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“So far this has been pretty incredible, honestly.”
“I’m glad,” he nodded. “I found a compilation of wedding songs that I thought would be nice to play in the background – and told my friend that I was staying at my sister’s house this evening.”
“Oh,” she whispered, surprised. “You didn’t want… You don’t want anyone to know about this?”
Killian hesitated – and she knew the answer. He didn’t look at her but continued serving a slice of cake for her and one for himself.
“I would prefer that if we are getting to know each other, that we don’t have people questioning us, meddling, or trying to talk us out of this until we are quite sure of what we want… and how we want this to work out between us.”
“You’re embarrassed by me,” she whispered, feeling tears choke her in awareness and feeling ashamed, as she sat down in one of the new chairs, staring at the small changes present just in the front room of the house. What else had he done?
“No… no, not at all,” he began quickly, kneeling in front of her and looking in her eyes. “Have you ever heard the term ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’? I would prefer everyone stay out of ‘our kitchen’until we know where all our pots and pans are located. That’s all. I promise. I’ve got a few really sarcastic friends that mean well, but sometimes it just doesn’t come out right – you know?”
Destiny nodded silently.
“And I do not want anyone to hurt your feelings, confirm what a jerk I am to my new bride, or run you off before we have our first dance as a couple,” he said softly, smiling up at her… before he held out his hand to her.
“May I have this dance?”
“We don’t have to do this,” she whispered tearfully. “I know it was a strange request and it’s a lot, but the further into this we go… the more frightened I get, Killian.”
“Of me?” he asked, his voice exceedingly tender in that moment as he looked at her, waiting.
“Of being hurt or getting into a situation that I cannot escape from,” she barely whispered. “I’m afraid to get lost or spin out of control.”
“Do you know what pilots do if our plane is suddenly spinning out of control?” he asked in a hushed voice, his eyes searching hers.
“No?”
“You reduce your throttle, bring your ailerons to a neutral position, put your rudder into the opposite direction of the spin, and then take the yoke in your hand, pushing it forward,” he explained, not looking away from her. “So when you feel something is wildly out of control? Step back, take a second, make an adjustment, look at what happens if you do the opposite… and reach for the yoke – or in this case? My hand,” he said gently, taking her hand in his.
“We are married. You are not alone anymore, and if you feel lost or out of control – reach for me and let me be here for you.”
The candlelight, the soft lilting music, combined with his words and the fizzy alcohol seemed to be working its magic on her. Killian raised to his feet, pulling her slowly up from her seat to join him… not breaking eye contact.
“Come dance with me, my sweet little bunny,” he whispered against her hair, pulling her into his arms and spinning her slightly in the middle of the living room.
He didn’t press her for anything else, just holding her as they danced slowly together. It took her several minutes to relax into his arms, but as she did, she felt his own stance relax at the same time, melting against her. Destiny lay her cheek against his shoulder and just enjoyed the sensation of the two of them, there, in the living room.
Another song started and Killian kicked off his shoes, nudging them out of the way and looked at her pointedly, causing her to smile nervously. She did the same, kicking off her sneakers, and the shoes lay in a jumble along the wall… just as he pulled her back into his arms, dancing once more.
“How was work?” he said softly, holding her close.
“Meh, it was work,” she began. “A few good tips tonight and no angry drunks, so it was a halfway decent night. I didn’t get stiffed by any patrons, so that was nice.”
“I’m glad.”
“You were busy this afternoon,” she hedged, pointing at the couch and table. “And thank you for my phone. I saw the photos that…”
Killian laughed easily, interrupting her, as they backed away from each other for a moment, sharing a smile.
“I was wondering if you’d find those quickly.”
“That was pretty great,” she admitted nervously – only to see him wink at her as he moved back to putting his head over her shoulder, pressing it against her hair.
“I really like dancing with you.”
“This is nice,” she agreed softly.
