Page 39 of Soaring and Saucy

“I will – are you going to keep interrupting me?”

“Probably,” Stephanie chuckled, and he winked at her knowingly. This was so nice just to sit on the couch and flirt with his wife. I’m never going to forget this, he thought tenderly; that laugh of hers drives me crazy. “Go ahead and brag about your magical junk, o’ dear husband of mine.”

“FINALLLLLY,” he retorted with a dramatic sigh that had her laughing again. “I’ve been trying to tell you it’s magical and that we are married – and I think you are finally starting to listen to me!”

She was wiping her eyes, smiling at him as he continued.

“A real man knows his masculinity but embraces his femininity – see, we are basically lesbians trapped in a man’s body…”

“WHAT?!” she barked out, laughing wildly at him – and he bent down to kiss the tip of her toe on the foot he was rubbing in his lap.

“Shhhh,” he chuckled. “I love girls of all shapes and sizes, the wild ones, the demure ones, big boobs, small boobs, a little ‘ba-dunk-a-dunk’, or an empty ‘trunk’… they are all beautiful to me. I love perfume, painted nails, the clothes, the shoes. I crave a bubble bath when I am home and can soak for a while unbothered – by the way, we have showers on board, and there is little privacy. The guys would make fun of my bubbles and rubber ducky.”

Stephanie was staring at him, her eyes dancing as she listened to his insane reasoning with fascination.

“But when you have a real man, it’s not about just what’s in his pants…”

Her lips parted in mock surprise as she laid a hand on her chest.

“I know!” he protested, teasing her. “I’m as surprised as you are!”

“Say it isn’t so…”

“See, a real man worships the heart, mind, and soul of a woman,” he began and heard her intake of breath as he focused on rubbing her foot, just so he was brave enough to say what was in his head. “A real man wants someone who he can talk to, someone who clicks with him on a deeper level. You gotta read the woman. Sometimes, a female wants to be cuddled, and other times, she wants to be pinned against a wall and told that she’s a good girl – it’s all about balance, princess. It’s not just about procreation because that happens whether we choose it or not when you aren’t careful.”

“Point taken,” she said, pointing at her stomach – and he looked up at her.

“A real man pays attention to what his partner wants while trying to anticipate her needs. It’s not about his junk anymore or rearranging her insides, but those feelings transform into something beautiful. He learns to appreciate someone for the first time,” he said quietly, holding her eyes. “Like I know a guy, a close friend of mine, who’s scared that he’s not enough for his wife - or he’ll make a huge mistake, because there’s something different about the two of them when they are together.”

Stephanie sucked in her breath as her eyes glistened.

“Now, he’s still a guy,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood and rolled his eyes. “And the ‘power-of-his-pants’ compels him to do stupid things, but… for the first time, he’s trying to let his guard drop and hoping for more than just a fun romp with this woman. See, this guy isn’t in love with her, but he does care enough to let this special girl into his world, to let her see all of the flaws in him.”

“Are we still talking about some mysterious guy?”

“No,” he admitted quietly, not looking away. “I think you are incredible, and I care about you a lot, but I know we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a baby on the way – our own little miracle. There are going to be things we won’t agree on, but there is no one I would rather irritate or piss off than you, Stephanie – and I mean it in the best way possible.”

He saw something crumble in her expression and felt his heart clench in his chest. Yeah, it wasn’t love, but this woman was closer than anyone else in the universe. He had never dreamed of giving up alcohol, women, or anything else and now he was thinking of getting an apartment, looking at neighborhoods, and wanting to learn more about what they could expect when their child arrived.

“Really?” that hoarse, tearful, vulnerable single word did a number on him as he nodded, unable to speak, and saw a tear roll down her cheek.

“Come here,” he breathed, moving her foot and scooting closer, drawing her into his arms and hugging her tightly. Kissing the top of her head, he pressed his cheek against her hair as he held her in a simple embrace. “I’m gonna screw up so many times and make you mad, but I swear that I’m all in for this wild ride we are going to take together.”

“I’m so scared to be alone in this,” she whispered tearfully. “It’s so overwhelming, and my body feels like it’s doing its own thing. There’s daycare to deal with, finding a pediatrician, going to the appointments, dreading that they are going to tell me something awful, news that will break me mentally, and…”

“What if you weren’t alone?” he breathed against her hair, still hugging her. “I put us on the list for base housing, but it’s a long wait. We could look at getting a nice apartment, and I’ve already looked at a few…”

“Wait,” she began, sitting up and looking at him. “What makes you think that I’m moving to wherever you are?”

“Mayport, Florida – and why wouldn’t you? I’m there.”

“Oh yes, the mighty man,” she retorted sarcastically. “I completely forgot… that I’m supposed to give up everything because you knocked me up.”

“Well, I guess we’re just gonna argue – aren’t we?” he clipped back just as sarcastically, stunned at how fast this was turning around so suddenly. “It took both of us, several times, I might add, to ‘knock you up,’ as you so eloquently put it. Is your family here – cause mine sure isn’t.”

“You already know better.”

“Exactly. How are you going to manage the baby alone? Tell me those two tramps from the bar are not going to be your backup system – are they?”

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