"I had no idea what I was looking for," Nolan explained as he pushed the band over my knuckle. "When the woman said this setting was called the Supernova, I knew it was the right one. I really hope you like it."
I couldn't be bothered by answering with words, only my mouth … and then my body. I couldn't even waste the time getting us to his bed. Instead, I stripped him bare in the middle of his darkroom, surrounded by the photos that captured his passion.
Neither of us put our clothes on for the rest of the weekend, choosing instead to remain naked. Nolan made some calls, the first being to his business partner. Plans were made to start searching for more help on Monday, and to hopefully have someone in place by the end of the week. Nolan didn't want to waste any time moving on.
Once his calls were completed, he pulled up the pictures from his GoPro, going through each one and telling me all about his trip. The enthusiasm in his voice filled the room and consumed the air around us until I felt it settle deep in my bones.
He found the beautiful boy inside him again.
Laying in bed Sunday night-both of us naked per his request-he began discussing our future. It was as if he couldn't wait for the sun to rise to begin the rest of our lives together.
"So when were you thinking of doing this? I mean, I don't have much stuff, and it shouldn't be hard to rent out my house, but you're talking like you want this to happen tomorrow."
He ran his finger in lazy circles along my back, covering my body in goose bumps. His lips were close to my ear, so when he spoke, his warm breath brushed my skin, warring with the sensations his finger caused.
"That's because I do want it to happen tomorrow. I can get some guys in the morning to help us if we need it, but really, what all do you need to move? I have furniture. All you pretty much need are your clothes and bathroom stuff."
I let out a laugh and shook my head against the pillow. I saw the confusion form on his face by way of the moonlight shining through the window. "Your furniture is boring. This place has no personality. If you think I'm going to live here surrounded by bare walls and bland furniture, then you should probably think again."
"Okay, fine. Have it your way. I'll call some guys from work in the morning and we'll haul your things over. I'll offer them my boring things as payment."
I nuzzled further into him. "So we're really doing this? I'm really moving in?"
"I told you it was a package deal. Forever. It's already begun … tomorrow we just make it official. And then Tuesday we head down to apply for our marriage license."
"Wait … how soon are you planning on getting married?"
He rolled me to my side and covered my front with his bare chest. "I'd marry you right now if I could. I've wasted enough of my life living on pause. I want to hit play. I want to live. And I want to do it all with you."
I couldn't argue with him.
So I didn't.
We pushed play … and lived.
Epilogue
Five Years Later …
I grabbed my shirt from the floor and sat on the end of the bed to put it on. But the picture frame on my bedside table caught my attention, making me pick it up and hold onto it.
After we moved in together, Novah had found the worn photo in my nightstand and surprised me by framing it, displaying it next to our bed. I finally explained why I'd had it, and I think it made her love me even more. The next day, I took the picture she'd taken of me from high school and framed it, leaving it next to her side of the bed to find.
They'd remained there for five years, reminding us of where we came from and the adversities we fought against to find each other again.
Once I had my shirt over my head, I headed down the hall. Nathan, our exuberant four-year-old, had a tendency to get up in the morning and pull out every toy he owned while Novah and I slept. It had become our morning routine to wake up and go see what our son had gotten into before getting ready for the day.
As I opened his door and peeked my head in, I noticed him sitting in the middle of his room surrounded by probably every action figure he'd ever owned. The morning sun shone through the window and lightened his unruly dark hair. It reminded me of the mental note I'd made the day before about taking him to get a haircut.
"Whatcha doin', buddy?" I walked all the way into his room and lowered myself to the floor next to him. That's when I noticed he'd taken off one leg from every toy.
"Jus' playing." He didn't even bother turning his blue eyes my way, too busy acting something out with his G.I. Joe.
"What happened to their legs, little man?"
"Oh, I took them off. They don't need their ‘sguises anymore."
I cocked my head, even though he hadn't given me his attention. Finally, I touched his arm, forcing him to stop playing and look at me. "What do you mean?"
He'd asked many times about what had happened to my leg. And every time, I'd come up with some absurd, off-the-wall story that would make him laugh. He knew I wasn't telling the truth, and it had at some point become a game with us. I had no problem telling him what really happened, but I wanted to wait until he was a little bit older so he could fully understand. That's why his little game with his toys this morning threw me off.
"They are taking down bad guys so they don't need their ‘sguises anymore. You know, like how Superman takes off his glasses."
"So their legs are their disguises?"
He tilted his head to the side, the sunlight brightening his eyes until they reminded me of his mother's. The way he stared at me with knitted brows nearly made me laugh. It was almost like a, "duh, Dad."
"Superheroes only have one leg … like you. So they wear fake ones to keep the bad guys from knowing who they are."
Emotion clogged my throat and I had to fight back the tears threatening to spring free. Nathan was only four. He had no idea what an impact his statement had on me. His words were as honest as they could be, leaving me no room to doubt his sincerity.
Before I could reply or grab him up in my lap, Novah peeked her head around the doorway, giving me a knowing look.
"Is it ready?" I asked past the knot in my throat.
All she did was nod. That was not a good sign. But I refused to let it get to me, to bring me down. We'd been through this before, and we'd get through it again. Although, it had been a while since having to deal with it.
I led the way to the bathroom, sensing her presence behind me. Her sniffles almost forced me to stop and pull her into me. I held her as close as I could to comfort her. But I needed to see it with my own two eyes first.
The light was already on in the bathroom when I walked in, so I shuffled with hesitancy to the vanity. My heart immediately sank into my stomach and my lungs shriveled up. Tears pulled along my lower lashes, blurring the image in front of me.
"I thought … " I turned to see Novah, and noticed the streaks of fresh tears lining her face as well. "I thought … I wasn't expecting this. From your reaction, I was expecting one line. Am I really seeing two on here?"
She nodded and ran to me, locking her arms around my neck. Her body trembled against mine, and it left me confused.
Ever since we had Nathan, we'd tried month after month to have another baby. Yet it didn't seem to be in our cards. The longer we tried without success, the harder it became on her. We'd seen specialists and even tried herbal remedies to get pregnant, but nothing worked. The doctors all said there didn't seem to be a problem with either of us, and it would simply take time and patience.
With every period, Novah became sadder and sadder until her mood had darkened her work.
Five years ago, we'd transformed her business into something desired by many. Novah continued taking what I'd dubbed the pretty shots, while I focused on the wounded-anyone with a visible disfigurement, showcasing their true artistry. It didn't take long before our work had been demanded by many, mostly for ads, marketing, and covers used for novels.
However, once I started noticing Novah's "pretty" shots turning darker, I knew I had to put a stop to it. Her photos were still more impressive than anything else out there, but they were no longer of smiling angels. They had taken more to the fallen angel theme. That's when I made the hardest decision I ever had to make and convinced her we needed to stop trying to have another baby. We had Nathan, and he was all we needed.
That was a year ago.
A week ago, she was due to get her period.
Three days ago, she'd convinced herself against taking a test, knowing it would only bring her down.
Yesterday, she cried while watching a commercial about a penguin. I suggested the possibility of being pregnant, considering we hadn't used any form of birth control since getting married, but she excused it as menstrual symptoms. She even cited her sore breasts as a sign of her impending period-the one she had yet to get.