A/N Thank you all so much. We had a lovely wedding, and some very special time alone for our couple. Let's pick up where we left off.
Enjoy!
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They lay together, wrapped in each other's arms and for several minutes neither says a word. They each have a trace of a smile on their lips as they stare lovingly into each other's eyes. Daryl brushes a few damp curls from the side of her face, and she combs aside wayward strands of hair that have fallen in his eyes.
It's warm and their hearts are warm, and any worries either of them had that this first intimate time together might not go well, are gone and forgotten.
Daryl does have a concern though, and he breaks the spell of their quiet time with a question, "Are ya okay Beth? You're not hurtin' are ya?"
Her cheeks pink up but she's going to tell her husband the truth, "It hurt at first, and I'm a little sore, but oh my gosh Daryl, it was wonderful. No matter how many times anyone ever tried to describe to me what making love is, they could never have put what happened between us into words. It was so good, everything about it was special."
Shit, he never expected to hear anything quite like that coming from her, she's made his cheeks turn as pink as hers. Although it's not his nature to speak about these things, he manages to be quite romantic, "I'm glad, it was special for me too, Beth. Like I said, it couldn't have been better."
He doesn't want to get up, he doesn't want to leave her, but he's got to take care of something in the bathroom. Dispose of the condom and wash up a little. He kisses her forehead and promises, "I'll be right back, you rest." Her eyes never leave him as he gets up, grabs a t-shirt and his dungarees from the dresser drawer and heads straight for the bathroom. All the while she's smiling, her husband is not just handsome, he's quite the sight from behind, from his broad shoulders right down to his firm little butt. The scars can't take that away.
He cleans himself up, throws his clothes on and heads to the car. He brings the food first and sets it on the kitchen table, realizing then, shit, he's worked up an appetite. Beth probably has too. For now, he gets her bag from the trunk, brings it in and thinks to lock the kitchen door. The last thing he wants is company.
He notices he's moving fast as he heads back to their room, is this part of being in love? He can't stand to be away from her for a minute.
Once she sees him leave the bathroom she gets up and hurries in, taking her small purse with her. There's something in it she needs, a small tube of Vaseline. Maggie said it would help "before" and "after." Beth's never sure whether to trust Maggie's bright ideas or not, but her sister was right about this, it is quite soothing.
Gosh, she wishes she had a robe or something to put on. Sure, Daryl's already seen all of her, but that doesn't mean she's ready to prance around the house naked. She runs back to their room and crawls in bed, pulling the covers up to her neck as she lays back and takes in her new bedroom. Their room.
It's very plain, just the big bed, a dresser and a matching night table. Her mind gets busy thinking how her things will fit in. She doesn't really have furniture, but she does have her sewing machine. There's a nice spot in the corner for it, and she can't really think of another room in the house where she could, or would want to put it. The dresser is big and heavy looking, and the richly stained wood is so striking. He told her he has four empty drawers for her. That's more than enough, her things will barely fill two. Hmm, she wonders if he'd mind if she painted the walls a nice soft yellow. She'll ask him sometime soon.
Her curiosity has gotten the best of her, she has to see about that closet. It's just a single door, it might only be the size of her little closet in her room above the Solo. That would be crowded for two people, but they'd just have to make it work. She springs out of bed, walks to the door and turns the knob. Oh how nice, it's not huge, but my goodness, it's a walk-in. There are poles on either side to hang their clothing, and shelve above, and on the far wall there are shoe shelves and some hooks.
Daryl has about three quarters of the left side filled with his things, and she sees he keeps his boots and a couple of hats on the shelf above his hanging clothes. It looks like she'll have the whole right side and all the shoe shelves she could ever use. Gosh, this is going to be more closet than she's ever had, and she almost laughs out loud at the thought, "I'll have to make myself some new dresses."
She's just walking out the closet door when her husband walks in the bedroom door, carrying her bag and grinning from ear to ear as he holds up the bag and teases, "Were ya lookin' for sumthin' to wear?"
She's sure her whole body just flushed bright red, but there's no time to worry about that. Her husband has let the bag drop to the floor and now he's standing so close she can feel his heat as he pulls the T-shirt over his head and casts it aside, and those ice blue eyes are looking right into hers when he wraps her in his arms and pulls her to him. He kisses the top of her head and whispers, "Damn, you're just so beautiful," then he's kissing her deeply and she feels herself go weak as her body leans into his.
He takes a chance that she'll be agreeable, lifts her in his arms and carries her to the bed. When he sees the smile on her lips he loosens the buttons on his pants and lets them drop to the floor, slipping into bed next to her. With his hand resting softly on her cheek he asks, "Ya sure you're okay."
"I think so, I want to."
"Yeah? I wanna too, but if…ya know…if it don't feel right, we'll stop. K?"
His hand is on her breast, his naked body resting so close to hers, and she's already breathless when she whispers, "Yes, okay."
Those are the words he needs to hear, and soon they're once again taking pleasure from each other, he asks, "Ya alright?"
"A little sore, but not enough to ask you to stop,"
Her own words make her giggle, and he smiles too, but also suggests, "Maybe it'll be better if ya get on top a me."
"What? Really? Will that work?"
Shit, he loves this woman, "Yeah, I think we can make it work." She can't imagine it, until she feels it, and feels her husband's powerful hands clasping her hips while his mouth covers her breast and his tongue flicks across her nipple.
This time when they lose all control they lose it together, and when Beth collapses onto his chest his arms wrap around her as they both fight to catch their breath, and he whispers, "Love ya Baby."
"I love you Mister Dixon."
Then her tummy rumbles and he softly laughs, "Yeah, me too. Ya wanna eat first, or shower first?"
"I think I'd better eat so I don't faint in the shower."
"Yeah, I don't want that. C'mon, lemme clean up real quick, then we'll eat."
While he's in the bathroom she's getting into her overnight bag, oh good, there it is, her bathrobe. She puts it on but, well, gosh, the soft flannel robe is very comfy, but it isn't exactly romantic. When Daryl walks in the room she's a little embarrassed and begins explaining, "I'm sorry, I don't have anything…you know…sexy."
He laughs softly as he walks to her, puts his hands on her shoulders and says, "You're sexy no matter what you're wearin', and especially when you ain't wearin' nuthin at all. Now c'mon, let's eat. I'm starvin'."
He takes her hand, looks down at himself and asks, "Ya dig my sexy dungarees?"
"Stop it Daryl."
The food tastes even better this time around. Sitting in their own little kitchen and no longer nervous and preoccupied with what will come next. He smiles as he chews a big bite of roast and says, "Them ladies really outdid themselves, didn't they?"
"They did, everything's delicious, and my gosh, I didn't realize how hungry I am."
They concentrate on their food a minute, then he asks, "So, did ya give Jim your notice?"
"Give him my notice?"
"Yeah, ya know, tell him you're gonna be quittin' now."
She's caught by surprise and unsure what to say, "Well, um, no I told him I'd be out of the apartment by Sunday night, like you and me talked about, but…Daryl…I thought I was going to keep working, at least for a while."
"Why? You don't hafta, there's no reason for it."
"Well no, I mean I know you can support me, I'm very blessed. I just, well the truth is, I kind of like having a little of my own money, and I was thinking, I might like to decorate the house a little and stuff like that."
"Well shit Beth, all ya gotta do is ask me for whatever ya need. I ain't gonna be mean and tell ya you can't buy sumthin' ya want."
"I know that Daryl, I would never think that of you, but I just like having a little money of my own."
He doesn't like it, but acknowledges, "Yeah, I can see why ya would. I feel the same way, but, well shit, I wanna be the one takin' care of ya."
"Daryl, if it's going to upset you, I mean, I could always tell Jim I have to quit and he should find a replacement right away."
That's what he'd like to have happen, but he knows that's not what she wants and he won't let himself be that kind of asshole to her, "Nah, nah, you keep workin' if that's what ya want. There's no reason why ya can't. Erma n Dale will be happy ta keep watching Teddy for us."
Two things tug at her heart, she knows her husband isn't happy. He's doing what he thinks will make her happy. The other is Teddy. In another few months he'll be off to kindergarten. She'd like to spend as much time with him as she can before then. She really does want to be a wife and mom, that's what she's always wanted.
They eat a few more bites in silence and then it comes to her, "I have an idea Daryl, tell me what you think. I could talk to Enid and see if she'd be interested in taking over my job. Lord knows she needs to get away from her parents farm, there's nothing for her there. It would really be quite perfect. She could take over the apartment and everything."
He doesn't want to sound too enthusiastic and simply replies, "Yeah, it sounds like it might work. I mean, I don't really know her, but if you like her and think she'd do a good job, then she probably will."
Beth smiles and nods, "There's just one thing," and all Daryl can think is, oh shit, now what? "I was thinking...maybe I could still do Jim's baking. Once you leave for work in the morning I could get started, and Teddy could help me. It would be fun and we'd be all done, except maybe for a little baking time, by 9:30. We'd have the rest of the day to do lots of other stuff, and I'd still have money coming in. What do you think?"
"I think Teddy's gonna want ya makin' cherry pie every day."
They're both laughing but she insists, "No. No more than once a week, that's the rule. Really Daryl, do you think that arrangement would be all right?"
That gets to him, that's not good, "Hang on, I thought this was about what will make you happy. Not what I want. If you wanna keep workin', I said I ain't gonna stop ya. I got no desire ta be that kind of husband to you. I ain't your boss."
She reaches for his hand, "I know Daryl, you would never be that way, but there's nothing wrong with you wanting me to be a homemaker and preferring that I be here, and honestly, I wouldn't mind that at all. I've always wanted to be a mom. I'm just trying to think of a way we could both have the things we want, and gosh, maybe we could help Enid too."
He looks at her and nods, and then she adds, "Besides, we're a pair now Daryl, we should make decisions together."
Daryl feels a little tense, like he's under pressure, "Okay, I'm gonna be real honest with ya, but I'm also sayin' again, it's up ta you. You pick what ya want." He thinks a minute, takes in a breath, and admits, "If things were my way, I'd say I didn't want ya ta work at all. I wanna know you're home. I could walk home n have lunch with you n Teddy every day, or maybe ya wanna come see me at the shop sometimes. Maybe we could even go ta the Solo for lunch sometimes. You'll have the car, I'll take the truck so you ca go to the park with Ted or maybe shoppin', I don't know, shit, between Teddy, me and this house, ain't that enough ta keep you busy?"
She can't help a little laugh, but quickly explains, "I'm not laughing at you, I'm just thinking that does sound like enough to keep me busy. Still, well, if you're in the mood to compromise, I'll call Enid tomorrow. She'll be at my folks' place after church. If she's interested in the job, and if Jim is agreeable, maybe you and I could go get her and her things next weekend and help her move into my apartment." Then she straightens up and adds, "But I still want to do Jim's baking, at least for a while. I don;t want to let him down, and besides, I have to bake our bread and biscuits and rolls anyway, so it won't be that big a stretch."
"We're gonna have homemade bread?"
"Well, that's what I thought. Don't you like that?"
He laughs, "Oh I like it just fine." Then smiles, "That's a lot of talkin' and a lot of decisions. Let's finish up here and see about takin' a shower."
She swallows the bite of dressing without even chewing, "You mean, shower together?"
He shrugs, "Why not? You already seen everythin' I got, n I seen everythin' you got."
She's pink cheeked and giggling, "Well I guess that's true, but…" Oh Beth, maybe it will be fun, "Okay, but I want some cake first."
Now he's laughing, "Hell yeah, cake before and after."
He makes a quick trip outside to doublecheck that the garage and the car are locked up for the night, and Beth strolls down the hall on her way to the bathroom. She stops at Teddy's room, walks over to his nightstand, picks up the photo of Janie and begins softly speaking to the woman in the photograph, "I promise you I'm going to love Teddy with all my heart and take care of him just like you'd want. Thank you for this."
She sets the photo down like it's so fragile it might break at any moment, then turns to see Daryl standing in the doorway, leaning against the jamb. He nods and holds out a hand to her and she walks to him. He holds her close and he can't quite believe he actually has the words to tell her, "Teddy's a lucky guy, and I know that Janie is happy to know you're here with him."
She shivers as they wait for the water to turn hot enough, when it does he steps in the shower first and holds his hand out to her. He warns, "Now don't be gettin' all romantic and attackin' me, it's slippery in here."
They're both laughing and she promises, "I won't attack you unless you attack me first," then softly pats his bottom and says, "Never mind, I can't make promises." She can't believe she just did that, and said that. She's become a different woman when it's just her and her husband.
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A/N A little stumble there with Beth's work situation, but I think they can work it out. Please leave a comment. The chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick. I'll be back next Thursday with more of Love at the Solo Cafe, I hope you'll be back too. Until then remember, I love ya large. xo gneebee