Page 3 of Happily Ever After
He's firm on needing to get things done—stubborn, really, if you ask me—and he won't be swayed. I'll try anyway.
Nudging him toward the daybed, I whisper, "We should test that mattress over there... make sure it's still comfortable."
Ade growls against my lips, his kiss growing more urgent. I smile, tasting victory.
Well, perhaps he can be swayed after all.
Chapter Two
Ella
My triumph is short-lived.
"Enough," Ade rumbles, biting my lower lip gently. He pulls away from me and once again sets me down on the sand.
Damn, this man has iron self-control... most of the time. But sadly, today is not the exception.
"Take the bags up to the house, and I'll bring the bed ashore," he orders, resuming his sergeant mode.
I jump to salute him playfully. "Yes, sir."
Rolling his eyes, he turns back to the dinghy. But then he turns lightning-fast and slaps my ass.
"Hey," I protest, ready to dish it back to him, but, of course, he's already at the water's edge, giving me his trademark cheeky wink.
That man!
"Stand back," Ade instructs as he gets ready to slice through the packaging of the compressed mattress.
We're at the house, all windows open to air it. Ade emptied our bags and hung up or stashed everything neatly in drawers. Once a soldier, always a soldier. But I'm not complaining. I prefer order over chaos.
"Why? Is this mattress like a jack-in-the-box?" I ask, amused.
Ade grins. "Did you know..."
Oh, here we go again. I bet a random and utterly useless fun fact is going to follow this statement. And I'm right.
"...jack-in-the-box toys have been around for centuries. The earliest known mention of a jack-in-the-box toy dates back to the sixteenth century in Europe."
Staring blankly at him, I shake my head. I have no witty comeback for that.
"I guess even centuries ago, people loved a good surprise," I say as I take a step back.
Assembling our new bed was easier than I expected. I was prepared for heated discussions, scratching our heads, and complaining about useless instructions. That was my experience when Rhia and I tried to assemble a bookshelf years ago. But I shouldn't have been surprised that with Ade in charge, it took no time at all, skilled, handsome devil that he is.
Now all that remains is to let the mattress unfurl on the bed from its tightly rolled up and compressed confines.
"And you're sure this is a king-size? It looks too small."
"Ye of little faith. As if I would buy the wrong size."
"You wouldn't, but they could have made a mistake in the factory and labeled it wrong."
"We're about to find out," Ade says as he cuts into the packaging.
There's an audible release of pressure, and the mattress seems to take a deep breath as it spreads out slowly, expanding to its original form.
"It's strangely satisfying to watch these compressed layers stretch and bloom into their full size," I muse, unable to look away.
