“Can we go swimming?” Hadley and Kenna asked, bored with unpacking boxes. “Please, Dad,” they looked at Chris, hopeful.
Chris sat in his chair in the kitchen and opened another box marked 'dishes' and grimaced when he straightened his back. “Not today, girls. Probably tomorrow, depending on if your mother and I can move,” he said, watching Melissa put things up, muttering to herself.
The kitchen was big, but the layout wasn't what he expected. It was a galley kitchen and while it had plenty of counter space, there was a cut off feeling from the rest of the house. They could do some remodeling, but for now it would have to work.
“Here's more cups, babe,” he said, watching Cameron who was playing in the living room with a wooden spoon and an empty box. He looked at his daughters, who were still standing there. “Did you get your toys picked up and put up?”
That was the first thing they did was help the girls get their rooms somewhat situated, along with the jack and jill bathroom between their rooms. Besides the movers putting the furniture in the correct room, Melissa had done most of the work. Chris had helped some, but he was already exhausted.
“Not all of them..there's still boxes,” Hadley said with a shrug. “Come on Kenna. We won't get to swim anyway.”
“The pool will still be there tomorrow,” Chris said with a sigh and got up slowly with the help of his cane. “I can't sit in this chair anymore, Mel. It's killing my back,” he told her. “I'll go supervise the girls and help them put their stuff up.”
“Okay...” Melissa replied, knowing there were things that wouldn't fit in this kitchen. And she wasn't going to ask Chris to sit longer. He'd already helped more than she thought he would have been able to. If he hadn't have gotten hurt...Her mind couldn't help but go there, angry that nothing seemed to be going the way it should have.
They'd sold his other motorcycle and gotten insurance money for the other. Chris had acted indifferent about it before they'd moved, but she knew he missed it. She did too, if truth be told. They'd spent a lot of hours on his motorcycles, going to different places. One of the first places they'd gone was to Poughkeepsie, New York for a project for culinary school.
That had been one of the first times they'd gone out after they were 'officially' together. Melissa couldn't remember a more fun time and it had been the beginning of weekend trips to different places. When she'd asked why he always took her places, Chris told her it was because he enjoyed watching her reaction when he'd tell her to pack a bag.
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“What are you doing?” Chris asked, sneaking up behind Melissa and kissing her cheek, watching her dice up mushrooms and onions.
“What does it look like I'm doing, Kirkpatrick? You always enjoy eating and I like cooking so...” her voice trailed off and she grinned at him. “I missed you.”
“I was only gone a few hours, babe. How can you miss me?” he raised an eyebrow at her when she stuck her tongue out at him. “Be nice...” Chris chuckled when Melissa made a noise and shook her head at him. “I also need you to pack a bag for this weekend.”
“How big of a bag?” Melissa asked, putting the vegetables with some minced garlic in the skillet, stirring it around with some oil.
“It doesn't matter,” he told her with a shrug. “Just make sure you're ready to go by tomorrow around two,” Chris added, loving the confused look she gave him. “Enough clothes for a long weekend, baby. Five days or so...” he explained, watching her cook. “Want me to do anything?”
“If you want to make some lemonade or tea..grab a couple beers,” Melissa shrugged, kissing Chris. “Now you've got me curious as to where we're going.”
“Don't start that, Weston. It's a surprise,” he replied, kissing her once more.
“Momma,” Cameron said, distracting Mel from her thoughts and pulling on her pants for her to pick him up.
“Hi baby...” she said, picking Cam up and kissing him, smiling when he snuggled into her. “It's someone's nap time.” She carried him to his bedroom that was still mostly in boxes except for his bed. Melissa got him changed and laid down, watching Cam drift off to sleep. Things seemed so simple for their son, that he didn't have the worries she did. The girls for the most part, were naive as well, just knowing that they had to move for Chris to get better. Her mind went back to what she'd been thinking about before.
“You're acting suspicious,” she told him, giving him a look.
Chris feined indignation and stared at his girlfriend. “Suspicious? I always do stuff like this and this time I'm acting suspiciouus? Weston, the last time I whisked you away for a weekend, we spent it holed up in a cabin in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. I didn't hear any complaining other than you didn't want to leave.” He chuckled at a blush coming to Melissa's cheeks.
Melissa sighed and tried to not overthink anything. “Fine. I'm sorry. I'm overthinking things and it's making me a stick in the mud.” She leaned over and kissed Chris' scruffy cheek. “I love you, Kirkpatrick.”
“I know.”
Her eyes focused and the memory faded as she heard her husband grunt as he walked down the hall. She moved from Cam's room to see Chris moving slowly to their bedroom. “Need help?” she asked softly.
“If you're volunteering to cut off my right side, that would be awesome,” Chris said through gritted teeth as he limped. “Who the hell said we needed to move? Oh right, that would be me...The person who can't do a fucking thing except open boxes with a box knife. Hooray.”
“You helped a lot today, don't be so hard on yourself, Kirkpatrick,” Melissa said, going into their room behind him. The bed had been set up but not made, boxes still everywhere. “Let me make the bed real quick and then you can take some pain pills and rest, okay?” She didn't miss the heave of his shoulders and pissed off look that he tried to mask.
“Fuck the bed. I'll go back out to the chair,” he snipped, leaning on his cane. “Damn it. I hate this shit,” Chris muttered, looking down. “Why did you agree to move here, Mel?” he asked after a moment. “I mean...you have everything to do with no real help. I've got maybe a couple hours in me..four if I take pain meds. You know no one here except a couple people. It's hot as shit...” he moved and sat down gingerly on the mattress. “You should have just kept you and the kids in New York.”
“And let you come to Florida by yourself? That's the dumbest thing I've heard you say in a while...I couldn't do that. I'm your ride or die bitch,” she told Chris matter of factly as she sat down next to him and slipped her arm into his. “You're my Prince Charming. Or maybe Shrek.”
Chris couldn't help but smile a little. He was still hurting and pissy, but he knew his wife was right. Some women might have left, but she was still there with him. It meant a lot. He squeezed her hand gently. “I'd say Shrek for sure. A mean, old, smelly ogre.”
“Then let me help you up so I can make the bed. We labeled the boxes and I found the sheets and pillowcases and pillows, because if you try to sleep in your chair you will be Shrek and I will find a pitchfork.”
Melissa gave him a small smile and was surprised when Chris leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't that he wasn't affectionate, but since the accident physical affection hadn't been as frequent. Her hand went up and stroked his cheek lightly, starting to deepen the kiss when he pulled away.
“Get the bed made, babe. Please,” Chris said, pretending to not notice the disappointment on her face as Melissa nodded and got up. He wouldn't admit this to his wife, but he still felt like a circus freak when he looked in the mirror. When he kissed her and she tried to keep things going, he was afraid of getting too carried away and things not going right, so he stopped it before then. Melissa hadn't complained any, the kids and him keeping her busy, he figured. Heaving himself off the bed, he watched it get made and take the offered pills with some water. “Thanks, Weston. I love you.”
Melissa gave him a small smile, praying she wouldn't cry. “Love you too. Get some rest.” She turned and left Chris alone in their room, making it to his recliner before covering her mouth and letting out a small sob and tears fall. It wasn't just the kiss. It was everything. Melissa missed the old Chris. She knew it wasn't fair to think that, since he'd never be 'old Chris' again, but she did. The man who would cop a feel while she was cooking dinner or send a text and ask what color panties she had on. Now she couldn't even hardly kiss him. It seemed like a whole different life, thinking back.
“Chris,” a moan came from Melissa as he kissed her neck, pushing her against the front door of their apartment. “You said we were going...” her voice trailed off as his mouth found hers. She smiled when he ignored her, deepening the kiss. When he'd come out in his leather chaps and leather motorcycle jacket and their weekend bags, Melissa had swallowed hard as she looked him over. That had started the make out session.
“We'll go when I'm done,” he murmured, giving her a look as he kissed her again. It was about to get too cold to ride his motorcycle and Chris wanted to take her out for one last ride of the season. Not only that, but his girlfriend didn't have to know that.
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“It's so gorgeous out,” Melissa said loudly to Chris who nodded as they rode down backroads in upstate New York. It was a little chilly but it wasn't raining and the sun and clouds moved back and forth with the fall foilage being at its height. She loved this time with Chris. He'd worked hard to get her to relax and enjoy the weekends when he wrecked all of her plans to drag her with him to a performance or just out for a trip for the two of them.
Chris pulled over at an overlook, waiting until Melissa was off the Harley to swing his leg get over and get off. “Damn. Getting old sucks,” he groused, his knee throbbing slightly, but taking his girlfriend's hand. “Come on, Weston, let's go see if I can get you to get close to the actual over look,” he teased, knowing she didn't like heights.
“It doesn't look that bad. And you're not old, Chris,” Melissa told him, squeezing his hand. It actually was high up and she paused when they got close.
“Come on, Mel...I won't let you go over the edge. It has a barrier,” he added, watching her follow him slowly. “Besides, we have to get a picture,” he said as she nodded, getting her phone out of her pocket of her zippered leather jacket. He was glad they'd made it a 'thing' to take a selfie whenever they went out somewhere. Chris watched her fiddle with it, turning the camera around to face them and kissed her cheek as she snapped a picture. “I love you.”
“I love you too, you crazy man,” Melissa said, intending to take another picture after she sent that one to Addy with a smiley face. “Let's get one more,” she told him as she got the camera ready. It was then she noticed that Chris was down on one knee behind her. “What in the world are you doing?”
Chris smiled as he watched his girlfriend realize what was going on, blinking back tears himself when she gasped as he pulled out the emerald and diamond ring that had been with him for almost a year and a half. “I was going to wait until we were at the restaurant tonight, but you know me,” he said with a small smile and continued, “I never thought I woud find someone who would love me for just being me. That I could love them back just as much, or more. Marry me, baby?”
“Oh my god...Christopher Alan,” Melissa said through tears, looking at him and the ring. “Yes, I'll marry you,” she answered, kissing him softly,her hands stroking his face.
“Now that you said yes, help me up,” Chris said with a smile after putting the ring on her finger. He grimaced when he got up but didn't mind the pain at all. “Now take another picture with me, Weston.”
This time, when Melissa took the picture she held up her hand and smiled, with Chris making a surprised face, the ring clearly visable.
'And I will take you in my arms, and hold you right where you belong, til the day my life is through, this I promise you... He proposed, I said yes' she sent off a few minutes later to her parents and Chris' family.
That had been one of the happiest moments of her life, save for getting married and children. Melissa sighed when she looked around the living room and things to put up. Her phone rang and she heard 'Summer Nights' play, but didn't have the heart to answer and talk to the person on the other end. She had too much to do, and unlike Danny and Sandy, she didn't figure she'd get the time to get those moments back that were now just memories.
Story Tags: chris
