Thank you for the warm welcome back. This story has been a long time coming and I thank you for your patience. This is not as long as the first, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. :)

Linny

Green Eyed Monster

Chapter Two

Bobby had woken up before be that Monday morning. He hadn't made a sound as he slipped from the bed, leaving me to sleep. It was a rest I surely needed, because I hadn't been getting much of any sleep the week before. But that was what had woken me up. I'd rolled over to reach for him, loving his warmth in my bed and the way his cologne made my pillowcases smell.

Waking slowly, because I certainly was not a morning person, I made my way to the end of the hall and the bathroom. It still smelled like his soap as I did my business and even did a bit of primping. I usually have that whole bed-head thing going on in the morning and the way his hands had been mussing it up when he kissed me the night before, I pretty much looked like I was a cousin of the Addams' Family. Call me self-conscious, but I didn't want him to see me like that. So, I'd grabbed my hairbrush and ran it through my short locks. Then, I brushed away the morning breath and then headed downstairs.

I'd found him in the kitchen, sipping from a mug of coffee—and not the battery acid kind, either—as he stared out the window and into my miniscule backyard. That was where I kissed him good morning and he'd started laying out plans for the entire day for us.

He'd cooked me the most awesome French toast. For someone who'd wanted to replace his stove with a pinball machine at one point, he was quite good with a skillet and a few ingredients. He blew me away with that little hidden talent.

Later that day, we'd gone out and played in the snow. I can't tell you how long it had been since I'd had a good old fashioned snowball fight. And I'd had the advantage since it was Bobby's throwing arm that had been in a sling. But, before that, we'd built a snowman; the perfect decoration for my yard. And that was only because it was built by the two of us. Because of that, it was perfect.

I didn't know how much better the day could get from there. But then, Bobby had fixed me the most relaxing bath. Of course, that had been after we'd collapsed in the snow and had started kissing again. There was just something so wonderful about the way his mouth moved over mine that made the rest of the world slip away until it was only me and him; only that incredible feeling he invoked inside of me.

So when he'd drawn me a bath, I'd figured that he might want to join me. After all, there was plenty of room in that Jacuzzi tub of mine—is it sort of shameful for me to admit that I'd modeled my bathroom with him in mind?

But, he'd turned me down. I was a bit put out, but the water was at the perfect temperature—you know, the one where it's hot enough to soothe aching muscles and lull you into a peaceful slumber as soon as you sunk down into it—and I just couldn't pull myself away from it to try to coerce him into the water's frothy goodness. I could see how he was fighting my offer with all of his might. He so wanted to join me in that tub, but said he had a few errands to run while I got ready for dinner—one we would be going out for.

I let him go to do whatever it was he had to do and allowed myself to sink into the loveliness that was my bath.

He came back to the house at exactly the time he said he'd be picking me up. I'd dressed in a sapphire blue wrap dress and done my hair and makeup with expert care. I'd wanted to look beautiful for him, even if he said that I didn't need to go to such extremes; that I was already the most beautiful woman in the world to him. It was sweet when he said those things, but could I help it if sometimes I thought I was still considered one of the guys? It was true and I did it more for myself that I did it for him.

Still, the way he smiled at me when I opened the door made all of the work I'd done so worth it. Did I already say how much I loved the way he smiled at me? No? Good, because I really loved the way he smiled at me. There was one certain smirk he reserved just for me and every time I saw it, my heart would just melt.

He handed me a small bouquet of roses mixed with white and pink tulips. Most men would have offered up a dozen red roses—mostly because that's what they thought women wanted to receive on a romantic date—but not Bobby. He'd planned the evening down to the very last detail and that included picking out a bouquet of flowers that was both unique and beautiful.

I locked up the house and we went off to dinner. Bobby drove, pulling up outside of the Paper Moon restaurant; a place I'd known about by only reputation. Sue and Lucy were quite fond of it and I was sure that Jack had taken Sue there a few times on one of their non-date dates. Yet, by the rumors I'd been hearing lately—Lucy always got the best gossip—their outings were more dates than non. Of course, that could have just been wishful thinking on Lucy's part.

I'd wanted to go to Paper Moon for months, yet every time Stanley had been in town—before we'd broken up that is—he'd always wanted to stay in rather than going out. So, when Bobby had pulled into their parking lot and parked the car, excitement ran through me like a bolt of lightning. Though, I'd never really told him that I'd always wanted to eat there. He'd just seemed to know. It was eerie, yet still so wonderful at the same time.

Then I'd taken a good look at the outside of the building. The lights hadn't been turned on and the parking lot was virtually empty, even for a Monday evening. I was beginning to think that they weren't open. But, Bobby still continued to get out of the car. He was halfway to my side when I began scrambling for my seatbelt and pushing the door open. He held it open for me as I got out. It was a very Bobby thing to do, yet I'd never really noticed until that moment.

Waiting until I climbed out, he closed the door and locked it, leading me up to the front door. A note had been posted there. 'Closed for a private party'. My heart had instantly dropped to my stomach. Of course, the one time a guy takes me to one of the best restaurants in DC and it had to be closed for a private party.

I glanced up at my date to see if he maybe had any other ideas of how we could spend the evening. But he just continued to smile at me and waited a moment. Then, the door opened and we were beckoned inside.

I don't know if the shock I was feeling showed on my face. I just know that for a few short moments, I couldn't think or feel anything except unending love for Bobby Manning. He'd done something so incredibly sweet just for me. No one had ever done something like closing down an entire restaurant just for me. I wanted to cry.

And it had been a lovely evening, too. Soft romantic music played in the background as we ate good food and talked about anything that came to mind. I couldn't say when I'd ever had a better time on a date. It was so familiar, so relaxed that I knew that I would always love Bobby Manning. If I only had this one memory to remember him by, it would be all I needed.

And then he'd gone and done something I never would have expected. He'd proposed. He'd offered up his great-grandmother's engagement ring; a ring his great-grandfather had spent months fashioning just for the one woman he would spend his entire life with.

Yet, there was still something that was bothering me. Two years before, our team had been involved in a case that included a criminal who had a knack for playing poker. Bobby had been the one assigned to infiltrate the games so he could climb the ranks and catch our guy. But there was something going on with Bobby. He'd been on edge during the entire case—Jack wasn't any better either, let me tell you. He'd even disappeared for two whole days and we couldn't find him.

I'd figured it out then, because it had been so unlike him to not check in with the rest of us, even if he was so deep undercover that it might compromise his role. He would always find a way to get a hold of one of us. But, everything had been silent on his end. I'd been so worried about him and when he'd asked me to marry him, I was reminded of the way I felt when he'd been gone. I knew he hadn't touched a deck of cards since, yet I still couldn't help but worry. But, I would allow him to tell me in his own time, telling him in my own words that I would be there for him when he decided to tell me everything.

But, how could I resist a man like Bobby Manning? I loved him, flaws and all. So I did what any other woman in love would do. I said yes.