Chapter 46
Jon and I lucked out this year at Christmas again.
He had 12 days off and we took the chance to go to Germany. Just the two of us. The promised late honeymoon. He was a little afraid of the weather, that it would be cold and snowy and just not his cup of tea.
And the whole time I had told him that the weather was fine, which it was, really! But one week before our flight the weather changed and it got cold and it snowed heavily. I didn't mention it to Jon and he was just a tiny little bit pissed when we got out of the plane.
"Weather is fine she said. There is rarely snow around Christmas she said. It is maybe just a little cold she said. Sam, does this look like fine weather, no snow and just a little cold?"
The weather was dark and grey and not good, it snowed heavily and it was freezing cold.
"Maybe I was wrong."
"Maybe you were wrong. Fucking brilliant. What kind of car did you reserve for us again?"
"A 4WD with winter tires. I kinda knew beforehand that the weather is shitty..."
"Course you knew. Little girl scout, always prepared. Jon pack the winter clothes, it might be cold. MIGHT."
He was so cute ranting that I let him talk off his bad mood and once we were at our rental car he was relaxed again. He almost never drove when he was angry and he had calmed enough that he offered to drive from the airport to my hometown, a 3 hour drive through bad weather.
"It's not really that bad at home. They had snow, like...lots of it but it hadn't snowed for a day, roads are clear. And thanks for driving."
"Sure, you got really good but I spent like 10 winters on the roads in the USA. It's no problem. Just might take us an hour more to get there."
The motorway was mostly cleared and once we left the fresh snow clouds behind us we could drive comfortable in our big ass Porsche Cayenne rental.
"The car at least is a dream." Jon pointed out after about 2 hours.
"Yes, and we have a big ass Escalade at home which is just fine for the desert. We don't need a Porsche."
"Oh I need a Porsche. 911..." "No, you don't."
We were rarely home, the Escalde had hardly any miles on it, we really didn't need another car. If he wanted to drive something fast he could rent it for the weekend. Deep down Jon knew that but he liked to play with me.
Another 90 minutes later we arrived at my house.
The snow was piled up at the sidewalks and the little mountains were a good 3 feet high.
Jon got out and walked to my door helping me out.
"No snow she said. No fucking snow..." he mumbled again.
"Stop whining already. It will be a brilliant workout for you when you can shovel the snow for all the neighbors."
"Even the ones you don't like? And I don't whine!"
He grabbed me before I could react and walked with me to one of those snow mountains.
"No don't Jon I swear..." "Who is whining now?" He asked and dropped me a little lower.
"I dare you!" "What? What will you do?" My face was almost in the snow and I tried to hold myself up with my hands but I had no gloves and it was cold.
"Oh look, it is Elle." And he dropped me and I landed face first in the snow.
He had really dropped me! I got up and watched Jon walk up to Elle shaking her hand.
Forming a snowball and hiding it behind my back I walked up to them as well.
"Hi Elle. Did you switch on the heaters for my freezing husband?" I asked ignoring Jon and he seemed to relax not expecting my retaliation anymore.
That was when I shoved the snowball in his collar and down his hoodie, clapping him on the back which made him hiss.
"Are you crazy?" he complained moving around really funny trying to get the snow out.
"Get the suitcases, will you?" I called and followed Elle inside, where she showed me the heaters, told me she had stocked the fridge with some basics and excused herself passing a sourly looking Jon in the door.
"Oh, my suitcase. Thank you." I took it from him and brought it in the bedroom.
He followed and pulled off his hoodie immediately.
"Oh Jon, so impatient?" I teased and couldn't resist to move my hand over his chest while passing him to walk into the kitchen. "This isn't over." he promised me darkly.
I was making coffee when I heard Jon exclaim: "Look, look, the big guy chases the little guys away."
What the hell? I walked into the living room right next to the kitchen. From the window you could look out in the garden and on the balcony. Elle had put up some bird feeders and some tomtits were fighting for food.
Jon watched amazed. "What are they called?" "Blue tits and great tits." I told him with a serious face.
He looked at me. "You're mocking me?" "No, the little blue ones are the blue tits, the bigger ones are great tits. Google it if you don't believe me."
And he really got his phone out and googled it while I finished the coffee.
"You are right. How do you know this stuff?"
"I grew up around animals. You pick stuff up along the way."
Jon turned me around and looked at me for a long while, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Will I ever truly understand how much you gave up for me?" he asked, his voice raw.
"You get it wrong. I didn't give anything up, I gained a whole world." I answered quietly.
"Even when I dump you in the snow, or when you put snow in my hoodie I love you Samantha. Never, ever change the way you are." "Ditto." We kissed and the coffee was forgotten, traded in for some lovemaking.
Christmas Eve Jon put a long 120 min workout in, because the gym would be closed for the next 2 days. During the visit at my old company a colleague had referred Jon to the gym and they already spent a training session there yesterday, getting along great.
Elle and I did some christmas shopping and my husband and I would meet sometime after lunch again. Sometimes I used to forget that Jon was a big boy who could take care of himself even in foreign countries. He was a pro because he had spent half his life on the road.
I was home before him with some groceries for the Christmas dinner. I was not a good cook, never would be, but between me and Jon we managed to fix ourselves something to eat if we put our minds to it.
A little Christmas tree stood already in the living room and last night we had decorated it together and I knew Jon liked the 'little fucker' as he called it endearingly.
Around 2 pm it started to snow again and Jon still was not home. I was about to call him when the Porsche stopped in front of my house. Thank God.
"You are late." I said and hated myself for the accusing tone. He had obviously showered at the gym because he smelled really good.
"Yes Daniel and I kinda forgot time over talking. He can bench some impressive weight considering his size (he is like a mix between Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan). I gave him some pointers on how to improve and bam time ran out on us."
He kissed me gently and looked out the window where thick snowflakes danced in the air.
"Back in time before the storm. What if we get snowed in? I would really like to know how WWE puts that in a story."
"They could say the Lunatic Fringe is in the arctic trying to find his cool again."
My husband laughed out loud and kissed my nose. "Bad pun Sam. So I heard someone would make hot chocolate and we would watch a movie or two."
"Yes, right." I pressed my Ipad in his hand and told him to pick any movie from the VOD portal there. "Any movie?" "It might be a little early for porn Jon."
He hung his head, sighed and walked to the living room to make his choice.
We never really had time to keep in the loop with the newest blockbusters, we usually watched them when they were available on VOD somewhere in a hotel room along the way.
His pick today made me smile.
"Really? We have like a thousand movies to watch and you pick Total Divas?"
"You said no porn so this is the next best thing. And I want to see the episode with us in the background."
Yes, fans had spotted us for a brief moment in one of the episodes and pointed that out to me, they even made animated gifs from it.
"Husband of mine you are weird." I put the hot chocolate on the table, plopped down next to him and snuggled in close.
"But that's the reason I love you."
Jon kissed the top of my head and I started season 3 of Total Divas.
Later that night after our more or less successful dinner we looked out. The fresh snow covered the cars and the street but it was Christmas night and no one was out shoveling snow anymore.
"I have an idea. Wait here and put on something comfy and warm."
A couple minutes later I came back, my old wooden sleigh under my arm.
"What is that?" Jon asked and I couldn't resist: "A pizza." His eyes became little slits and he struck out his tongue.
"Its a sleigh. Did you ever went sleigh riding?"
He didn't answer immediately but became quiet. "There was snow enough alright but first my mother didn't bother taking me and later I was too old and too cool for childish games."
"You still feel too cool?" "No, lets do this."
Close to my house was a little hillock, perfect for sleigh riding but since it was dark, cold and Christmas no one was there. But the snow and the full moon lightened the hillock enough and you could see everything perfectly.
The hillock was actually a meadow during the summer and private property so I told Jon:"This is private ground actually and we are trespassing so lets keep quiet."
"They will not shoot us, will they? I would really hate to have a tombstone saying: Shot while sleigh riding. Its not very manly. Colby would pee his pants, I guarantee it!"
I laughed out loud and Jon put his gloved hand over my mouth. "Psst." he quieted me and we went to the top of the hillock.
"I hope the sleigh carries your weight. Sit down, push until the sleigh glides by itself. You can try to navigate by shifting you weight. You brake with your feet. And it can be quite fast so hold on."
I kissed his nose and his eyes gleamed in the moonlight. I pushed him a little and the sleigh picked up pace fast and Jon rode a sleigh for the first time in his life. He shouted on the way down with joy, quiet be damned and I had to wipe away a couple of tears. My strong, handsome, kind, crazy and caring husband just did something for the first time, his crappy mother always deprived him from.
Jon reached the bottom and slowed down and got up to carry the sleigh up again. Up was definitely harder than down.
"That was awesome. What a rush. I couldn't keep quiet, sorry."
His whole face smiled, even his eyes shone in the moonlight.
"I love you." I said and hugged him so fiercely that he started to cough. "Can't...breathe" he joked and I let go.
"Together now." he said and sat down, pulling me in his lap and we rode down together shouting with joy.
When we slowed down Jon pushed us off the sleigh and we rolled around turning this into a little wrestling match quickly. He liked to teach me grapples and stuff, nothing that would hurt me or was dangerous or spectacular. But it was sexy doing some mat wrestling with your husband, always touching each other.
And in the snow it was just pure fun, even for Jon who hated the cold normally.
"Arm bar." Jon instructed and I grabbed his right arm into a perfect arm bar. And he sold the move.
"Sleeper Hold."
I changed my hold to a sleeper and waited. When Jon just wiggled I put him into an anaconda wise and he tapped out grinning.
"That was good. Now pull the sleigh up again, its good training."
He grinned, got up and jogged up the hillock.
"Drill sergeant."
But I made my way up and we rode down again a couple of times until we both lay in the snow, totally exhausted. I pushed on my side and managed to put an arm above Jon's chest.
"1...2..." that son of a bitch kicked out and rolled above me pinning me in the snow.
"1...2...3." he counted and I laughed as he leaned down to kiss me. I kissed him back for a while then I pushed him off which he sold and I got up.
"Get up lazy ass." I said and he just extended his hand, wanting help.
I flipped him off, grabbed one leg and put him in a figure four leg log instead.
"I taught you way too much." he grinned and simply turned us both so that the move would apply pressure to my legs. I tapped out because my legs felt like jelly from the climbs up the hill.
After some more foreplay in the snow we went home. Doing anything in the snow was always exhausting to me and I was glad that Jon took the lead in the bedroom slowly undressing ne layer after layer.
The next morning my muscles revolted from the foreign workout the night before.
"I stay in bed today Jon." I whined.
"No get up and we stretch out the kinks. Come on." He helped me up and we used the living room for some stretching and massaging.
It actually helped but my muscles felt still jittery and raw.
Jon knelt beside me and smiled. "You make a sorry picture Sam. I can't tell anyone how out of shape my wife is."
"Maybe I am sick." I pointed out but Jon helped me up and put me under a hot shower which made me feel better. That or the shower sex included I am not sure
At breakfast Jon put a little velvet box on my plate.
"I am pretty sure we crossed that bridge already."
"Open it smart ass. Merry Christmas."
The box contained a charm bracelet with one charm already on it. A heart.
"It shouldn't be a brainer what the heart stands for. But in case you need an explanation. That's my heart, and it is yours. You have it. All of me Sam. Last night only proved to me again how unique you are. I have another charm which is just an in betweener but it fits your rings."
He placed a simple black charm in my hand.
"And I fear we will fill that bracelet all today but because I had tons of ideas seeing all those charms. The next is a little globe representing our travels."
He placed it in my hand again.
"Next I have a dog. It's no substitute for a real ankle biter but it's a promise from me to you that we will get one when time allows it. And last I were not sure about this and I hope you see it as I do."
He placed three letters in my hand.
"Oxm?" I tried to stay serious but he grinned and rearranged the letters.
"Mox." I read and nodded. "The alternative was Jon right? But you picked Mox because that's what brought us together."
"Right. You put your trust in that crazy asshole back in 2010 when even I didn't trust him."
We arranged the charms back and forth until they looked just perfect and Jon helped me to put the bracelet on.
"I love it. Thank you so much. When did you get this?"
"Yesterday Daniel came with me to the jeweler that's why I was late."
"Oh and I questioned you..." "No problem. I rather have you jealous than not interested where I have been."
"I will remind you of that sometime, I am sure of it." I grinned.
After Jon was done presenting his gifts it was my time.
"I am glad I am not the only one who didn't keep up with out agreement to NOT do gifts."
Jon grabbed my hand and softly stroked his thumb over it. "I will never keep that promise." he grinned boyishly.
"Yeah, well, me neither. Hold on."
I walked into the bedroom to get two things for him.
Back at the breakfast table I gave him at first a brown envelope.
"Wait. Before you open that, I want to say I am so looking forward to this. These are tickets for the upcoming Backstreet Boys tour."
Jon's look was priceless. It was a mixture of shock, pure horror and disgust. I wish I had the chance to take a picture.
"Say you are joking or I fear I have to divorce you."
"Open it." I urged him instead.
He handled the envelope as if it contained explosive material. He was really careful and pulled out a photo.
"I couldn't bring this with me. But at home waits a framed collage with pictures of us. Some of them even I didn't know because Colby or Roman took them. Like this one where we sleep at the backseat of a car on the road. It is the cutest thing ever."
Jon looked closely and smiled. "Those assholes." he said and laughed.
"It's cool, wow thank you Sam." He leaned over and kissed me.
"And well, I have something else. And this is actually funny because we seem to think alike with some stuff."
I pressed a jewelry box into his hand. "Now it's my turn to say: We've crossed that bridge already."
Jon opened the box and smiled. Inside was a watch. His broke like two weeks ago.
"I don't want you showing up too late for an interview again."
Last week he had an interview backstage with a newspaper and I told him to be there by 5 pm. By now I can count on him to be punctual. Normally I would go and collect the talent but Jon said he is well enough able to read a watch and he wants to save me the walk. So we waited like 10 minutes for him until I excused myself and found him in the dressing room talking bull with the boys.
When he saw me he sobered immediately and told the guys: "Oh oh I am in trouble!"
"Well,.thank you Sam." His fingers brushed over the watch. "It will be the most fancy thing on me."
"Beside your wedding ring, yes. And you might want to turn it over."
Carefully he took the watch out and found an inscription on the back.
11-15-10 / 1.34 pm
Sam & Mox – 1st meet
Jon grinned. "You know the exact time we've met?"
"No, this is a guess. Could be ten minutes earlier or later. But what really makes me smile is the Mox reference we've both used."
"Great minds think alike." Jon said smugly and pulled me on his lap. "Thanks Sam. Thanks for the past year. I know we have been through a lot and it has been one hell of a roller coaster ride. But we are standing strong and proof all those idiots wrong who doubted our marriage. Who doubted us."
"A lot of people have lost a lot of money betting against us." I replied grinning.
"Why do those words sound so familiar? Could it be, that you are my biggest fangirl?"
"Maybe. Probably. I don't know. I just remember all this crap, it's scary."
"Stop now. You really make me remember all the crap I ever said."
"Why? There was some priceless stuff along the way."
"Yeah, and then you came along and you were my new priceless."
I couldn't resist any longer and kissed him.
I appreciated Jon doing this vacation with me, it meant a lot and it cleared some things up for me which I had been turning around in my mind for a while now. I hadn't talked to Jon about those things and before I could things got out of hand.
I don't remember a lot of that time, so here is what Jon can tell you about it...