Mike followed Jill's beat-up VW back to the trailer. When he got there, he grabbed his bag out of the trunk and walked into the trailer, where Jill immediately ambushed him. He smiled as he dropped his bag to the floor and gathered her into his arms, looking down into her eyes as she removed his hat and ran her fingers through his hair.
"You're inside, so you can take your hat off. I like being able to see your eyes," she smiled up at him.
"I remember you telling me that once," he grinned back, walking over to the sofa and pulling her down onto his lap. He let out a low moan as Jill began kissing his neck. "I thought you wanted to pack and head out for Mobile."
"Let's leave in the morning. That way, you can get some rest and we won't have to travel in the dark," she explained, relishing the sight of him.
"Why do I get the feeling that we're not going to get much rest?" He sighed, reluctantly pulling Jill away from his neck.
"Oh, we'll get some rest," she said, biting back a smile.
Mike smiled back as he looked at her. This was a side of her he rarely got to see. Usually she was much shyer with him. He pulled her closer to him again and kissed her as his hands began a leisurely exploration under her shirt.
"Danko, your uniform is stabbing me," she complained, referring to the campaign ribbons on his uniform jacket.
He helped her to her feet and removed the offending jacket, folding it neatly over a nearby chair. "Better?" He asked as she nodded. "Before we get too involved in saying hello to one another, I've got something for you in my bag."
She sat on the sofa and watched as he opened his suitcase and rummaged through it before finally finding whatever it was that he was seeking. He walked over and sat beside her before presenting her with an oblong white box.
"There's a speech that goes with this gift, but I want you to open it, first," he said as she slowly opened the box. Inside was a gold herringbone bracelet. Mike took the bracelet and slipped it around Jill's wrist. "When my father met my mother, the very first gift he ever presented her with was a gold bracelet. He told us that story a million times while we were growing up. My brother thought I was insane, but when I saw the bracelet, I thought of you," he smiled as he watched her examine the bracelet on her arm.
"It's beautiful. Thank you," she whispered as he kissed her once again.
They got up early the next morning to go to Mobile. The small house was somewhat off the beaten path, but Jill remembered how to get there. She smiled when they walked in. Ray had obviously been there and stocked the place with firewood and grocery staples. You couldn't see the beach from the house, but you could smell the salt air.
"How far away is the beach?" Mike asked, looking out the window.
"Not too far. There's a path that'll take us right to it, but you don't want to do that now, do you?" Jill asked, dismayed. She'd been hoping to catch up on each other's lives during the past six days. Mike had said very little about his trip home, which worried Jill.
"No, we can go later," he said, walking over and taking her hand.
"I love you," she said, kissing him.
"You know, if you'll hold that thought for just a minute, I have one more thing in the other room," he said, pulling free as Jill watched him.
She sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs, wondering what he had up his sleeve this time. She looked at the bracelet encircling her arm and smiled. He'd been acting mysteriously since the night before. She stood up when he walked back into the room.
"No, sit down, please," he begged. She looked at him strangely as she sat back down. "There's something wrong with this picture. I know what it is. I have a short story to tell you. It started the day I bought the bracelet. My brother and I went shopping Christmas Eve and I walked into a jewelry store to look at the bracelets. Like I told you last night, my brother thought I was insane and I only added more fuel to my so-called insanity by doing what I did next."
"And, what's that?" Jill asked.
"After I picked out the bracelet, I walked to the other side of the display counters, to where the wedding sets are displayed," he looked at Jill, who was barely breathing. "My father told us that when he proposed to my mother, he got down on one knee," bending down on one knee, he produced the ring box and slowly opened it. "Jill, I love you. I've loved you since the very first time I ever saw you. I would very much like for you to honor me by becoming my wife. Will you marry me?" He asked, taking her hand and slipping the ring slowly on her finger.
"I love you, too, and yes, I'll marry you!" She cried as she pulled him closer and kissed him. They both started laughing when Mike lost his balance and fell over, pulling her down with him.
He looked at her as she rested her chin on his chest and brushed her hair from her face before pulling her closer and kissing her. "Do you still want to take that walk on the beach?" He asked as she nodded. She stood up and helped him to his feet.
It wasn't a particularly cold day, but the breeze coming from the sea was chilly. They walked hand in hand, picking up pieces of driftwood and shells as they walked along the shoreline. By the time they returned to the small house a short time later, they were both wind blown. Mike started a fire in the fireplace while Jill went to fix them something to eat. She came back a short time later with a tray, which she handed to him as she settled on the floor next to him.
"This is nice," she sighed as Mike handed her a glass of wine. "You haven't said anything about your trip. Did you get some nice things for Christmas?"
"Not nice things, but practical. My folks are big on 'practical,' Mike said, taking a sip of his wine as Jill watched him.
"I guess they figure a man who spends a lot of his life traveling needs practical more than nice," Jill surmised as Mike smiled.
"Yeah, well, I didn't travel much when I was seven. That was the year my father got me my own shoeshine kit. He said 'A man's shoes should look their best all of the time.' I would've settled for an electric train like my friends," Mike sighed.
"Were you already in military school by then?" Jill asked.
"No, that happened a few months later. I have to tell you something and I want you to know that it doesn't change anything about how I feel about you," Mike started to say.
"Your father flipped," Jill guessed as Mike cringed.
"To give you a direct quote, he wanted to know if I'd lost my mind," Mike quipped.
"Mike, I'm sorry. I don't want to cause problems between you and your family," Jill said.
"Jill, you're not causing problems. The problems have been there between my old man and me since I was seven years old. He doesn't understand why I'm living the life I want to lead instead of the life he wants me to lead. He can't get it through his head that I'm not him and I don't want to be him. I love you and I want us to have a life together, whether I stay in the Army or get out and do something else. Whatever I decide, I want you by my side. Okay?" He asked, taking her wine glass from her hand and pulling her closer to him.
Jill lay awake later that night long after Mike had fallen asleep. She lifted up her left hand and slowly turned the diamond engagement ring he'd placed on her finger earlier that afternoon. She never thought it would be possible to love somebody as much as she loved him. The thought sometimes scared her to death. She turned over and pressed herself closer to Mike, smiling when she felt him take her hands and squeeze them gently before sleepily turning over to look at her.
"Why are you awake? Or did you ever go to sleep?" He smiled, pulling her closer to him.
"I was just thinking," she smiled.
"Thinking? What could you possibly be thinking about at this time of the morning?" He smiled back, pulling her even closer.
"You, of course. These days, you're the only thing I ever think about," she whispered, sighing as Mike's hands began slowly sweeping across her bare flesh. "But, if you keep doing what you're doing, I won't be able to think about anything."
"Good, because that's the plan," he admitted, pulling the quilt over them as he covered her body with his own.
The rest of the winter flew by. The main topic of conversations for the duration of those long winter months was plans for their wedding and Mike trying to convince Jill to quit working in the bar. She tended to agree with him on the bar. What she really wanted to do was go back to school, something that Mike was very happy about. He knew if she were in school, it would give her something to do besides worry about him while he was in Missouri for three months.
"What kind of a wedding do you want to have?" He asked one evening while they were curled up on the couch watching TV.
"I don't know. The only thing that I do know is I don't want my mother involved. She'll invite every family in the Atlanta social register. I have no urge to be in the society column," she stated, playing with the ring on her finger.
"I don't want anything fancy either. I was thinking just a few friends, no more than maybe twenty people. Does that sound okay to you?" He asked, kissing her on the neck.
"That sounds wonderful to me. When did you want to do this?" She asked, craning around to look at him.
"I don't know. I guess we should pick a date. Let's see, I should be back from TDY around the middle of June. Do you want to meet with the base chaplain and shoot for a date right after I get back?" He asked, suddenly very excited.
"We could, but summer wedding's are so cliché, don't you think?" She asked.
"Okay, you don't want to do a summer wedding. How about the fall?" He smiled, watching her ponder things in her mind.
"October?" She asked, grinning, as Mike looked puzzled.
"Is there some significance to the month of October? I mean, I know your birthday's in October, but am I missing something?" Mike asked as Jill gave him a funny look.
"Our first lunch date was in October," she smiled, taking his hand. "I don't understand why men have no sense of occasion."
"I have a great sense of occasion. I remember the exact date and minute that I told you I loved you. Now, if that isn't a sense of occasion, then I don't know what is," he smiled, pulling her closer to him.
"Okay, I apologize," she conceded. "Will you write to me while you're gone?"
"Um, I'm not the world's greatest letter writer, but I will be thinking of you every minute of every day. Speaking of letter writing, do you want us to do our own vows?" He suddenly asked.
"What do you mean? Instead of 'Do you take this woman,' we make up something? If I tell our guests everything I want to say about you, Danko, I might be up there for a week," she said as Mike grinned.
"I attended a wedding a while back and the couple did that. I thought it was kind of cool, but if you want to do the traditional wedding thing, I am a traditional guy. It's whatever you want," he said, kissing her softly.
"Why whatever I want? It's your wedding, too," she whispered against his lips.
"Yeah, but I think it's more important to you. I mean, I've heard most little girls dream all their lives of their wedding day and they want every detail to be perfect," he said, kissing her again.
"As long as you're standing beside me, it's going to be perfect," she smiled.
Mike left for Missouri in early March. Although Jill missed him, she'd enrolled in classes for her G.E.D., and then enrolled in the local university shortly after receiving her certificate. That took care of her days. The nights were rough, but she managed to get through by remembering how tough it had been before she'd met Mike.
Mike took his classes, counting the days until he could return to Alabama. It was hot and sticky where he was. But, when he returned to Alabama on a warm June evening, he found it was hot and humid there, too. By the time he'd reported to his C.O. and got his things together, it was almost midnight. He smiled as he pulled up in the gravel driveway and turned off the engine. He'd missed Jill so badly that he ached inside. They'd talked on the phone a few times, but phone calls didn't make up for the physical loneliness. He quietly unlocked the trailer door and slipped inside, closing and locking the door behind him. He could see the sliver of light from the partially closed bathroom door as he made his way to the bedroom. Jill was sound asleep under the sheet with his pillow clutched to her chest. He put his bag down by the bedroom doorway and walked over to the bed.
Jill thought she was dreaming when she felt Mike softly kiss her. She smiled as she sleepily opened her eyes and saw Mike sitting beside her on the bed.
"Mike, hi. I wasn't expecting you back for another couple of days," she breathed, pulling him closer to her and hugging him tightly.
"I got back early. I need a shower," he whispered.
"Later," Jill breathed, hurriedly unbuttoning his shirt before he had a chance to object.
A few weeks later, Cleve breezed into town looking for Jill once again. He was surprised when he walked into the bar to find out she no longer worked there. The new bartender, not knowing he was doing anything wrong, gave Cleve all the information he needed regarding where Jill had gone and what she was doing.
Jill was out in the front yard, tending the small vegetable garden she'd planted in the spring when she heard the unmistakable sound of the red Ferrari. Cleve got out of the car and sauntered over as if he were a long lost friend.
"Hi, Jill," he said, looking Jill over carefully. "The new bartender told me you'd be here. I understand congratulations are in order."
"Cleve, I don't want any trouble. It's over between us! It's been over for a long time. Please just get back into your car and get out of here," she pleaded, still holding onto the garden hose.
"I just wanted to offer my congratulations," he said, advancing toward her.
Jill began backing up before remembering the hose she still held in her hand. Cleve looked down toward the sprayer attachment at the same time Jill did. He was quick, but Jill was quicker, for once. She squeezed the attachment and pointed it toward him. He was quickly hit by a blast of cold water. He began running after Jill, who all the while, had the hose clutched in her hand. The yard soon became a quagmire of red clay mud. Cleve almost had her in his clutches when they both heard another car pull into the driveway.
Mike didn't even turn the motor off. He slammed the car into 'Park' and jumped out of the car, chasing Cleve around the yard. He finally caught up with him and knocked him on his butt in the middle of the yard.
"Do you want to take on somebody? Try me!" Mike shouted, yanking Cleve up by his shirt.
By this time, Jill had decided she'd had enough. She was wet, cold, and muddy and extremely pissed off. She turned the sprayer on both men, quickly drenching them both. Mike shoved Cleve toward his car and watched as the man jumped in and gunned the engine before driving off in a cloud of dust and gravel. Mike then turned toward Jill, who still had the water hose aimed at him.
"Jill, turn the water off!" He shouted at her as she continued pointing the sprayer at him. By slipping and sliding his way toward the house, he was finally able to get to the faucet and shut off the water. He began laughing hysterically as he got a good look at the two of them, drenching wet and covered almost head to toe in red clay mud.
Jill, on the other hand, had no sense of humor. She dropped the hose and stalked into the house as well as she could through the mud. A few minutes later, she came back to the front door with clean clothes for Mike.
"Go back to the base, Mike!" She shouted, throwing his clothes at him.
"Jill, come on!" He said, barely catching the clothes she'd thrown out the door.
"I had things under control! I don't need you riding in here on your white horse to rescue me all the time!" She said, slamming the door closed.
"Come on, Jill! Don't do this!" He yelled at the closed door.
After several minutes, he sat down on the porch and removed his mud caked boots, leaving them beside the door before padding into the house. He could hear the shower running as he began stripping off his wet uniform. He opened the bathroom door and stepped inside, smiling at the sight of Jill's silhouette behind the shower curtain.
"Hey, is there room for two in there?" He asked cheerfully.
"No!" Jill shouted back.
"Well, do me a favor and save
me some hot water, okay?" He asked, walking out and pulling the door closed.
Mike was sitting on the front
porch drinking a beer when Jill came outside almost half an hour later.
She smiled at the sight of him sitting there in his undershirt and shorts.
She sat down and took his beer from him, taking a drink of it before handing
it back to him.
"I'm glad we live out in the country. If we lived in town, you couldn't sit on our front porch in your underwear," she observed.
"Well, I didn't want to put clean clothes on until I'd had a chance to wash Alabama off of me first," he said.
"Mike, I'm sorry. Maybe I did need you to come in here on your white horse to rescue me," she said.
"Is that what I look like to you? Your knight in shining armor?" He asked.
"Mike, I was angry. This time, it wasn't even fear where Cleve was concerned. I was angry that he showed up. I love you! Having a knight in shining armor isn't such a bad thing," she smiled, wrapping her arms around him.
Mike smiled as he closed his arms around her and held her close to him. They sat on the front porch wrapped in each other's arms as Mike finished his beer. "I guess I should go get in the shower so I can put some clean clothes on and get my boots cleaned up. I think half of your yard is on the bottom and sides of them," he said, standing up and opening the front door.
Between classes and making plans for the upcoming wedding, the summer quickly flew by. Jill had wanted to wear her grandmother's wedding dress, until her mother started trying to take over the wedding plans. Mike had brought her back from Atlanta on a warm September afternoon, more upset than he could ever remember seeing her. All in all, it had been an exhausting day. It had all started with Jill's mother trying to insist that they get married in one of the huge churches in Atlanta. The woman had then started listing people to invite. Mike had been in the Army for over 10 years and had never met as many people in his travels as this woman wanted to invite to her daughter's wedding. Jill's insistence that they wanted a small wedding fell on deaf ears. The final straw came when she told Jill she'd speak to her father about giving her away. Jill had gone completely berserk at that point. It had taken almost every ounce of Mike's strength to get her calm enough to take home.
When they arrived back at the trailer, Jill had lay in his arms on the sofa and cried all afternoon. Mike had sat there, stroking her back and trying to say anything he thought of that would comfort her, but she was inconsolable. That night was awful. Mike wanted to drive back up to Atlanta and strangle Jill's mother with his bare hands for causing her daughter so much pain.
"Sometimes I wonder how she can sit up there in that fancy house and call herself my mother. I didn't feel a part of her when I was a child and I feel even less a part of her now as an adult," Jill whispered in the darkness.
"Jill, I honestly don't think she realizes how much she's hurting anybody when she says the things she says. Like you told me once, she's so self-absorbed, all she thinks about is herself. You've already asked your Uncle Ray to give you away, so we'll just stick with that part of the plan," he said, planting a gentle kiss on her shoulder as she rolled over to face him.
"Are your parent's going to come?" She asked, moving into his embrace.
"I don't know, yet. Every time I ask them, they dance around the subject," he said, wincing at the fresh look of pain that crossed her face.
"Maybe they'll come if I let my mother plan a huge society wedding," she said in a shaky voice.
"Hey, listen to me. We've had this conversation before. Neither of us wants that kind of a wedding. I want you to have the kind of wedding that you want, not what any of them wants, okay?" He asked, tilting her head up so he was looking into her eyes.
"Okay," she slowly smiled.
Jill was shopping in town about a week later when she spotted the dress in a shop window. It definitely wasn't your typical wedding dress, but to Jill, it was perfect. She quickly went in and looked at it. After trying it on, she bought it. She couldn't wait to show it to her sisters.
Unlike her mother, Mike had enjoyed meeting Jill's stepsisters very much, especially Amanda. He had trouble keeping the family relationship straight, but he could tell that they loved each other very much. And, he loved spending time with Amanda and her husband, Paul's, two-and-a-half year old daughter, Victoria, or Tori for short. Jill smiled when she watched Mike with her and with her other nieces and nephews. He clearly loved children and they loved him.
They were attending a barbecue at Amanda and Paul's house in Anniston one late fall afternoon. While the men were busy outside with the children and the cooking, Jill took the opportunity to show the dress to her sisters. It was a long dress in a beautiful ivory color with a brightly embroidered bodice. Amanda and Patti made the appropriate sounds regarding the dress, but both were clearly confused.
"Jill, I thought you wanted to wear your grandmother's wedding dress. Isn't that what you always said?" Amanda asked, as Jill put the dress back in the garment bag and zipped it closed.
"Well, I did, but the ceremony's more important than the dress. You don't think the dress is a good choice?" She asked, slightly hurt.
"It's a pretty dress, Jill, it's just not your typical wedding dress," Patti commented.
"You know what, Jill? Don't worry about it. I can sweep your hair up and thread ribbons through it and it'll offset the dress perfectly," Amanda offered after seeing the hurt look in Jill's eyes.
"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Amanda," Jill said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Mike came home from work about a week before the wedding to find Jill at the dining room table furiously writing. The floor at her feet was littered with crumpled up balls of paper.
"Hi, baby. If you're trying out for basketball, I'm afraid you don't have a chance in hell," he smiled, kissing her as she covered up the sheet of paper she was writing on.
"Mike, this writing our own vows stuff is tougher than I thought it would be. Do you have yours written down?" She asked as he got a beer and sat down.
"No, but I've been rehearsing and I pretty much know what I want to say. It'll be fine, baby. It'll all come to you. Meanwhile, you can always work on improving your hook shot," he smiled as she threw yet another piece of paper over her shoulder.
"Very funny," she grumbled as he laughed.
The night before the wedding, Amanda whisked Jill off to her house to spend the night; something Jill was less than thrilled about.
"Jill, its bad luck for the groom to see you the night before the wedding. We'll have a good time, you'll see," Amanda promised.
The next morning, Jimmy drove to Mike's BOQ to see how he was managing. He found Mike in his front room, fumbling with the tie on his uniform.
"Do we have butter fingers this morning, Michael?" Jimmy smiled.
"I've been tying one of these things on my own since I was seven years old. All of a sudden, my fingers have forgotten how to make the knot. Have you seen Jill this morning?" He asked as Jimmy smiled.
"She's a wreck, if it makes you feel any better," Jimmy mused.
"Good, at least I know I'm not alone in that department. Hey, before I forget, I want to let you know how glad I am that you agreed to be my best man. It means a lot to me, but it means even more to Jill," Mike said as Jimmy nodded.
"Hey, I'm just glad you asked. I figured you'd get your friend, Capt. Cateshah, or Trap to do the duty," Jimmy said.
"Well, Garry's still not too keen on Jill and I like Trap all right, but he isn't exactly best man material. If it hadn't been for you trying to constantly throw us together, we wouldn't be standing here right now," Mike told the young man as he continued fumbling with his tie.
"I think I'd better help you with that or we'll be here all day," Jimmy said as Mike nodded.
At Amanda's house, Jill was impatiently sitting on a chair while Amanda tended to her hair, intricately threading white satin ribbons through her long, dark curls. Patti walked into the room, giggling.
"What're you laughing about?" Amanda demanded.
"Jill's future husband. I just talked to Jimmy. He said Mike's fine, except for the fact that he's forgotten how to dress," Patti said, as Amanda and Jill laughed.
Three hours later, Mike was in the anteroom of the base chapel, furiously wearing out the carpet with his pacing.
"Mike, relax. They'll be here soon. Do you want a cup of coffee?" He asked as Mike glared at him.
"Are you kidding? I'm already wired enough as it is," Mike said, jumping at a tap on the door.
"Mike, they're ready," Trap said, sticking his head in the door.
"Did you see Jill? Is she okay?" Mike demanded.
"I saw her, Mike, and she's fine. She looks beautiful, by the way," Trap confessed, shutting the door as he stepped back out.
"Well, Michael, this is it. Are you ready?" Jimmy asked, as Mike took a deep breath and nodded.
"We have everything, right? The rings, the license, all that stuff?" Mike checked for the thousandth time as Jimmy nodded.
"Yes, everything's fine. Come on, let's go get married," Jimmy smiled.
Mike's eyes filled with tears as he watched Jill slowly walking down the aisle on her uncle's arm. He'd never seen anyone look more beautiful or more radiant. He just hoped with all of his heart that he would make her as happy as she'd made him the past year. It seemed an eternity until she was finally standing by his side, smiling at him with the smile that was pure Jill. The chaplain motioned for the guests to sit down before he began.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man with this woman in holy matrimony. I've met with Michael and Jill several times in the last few months and have helped them put together a ceremony that pleases all parties. At this time, they would like to share with all of you words that they hope convey what they feel for each other, much more so than your traditional vows. Go ahead, Michael," the chaplain urged him as Mike smiled and gently took Jill's hands in his.
"I first saw you my very first day in town. From that first minute, I felt instantly drawn in by you, even though you made it abundantly clear that you wanted nothing to do with me, even going so far as trying to avoid me," he smiled as a ripple of laughter went through the chapel. "But, gradually, I felt the tides began to turn. It started with a game of pool, which led to a lunch, which led us to where we are now. I love you with all of my heart and soul. I love the way your eyes dance when you're happy, but most of all, I love watching your face light up when I look at you. I want to share my home with you, have children with you and grow old with you. I always want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I see before going to sleep at night. But most of all, I always want to see the way that you smile whenever I tell you that I love you, because I plan on saying those words to you every day until the day that I die," he said as his voice started to choke up. "I love you."
"You're a hard act to follow, Danko," Jill whispered, as tears threatened to take over. "You walked into my life when I was about as far down as a person could possibly get. You were persistent and nosy and an incredible pest, but it was impossible to get away from you and after a while, I started looking forward to your persistence and your nosiness. As for being a pest, we're still working on that," she said as Mike smiled. "I told you once that I suffer from horrible nightmares, which you responded to by promising to be right by my side when I woke up in the middle of the night screaming. You've done that, but you've also done so much more. You've shown me that it's possible to open up my heart and trust someone, that just because you tell someone something awful, they're not going to run away. You've shown me that it's possible to love somebody unconditionally. But, most of all, you've shown me how to laugh again, even at myself. And, I love you, too," she smiled, as tears rolled slowly down her cheeks.
"May I have the rings?" The chaplain asked as Jimmy reached into his pocket and produced the two rings. "Michael, do I understand that we're going traditional on the rings part?"
"Yes, sir," Mike smiled as Jill nodded.
After putting the rings on each other's fingers and repeating the words the chaplain said, Mike took Jill's hands tightly in his own as they looked at the chaplain expectantly.
"By the power vested in me by the state of Alabama, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the chaplain smiled as Mike pulled Jill closer to him and kissed her.
They had a small reception at the Officer's Club afterward. They were all sitting at a long table laughing and joking with each other before Jimmy finally stood up and tapped on his champagne glass to get everybody's attention.
"As the best man, they've told me that I'm supposed to propose a toast. To Mike and Jill, I hope you have a long life filled with happiness and love," he concluded.
Mike glanced over at Jill, who seemed to be slightly overwhelmed by all of the attention they were receiving. "How're you holding up?" He asked, covering her hand with his own.
"I'm okay. A little bird told me that you were having trouble remembering how to dress this morning," she smiled as Mike blushed.
"I was just a little nervous," he confessed.
Jimmy had pulled all of Jill's favorite songs from the jukebox at the bar and arranged for them to be temporarily put in the jukebox at the club. While Mike was in the men's room, he took Jill out onto the dance floor.
"So, are you happy?" He asked as they slowly moved across the floor.
"I've never been more happy in my life," she smiled.
"He's a good man. He loves you very much," Jimmy smiled as he spotted Mike approaching them.
"I know and I love him very much, also," she said as Mike tapped Jimmy on the shoulder.
"Do you mind if I cut in?" Mike asked.
"Not at all," Jimmy said as he stepped aside.
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?" Mike whispered, pulling her closer to him as they danced.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she murmured, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"But, I can't wait until I have you all to myself and I can remove all of those pins from your hair," he said as she smiled.
"I'm disappointed, Danko. That's all you have in mind, taking the pins out of my hair?" She asked, pulling away slightly.
"No, that's not all I have in mind, but it's a good start," he whispered huskily, bending down to kiss her gently.
The gentleness of the kiss took Jill's breath away. She pulled away and looked at him with shining eyes. "I love you, Mike," she whispered in a tear-choked voice.
"I love you, too. Hey, do you think these people will mind if we cut out of here early?" He asked, his eyes twinkling.
"No, I think they'd probably understand. But, I do think we should at least stay long enough to cut the wedding cake, don't you think?" She smiled.
After cutting the cake and visiting with their guests for a little while, they left. Mike had gotten some days off and had offered to take Jill anywhere she wanted to go. They were heading for Mobile the next morning, but Jill had told him she wanted to spend their first married night together in his BOQ, where everything had started. He unlocked the door and scooped Jill up in his arms, carrying her into his bedroom and depositing her on his bed.
"I always wanted to do that," he smiled, removing his uniform jacket and draping it over a nearly chair. "Now, you can't complain about being stabbed by my ribbons."
Jill had kicked off her shoes and was sitting cross-legged on the bed watching him as he sat down and pulled her closer to him.
"Hello, Mrs. Danko," he breathed, kissing her longingly.
"I like the sound of that," she smiled, returning his kiss. "Can I say something here?"
"You can say anything you want," he said, moving down to kiss her neck.
"I know you told me once that you have rushin' hands and roamin' fingers, but we have all night," she said, as Mike pulled away from her and smiled.
"You're right. Slow is definitely better," he whispered, reaching up and pulling one end of the ribbon from Jill's hair. As the ribbon fell to the bed, Jill's hair cascaded in a riot of curls down her back.
"See? No pins," she smiled at the look on Mike's face.
"Then, I'll just to find other ways to occupy my time, won't I?"
Mike started kissing Jill, beginning with her forehead and working his way down her face. When he got to her mouth, he traced her mouth with his tongue before forcing her lips apart and exploring the inside of her mouth. He finally left her mouth and began tracing a path down her neck and throat. Jill tried to reach for him to untie his tie and unbutton his shirt, but Mike stayed just out of the reach of her fingers. Jill groaned in desperation and desire as she kept trying to reach him.
"Mike, I need to touch you," Jill whimpered in frustration.
"Soon. Just relax for a few minutes," he smiled at her.
"Oh, I'm relaxed. Believe me," she breathed.
Mike was glad the dress had buttons down the front. It added to his fun. He planted kisses between her breasts with each button he unbuttoned. Jill felt like her senses were on fire. He slipped the sleeves of the dress off of her shoulders and unhooked Jill's bra from behind and slipped it off, as well. He flicked Jill's already erect nipples with his tongue, smiling at the moan that escaped from Jill's lips. He came back up and captured Jill's mouth again with his own. Jill could feel him through the thin material of her dress, but he still evaded her when she tried to touch him. He finally allowed her to help him with his shirt and tie, but it was obvious that he was in no hurry to go any further. Jill thought she was going to go mad. She ran her hands over the patch of hair on his chest and kissed his chest, kneading the muscles on his back and shoulders as she once again tried to move her hands further down. Mike captured her hands and pinned them down. For some reason, this scared Jill and she tried to fight him.
"Baby, I'm sorry," he said, pulling her closer to him.
"It's okay. Just don't pin my hands down," she told him, as the look of terror slowly faded from her eyes.
"Okay," he said, kissing her once again, causing her to forget the incident entirely.
She smiled as she pulled his head down and kissed him again, this time exploring his mouth with her tongue. When Mike pulled away from her, he was breathless.
"I don't think I'll ever get enough of you," he vowed.
"Same here. Now, are you going to let me touch you or not?" She pleaded with him.
"Not yet," he shook his head slowly, laughing, as Jill wanted to scream in frustration. "You know, they say good things come to those who wait."
"Well, can I at least help you take your pants off?" She asked, reaching for his belt buckle as he once again moved just out of her reach.
"No, that constitutes touching and you can't touch me, yet," he said, although he was sorely tempted to give into her.
"Where did you learn your self-control? The Nazis?" She hissed at him as he laughed.
"By the time I get done with you, you're going to be begging me for mercy or something resembling mercy," he promised her.
Jill groaned as Mike moved back down to her breasts. She clutched at his hair and he licked and nipped at her breasts. "God, I knew it! You were trained by the Nazis!"
Jill would never let Mike move any further down her body with his lips and tongue because of her experiences with Cleve, but he could still touch her. He slid her dress the rest of the way down her body, leaving Jill in just her white satiny underwear. He could feel her desire through the thin fabric of the panties. She moaned his name when he slid her panties down her legs and touched her. Mike could feel whatever self-control he had bragged to Jill about slipping away as soon as he touched her.
Jill whimpered in disappointment when she felt Mike move away from her. He stood up and unbuckled his belt and was about to undo his fly when Jill stopped him with her hands. She slowly unbuttoned the top of his green uniform pants and slowly slid his zipper down. He stepped out of his pants, leaving him clad in the Army issue green boxers that Jill hated so much.
She reached out and pulled them down his legs. She still couldn't get over how hard and hot Mike felt to her touch. He growled at the sensations she was now invoking in him. He knew if he didn't stop her, things would end before they began, almost like the first night they were together. But, he wasn't so sure he wanted her to stop. Finally, he pulled her hand away and pulled her up to kiss him again. Jill could feel him pressed between them as he continued kissing her.
"I want you, Mike. I want you now," she whispered as he moved further up her body and she guided him into her.
Mike looked down into her eyes as they moved together. He grasped her hands, now wearing their matching wedding rings and never thought he could love anybody as much as he loved Jill right at this moment. He knew he wasn't going to last long, but he wanted to give Jill a chance to catch up with him. Jill clutched at him with her legs. She still couldn't get over the way he could make her body feel. The five years she had been with Cleve, she had always thought there was something wrong with her, not realizing what Cleve was going to her was wrong. Sex with Mike was always so good. She screamed out his name as her release came. That was all Mike needed. He kissed her fervently as he came as well. Jill touched his chest as he tried to slow his breathing down. Jill loved the feel of him on top of her after they made love, the feeling that he was almost, but not quite, crushing her. It made her feel protected and loved.
"Remind me to thank the Nazis for your training," she whispered as her heartbeat slowly returned to normal.
"I almost didn't make it," he said breathlessly as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"See, you should have let me touch you sooner," she reminded him.
"I wanted things to last," he said as he reached down and brushed one of Jill's curls from her eyes. "Have I told you how much I love you?"
"Not in the last hour," she smiled.
"I love you, Mrs. Danko," he said, smiling down into her eyes.
"I love the way that sounds. Say it again," she said.
Mike kissed her gently. "Mrs. Danko."
THE END