Page 134 of Let’s Be Real

“Nate’s meds?”

“Check. His journal, toothbrush, and chargers too.”

He tapped his chin with the envelope he’d been waving at me. “Pajamas?”

“Of course. Who would Nate be without his favorite old man PJs?”

“Not our Nate.” He drummed the envelope on the counter. “It sounds like you have everything important. If you forgot something, I’m sure you can buy it at the resort shop.”

“Right. You’re right.” Dropping the bags at our feet, I swipe my forehead with the back of my hand. “I’m terrible at surprises. Why did I think this would be a good idea?”

He grabbed my shoulders and gave them a little shake. “Because you know Nate will love it, and you’re that kind of wife.”

Sucking in a breath, I gathered myself. “You’re right. I’m an awesome wife. And my wonderful husband is going to be thrilled.”

“That’s the spirit.” He glanced over at Meowzebub as she eyed him back. “Are you sure she can’t fend for herself?”

“You agreed to babysit her.” I gave his shoulder a shove. “Don’t try to back out now when I just found my zen.”

He raised his hands. “I’m not backing out. But be prepared to come home to your devil cat feasting on my corpse.”

“As long as she’s well fed…”

To say Nate was surprised when I drove us to the airport instead of our favorite restaurant was an understatement. Traditionally, six months wasn’t a big wedding anniversary. The last thing he’d expected was for me to whisk him off for a long weekend.

But I liked finding reasons to celebrate with him. I was still at the point where every day we had together was a big deal, and I kind of hoped that would never change.

“I can’t believe you.” He shook his head, his eyes alight.

“Good. I like keeping you on your toes.”

“You do a good job at that.” He looked at the plane’s window, his brow furrowed. “You won’t tell me where we’re going?”

“You’ll see when we get there. It’s somewhere new.”

He turned back to me, his gaze warm. “I’ll give you this anniversary, but I’m in charge of our one-year. You’ve got to give me that.”

“That’s a deal. I make no promises about nine months, though.”

His eyes flared. “Is that a thing?”

I laughed at his panic. “It could be; I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve ever been married. Besides, can’t we make our own rules?”

“We can. We should.” He leaned over, running his nose along mine. “Maybe just give me a heads-up so I don’t miss something important.”

I kissed the corner of his mouth. “But I like surprising you.”

He smiled into another kiss. “You’re fun.”

“I know. And you’re hot.”

That made him laugh, which I liked a lot. “God, do I love my wife.”

He did. Nate Wells was the very best husband. He loved me in a way I never doubted. He said the words without prompting and showed me through his actions without fail. Even on the days he needed time to himself. Even when he needed to be quiet for a while. He never completely removed himself from me. He didn’t hide or make me feel like I needed to chase him.

We’d worked to get to this place, both individually and together. In therapy, I was able to find the words to tell him what I needed from him, and he gave it to me readily. In turn, he learned to recognize his feelings and communicate them to me. Sometimes Nate would simply say, “Today is hard,” and that was enough. I no longer heard those words as rejection. He no longer thought of asking for space as failure.

These days, most of the time, our relationship flowed like water. That wasn’t to say we didn’t hit rocky ground. Nate had mood swings and down days. My insecurities managed to reanimate like zombified corpses. We sometimes got too busy and stressed with work. We bickered like every other human being learning to live with another person for the first time. But we always found the smooth path again because we had the tools to guide us.