Nickels (49 page)

Slowly he released her hand when the server brought their
meal.

“Can we start over?” she asked, popping a piece of steak
into her mouth.

Kyle’s head shot up.  “I don’t want to start over, Niki.”

Her fork slipped from her fingers onto the floor.  Had she
completely misread his intentions?  In a split second, the server produced
another fork, insisting she not think twice about the other one.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I don’t want to start over.  I just want to move forward,
forgiven and forgiving.  We shared so many wonderful times together and I don’t
want to just brush those away.”

Niki started breathing again, relieved that he still wanted
to be with her.

“Like our first date in the movie theater.”

“Our first date was here.”

“No.”  Kyle grinned.  “Our first date was really in the
movie theater where you hogged the popcorn—the night you left the dinner table
hurt by Marcy’s comments.  Though, I think I did try to spin it as a way to
help you learn how to have fun.”  He laughed.

Niki slowly chewed the food in her mouth.  Swallowing she
asked, “Why is that our first date?”

“Because that’s when I knew I was sitting next to the most
special woman I would ever meet.”

“Oh,” she whispered.  She didn’t really know when they
started dating.  Not really.  There were so many sweet moments, like when he
brought over the movies and popcorn.  Or when she brought him dinner a couple
of times when he was laid out because of his back.  And the sky ride.  When he
kissed her, even though she’d been angry with him, she already felt her heart
starting to melt.

He sighed before taking a bite of his dinner, saying nothing
more.

“I’ve missed you, Kyle.”

“I missed me, too,” he teased, though the look in his eyes
said he missed her too.  “So, does that mean you might be interested in a date
on Saturday?”

She smiled coyly.  “Maybe.  Depends on what we’re doing.”

“What, and spoil the surprise?” He winked at her.  “Yes or
no, Niki.”

“Yes.”

“Good.  I’ll let you know when I’ll pick you up later.”

She giggled.  “Okay, Mr. Mysterious.”

He grinned, before focusing his attention back on his food. 
The rest of the meal passed quickly with their light hearted banter returning.

When he pulled the truck to a stop in front of her house, he
escorted her to the front door.  She hesitated, not wanting the night to come
to an end, though she knew it must.  Facing him, she looked up into his eyes.

“Thank you for a wonderful dinner,” she said, suddenly
feeling shy.

His voice was barely a whisper when he answered, “You’re
welcome.”

They both stood, facing each other, neither moving.  When
she thought she might go mad, she moved closer, asking, “Are you going to
kiss—”

Her words were cut off by Kyle’s lips covering her own, with
a sweet, lingering kiss, full of promise and love.  She wrapped her arms around
his neck as his circled her waist.  Her heart pounded in her chest and her
knees felt like jelly.  When he brought the kiss to a close, he rested his
forehead against hers, not releasing her.

Letting out his breath in a heavy sigh, he said, “I love you
so much, Niki.”

Niki slid her hand from around his neck, to rest on his
cheek.  “I love you.”

He lifted his head a bit, brushing a fleeting kiss across
her lips before stepping back, letting his arms fall to his side.  “I’d better
go.”

She smiled, forcing herself to turn towards the door.  Once
she was safely inside, he wished her a good night and disappeared in his
truck.  Clicking the dead bolt into place, Niki sighed, content.

During the week, Kyle called Niki each evening.  They talked
as if they had never been parted.  Following Bible study on Wednesday night,
they walked together around his neighborhood, before she returned home.  Then
on Friday, she spent the evening at his place, watching movies curled up next
to him.

As she got ready for her mid-afternoon secret Saturday date,
she hummed some tune she heard in church last Sunday and she thought of Kyle. 
She loved him so completely.  She felt whole with him, like he contained the
missing part of her heart.   She didn’t understand it.  She tried to explain it
to Marcy earlier on the phone, but all her words fell short.

“Soul mates,” Marcy said.  “That’s what you’re describing. 
You and Kyle are meant to be together.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve seen you together.  And I’ve seen you apart. 
You definitely belong together.”

She wanted to ask Marcy if she meant that they were ready to
get married, but she held back.  All week the idea of marriage shot out roots
into the freshly tilled soil of her heart.  She wanted to marry Kyle.  She even
wondered if that might have been his original reason for making reservations
two months in advance at Durant’s.  She was pretty sure he would eventually ask
her.

Was she ready to make a lifetime commitment to Kyle?  Or had
she really been ready before she overreacted and everything between then and
now was just a blip on the timeline of her life?

“You’re obsessing, Niki,” she told the reflection in the
mirror. 
You don’t even know if Kyle is having the same thoughts.  You
haven’t discussed it.

Finishing the last touches of her makeup, Niki flipped off
the light in the bathroom as the doorbell announced Kyle’s presence.  Once she
let him inside, he scolded her.

“I thought I said hiking boots or tennis shoes,” he said
pointing at her flip-flop clad feet.

“I hate socks.”

“Tut-tut.  Go change.”  Turning her towards her room he gave
her a gentle shove forward.  “Oh, and bring a leather jacket if you have it. 
You may want to wear a ponytail too.”

She shouted from her room as she put on socks and hiking
boots, “Aren’t we a little demanding today?”

He stood in the doorway, leaning against one side.  “Trust
me, Niki.  It’s your comfort and safety that I’m concerned with.”

Such an odd comment.  She pulled her hair into a ponytail
and grabbed her leather jacket before standing in front of him.  “Do I pass
inspection, Lieutenant?”

“Hmm.  Turn around, and I’ll let you know.”

She swatted him instead.

When they stepped out of her house, she stopped short, not
seeing his truck.  “How did you get here?”

He pointed at the motorcycle she failed to notice before.

“No way,” she said as he held her hand and pulled her
forward.  She tried to shake loose.  “I’m not riding that thing.”

“Come on.  You’re long past due for your next lesson in
fun.”

She managed to free her hand.  Crossing her arms, frown in
place, she shrieked, “That is not fun, it’s dangerous!”

“It’s perfectly safe.”

When she didn’t budge, he said, “Trust me.  I think you’ll
like it.”

Sighing, she capitulated.  “Where do I sit?”

He got on and patted the seat behind him.  “Put your arms
around me.”

“Oh, I see.  Is this all a ploy to get me to hold you
close?” she teased.

“Maybe.”  As he started the engine, he added, “Hold tight
now.  And don’t make any sudden movements.”

“Got it,” she yelled over the roar of the engine.

As Kyle moved the bike forward, she squealed, holding him
very tight.  At the stop sign he told her a little less tight might be good. 
When they headed toward the freeway, she stiffened.  He couldn’t be taking her
out there on this thing!

He did.  And he kept going, taking the 101 north to the 60
east, headed towards Apache Junction.  Exiting the freeway at Ironwood, he
glanced back as they waited for the light.

“Doing okay?”

“Sure,” she said, her voice sounding strained.

“Good.  We’ll be there soon.”

She hoped so, since dusk started to fall and she wasn’t sure
she wanted to be on the back of this bike in the dark—even if she was having
fun.

When they turned onto another road heading farther from
civilization, Niki wondered where he was taking her.  Finally, they pulled to a
stop at the entrance for Lost Dutchman State Park.  He paid the full daily fee
to get into the park, which she thought silly since the sign said they closed
in an hour or so.  He stopped the bike in a parking area.

As she dismounted the bike, she stretched her legs.  Kyle
seemed completely unaffected by the long ride.

“Come on,” he said, pulling a flashlight from some hidden
cubby hole in his bike.

Intertwining his fingers with hers, he led her up the
Treasure Loop Trail at the base of Superstition Mountain.  Fifteen minutes
later, he stopped.  He pointed to a bench perched on the side of the steep
slope.  When she sat down, her breath left her lungs in a
whoosh
.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, watching the bright oranges
and yellows striping the horizon, topped with a deep purple blue.  Not a single
cloud marred the perfect painting.

“Is that downtown Phoenix?” she asked, pointing at some
barely distinguishable buildings at the distant edge of their view.

“I think so,” he whispered in her ear, placing his arm
around her shoulders.

“It’s so incredible.”

For several minutes, they sat in the complete silent
stillness, watching the sun dip lower.  Looking back over her shoulder, Niki
motioned for Kyle to look.  Superstition Mountain glowed rust orange in the
fading light, outlined by the deep twilight blue of the sky.

When she turned her attention back to the setting sun, he
blocked her view.  Kneeling before her, he reached into his pocket and withdrew
a small item.  She couldn’t tell what it was in the fading light.  But that
didn’t stop her heart from picking up pace in anticipation.

“Niki Turner,” Kyle’s husky voice broke through the peaceful
quiet.  “I would like to know…”  He cleared his throat.  “If you would do me
the honor of spending the rest of your life with me as my wife?”

She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. 
“Yes!” she shouted.  Leaping forward into his arms, she almost knocked him
backwards.

“Hold on there,” he laughed, as he steadied himself.

He pulled the ring from the small box and slipped it onto
her finger.  Then he stood, pulling her to her feet.  “I love you, Nickels,” he
whispered against her lips before kissing her.

As darkness fell around them, Niki knew, beyond any doubt,
this man was the perfect man for her.  She belonged with him.

Epilogue

“Morning, beautiful,” Kyle’s soft voice broke through Niki’s
sleep fogged brain as he traced his finger along her jaw line and down her
neck.

“I don’t feel beautiful,” she pouted while patting her
protruding belly.  “I feel fat.”  She turned onto her side to face him.

“And I see you’re still grumpy in the morning, too.”  He
chuckled.

She swatted at his hand, mock frown in place.  “It’s all
your fault, you know.”

“That you’re grumpy?”

“That I’m fat.”

“You’re not fat, you’re beautiful,” he said with such
tenderness in his voice.  “Besides, I’m pretty sure it took both of us for you
to conceive on our wedding night.”

She groaned, knowing he was right.  “Do you have to be right
all the time?”

He nuzzled her neck with his nose.  “Can I quote you on
that?  For some reason, I think I’m going to need that one for later.”  As he
started kissing her neck, she rolled away from him.

“Aren’t you going to work this morning?” she asked.

“And miss your appointment?  Not a chance.  I took the day
off,” he said, catching her before she slid off the bed.  Pulling her close, he
teased, “So, I’m not in any hurry to go anywhere.”

“It’s this sort of thing that got us into this situation to
begin with,” she teased back, not moving.

Kyle groaned.  “Fine, Mrs. Jacobs.  I’ll keep my hands to
myself.”  He moved to the edge of the bed and stood.  Shooting her a roguish
grin, he added, “At least I will this morning.  I don’t make any promises about
later.”