A/N: I'm so excited for you all to see what I put together! It might be a bit confusing, but it starts with Jim thinking back to when he proposed nearly 5 ½ years before and all they've overcome, then a peek at the proposal, then back to their wedding anniversary again but this time with Melinda. I can't believe I'm almost at ten chapters! :)

Enjoy! xx Mariah

Ages:

Jim - 29/24

Melinda - 25/20

Melinda was so beautiful when she was sleeping, he thought to himself.

Not that she wasn't always beautiful. But something about the way her entire body relaxed in slumber – the way the worries of the day seem to melt away with every relaxed breath she took– always filled him with indescribable tenderness.

Even after all these years.

Jim gazed at his wife's naked, sleeping form for another long moment, gently brushing her hair away from her face. He was torn between rousing her to resume their earlier activities and letting her enjoy this rare late-afternoon nap in peace.

Ultimately deciding on the latter course of action, he got out of bed and stretched languidly. He put on one of the two bathrobes hanging in the hotel bathroom and opened the door to their balcony.

He stepped outside into the cool, breezy, ocean air, breathed deeply, and sighed. They'd been coming to Maine to celebrate their anniversary for nearly five years now. When they first decided to make the trip up here, it had been his idea for the anniversary of their first year of dating and he'd proposed on the balcony.

As Melinda told him then and every year at this time, the sea reminded her of how pure their love was, and he couldn't think of a better reason to come here every year than that.

Of course, those first few years they didn't see much of anything at all during their annual visits here. They barely left their hotel room at all, interrupting their lovemaking only for the occasional bite to eat from room service and a few hours of exhausted slumber.

Their trips to Maine were different now.

Their passion for each other has not cooled in the least bit, but the desperation that fueled this passion in their youth has. They had all the time in the world to love each other. They still spend much of their time here wrapped in each other's arms, but now, more than anything, they view this time away as a chance to regroup and reconnect as partners as well as lovers.

After gazing at the sea for a long moment, he sat at the little table facing the water and closed his eyes, letting the ocean breeze caress him gently. He opened his eyes when he heard Melinda come up behind him, wearing a matching robe and carrying a bottle of wine in one hand, two wine glasses in the other.

"Care for some?" she asked, gesturing to the bottle.

He turned to her smiling and nodded. She kissed his lips, settling into his lap. He took the bottle from her, setting it on the table in front of him. She put the glasses next to the bottle, her hands grasping his face as they kissed.

"I love you," he sighed into her lips, smiling at her.

"Mmm, I love you too." She rubbed his face, kissing him languidly again. "So much, Jim."

Their life may not be the best or the most lavish, but the way he felt whenever he was with her was more than enough to keep him happy and blissful. And he thanked her for that, every day.

"Do you remember the night I proposed?" He asked, feeling her laughter rumble in her chest as she thought of that night. "Hey now, I know you may have caught me practicing my speech, but it was still a great thing."

"Yeah. It was," she laughed, kissing him. "Thank you for wanting to marry me."

"I'm just happy you said yes," he breathed.

"Were you worried?" She gasped, seeing him blush at her question. "Oh, Jim…"

"So what's the guy who pulled you from that building saying now?" He asked, his hands were cradling her.

"You were the first person who I ever told about my gift that I thought I could marry that believed me." She explained, smiling at him. "You are everything I've ever wanted."

Their conversation ceased there, his lips claiming her for a quick kiss. They gazed together at the pink and orange horizon, stretching before them in every direction. From where they were sitting, it looked like forever.

It was a beautiful evening, their first anniversary. The setting sun was casting vibrant pinks, violets, and oranges on the water, and Melinda hated the idea of missing it. So they decided to have dinner delivered to their room again and they ate it together on the balcony.

After they'd finished with dessert, Melinda turned to him and smiled. She got up from her seat and sat on his lap, kissing his cheek.

"I wish we could live in this moment forever," she whispered, watching the waves.

"We can," he pressed a kiss to her head as she settled into his chest. "This has been the best year of my life, Melinda."

Jim looked at her for another long moment before speaking. She was resting her head on his chest, dozing as the day drew to a close. He desperately tried to memorize every detail of her face, her beautiful body, her hair, every last detail of that perfect day. Because he had known that this sunset they were sharing would be memorable.

He was going to propose, she just didn't know that yet.

"Melinda?" His voice rose over the sound of the waves, catching her attention and she looked up at him, her head still on his chest. He knew he had a strange look on his face as he was struggling to find the right words to say.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" She asked.

"Let's go for a walk," he said. "I was just thinking we hadn't done enough outside this room. We should take a walk on the beach."

She chuckled. "That sounds nice," she smiled, moving off his lap. "Let me just go change."

He nodded and waited until he heard the bathroom door close to reach for the ring that was burning a hole in his back pocket, opening the little black box and taking a deep breath. Was it nice enough? He bought it not long after she told him about her gift because he'd known for sure then that she was the only person for him.

He was glancing at the ring, watching the way it glistened and sparkled in the sunlight, but still wasn't sure exactly how he wanted to ask her. Melinda wasn't a traditional woman and they'd already spoken about before how she didn't think it was romantic to propose on predictable dates like anniversaries or god-forbid Christmas or Valentine's Day.

Maybe today wasn't the right day, as much as he dreaded trying to hide this from her any longer, and popped the box closed.

"Is that what I think it is?" Melinda asked softly and then he scrambled to his feet. There was much for him to do. "Oh, Jim... Did I ruin your surprise?"

"I was thinking about asking you on the beach, but then I remembered that time you told me you didn't think it was romantic when the guys in movies propose on predictable dates," he sighed and brought the ring box out of his pocket. "I even had this big long speech prepared in my head, but every time I see you I forget everything I was going to say." He stood, walking over to her, gently taking her left hand in his. "I know it's only been a year and this might be considered too fast, but I love you Melinda and you're the only person in the world for me."

"You're unbelievable," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "I never said it wasn't romantic, just a little cheesy... but I love you and those cheesy movies."

That made it a lot easier for him to move to one knee in front of her. "Melinda Gordon," he said and opened the box dramatically. "Will you marry me?"

Just before the first hot tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, she laughed giddily and managed to nod yes, a current of elation and shock surging in her. She knelt and kissed him, feeling his hand slide the ring on her finger.

"Yes," she found her voice once she pulled back, looking at it. "It's an incredible ring. How long have you been planning all this?"

"Since you told me about your gift," he said, wiping away an escaped tear.

Melinda's face broke into the broadest grin Jim could ever recall seeing, and he leaned over to capture her lips again. She'd told him once there was always a part of her that worried no one would ever love her. That even he one day could turn his back on her, but he never would, and it made him so angry at whoever made the woman he loved feel so unlovable.

"I love you," he whispered when they finally separated, his lips continued pressing kisses all over her face. "I'll never stop. Don't ever forget that."

"I know," she said, smiling gently. "I love you, too."

He scooped her up and carried her back to the room, closing the balcony doors. Just like they did that first day over a year ago, he laid her down on the bed. As they made love, she realized that not only are they surviving, but thriving.

"I love you," she echoed, eyes flitting back down to the stunning ring as she laid there on his chest.

He motioned to the balcony. "So about that wine out there?"

She shook her head deliberately and placed her hands on his shoulders, tugging him towards her. "The damn wine can wait. I want you."

Melinda sat in his lap, thinking of their first year here. Things had been so simple then. Now was different. They were married, three years strong and not much had changed. They'd moved from the city to Grandview, and Andrea had died. She'd befriended Delia after the woman had come to work for her, a widow and single mom to her son, Ned, who was just a toddler still. Jim was still a paramedic, although he had begun to look into going back to school to become a doctor one day.

They'd started to try for a baby at the beginning of the year. For the first few months, nothing happened and it was a desperately sad waiting game, but then something was different. Her period was late and she was pregnant.

There was an unspeakable joy that followed, she'd raced from their house to the fire station, not caring that Jim was in the middle of a shift. She'd kissed him and gave him the test box, feeling his lips pepper over her skin a second later. They had been so excited.

Then five months later the unimaginable happened. Two days of wondering if their baby was alive, only to find out no, their son was dead. The doctor had scheduled an operation for the next morning and she'd spent the night in agony, sobbing in Jim's arms.

When she came to, her mother was holding her hand at the edge of the hospital bed. Her husband was standing close behind, Faith at his side. He looked worried that she'd hate him for calling Beth, but for the first time since Melinda was a child, she'd cried in her mother's arms.

He hadn't mentioned having a baby since and she was grateful for it because now in the stillness of the night, that longing had come back to her, and today she knew.

"Jim," she spoke suddenly, seeing him turn to look at her. "I want to try again."