We reached Tacoma 2 hours later and I rubbed my neck as soon as we reached the restaurant.

“I forgot that the drive was going to be a bit. Sorry babe,” I smiled, chewing on my lip nervously.

“I don’t mind at all. We got to talk, and spend time together. We could have simply kept driving all night and I would have been happy. I just love spending time with you.”

“Me too,” I kissed him softly and he quickly climbed out of the car, running around to open my door for me, “oh… you’re so sweet.”

“I told you. I like romance. Come on,” he laughed and I set my hand in his, letting him pull me to my feet.

We headed into the restaurant, my arm linked through his and we were seated in a small area overlooking the bay, my eyes growing wide as I watched ships come in.

“This is beautiful,” I smiled, reaching over to take Wesley’s hand.

“I’ll take you nicer places on anniversaries and birthdays. But I agree. It’s beautiful here.”

“What can I get you to drink?” the server smiled.

“Can I get the sunset punch?” I smiled back, pointing at it on the menu.

“Absolutely and for you?” she pointed to Wesley.

“Lavender lemonade. Can we order an appetizer now?”

“Of course!”

“Honey are you okay with the oyster fritters?” he smiled at me.

“Absolutely that sounds delicious,” I squeezed his hand.

“Then we’ll do that as well,” he nodded at the waitress and she quickly wrote down our order, heading to the back.

“I have no idea what to get for dinner. This is all far more… expensive than I’m used to,” sighing softly, I started looking through the menu.

“Get whatever you want babe. It’s on me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Duh,” he laughed, rubbing my leg with his foot, “we’re on a date. I’m happy to pay.”

“Then let me pay for the next one.”

“Deal.”

We fell into a comfortable silence as we looked through the menu and I groaned, closing it.

“What now?” he smiled.

“I’m stuck between two things and I have no idea which sounds better.”

“Alright. What are they?”

“The surf n turf or fettuccine Neptune.”

“I was going to get the surf n turf. We can share.”

“Really?” my eyes lit up making him laugh again.

“Always baby. I don’t care.”

The server brought out our drinks and appetizer and we ordered our dinner as well as two extra plates before we started to eat and drink, happily enjoying each other's company.

“Holy hell this is strong,” I laughed, taking a sip of my cocktail.

“What’s even in it?” Wesley smiled.

“Uh, bourbon, orange and lime, and ginger beer.”

“That shouldn’t be too bad. You are tiny though. Can I try?”

“Sure,” I handed him my drink before grabbing his and trying it, “oh. This is good.”

“I know,” he laughed, “it’s mine. Give it back.”

“Fine fine. I like mine better. What’s even in yours?”

“Hm,” he took another sip of his drink and smiled, “lemonade, vodka, lavender syrup, and black raspberry liqueur.”

“So fancy,” I teased as our dinner was brought out.

We split it between us and started eating, sharing little thoughts that popped into our heads.

I learned that we shared a favorite flower, calla lilies, a favorite movie, and a favorite genre of book, high fantasy. Wesley had played football and baseball in high school and went to his prom alone and while he was popular thanks to sports, he felt incredibly alone. He jokingly said he would have dated me in high school if we were there at the same time and I shook my head, making him curious.

“Well… why not?” he poked me with his foot, “you wouldn’t have dated me in high school?”

“Oh I would have but I wasn’t… open about who I was until I was 18. Only Jerry knew. Plus I was a loner. I spent every moment by myself. I didn’t start high school until Jerry was a senior and by that point he had Holly. So I was alone.”

“You didn’t join anything? No sports?”

“Sports? No. Theater? Yes. I was in all the plays. It really helped me get past being shy. Kinda hard to hide when standing on a stage.”

“God I would have loved to have seen that. I went back to my high school a few times to see plays and stuff before I went to the Marines.”

“I never even asked! What high school did you go to?”

“Camas."

“Really? Me too! Obviously, a few years after but yeah. Me and Jerry. You must have seen him at least.”

“I think I did. I can’t really remember. Did he look different?”

“Hm… yes. He started dying his hair throughout high school. Just random colors. He was super skinny too. Wore glasses and kept his head down. We were both pretty awkward. Well, by the time I was there he wasn’t awkward anymore. He’d managed to make friends and all that. So it was nice for him.”

“I can’t say I remember. Were you in plays all 4 years?”

“No,” shaking my head, I finished my drink before continuing, “only the last 2.”

“Hm… I bet I saw you then. Your last 2 years would have been right before I went to the military.”

“God I hope not. I was terrible. Plus, I had short hair. A lot like yours, other than the top being super curly at all times. I had braces. I wore super thick glasses until I got my prescription fixed… I was a nerd.”

“Hang on,” he laughed, “were you in Alice in Wonderland and A Midsummer Night's Dream?”

“I… maybe.”

“Let me guess… In Alice… Mad Hatter?”

“Dammit. Yes. 2 years in a row.”

“And Midsummer… hm… Puck?”

“Why do you keep trying to make me silly characters? No. I was Lysander the first time then Oberon. I wasn’t always silly. I liked serious roles too.”

“Oh… so I did see you then. In all of them.”

“That’s…. Incredibly embarrassing,” I blushed, my entire face warm, “but… I saw you too.”

“How?” he looked at me surprised.

“Holly was a cheerleader. Jeremiah had been in love with her since the first time he saw her. So he would drag me to the football games to watch her cheer. Started when I was 10. You would have been 16. Boy, that feels weird in retrospect. Whatever,” shrugging, I took a sip of my drink, “number 35. Quarterback. You had your last name on your jersey. I thought you were cute. I knew I liked guys by the age of 5. I was kinda bummed when I realized you’d graduated, thinking I wouldn’t get my chance to talk to you. And yet…”

“Here we are?” he smiled.

“Here we are,” I reached over and squeezed his hand, rubbing his fingers with my thumb, “I’m still in awe. It’s just strange to me that you’d pick me.”

“I think I’ve simply been waiting for you. I’ve been asked out plenty. But I never went out with anyone.”

“Why?"

“The way Jerry talks about you… I knew that I had to meet you. But I was terrified. What if we met and you weren’t interested in me? That scared me. So I blew him off. I almost wish I hadn’t. We could have been here sooner.”

“Silly boy,” I laughed, “we’re here when we’re supposed to be.”

“You’re right. You’re always right aren’t you?”

“More often than not,” sticking my tongue out, I finished the rest of my drink, “are you ready to go?”

“Yes. I think we need to sober you up,” he laughed, setting down money for the bill.

“That’s the point of our walk,” laughing, I grabbed his hand and pulled him from the restaurant.

We climbed into the car and I directed him to a lighthouse with a beautiful walking path I had found online. We got there 20 minutes later, and climbed out, walking hand in hand down the path as the sun started to set.

“Honey,” he whispered, looking around, “I’ve never been here. This is beautiful.”

“I thought you might like it. I know how much you enjoy the changing of the day. I don’t think we’ll see the stars here but we can do that at home.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” he smiled, pulling me closer.

“I just like seeing you smile. You have a beautiful smile. That’s all.”

“You think so?”

“I do. Of course, I do. I love seeing you smile. True ones are few and far between right now. I’ve figured out the difference. You really only truly smile when it comes to the kids right now or when I wake you up. The rest are forced. That’s fine, by the way, I know how hard it is to find a reason to smile after what happened. I’m patient. I will keep waiting for the day your true smile comes back. The effortless one. I want to see you happy. Keep making you happy. I think I’m doing okay. If I need to do anything else to support you right now, please tell me. I just want to help. I-”

“Jesus,” he laughed, pulling me to a stop and putting his hand over my mouth, “and you always say I overthink. Your mind is racing. Calm down baby,” he pulled his hand away and rubbed my cheek softly, “I don’t need anything extra. You’re doing more than I could have asked for. It’s all fine. So stop worrying. I am happy. With you. With the life we’re building. I just wish my dad was around to see it. That’s all I’m struggling with. Knowing how happy he would be to see me happy. To see me truly cared for. But on the other side, I know he’s watching over me. So I’m okay. I’m doing my best. I’m just not used to it. I have no… I have to stop saying that. I do have a parent left. I have Sara. She’s been my mother since I was 17 and I love her. I think I’ll start calling her when something good happens. For daily check-ins. Just like I did with my dad.”

“Do I get to know good news first?” I smiled, covering the hand he had on my cheek with my own.

“Absolutely. In fact,” he laced our fingers together and pulled me the last few feet so that we were standing in front of the lighthouse, “I have good news.”

“What is it?”

“I got the job in Puyallup. I start at the end of my 6-week break. I already turned in my resignation to Fern Praire. I’ll be at work 4 days a week, 6 am to 4 pm. So you’ll get me nights, weekends and on holidays. The office won’t be open. No more ER, I’m in a private office now. So you’ll have me. I’ll be home.”

“Oh my god,” I smiled and threw my arms around his neck, “baby I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you,” he laughed and kissed my cheek, “does that work for you? I mean I’ll be home all the time…”

“Okay? I want you home all the time. I don’t need a break from you.”

“Really? I’m… still not used to that. David never wanted me around.”

“Just like I have to remind myself that you aren’t Ashley, that you won’t find my needs ridiculous, you have to remember that I’m not David. I don’t space from you. I love being around you. It helps me feel… stable. Safe. Warm. I feel cared for. You haven’t once pulled away from me or treated me as though I’m a nuisance or a bother to you.”

“Because you’re not,” he cupped my face, rubbing my cheeks with his thumbs, “you make my life brighter. I’m glad I make you feel safe and cared for. That’s my main goal.”

“You’re very good at it,” I smiled, resting my hands on his hips.

“Hey? Remember that thing I owed you?”

“A kiss somewhere nice?”

“Mhm. I think this is a pretty lovely spot. Don’t you?”

“It is beautiful. The sun is setting…”

He smiled and leaned down, kissing me with more passion than I had ever felt in my life.

My heart raced and settled at the same time, everything stilled, and I pressed closer to him, squeezing his hips as he kept kissing me, one hand now on the nape of my neck, the other wrapping around my back.

We stayed in our embrace longer than I could imagine, the world around me disappearing as I focused on nothing but the way his lips felt against mine.

He slowly pulled away, pressing a few more soft kisses to my lips before resting his forehead against mine, “does that make up for kissing you in bed the first time?"

“Absolutely,” I laughed breathlessly, my eyes still closed.

“Did you sober up at all?”

“God yes. That was the best kiss of my life. I mean our first was nice but this… wow.”

“I was just channeling how I felt into the kiss. That’s all.”

“They’re going to close the park soon. We should probably head home…”

“Well… why don’t we stop at the store and get some snacks and we can go home and cuddle in bed, and watch a movie?”

“Ah the perfect end to a wonderful date,” I giggled, hugging him tightly, “hey Wes?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“For?”

“Everything. Just everything. I don’t think you understand how much I appreciate you. How much I adore you.”

“You show me every day sweetie.”

“I feel like I don’t show you enough. I’m not great at physical affection.”

“Huh? Physical affection won’t show me how much you care for me. You show it in the little things you do for me. Making sure I eat in the mornings, getting the kids ready before I’m even up, keeping the house clean, cuddling with me in bed, and supporting me through all these changes. Physical affection isn’t key to our relationship honey. It’s these little moments. Getting to stand here and watch the sun go down with you, sitting on the deck when the stars come out. That’s what shows me how much you care. Giving me your time, when you could be doing anything else, that’s what matters to me. Showing me that you want to be at my side even during little tasks. You show me every minute that you care. So don’t worry. I know,” he kissed me again before wiping a tear from my cheek, “we cry so much don’t we?” he laughed softly.

“Probably. But it just means we’re in touch with our emotions.”

“Let me take you home. I want to cuddle.”

“Deal,” I smiled.

We left the park hand in hand as I cuddled into his side, Wesley softly rubbing my hand as we went.

It was only a 20-minute drive to the store closest to our house and after grabbing various snacks as well as a bottle of white wine, we climbed back into the car and headed home.

“More alcohol?” I laughed.

“Nothing happened to me after one drink. I wasn’t buzzed or anything. I’d like to sit in our bed with a glass of white wine and laugh at a shitty horror movie while we eat our snacks in our most comfortable pajamas. Then make out a little and go to bed. That’s my ideal end to this date.”

“Hm… can I add one thing to that? Between the cuddles and make-out session?”

“Absolutely. What is it?”

“Shower with me?”

“Yeah?” he smiled, looking over at me before turning his gaze back to the road, “sure. We haven’t done that in a while.”

“It’s literally been like 2 weeks but sure,” I laughed.

“I want to shower together every day but someone just has to get up well before me.”

“Well you’ll have to start getting up early for work soon so maybe I can join you then before I wake up the kids.”

“I’ll be late for work if you do.”

“And why is that?”

“Because,” he pulled into our driveway and took his seatbelt off leaning over to softly kiss my neck, “I’ll be far too focused on ensuring that I kiss and lick every inch of you before making sure every inch is nice and clean.”

My entire face flared and I turned my head, “stop that you’re teasing me.”

“It’s not a tease. It’s a promise.”

“Yeah? I don’t believe you.”

“Oh? Okay,” he smiled, climbing out of the car and grabbing the grocery bag, “then come on. I’ll show you.”