amazing drawings! I love them." She exclaimed.

Sully watched her expression and felt such love for her. He had opened up his heart to her about Abigail and she had, in return, shared her pain. He knew that he had moved their relationship along rather quickly but he felt such a connection with her and her with him. He surmised that her presence had helped him heal a little more from losing Abigail. He found Michaela's gaze and held it. For the first time, revealing his love for her in his eyes. He felt his heart speed up as he walked closer to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer. She complied with him and moved closer.

Their lips met tentatively. He stepped back to look at her, gauging her response. She gave him her approval. She initiated their next kiss. Her lips touched his in a feather light kiss as his arms drew her tighter to him. He met her kiss, intensifying their connection. Michaela felt her pulse quicken and her body flush, she felt lightheaded. She moved her hands to caress the back of his neck. Sully moved to kiss the side of her neck, trailing kisses up to her ear. She felt gooseflesh spring up as he kissed her. She shivered in response to his touch. Just then she felt Katie kick.

Sully felt her tense up. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I just felt Katie kick," she answered, holding her belly. "I see she has good timing already,"

"Can I feel?"

"Sure, she took his hand and placed it on the right side of her belly. Katie kicked in response.

"I felt her!" Sully exclaimed, looking at Michaela.

"It's amazing but a little painful," she admitted.

Sully leaned forward and kissed her cheek. This had turned out to be an amazing evening.

He sensed that she may be getting a little tired, "If you are good with the furniture plans, why don't I go ahead and take you home?"

"Okay, thank you. I love the work you have put into Katie's furniture. I am glad we could spend some time together tonight."

He bid her good night at her door. As he was walking back to his house, he was running over the day's events in his mind. He felt at peace with his past. It was still painful to talk of the sudden loss of Abby but he knew that would always be with him but it was Michaela that helped him see how good the future could be.

Little did Sully know that someone from Michaela's past would come visiting soon.