Ages:

Jim - 50
Delia - 48
Melinda - 45
Ned - 24
Katie - 20
Aaron - 16
Mackenzie - 11
Lana - 2

When a customer asked Melinda how she and Jim had been together and happy for twenty-five years and a few things came to mind: Honesty, passion, teamwork, sharing, and companionship. And most definitely their children. It was hard to believe that twenty-five years ago she married Jim. And yet he was still the same dependable man he was the day they said I do.

She loved him just as much as she did that day. And there was about this day that was just amazing. She didn't know if it was because of their anniversary or if it was because she was in the shop.

Melinda did her usual routine. She woke up, in Jim's arms. He'd make her waffles and kissed every worry from her mind. She'd gotten dressed and everyone off to school, bringing Lana into the shop and set her up with a coloring book at her desk before readying the store for opening.

She turned the lights on and dusted off the displays. Her little girl came out with a little purple broom to help sweep like she always did. It didn't take too long, but they finished it and she flipped the sign over

"Is sissy coming?" Lana asked, sweeping the last little pile into her mom's dustpan.

"Yes. Katie will be here later," she said, pinching her cheek. "You did a great job. Thanks for always helping."

Lana smiled and hugged her before running off to put her broom away. She loved helping her mom. In between arts and crafts and asking her dad questions about the hospital which made her wonder if she would be a doctor one day.

"You can come to draw out here with me if you want." She said, coming to check on her after a few moments. "I brought another stool over. We can color together."

"Really?" Lana picked up her crayons quickly and put them in her pencil box. She grabbed the pencil box and her coloring book, ran over to her, hugging her. "Will you help me color a butterfly?"

"Of course sweetheart," she smiled, kissing her cheek as she picked her up and carried her out. Melinda sat her down on the stool next to hers. The door chimed, signaling a customer, but she looked up to see Delia with a tray full of coffee. "Please tell me one of those is for me?"

"Yes. Where's Katie? I thought she was coming to grab deliveries and make the seating arrangement for the bridal shower?" Delia handed her a cup and then slid one to Lana with a bag that had a donut in it.

"What is it?" Lana whispered, smiling at her.

"It's your favorite," Delia said and came around to. "I got Katie a double espresso. I would've waited if I'd known she was coming later."

While Lana was distracted with food and hot chocolate while they talked. There were two people just browsing around the displays, but didn't look too interested in anything yet. She was so proud of her store. After twenty-five years she'd done pretty well for herself, expanding over into space next door and knocking down the wall like Andrea had always wanted to do. Delia had helped her get a better online image not long after Katie was born and that was made her store a top tourist stop in Grandview.

"I know how tired she's been lately. She said she was exhausted when she was over for dinner with Ned last night." Delia said after a minute or two of silence.

She looked up from her laptop and to her friend. So those were the plans Katie had neglected to elaborate to her on the phone last night. Melinda had wanted to go to a movie with her because she just plainly missed her daughter and ever since Katie's moved home, she had has been so busy with school and her student teaching that she still rarely got to see her daughter.

Especially now that she was engaged to Ned. Delia was stealing her away more and more. She'd tagged along to house showings because of her real estate expertise and went shopping to help decorate the house Katie and Ned just had picked out. They were still waiting on some documents the last she'd heard.

"You had Ned and Katie over for dinner last night?" Melinda bit her lip and smiled, her eyes curious. "How was it?"

"Yeah. It was just the three of us since Tim was working." Delia explained, blushing as she took a sip of her coffee. "It was nice to talk with them and catch up." Lana handed Melinda a crayon then and she started to color in the picture as she listened to her friend. "I don't think I have ever seen my son so happy. He was all snuggled up with her and it was nice to see what a love-struck puppy he is for that daughter of yours."

"That he is. The other day she told me about how he got her this gift. I don't know what it was but it made her laugh so hard. He's good at making her laugh and that's something I know I like about him." She laughed, coloring in a wing with Lana. She traded in her blue for green, while Lana was still struggling to pick which shade of orange she wanted to use. It had to be perfect, she said. "What'd you guys talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know. A whole bunch of stuff. Mostly wedding and summer plans." Delia shrugged and smiled at her. "She wants to get away somewhere this summer."

"Yeah. With finals coming up next week, she's stressed out." She nodded, remembering the pace of college and the stress of finals. "Jim and I have been talking about a trip to the cabin for the memorial weekend coming up. It'll be good for all of us to destress and it's a government holiday so Ned will have it off."

Delia nodded, looking excited. "Memorial weekend is always fun with you guys. Do you remember the year we caught those two boys trying to peep on Katie changing, but it was the laundry room?"

"Oh my god yes," she laughed out loud, a genuine belly laugh. "That kid was so mad that you told his mother."

"You weren't going to!" Delia snickered. "Someone had to tell the mother."

"No. I was not going to go over there and tell someone that I caught her twelve-year-old peeping around for my daughter. Then I would've had to hear about her swimsuits being too revealing, which they were, but that shouldn't even matter. Plus you did it for me anyway," she shrugged and nudged her. "I pick my battles."

That was a few years ago, but it was still fresh in the back of her mind. The summer before Katie left for college they'd all spent a lot of time at the cabin. One weekend, Aaron and the boys from the next lot over were playing baseball when Katie and Mack asked them if they wanted to go swimming.

Melinda and Delia had been doing laundry when the kids came in to change because the other boys were already in their suits. She'd caught them peeping around, and when she asked him, the younger brother spilled that the older one was trying to look in on Katie changing and had pulled them along.

Her daughter had been rightfully mortified and wouldn't wear anything revealing for weeks. The boys had stopped coming around and Aaron was bummed out to lose his friends, even if they did come over to watch her in the background.

"Yeah. That was a fun summer," Delia sighed. "Do you think Katie and Ned did anything that summer? I've always wondered. She turned 18 that July."

Melinda laughed, looking over her dear friend. "Are you ready to hear about all of that?"

"Don't tell me you know?" Delia gasped, noticing the smirk that spread across Melinda's face. "You knew? And never told me?"

"I could write a book on the dirty details I know about Katie and Ned," she scoffed, laughing as she stood up and hugged Delia. "I didn't know you wanted to know anything. You never asked Deels. You always cover your eyes when they fool around anyway."

Delia sighed and Melinda back out of the hug and rubbed Lana's back, whispering in her ear. The little girl ran into the back with her crayons and book when her mom told her grown-up talk needed to happen.

"What do you want to know about?" She hummed, batting her eyelashes as her friend.

"Well did they fool around that summer?" Delia asked, wanting to know juicy details if there were any.

"Not really," she said, sitting back on her stool. Delia took the other one while the store stood empty for now. They had only been open for half an hour, it usually didn't pick up this early anyway. "Well, a little, but nothing happened until she was eighteen if that's what you're asking. He was there for her after the fiasco at graduation and that was a big thing for them."

"I remember," Delia said softly. "That was a tough night for everyone."

"Yeah. It was, but Ned being there for her had a big impact on them getting together that winter." I just know it did. She explained, shrugging. "And I think this getaway she wants to take is more wanting to get away with Ned because they can't take a honeymoon away because of his work schedule."

Melinda remembered keenly how disappointed she was that she and Jim couldn't afford it when they'd first got married, but their weekend alone had been more than enough and that's what she was trying to tell Katie.

She remembered his old boss Sulley, fortunately, letting him off earlier most nights that week to give them a little boost to their honeymoon period, but their house had been a lovenest for the most of that first year, as much as they both worked.

Katie feared he wouldn't get the same treatment, there was a new captain that had just transferred in and was looking to be a hardass on everyone right now.

"So… does Jim have any plans for tonight?" Delia nudged her and she smiled. She wanted details on her anniversary plans too. Of course. "Twenty-five years is a big one."

"I don't think so. Just a quiet night home. I like doing that a whole lot more than going out to a fancy dinner." She said as the door opened and a few folks walked in. "I'm gonna check on Lana. You got these guys?"

"Totally," Delia nodded, she moved to the floor, speaking to them about sales while Melinda when back to Lana.

That was another thing that was so good about her life. She had wonderful friends and was lucky enough to work with her best one every day.

Later on that night, Melinda was lying on the couch, her legs stretched over Jim's lap, sipping a glass of wine. He was giving her the world's best foot rub, another reason to add to the list on why he was the best husband ever.

He'd surprised her with a night with no kids. They were all with Katie and her and Ned's apartment for the night. They were all having a campout in the living room with sleeping bags. Ned was working a double and Katie didn't mind.

It was the least she could do for their big twenty-fifth anniversary.

His thumb spread over her arch and she moaned, earning a chuckle from him. Even after a long day at the hospital when Jim got home all he wanted to know is if she had a good day and needed anything.

How did she get so lucky to find a man like him?

"You alright Mel?" He asked, his hands moving to her other foot.

"Yeah. I'm just thinking about something," she sighed and swirled her wine around, taking another sip. "I still can't believe you got all of those kids in that tiny apartment. I hope they don't kill each other."

"They'll be fine," he reassured her. "They were still agreeing and nice when I left. Katie was just ordering pizza."

"Okay," she sighed. "I need to relax. I crossed over a ghost with Katie today so we'd have a stress-free night. I just keep thinking about how lucky I am to have had twenty-five amazing years with you and I can't wait to have another."

"I can't wait either," he said. He pulled her into his lap, kissing her cheek. "How was your day? You didn't say much besides it got busy at one."

"I did," she sighed. "We had to open all three registers."

"Sounds busy," he turned her in his lap, rubbing her shoulders. "Any other ghosts pop up in between all the customers?"

"Just the one," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Katie had just come back from the deliveries told lend a hand in the rush. I hadn't even noticed until she pinched me. She was a doozy, so I'm glad it was just the one." She paused then, taking a relaxing breath in and letting out. "You have no idea, Jim. This woman wanted her daughter to break up with her boyfriend because he was cheating with every woman who would go for him. And this girl was in love and wouldn't take our word obviously, so Katie ended up having to seduce him for the girl to believe it. I've never seen our daughter get so frustrated. She just pulled her cardigan off, shook her hair out, and stomped over there."

"Sounds like our daughter," he laughed just as he leaned in to kiss her. It was short-lived though. He wanted to know more about her day. "Anything else exciting?"

"Hmmm… how would you describe twenty-five years of marriage?" She asked. "Someone asked me that today at the store and I didn't know how to answer it and it's been on my mind all day."

"Well... I don't know." He laughed. "You'd think I would. Being married to you for that long and all."

"See, I said the same thing and this guy looked at me like I should know. But like I don't know how to describe it." She said and they both laughed in agreement. "I mean... we're friends and lovers as well as equal partners who work together to get things done. We split up the work and make decisions according to strengths and weaknesses as well as likes and dislikes. We share as much as possible." He nodded and kissed her. She was so right about that. She gave him a look then and he backed off with his famous smirk on his lips. "And I do the finances because I'm better at it and you do things I'm not very good at like cooking. We play to our strengths. Neither of us is the head of the household, we share responsibilities when it comes to everything."

"And we've reached twenty-five years. It hasn't all been perfect but I don't think there is another person I could have spent all that time without going crazy." He said and pulled her lips back to his. "Now I know we said no gifts but I had to."

"Jim..." She said and reach to the opposite side too. "I got you something too. I caved."

"We're just terrible aren't we?" He laughed.

"Just a little. I saw this and I had to get it." She said and grabbed the box. Inside was a new stethoscope. He'd been needing a new one and he hadn't even realized she'd paid attention to his complaints that much. But she had. She'd even gotten him the red one he'd hinted at one time. "It was on sale, so don't freak out."

"Pat at the jewelers gave me a deal for our twenty-fifth," he said and he gave her his box, kissing her cheek. A tear escaped her eyes as she saw the sparkling white and purple bracelet. "Oh my god.. this is where it was. I was freaking out looking for it."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I wanted to tell you so badly."

"You acted upset with me Jim!" She gasped. "I hate you!" She couldn't look even remotely made at him, smiling big as she kissed him. "Okay, I love you. But why didn't you just tell me to not worry and we'd find it."

"Had to be believable," he nodded, winking at her. "Anyway I saw it on your end table a few weeks back and it was getting a little dull, so I went and got it refurbished. It's all the same jewels." He says clasping it around my wrist. "It reminds me of you, this bracelet. It's a little aged but it's still the most beautiful since the day I saw it."

"You are the sweetest man," she whispered, wrapping him in a tight hug. "I love you. I have been kicking myself because I couldn't find this damn thing… because I've treasured it since the day you gave it to me."

"Shall we take this celebration into our bedroom?" He asked, his lips touching her neck the longer they sat wrapped in each other's arms and she stood up, holding her hand out for him.

"Come here," she whispered and he took her hand that she held out.

He let himself be pulled to his feet by her, his lips meeting her as he stood, taking her into his arms. He swept her off his feet and carried her upstairs, kissing every inch of her until she wept with frustration, taking her to her peak again and again until he couldn't stand it anymore, and went with her, tumbling them even further into a fathomless abyss of love.