by Avery Hawkes
New York City greeted me and I smiled back to it. It was a beautiful view from our room. Lights blinked, the city alive just as much at night as it had been during the day, if not more. I sighed and leaned up against the window, my shoulder resting against the glass.
My hand strayed down to my stomach, where I knew our baby was growing. In another seven months, we would welcome a new member of the Strong family. It was almost surreal, but I felt a sense of peace about it. No matter what, we would be able to provide for him―or her―and give them the best life possible.
As I thought about my future, looking out over the city, I caught something in the reflection of the glass. I didn't turn around, a corner of my mouth turning up in a small smile.
Lance's hands touched my hips first, lightly. Then his palms landed, grabbing at my flesh. They moved around to my front as he embraced me from behind. His breath was on my neck. It was warm, inviting. He smelled clean, like the hotel soap. Lavender? He smelled floral, but still manly at the same time. I leaned back into him as he planted kisses down my neck.
We were both still drunk from making love in the shower and exhausted from our wedding day. All I wanted to do was stand there and watch the city in his arms.
"It's beautiful," I whispered when he rested his chin near the top of my head.
"Breathtaking," he replied. I didn't know if he was talking about the city, or me. It made me blush, even though I wasn't a virgin anymore. Maybe it was just that we were still in our honeymoon phase, literally, but he made me feel like my heart was melting.
"I wish we could stay," I sighed. We had planned on renting an apartment after our honeymoon until we had the money to get a house for our new family. While it sounded like the best choice, I was still mourning the loss of the inheritance. But it didn't matter, having a wedding in front of all my friends and family was worth the fortune.
“What if I told you we could?” He murmured.
I straightened and then turned toward him. He was smiling playfully.
“What do you mean?” I demanded.
“Well,” Lance said, “Your parents didn’t want me to tell you until tomorrow to keep it a surprise, but …,” His arms left me and he about jumped over to the bed, where our luggage was.
When he returned to me, one of his hands was behind his back, hiding something. I grinned and waited, palm raised.
He kissed my cheek, then deposited a house key in my hand.
“The keys to our new condo, upper east side.”
My eyes widened and they darted from the key chain to Lance, then back again. He laughed at my reaction.
“It’s a wedding gift from your folks,” he said.
“Oh my God … Oh my God!” I jumped up about toppling him over with a hug. We both laughed and cried. I didn’t care that the surprise was ruined, my dream had come true. We would have our own place to raise a family in the city I loved.
Finally, I had my freedom.
The End
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