When I still felt good later that morning, we put on sweaters and jackets and walked along the beach, hand in hand, enjoying the sunny break in the weather. I loved to hear the sound of the surf on the beach, and looked forward to having my baby in the spring, so we could all enjoy the beach house as a family.

  We arrived back at the house around noon, and I felt good. Really good.

  My cell dinged, indicating a message. I grabbed it and saw that my phone had rung while I was out. I checked my recent calls and saw that it was my PhD advisor. He'd left a voice message, which I listened to on speakerphone.

  "I think your paper is fine as it is. I'd give it an A, so I don't see why you shouldn't hand it in. Polish it up a bit more and send it by the deadline. Call me if you have any questions."

  I threw my arms around Luke's neck and squeezed him. He laughed and twirled me around in a circle.

  "See? I told you it would be fine. Now, as long as you stay feeling good, I can make plans for our honeymoon."

  We stood for a moment in each other's arms and just enjoyed each other's happiness.

  With no nausea and with my supervisor so positive about my paper, I felt that finally, I could relax and look forward to my upcoming honeymoon.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Luke

  While Alexa spent the week revising and polishing her paper, as her supervisor suggested, I spent it catching up on work and planning our escape to Bora Bora. She had to hand her paper in by the end of the week, which would mean we could leave any time afterward. She wanted to be back by Christmas, so she could spend it with her parents and friends, but I wanted to stay until after New Year's Day, so that we had a solid two weeks of time away from everything.

  In the end, we compromised. We'd come back just before New Year’s and spend it with her parents. I wanted her all to myself for Christmas and New Year’s since it would be the last Christmas we would spend alone at an exotic location for years, but family was important to her, so we split the difference.

  The best flight I could find was a United flight from JFK to San Francisco, and then a flight to Tahiti and finally a short hope to Bora Bora. The total travel time was over thirty-one hours, with stopovers taking up half that time to wait for connecting flights. It wasn't optimal. The price was outlandish, and while I could afford it, I thought it was crazy but I wanted the time to be perfect and so I wanted to travel First Class. It was going to be my only honeymoon, so I wanted it to be the best possible experience. While I plotted and planned our trip, choosing several options for the resort we'd say at, Alexa spent her time in her office, in revision mode. When she was finished polishing her paper, she sent it over to Candace, who agreed to proofread it for typos.

  By the time Wednesday came around, we sat down for supper and considered our options. I'd picked several resorts and options at each one for Alexa to choose from.

  "There's the St. Regis, with either a beach front house or an over-water house. What would you prefer?"

  "I want to have an over-water house, so we can listen to the water beneath us. It'll remind us of our time on The Phoenix."

  "My thoughts exactly," I said, glad that we were sympatico on that. I thought the beach front properties were nice, with crystal clear blue water just feet from the patio, but it would be nice to feel like we were back on the catamaran, anchored offshore like we spent on our trip. Those were such happy days for us both that it would be nice to relive them.

  Then, I showed her the Four Seasons resort, which had amazing views of the mountains, and was just as nice as the St. Regis.

  "It's so hard to choose," she said, examining each one closely. "I could be happy at either one. They're both fantastic." She turned to me and smiled. "You choose."

  "No, you have to give me your choice," I said, shaking my head.

  "Okay," she said and looked at them both again. "The St. Regis."

  "The St. Regis it is. Mountain View?"

  "Yes, please."

  With that settled, we started to plan what we'd take. We had thirty hours of travel and so needed comfortable clothes for the plane and for the terminals while we waited.

  Alexa stood in front of her closet and tried to decide what to pack.

  I slipped my arms around her from behind.

  "You won't need much more than a bathing suit and a sun dress for when we go out for meals," I said. "I plan on keeping you naked most of the rest of the time."

  She wrapped her arms around mine. "You do, do you?"

  "I do," I replied and kissed her neck. "Naked and satiated."

  "You're going to be a busy boy," she said, a fiery expression in her eyes. "I've been seriously deprived and so have you. Do you think you can keep up with me? At least you were taking matters into your own hands. I was totally celibate the entire time."

  "I know," I said and kissed her shoulder. "I intend to make it up to you."

  "You're going to be busy."

  "I intend to be."

  Friday came and it was time for Alexa to send in her course paper to her professor. Late that afternoon, she sat at her desk in her office, having just finished making the corrections that Candace had suggested to catch all the typos and glitches that happened no matter how careful you were when writing a fifty-page paper replete with footnotes and a massive bibliography.

  "I don't know how you do it," I said and picked up the final manuscript, flipping through the pages, amazed at how smart she was.

  She made a face of doubt and bit her lip. "Do you really think I should send it in? Maybe I should take an incomplete and get it done after I have the baby. If so, I could do a really good job..."

  I frowned and put my hands on my hips, imitating an imaginary Aunt. "Now, Alexandria Marie Dixon, your supervisor said it was a fine paper. An A. That should be good enough."

  "But it's not an A+."

  "It's an A. Hand it in and let's go and spend two amazing weeks in Bora Bora."

  She sighed. "Okay, but I hope I don't regret this..."

  She clicked on the send icon in her email program, and I heard the swoosh of her notification sound that it had been sent.

  "There goes everything," she said, her tone still doubtful.

  "Don't be so pessimistic. It's done. Let's celebrate."

  I put my arms around her and lifted her up from her chair. She slipped her arms around my neck and pressed her face into my neck while I squeezed her.

  We kissed and when the kiss broke, she pulled back and looked in my eyes.

  "I'm just glad it's finished, and I can hand it in, and not think of anything for two solid weeks. When we get back, I'm going to take a leave of absence for a year and focus on getting the baby's room ready, and get everything in place for Leif or Brenna."

  "Or Leif and Brenna -- you never know. We could have twins. Until you have the ultrasound, we won't know."

  "One is good enough for me. One healthy baby. If we have that, I honestly don't care whether it's a boy or girl."

  "Me, neither. Now, let's go and get some supper. How about we drive into town and eat some meatballs? You haven't had any since before you were pregnant."

  "Meatballs?" She made a face. "I don't think I can do meatballs just yet. Maybe some Alfredo..."

  "Whatever Milady desires. Alfredo, whatever. Carbonara."

  "Carbonara sounds fantastic."

  We kissed again and then both of us got ready for a night on the town. We were leaving for Bora Bora on Monday, and would return on December 28, 2020. Then, we would start a brand-new year and new decade together.

  It was going to be fantastic.

  Once we were both dressed, I called the restaurant and booked a table by the window -- the same table we sat at when we first went. Then, I called down to our security detail and asked for someone to drive us into town. In a few moments, the guard on duty pulled the SUV around front.

  "The coach awaits, Milady," I said, holding out my hand to her at the front door.

  She took my hand, a smile on her face. "My stomach is growling. I am so glad my morning sickness is finally over. I have a few pounds to pack on in the next two weeks."

  "Yes, you do," I said and squeezed her buttocks from behind. "I noticed that you were looking not quite as fleshed out as I'm used to. You've lost a few pounds..."

  "I have," she said. "I don't have to even think about what I eat for the next while."

  We went to the SUV and got in the back seat, our driver waiting for us with the door open. After buckling in, we held hands and watched the scenery as we drove in the growing darkness to Manhattan. I was filled with so much happiness at the return to normalcy with Alexa. She seemed really relieved to get her paper out of the way and the morning sickness gone. I knew we were going to have a wonderful honeymoon.

  Our meal was as expected -- perfect. Alexa ate Spaghetti Carbonara instead of meatballs for she was still a bit off from tomatoes, despite not feeling nauseated any longer. We spent longer than we usually did, lingering over Tiramisu and decaf coffee, holding hands across the candle-lit table, sitting beside the window and watching the pedestrian traffic flow by as a light rain fell.

  "I'm glad we came here," she said and smiled. "It feels good to be able to go out to the city and have dinner again, like we used to. I feel like it's been a year since I felt normal."

  "Time passes too quickly as it is," I said and squeezed her hand. "We shouldn't wish it to pass any faster."

  "I know, but when you feel as sick and tired as I did, it seems to pass at a glacial pace. I am going to enjoy every minute of my remaining pregnancy."

  "Good. So am I."

  We took the limo back to Westhampton, arriving home close to midnight, and while I might have considered trying to tempt Alexa to make love to top off the evening -- our first real date since she got morning sickness -- I didn't. I wanted her to be the one to make the first move and signal to me that she was ready to resume our love life.

  We stood side by side at the sinks in our bathroom and brushed our teeth, me in my boxer briefs and she in her little black nightgown. When we were both finished, she leaned up and kissed me quickly and then went to the bed, climbing in and pulling the covers over her. I figured that if she had wanted sex, she would have taken my hand and led me there, giving me some indication of her desires, but she didn't. I climbed in beside her and switched off the light, then spooned against her, her back turned to me.

  "Good night, my love," I said and kissed her shoulder.

  "Good night," she replied. "I love you, Luke."

  "I love you, Alexa." I slipped my hand over her belly. "And I love little Brenna or Leif. Or Brenna and Leif."

  She laughed. "Let's just hope it's one or the other and leave it at that. I'm still a bit too tired to imagine twins."

  I smiled in the darkness and let myself drift, glad that I had her and whatever baby she was carrying inside her body.

  That was good enough for me and in all honesty, I couldn't have asked for anything more.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Alexa

  My stomach was butterflies and in a good way, because the limo was on its way to the airport, and we were on our way to Bora Bora. It was still dark out for our flight left very early and so we were up at five in the morning. We'd finished packing our bags and were dressed and ready to go, waiting impatiently for the limo to arrive. When Luke's cell dinged to indicate our driver was outside the beach house, I almost squealed in delight.

  "We're really going," I said and threw my arms around his neck, giving him a quick kiss.

  He laughed and pulled me against his body. "We are. Let go of me so I can take our bags outside."

  "Okay," I said and kissed him again. He let go of me and then grabbed our two bags, wheeling them out the front doors to the driveway where the stretch limo waited, the driver coming to meet Luke at the stairs to help take the bags to the trunk.

  After they loaded the trunk, Luke and I got into the rear seats and buckled up. When we drove off, I looked back at the beach house and the beach beyond, the waves crashing on the shore. The moon had broken through the clouds and it was really beautiful, if cold. Our view in Bora Bora would be beach, but it would be sunshine most of the time, and clear blue calm waters.

  "Well, Milady, we're off," Luke said and took my hand as we drove off. He kissed my knuckles and smiled.

  "We are," I said. "I'm so excited."

  "It's going to be a long haul to get there, but once we do, we can just laze around and do whatever we want -- or nothing at all."

  "I want to scuba dive and sight see and swim and suntan and go out for dinner and shop," I said. "I've spent the last four months almost doing nothing, so I intend to get in as much touristy stuff as possible."

  "Whatever you wish," Luke said and kissed my knuckles again.

  We arrived at the airport and went right to security, then into the first-class waiting area where we would spend the next hour or so waiting for our flight to board. We were able to have some nice decaf cappuccinos and lattes, which pleased me, since I was off caffeine while I was pregnant. We sat beside a window and watched the airplanes board.

  Finally, the call came for our flight and we made it onto our plane, then to our first-class seats for the first leg of our trip to San Francisco. Take off was routine, and we settled in for the breakfast, which was delicious. We had a two hour stop in San Francisco, and then a nine-hour flight to Papeete, Tahiti. We'd arrive that night and stay in a hotel near the airport overnight and then take the final leg to Bora Bora the next morning.

  Our flight to Papeete was uneventful, and our hotel there was nice, but I was tired after a full day sitting on a plane and wanted nothing more than a walk on the beach and then bed. Luckily, Luke was of the same mind and we left the hotel in Papeete and walked for about thirty minutes on the private beach before having a nice warm bath together and then bed. I knew he was probably interested in sex, but I just wasn't ready yet and while I felt bad that he'd been so deprived for so long, I couldn't bring myself to initiate it. I was thankful he was patient and wanted to wait for me to take the lead, but it put a lot of guilt on me.

  Part of me thought that I could just lie there and let him have his way with me anyway, so he could get off and sleep well, but when I'd offered him just that before, he'd turned me down.

  "I don't want to make love to you unless you're just as into it as I am. I can wait. There's more to our relationship than just sex. When you feel like it, come to me. I'll be ready."

  Part of me worried that I'd never feel like it again, and that maybe my hormones were all out of whack and would stay that way. I missed our intimacy, but at the same time, I didn't want to get all affectionate with Luke if it meant he would be left with blue balls or he'd have to take matters into his own hands. Most of all, I was afraid that if I didn't initiate sex with him soon enough, he'd stop loving me. Sex was to men what intimacy was to women -- or so my mother always told me. If a wife wanted their husband to be intimate with them and share personal feelings and thoughts, you had to have sex with them -- a lot of sex.

  So, as each day passed with me not feeling like making love, I felt more and more anxious that Luke would reach a point and stop loving me.

  "I'm sorry, I'm still not ready..." I said to him as we lay in bed, him spooned against my back.

  "Shh," he said and squeezed me. "I'm not a teenager. I can hold out. I'm in this for the long haul."

  "A long time, not a good time?" I ventured, then felt stupid for saying it, but it was my fear.

  "For a good long time," Luke said and kissed my shoulder. "Until the end."

  I turned around in his arms and faced him. In the dim light from the window, which opened to show the bay, I saw the outline of his cheekbone and jaw, a fleck of light in his eye.

  "I'm afraid you'll get sick of waiting and find someone willing."

  "Why would you ever think that? Do you have such a low opinion of me?"

  I shook my head, realizing that's what he must think I felt. "No, no, of course not. It's just that we're a couple. Couples are supposed to have sex regularly or their relationship will break down."

  "Not when one of them is sick, or injured, or has morning sickness. I'd be a cad if I expected you to put out just because I'm always ready for sex. I'm a healthy man. I'm pretty much always ready and willing. It's a plumbing issue. It's survival of the species," he said, and I could see him smile in the darkness. I felt tears well up in my eyes.

  "But," he said and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. "But I'm also the man who loves you more than anything or anyone. I want you to be right there, with me, filled with as much desire for me as I feel for you. I know that we are totally compatible sexually, because we've been together alone for almost a year and we've always been satisfied with each other. I told you before -- I don't want to just fuck to get off. I want us to make love to each other. I want us both aroused and in need. If not, I can wait until that happens."

  "Okay," I said and nodded, trying to convince myself to stop worrying so much.

  "Look, this is a special time of your life and in our relationship. It's going to be different between us from now on, because we're going to be parents as well as husband and wife. We have to roll with the punches, and accept what comes our way as a team, okay? We'll find our new happy normal if we give it time and are generous with each other."

  I took in a deep breath and sighed. "How come you're so reasonable?"

  "Because I'm so happy, that's why. I'm happy with you just the way you are. I can wait, my love. I could wait almost forever." He smiled again. "Almost..."

  Then he laughed softly. Finally, I did as well, feeling somewhat better about everything.

  "Thank you," I said and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you for understanding. Thank you for being you. I love you so much."

  “I love you.”

  We kissed and the kiss was warm and deep.

  And then, from inside of me, a spark of desire came into existence. Deep inside of my body, I felt that ache of need for Luke. I hadn't felt it for months -- not since my morning sickness started. My sex felt congested and in need of him inside of me.

 

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