AJ had told Kelly that everything had went smoothly between him and Lisa the previous night and that she was going to fly to New York to be with him.
Kelly’s flight was slightly delayed, but she eventually made it home. The taxi pulled into her and Nick’s driveway and she grabbed her bags and climbed out of the car.
She was expecting Nick to be there to greet her, but instead, when she opened the door the silence and the dimness of their home greeted her.
“Nick?” Kelly yelled, sitting her bags down in the living room. No answer. “Nick??” she yelled again. Still, no answer.
“Hmm…that’s weird…I figured he would’ve been here. Oh, well,” Kelly said aloud to herself disappointed.
She started taking her bags upstairs to unpack, but on her way up she heard faint music playing. As she neared her and Nick’s bedroom, the music became louder. Kelly turned the corner and entered their bedroom and stopped mid-step, astonished at the sight.
There were wine colored rose petals covering the floor and the bed. A candle was burning in the corner of the room, and in the center of the bed was a soft brown teddy bear, a card, and a single red rose.
Kelly was so overwhelmed by emotion that warm tears started to roll, staining her cheeks. She picked up the rose and carefully felt of the soft, velvet-like petals and placed the rose back on the bed. She held the bear in her lap and opened the card. On the envelope it read: “To my wife and my best friend”
The front of the card had a picture of a man lying on the couch, with puffy black eyes from lack of sleep and messy hair. Nick had drawn an arrow to the picture and labeled it “me.” Kelly laughed imagining that Nick looked like that while she was away.
The front read: “I miss the warmth of your smile…The touch of your hand…”
Kelly opened the card to finish the sentence and the inside read: “…And the way you can light up my life.”
Kelly’s eyes began to water and all she wanted to do was to hold her husband. She looked up at the doorway to see if Nick happened to be there watching her silently, but he wasn’t.
She had anticipated a funny card, by her marrying a joker like Nick, but to her surprise she had instead received a nice, romantic card. Nick had written his own personalized message inside the card, as well, and it said:
Sweetheart,
I’m glad that you’re home. I missed you so much! I love you with all of my heart and I’m sorry that I hurt you so much. I probably can’t ever make that up to you, but I’d like to try. If you want your surprise, come across the hall.
Love Always,
Nick
Tears flowed freely from Kelly’s blue eyes as she hugged the teddy bear tightly and attempted to compose herself. Kelly held onto the teddy bear and the card as she slowly crossed the hall and neared the other bedroom.
Kelly could see a faint glow coming under the closed door, flooding into the hallway. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. The sight of the bedroom that met Kelly’s blue eyes made her gasp with surprise and delight.
