Authors: Jude Ouvrard
T
oday was my birthday. While I relaxed in a tub filled with strawberry shortcake bubble bath, my awesome boyfriend was fixing breakfast. How good was that? I had no stress, I was feeling relaxed with an abundance of positive energy. I stayed in the bath until the water turned cold. My fingers were all pruned, another sign that I should get out and start my day.
The weather was already way too warm, so I dressed in a pair of short shorts and a spaghetti-strap tank top. Wearing such minimal clothing, I knew I could face the heat of the day.
''Sweets, would you like to go to the beach after breakfast?'' Remy asked, when I appeared downstairs.
I looked at the clock and it was still early enough, as we had a two hour drive to get there. ''Yeah, I would love to.'' The beach was my little piece of heaven in North Carolina. We could relax, surf, fish or take a long walk barefoot in the sand. I loved everything about it.
''Let’s eat, birthday girl!'' He pulled me to him, and kissed my cheek and then we sat down at the table. Remy loved to cook and he was really good at it. Before me, there was a bowl full of fresh strawberries and bananas, lying on a bed of whipped cream and a small amount of maple syrup had been added for a little sweetness. He had also prepared an omelet which smelled so good, I could almost taste it. Cheddar cheese, ham and French onions - simple, but so tasty.
I never thought I could eat everything, but I couldn’t resist it and now I was ready to go to the beach.
''I'll get my board and the chairs, maybe we could bring some snacks and some water bottles.'' Remy suggested, as he rinsed our plates in the sink.
''Yes, perfect. I'll get the snacks, towels and bathing suits.''
I was heading to the stairs to get our bathing suits when I heard him call my name. I turned around, startled by the sudden shout. ''What?''
''You really are beautiful, sweets.'' His grin reached his eyes and my heart squeezed a little. Remy was so charming and affectionate.
''You are too, soldier.'' I blew him a kiss and ran up the stairs.
I picked my black bikini and his pale blue board shorts. They fitted him perfectly and I loved watching him in them.
While I got the snacks ready, he packed everything in the car. I made some sandwiches, found some cookies and filled the water bottles.
Surfing was going to be fun, I hadn’t surfed in a while and I missed it. Carter and Remy would come here almost every weekend when they were home, it was our home away from home in the summer. While Remy drove, we held hands and I sang to every song which played on the radio. I was in such a good mood today. Turning thirty wasn't so bad after all, I felt great, Remy thought I was pretty, and I couldn't wait to hit the beach and feel the warm sand in between my toes.
As soon as we got there, we got into our bathing suits and Remy took care of renting a board for the day. Three minutes later and we were in the water paddling, I could feel the sun on my back and it felt so good. At the approach of a wave, we ducked under the water and continued to paddle to reach the best area to catch the wave. When I saw a nice wave coming our way, I didn't miss the opportunity and turned around and started paddling extra hard to catch it. When my board was sitting on the wave, I stood up and rode the wave effortlessly. I could hear Remy cheering in the background and it brought a smile to my face immediately. He was my number one fan. When the wave was coming to an end, I dove into the water and paddled back to Remy. He had an irresistible grin on his face when I got back to him.
''Come here, I want to show you something I found underwater.''
Underwater? Had he found a starfish, or a shell maybe? I straddled my board and looked at his hand.
''Wait, give me your hand,'' Remy said.
He was acting really strangely. Was it a crab? I hated crabs, they hurt like hell if they caught hold of you. I decided to trust him and gave him my hand and he kissed my palm, before placing a ring on my finger.
''Avery, I don't want you to freak out. You know I would never force you into anything. This isn’t an engagement ring,'' he said, holding my hand. ''This is a promise ring.''
He released my hand and I stared down at the ring. My other hand was covering my mouth in surprise. It was a simple, but so very pretty. A simple white gold band with a large square cut diamond which glittered in the sunshine. ''I promise you that I'll always be by your side. I promise you to always help you in any way I can. My life without you is empty and cold. You are my sun, Avery. I promise you that I'll do everything I can to make you happy.''
A tear slid down my cheek. ''I don't know what to say... other than, thank you and I love it.'' I kissed his shoulder first, because it was the first part of his body that I could reach, but he moved closer so we could kiss properly, and it was so strong and passionate. ''I promise to always be there for you too, babes. God! I love you so much!''
''I know you’re not ready to get married again, sweets, but I want it all with you. We've talked about this before, but I just want to tell you again, that I want a family with you. I want us to find our happy place together. I want you to be carrying my child, soon.''
''I want that too, babes, so much,'' I sobbed. We were in the middle of the ocean, I was a sobbing mess, and I didn't care in the least because he’d made me so happy. We spent a couple of minutes kissing the best way we could, given that we were both sitting on our boards surrounded by waves.
Remy finally broke off the kiss with a grin. ''I'll catch this one,'' he said, turning around and paddling away to catch an incoming wave.
He really was a show off when it came to surfing, but I could see the pain on his face when he started to paddle. He wasn’t supposed to be doing such physical activity and I didn’t like him risking his shoulder. I waited for him to hit the wave and paddled my way onto the next incoming wave. He was far on my right, having just jumped from the wave he rode in and was about to sit on his board. The wave I’d been watching captured me in its power, I stood up and surfed in his direction. I rode the wave as best as I could, but the level of difficulty was a little higher than my first one. The wave was more aggressive and it made it more difficult to control the surfboard.
''What are you doing? Chasing me?'' Remy joked.
''I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to surf, Remy. Your shoulder - I saw your face, you were in pain.''
He glanced away, I knew he hated being hurt. ''Just for one day, Ave. I just want to spend a great day with you.''
''We can spend a great day walking on the beach, drinking sangria or simply relaxing on the beach. I don’t want you to get hurt and I know you're going to regret this in the morning.''
He rolled his eyes at me, behaving like a teenager. ''Alright.''
''Don’t be mad, babes, this is me loving you back and protecting you.'' I smiled at him, trying to diffuse his frustration.
He smiled back. ''Do you really like the ring?'' Remy sounded vulnerable, as if he was uncertain whether he’d done the right thing.
''I love it. Thank you so much.'' We walked out of the water, holding our boards with one hand and holding hands with the other. ''You look hot, surfer boy.''
''I’m an old surfer boy, Ave.''
I punched his shoulder hard. ''You’re a year younger than me, brat.''
He chuckled. ''You are the prettiest thirty year old I know.''
I rolled my eyes at him. ''I stopped counting at twenty-nine.''
He laughed out loud. ''Okay, sweets, you’re still the prettiest.''
I wanted to tease him a little and I put my board down on the sand. ''You need to learn some manners, Remy. You don’t discuss age with a woman.'' I turned away and started stomping along the beach. I tried my best not to laugh, but I knew I was going to start giggling as soon as he caught up with me.
''Avery!'' He called my name, but I continued to walk. ''Ave, stop, please.'' He grabbed my arm and turned me around to face him. I fixed my gaze on the toned V which plunged into his board shorts, I couldn’t look at his face, because I knew I would start laughing. ''Sweets, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, and you really are beautiful.''
Dear God! He really did feel bad. I lifted my eyes to meet his, no longer able to keep a straight face. ''Gotcha!'' I said, before I turned and ran away. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before he would catch me. When he did, he grabbed me up and threw me onto his shoulder and I shrieked with laughter. I begged him to put me down, trying to tickle him and when that failed, I slapped his behind.
''Sweets, stop it, you’re only making it harder to hold on and not drop you. I wouldn’t want to break any of your old bones.''
''I’m sorry, Remy, I'm sorry. I won’t do it again,'' I promised.
He laughed. ''Revenge, sweets, revenge.'' He tried to run, but each step he took bounced me on my stomach. He took a better hold of me, and drew me down so I was now in his arms, like he would carry a baby. Without warning, he threw me in the water. I screamed at the top of my lungs before I plunged underwater. I hurriedly stood up in the water to fill my lungs with air and found him standing on the sand, laughing at me. Remy was playful today, regardless of my bad joke.
''You don’t fight fair!'' I pouted.
He looked at me with eyes that were heated with desire and made me feel like I was the sexiest woman in the world.
''Are you going to retaliate now, sweets?'' Remy's voice was deep and sensual and I felt a flush rise across my body. He stalked closer, placing his hands on my waist and pulled me up against his toned body. I grabbed his hair and held him in place while we kissed passionately, standing in the water. His kiss was excessively hot and demanding and I could feel my toes curl against the sand.
I broke away from the kiss and met his eyes with a smile. ''Are you trying to seduce me, babes?''
He gave me the smile I had only seen on rare occasions, it was shy and filled with honesty. ''By the look of your cheeks, I know I’m having some effect on you.''
We continued to kiss until we were hit by a small wave, which toppled us over and we both got submerged in the salty water. We came out of the water laughing and grabbing hold of one another, trying to get our balance again. Remy led the way back to the car, where we picked up our towels, snacks and chairs. I was more than ready to laze about and work on my tan. My eyes kept returning to the ring Remy had given me, it was so pretty and I loved it. Remy had really good taste.
Remy ended up waking me up a little later in the afternoon, after I’d dozed off in the warm sunshine. He wanted to take a walk before we headed back home. We packed the car again and went for a walk along the beach, his arm wrapped around my shoulders and mine around his waist. I looked at him from the corner of my eyes, and I thought about how we really did share something amazingly special. My love for him was deep and strong and our minds were connected like I’d never experienced before with anyone else. Even with Carter, it was different in so many ways. I loved Carter and missed him, but Remy was allowing me to find love and happiness again, and he had a really sweet way of doing it.
Driving back home so soon left me a bit disappointed, but I didn’t tell Remy. I loved being at the beach, surfing and fishing. He’d wanted to go home, so I agreed, but I would've stayed a lot longer if I’d been given the chance. Lana Del Rey's music was playing on the way back and I listened silently, staring at the promise ring on my finger. There was no way my smile was going to leave my face any time soon. He truly had surprised me and made my day.
When we finally got home from the long drive, I saw the kitchen light was on, when I clearly remembered turning it off. Just like that, my mood changed and I was suddenly worried and anxious.
I touched Remy’s arm. ''Babes, something isn’t right. I remember turning the light off when we left and it's on now. Maybe someone is in the house.''
He almost rolled his eyes at me. ''Really? You think someone would come into our house?''
''I don't like it, Remy.''
He got out of the car, walked around and opened my door. ''Do you want me to make sure it's clear?''
I nodded nervously and followed him towards the house. While he made sure the house was safe, I waited at the front doorway. I closed my eyes, trying to control the panic when I heard a loud “SURPRISE!” followed by many shouts wishing me a happy birthday. My heart was pounding so loudly and my hands trembled with shock. I must have jumped two feet into the air when I heard them yelling. Tears were running down my cheeks and I leaned against the doorway, trying to pull myself together.
"Avery, are you okay?" Megan rushed forward and grabbed my arm.
"It’s too much... today has been way too intense for me," I answered, brushing away the tears on my cheeks with my fingers.
"Aww, Remy, you did it!" She looked from the promise ring on my finger to Remy, and back again. "I'm so happy for you, Avery! You deserve nothing but the best. Congratulations, honey!" She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and hugged me. Jaimee, Laura and the rest of the girls joined us. They were all excited for us and they all loved the ring, judging by their comments. It made me proud and full of love for Remy.
The tears were replaced with a delighted smile. "This is the best birthday-promise party ever. Thank you guys!"
The men lined up to wish me a happy birthday. It was so good to see them here, we had shared so many years of friendship and hard work together in the military.
"It’s great to see you looking so happy again, Ave," Patrick said. "It might sound weird, but if Carter could talk to us now, I'm sure he would approve of Remy, because there is nobody else in this world who he trusted as much." His eyes were sad when he spoke, and his voice was full of emotion.
"Thank you Patrick, thank you so much for everything." It was difficult to find the words to encompass everything Patrick had done for me, and I had so much to thank him for. For watching over Remy when they were deployed and for helping Remy and I when Carter passed away. Patrick had been a very important person in our lives, always determined to help us and be the best friend he could be to Remy. I was very thankful for him.