There was a new resort that was all the rage in the Pike's Peak area, and Sully was busy researching it. The resort was the first of its kind in their general area. He heard about it from Grace and Robert E. Grace's waitress, Myra, told Grace all about it. She was now dating Horace, and he took her there for the weekend. Apparently, the view of the stars was spectacular. Myra spoke so highly of the place, that Grace and Robert E. decided to make a weekend trip of it themselves. When they returned, they both strongly recommended that Sully take Michaela there.
Neither Grace nor Robert E. knew of Sully's plans to propose, nobody knew about that except Sully himself. They just said it was a good time and a great romantic getaway.
As Sully was busy scrolling through his iPad, viewing the resort's website, he thought it looked nice, but he wasn't sure. The owners were pushing that new fad called glamping. As someone who used to enjoy camping with Cloud Dancing and his brothers, he thought that glamping sounded a little wussy.
When Cloud Dancing took them out into the woods, he taught them how to survive. They were allowed to bring a sleeping bag, a change of clothes, some kind of jerky, and a water bottle. No tents were allowed, they were forced to build their own lean-to shelters.
Sully pursed his lips. The idea of going to a place where he'd sleep in a designer tent, and on a bed made up with Egyptian cotton sheets was not something he could see himself doing if he was going with a group of guys. Nevertheless, going to a place like that with a woman was different, and he did think that this glamping thing was something that Michaela could enjoy. He knew that she would prefer taking a hot bath rather than figuring out how to wash in an ice-cold river. That alone made it worth it to him to check out the amenities and experiences that the resort offered.
The pictures did look extraordinary. This was the romantic setting that he had in mind for when he asked Michaela for her hand. Perhaps he needed to take a ride out to Pike's Peak to ensure that this place was as nice as the pictures led him to think. Well, maybe not. If The Pike's Peak Retreat, Park and Resort was a dump, he would have heard that from Grace.
How did he book? He tapped on the scheduling tab to make reservations and found that he could not book a tent until April 1st which was a whole month-and-a-half away. That revelation sort of made him feel like an April fool. Hmm? On the other hand, if he did book that far in advance, he'd have plenty of time to set up suitable accommodations for the children.
His mother didn't mind babysitting all six in a pinch, but for a whole weekend? He believed he would need to make it easier on Snowbird. He could leave Hanna and Brian with her. Sully bit down on his tongue gently when it occurred to him that leaving the kids with Snowbird could now also mean that he was leaving them with her and Loren. They were a couple now. Sully still wanted to talk to her about her new relationship, but he was getting off track. It didn't matter right then, he wanted to think about his current task. He could leave Zachary and Matthew with Grace and Robert E. The boys could help out at the cafe. Lastly, the girls could stay with Olive, or perhaps Dorothy. Dorothy should be fully recovered by April 1st.
Then there was the matter of the engagement ring. He needed time to find the right ring for Michaela. He did have rings in his possession, but none of them were right for her.
His late mother had a lot of jewelry. He'd sold the majority of it years ago, and only kept the things that mattered most, like the amethyst ring that he had just given to Michaela. He did have his mother's engagement ring and wedding band, but those weren't right for his wife-to-be. Sully thought that particular engagement ring was hideous, and it wasn't right for anyone except his mother. It was a large white gold cuff with a big heart shaped diamond in the middle. It was genuine gold and a genuine diamond, but to Sully it looked like it came out of a gumball machine. Truly, it looked like kids' play jewelry to him, and he didn't get it, but did remember the way his late mother loved her showy jewelry. His father used to tell him and his older brother, "If you boys wanna keep any money in the bank, find yourself a nice woman who likes to sparkle with Christmas lights, not headlights." Sully never understood what his father meant until he got older, and the meaning became clearer when he eventually when through all of his mother's jewelry.
From what he'd seen, Michaela didn't wear showy jewelry. Everything he'd seen her wear, was plain and yellow gold. That's partly why he picked the antique necklace out for her birthday gift, it was yellow gold and demure. The amethyst ring was also yellow gold, and to date was the showiest piece of jewelry he'd seen her wear. That ring was one of the few pieces that his mother owned that Sully didn't feel was over-the-top. That made it perfect for Michaela.
"Sweetheart," Michaela said, coming downstairs from Zachary's room to where he was sitting in the living room.
Sully quickly saved his search, and then shut his tablet down.
Michaela tightened her floral-patterned silk robe and then sat next to him on the sectional, "I hope you don't mind; I gave the boys permission to watch a scary movie. But I also gave them strict instructions that they may not watch anything rated R. Zac assured me that you have all of those blocked already."
Sully's lips curled upward when Michaela told him that, "When I was a kid, Ma and Cloud Dancin' said that we weren't allowed to watch anything rated R. As soon as they went to bed, the four of us got together in one room and watched a bunch of rated R movies anyway. We were caught eventually. Ma woke-up one night and went to check on us. We were in the middle of Pulp Fiction. We all got in trouble, but that didn't make us unsee all of the other rated R movies that we watched before then. As soon as I started giving Zac access to my streamin' services, I blocked all those. You can't watch the kids 24/7, so ya gotta do somethin'."
"Smart," Michaela agreed. She was glad he did that. She didn't want the boys exposed to scenes of excessive violence, drugs, sex, and profanity. Moving on, she informed him, "The girls are asleep, so are Brian and Hanna, and I don't think I will have to x-ray Hanna's back tomorrow."
"Okay, good. That's what I was hopin' for," Sully said, he was very grateful that his daughter's injuries weren't too serious, "Are ya ready to go to bed?" He could see the neckline of her navy-blue slip when the material of her robe relaxed and opened. It didn't look too revealing, but it was probably short. Her robe only reached her knees. That likely meant her nightgown only reached her thighs. He could see why she chose to wear a robe when she said goodnight to the children.
"It's not that late yet," Michaela commented, it was only 9:00, "I still need to talk to you. I was hoping we could go into your bedroom to ensure that our conversation stays private."
Michaela wanted to talk, but instead she found herself flat on her back in the middle of Sully's bed. Her silk robe was gone; she believed he'd hung it on the drawer knobs of his dresser. He hadn't tried to remove her nightgown; but he did pull the straps down from her shoulders. He pulled the front of her slip down too, but not far enough down to reveal her breasts. When Sully guided her to lie down, she let him. She relaxed on her pillow with her chin slightly raised, and she closed her eyes while he fervently peppered kisses on the bare parts of her chest and neck. It felt as though his lips managed to find every inch of skin as they traveled up and down her neck. Then he made his way to her collarbones, shoulders and cleavage.
"Sully," Michaela said through labored breaths. His mouth felt so good, and she didn't want him to stop. She wanted to lay there with her eyes closed and take in all of the wonderful sensations that he was creating.
"Hmm?" he responded, concentrating on a particularly sensitive spot that he'd found behind her ear. He knew it was a good spot to stimulate because her body involuntarily shuddered.
"Why did I kiss you?" she asked, not expecting an answer. She needed to talk to him. She wanted to address what happened with Hanna earlier that day, and she needed to discuss Boston and her nephew's wedding with him. She gave him one little kiss when they entered the bedroom, and it led to this.
"Because ya can't keep your lips to yourself," he chuckled between kisses, "Not sayin' I mind. I love that kind of enthusiasm."
"I need to talk to you," she whined and giggled a little. She didn't think he was that skilled at keeping his lips to himself either, especially when she'd just sparked his enthusiasm. She really shouldn't have given him that first kiss.
"Alright, Darlin', let's talk," he acquiesced. He didn't want to stop, but he agreed because that's what she wanted. He gave her one more firm kiss on the lips, finally returning the one that she'd given him after he'd closed his bedroom door earlier, then he reluctantly rolled off of her, and onto his side of the bed, "What do ya wanna talk about?"
"Well… um… can we get under the covers first?" she requested.
"You are really pushin' my buttons tonight," Sully groused, but couldn't hide his naughty little smirk.
"Sully!" she argued, "You were just on top of me. Now you're not and it's cold."
Without another word, Sully got out of bed, he yanked his quilt and bed sheets down and out from under Michaela's body. Then he covered her. Next, he slipped under the covers and back into bed with her. Before he could sit still, he discovered he was now too hot, so he removed his shirt and tossed it on his nightstand. He felt fine leaving his sweatpants on but was kind of hoping that she'd pull them down for him after the talk she wanted to have was over.
"I'm ready," he said, sitting up and using his pillow and headboard for support, and letting the covers of his bed fall to his waist.
Michaela sat up as well, using her pillow and the headboard for support, but she pulled the covers up to her chest. Facing him, she began.
"I'm sure you heard Hanna call me Mommy today," she reminded him, "I thought you'd like to know why."
"I was wonderin' about that," he admitted.
"It was because I told her to," Michaela confessed, "accidentally."
"How'd ya do that?" he implored mildly.
"When she fell outside, it scared me and it scared her," Michaela explained, "Brian falls down all the time, but not as hard as she fell this morning. Not recently I mean, he's fallen hard before... That doesn't matter. When Brian gets hurt, naturally I want to check the injury. Sometimes he's so upset; I have to be stern with him, so he'll let me examine where he's been hurt. Hanna did the same thing and I had to be stern with her. It just slipped out."
Sully understood her feelings and what had gone on, but nothing in what she'd just said explained how she told Hanna to call her Mommy, "What do you mean, 'Chaela?"
"I told her very specifically and firmly, 'Let Mommy see,'" she articulated more clearly.
"Okay," he stated matter-of-factly, accepting her words.
"You're not upset?" she asked.
"I'm not upset," he confirmed, "I understand what happened. I've done it myself. I didn't say exactly that, but I said somethin' similar. I said Colleen was Zac's sister instead of Matthew's sister. We're together a lot, we're with each other's kids a lot. I think those things sometimes happen naturally."
"I just didn't want to hurt you," she admitted.
"You were takin' care of my kid," Sully pointed out, confused, "Why would that hurt me?"
"I didn't want to be disrespectful to your wife," Michaela explained, "You had a life before me, Sully. I had a life before you too, but my situation isn't the same... After everything you've been through... It's really not fair for me–"
"Hold on now," Sully stopped her and took hold of her hand, "You didn't do anything wrong. You're right, it ain't fair, and I'm not talkin' about me. Hanna losin' her mother ain't fair, but she doesn't remember it either. That breaks my heart, but there's nothin' I can do about it. What is my daughter supposed to do? Live on someone else's memory? That ain't a mother, and it ain't fair either."
Michaela clamped on harder to Sully's hand, and she closed her eyes.
"I want ya to relax about this, okay?" Sully pleaded. He felt bad for Abagail, he did. But she was gone, and his daughter was here, living and breathing in this world. Hanna deserved to live freely, without guilt. This wasn't his child's burden to bear. He didn't think it was Michaela's burden either, but he appreciated how kind and selfless she was to consider his feelings. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it a few times, "Relax." He continued to hold her hand, and when he felt that she was ready to move on, he asked, "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"No," she whispered.
"Go on then, Darlin'," he urged.
"My nephew is getting married next month," she said. Her chest was still heavy from what they'd been talking about before.
"Didn't he just get engaged?" Sully questioned.
"Yes," Michaela confirmed, her chest getting lighter and loosening up, "However, it's been made known that his bride is expecting a baby, and her parents want them married as soon as possible."
"Good old fashion shotgun," Sully joked, but then paused for a moment. Considering what Michaela told him about her past, he asked, "Does that worry you?"
"It did at first," she admitted, "but not anymore. But it means I am going to have to leave town with my children for the wedding much sooner than I originally anticipated. I've scheduled the flight for Sunday, March 12th. The wedding is on March 18th. Our flight home will be on March 19th. I can't stay any longer than that, not while the children are still in school."
"You'll be there for eight days and that's it?" Sully questioned, his heart feeling giddy. He didn't want her going so far away, but he could live with eight days. Besides, if she was out of town, he could make all of the arrangements for their getaway, and there would be no way for his surprise to be spoiled.
"Six days," Michaela clarified, "Two of the days will be spent on an airplane. I can't afford to be gone longer, as I said the children have school, and I have patients to see. I will have a nurse practitioner in my clinic while I'm gone. I just have to speak with Matthew and Colleen's teachers, I want them to be able to keep up with their studies online. And I've asked my neighbor who cuts my lawn to take care of the guinea pigs for the week."
The wheels in Sully's head kept turning. If he couldn't find a ring before then, he would have time to search every jewelry store in town and she'd be none the wiser.
"I booked everything online, and I don't have to finalize the number of seats that I want until Monday," she informed him. She wanted to feel him out to see if he wanted to attend with her, but she didn't want him to feel obligated if he couldn't. This was very short notice, and she didn't expect him to suddenly drop everything to go to a wedding that was across the country. Though it would be nice if he did.
"Do ya need help gettin' to the airport that day?" Sully asked, Michaela's previous statement went completely over his head. Of course it did, he was too busy planning out the proposal that was going to take place when she returned.
"Thank you, but there is no need," she said, believing that she had her answer that he either couldn't or didn't want to attend. She was saddened by that slightly, but she wasn't angry, "The airline I booked through was offering a free shuttle service to the airport as an incentive to fly with them."
"What about when ya get back?" Sully asked.
"We'll likely need a ride home that day," Michaela replied, "and Sully... I'm worried about Matthew's baseball."
"The tryouts?" Sully questioned, "Don't worry about that, he'll be fine."
"I'm glad for that, but I'm worried about what will happen when we're gone," she clarified, "He wants to play so badly. I told him he could. He's been working so hard, and now I'm taking him away."
"Darlin', he can miss a game," Sully promised, "Things happen. If he misses ten games, then we'll worry, but we're not gonna worry about one." Sully lifted her hand that he'd been holding and raised it to his lips. He turned it over and kissed her palm, and said, "I don't want ya worrin' about anything, alright?"
Michaela nodded in acceptance, "That was all I wanted to talk about. Is there anything on your mind?"
The short answer to her question was yes. There was a lot on his mind and a lot he needed to plan, but he wasn't going to share that and ruin the surprise. However, he was ready for some love, "There is one really important thing," he flirted.
Sully wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him. He pressed his lips against hers, and then gently rolled them over and back into the position they'd been in previously. Then he kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her...
Sully awoke the next morning to the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. He let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes. Michaela had fallen asleep flush against his body with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She had her left hand rested nicely on his abdomen.
Sully couldn't see very clearly in the dark room, so he felt around for her hand. When he found it, he lifted it and let his lips find her bare ring finger. When he kissed it, he silently vowed that that particular finger wasn't going to be bare for long.
It wasn't much longer when someone reminded him how he'd awoken that morning. Whoever it was, they knocked on his door again.
"Sully, what's that sound?" Michaela asked, her voice sounding groggy from sleep.
"Nothin'," he replied. "I'll take care of it; you stay in bed."
Sully got up, made sure his pants were on all the way, and then he unlocked and opened his door. Mia was on the other side of the door.
"What's wrong?" he inquired, still drowsy. What time was it? It was still dark out; he could see through his kitchen window that the sun wasn't up.
"We need Dr. Mike," Mia said. Then she tried to bypass him. She wanted to walk into his bedroom to wake Michaela, but Sully held out his arm and didn't let her pass. She stopped and looked up at him strangely.
"For what?" he asked, not willing to be bypassed.
"Colleen's hurt," Mia reported nervously.
"What's with everyone gettin' hurt?" he questioned aloud.
"She has a bloody finger," Mia said.
"Bloody finger," Sully parroted and followed Mia to her room. He glanced at the oven clock on the way, and it read 4:30. Why were the girls up now?
When Colleen saw that Mia brought Sully and not Michaela, she said, "I told you to get my mommy. This could require sutures."
"He wouldn't let me," Mia replied with a shrug.
"Let me see your finger, Colleen," Sully requested.
"It may be very serious," Colleen warned, but then held out her hand, she'd wrapped it in a kitchen towel, and let Sully look at it.
Sully removed the kitchen towel and examined her finger, "Yes," he groaned when he saw the cut, "That looks like a very serious paper cut." It was nothing. It was literally a paper cut with a small smudge of dried blood, "I think you can skip the sutures this time and go with a Band-Aid."
"You're certain we don't need a second opinion?" Colleen questioned, "It is on the pinky."
"I'm certain," Sully confirmed, "Let's go wash it in the bathroom and I'll put a Band-Aid on it."
Once Sully was finished taking care of Colleen's papercut, he held her pinky finger to his lips and gave it a kiss, "All better," he said.
Colleen smiled and gave him a hug. Sully hugged her back and then let out another yawn. He walked Colleen back to Mia's room and said, "You girls get some sleep." He closed their door as he left.
Then he walked back to his own room to try to get a few more hours of sleep himself. Kids! He thought with a shake of his head.
Since accommodating a family of eight at Sully's dining table was difficult to do, they'd already tried before, Michaela suggested they bring their breakfast over to the banquet hall and eat there.
Sully cooked them up some breakfast essentials, like bacon, sausage, eggs, and waffles, while Michaela cut up fruit. Then they packed everything including plates, napkins, cutlery, condiments, and drinks, and brought it to the banquet hall for a nice meal and a place to sit comfortably.
Once they were finished eating, they all sat around the breakfast table and chatted as a family. All except Brian and Hanna, who got restless and decided to run around.
"Sully," Michaela said, getting his attention from across the table, "I've been meaning to ask, why are there so many potted flowers on the counter over there?" She gestured to the counter that was directly behind Sully.
"I've got a few workers comin' in for some overtime today," Sully informed her, "They're gonna plant them in the front. We're just tryin' to spruce the place up."
Once Sully finished talking, Mia tapped Michaela to get her attention and then whispered something in her ear.
"Why don't you ask him?" Michaela suggested loud enough for Sully to hear, "He won't mind you asking him that."
Since the only person Mia was shy around was him, Sully looked in her direction.
"Is this your house?" The little girl asked, "Zachary said it was when we were walking here."
Sully was taken back. He was expecting her to ask him where the bathroom was.
"Yes. He's correct," he replied. Sensing she had more questions; he kept his attention focused on her.
"I thought where we live is your house," she said.
"It is," he responded, still waiting for what he believed was her ultimate question.
"Well, if this is your house too, then why do we live in the other house?" Mia inquired, "This one is so much bigger."
Sully let out a small laugh, "This was my house. I lived here when I was a kid, but it hasn't been used as a residence for years now."
Mia gave him a confused look.
"Do you have another question?" Sully asked.
"Grandma said that you guys lived somewhere else when you were a kid," Mia reported.
"I have two sets of parents, Mia," Sully informed her, "Grandma is right too. When I lived with her, as a child, we did live somewhere else."
"You're not the only one with a different type of upbringing," Zachary added, "I told ya, we're all a little weird." His comment earned a laugh from both Michaela and Sully.
"Can we go horseback riding after church?" Matthew blurted out suddenly.
"Yes! Can we please?" Colleen asked too, getting really excited.
"We have those new mares that we haven't tried out yet," Zachary said, "Colleen can ride one of them for sure."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Michaela asked cautiously.
"They're broken, Honey," Sully clarified, "Miss Olive rode one of them the other day. We just haven't ridden them ourselves. Colleen has proven herself; she can handle a horse. Besides that, you need to try out your saddle."
Michaela looked down. Sully had that beautiful saddle made for her, but she was still frightened to ride alone.
"I'll be right there with you," Sully said, sensing her fears.
"We'll all be with you, Mom," Matthew added, he reached over and squeezed Michaela's hand. Michaela squeezed it right back and smiled.
"We can put Brian and Hanna on the ponies," Zachary suggested and turned to Matthew, "They'll be fine if we strap them in real tight. They can hold on to their own reins, but we can add an extra rein, but don't connect it all the way, so it's like a leash. I will hold Hanna's and you can hold Brian's. They'll just ride with us."
"Slow," Sully warned his son. Then glancing up at Michaela, who already had a look of terror on her face, Sully assured her, "They'll be fine." Hanna and Brian would be perfectly safe on the ponies, but Sully didn't want Zachary and Matthew riding too fast with them.
"I've never been horseback riding before," Mia told the table timidly.
"There is a first time for everything," Sully said.
"Should we put her on Bear, Dad?" Zachary asked, "He's slow and gentle."
"He is," Sully agreed, "But Bear is too tall for her, Son." He didn't want Mia on Bear, not by herself. Bear wasn't going to buck her off, but if she got scared and somehow fell... That was a long drop to the ground.
"But we only have two ponies right now," Zachary mentioned.
"Why can't Mia ride with me?" Colleen suggested and the table instantly got quiet, "Everyone did just say that I know how to ride a horse."
"You've proven that you can handle a horse, Colleen, by yourself," Michaela attempted to explain to her daughter, "Controlling a horse by yourself is a little different than controlling a horse with a second person holding onto you."
"Can't we try?" Colleen said, "She doesn't know how to ride at all, and Hanna and Brian need the ponies."
Michaela sighed and looked to Sully, "What do you think?"
"We'll try it for a few minutes around the corral, with supervision, first," Sully said, "You ain't leavin' the corral together unless I say so. If you and me both agree that you can handle it, Colleen, then I'll let you go with Zac and Matthew on the short trails. If I say yes, that means I'm trustin' you with a big responsibility, and I expect ya to ride slow."
"Yes!" Colleen cheered.
"If you three experienced riders are out there with Brian, Hanna, and Mia, I expect you all to ride slow," Sully warned.
The kids seemed satisfied with that and broke out into chatter at the table. Colleen talked to Mia about what to expect when they were riding, and Matthew and Zachary talked about how excited they were to go riding after church.
Michaela looked across the table at Sully. She was not sure of this at all.
"We'll ride with them too," Sully promised, "It will be one big family outing. No one will go too fast, so no one will get hurt."
Sully's promise eased Michaela's tensions. She was nervous about it but trusted that Sully knew what he was doing. He'd been riding for a long time.
While Hanna and Brian were playing around the room, Hanna found the potted pansies and picked one for Michaela. She toddled over and presented it to her with pride.
"Thank you, my sweet Precious," Michaela said, accepting the small flower from her.
"Love you, Mommy," Hanna cheered happily.
Michaela was about to respond but was interrupted by Zachary.
"Did she just say, 'I love you, Mommy?'" the boy asked and everyone at the table got quiet.
"Yes. She did, Zac," Michaela replied, after a moment of silence. She had been so worried about Sully's feelings, but she had not stopped to think at all about how Zachary would feel. That was mostly because if the rules were reversed, and Brian started calling Sully, Daddy, she honestly couldn't see Matthew or Colleen being bothered by it. However, this could bother Zachary very much.
"She can't," Zachary expressed, turning to Sully, he said, "You can't let Hanna do that!"
"Son," Sully said calmly, "We'll talk about it later." He didn't want to have that conversation in front of everyone at the breakfast table.
Zachary didn't say another word, he left the breakfast table, went outside, and slammed the door shut.
Sully sighed and was about to follow him, but Michaela stopped him, "Wait, Sully. Let me try. Please."
With a nod from her boyfriend, Michaela followed Zachary outside.
Colleen stood up next. She moved towards Sully, and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, "Does this mean I can start calling you Daddy?" she whispered in his ear, "I think you're the best daddy in the whole world."
"Thank you, Sweetheart," Sully said, smiling warmly, "Let me work that out with your mommy first."
April 1st, that was his day, he thought to himself. They were ready to move forward, and it appeared that the children were too. Most of them anyway.
To be continued. Please Review =)
