The Ballad of Michael & Beulah

I remember almost every movement you made the night I turned thirty-five. Every flick of your hair, every smile you flashed, and every time you got up to check on Vegas. I've done it for so long it seems, but I still love just watching you. It's like being in the presence of some mythological creature. Like a unicorn or something. I dunno. I'm not good with things like that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can be a very romantic guy. You've told me as much. But, as I was saying...I love watching you. If it were an Olympic sport, I would take home the gold medal. But I wouldn't exclaim to the world about going to Disneyland. Nah, I'd exclaim to the world that I'm coming home to you. Because I can. Every night, every day. I got you for life, babe, and I couldn't be a happier man if I tried.

Forever your love,
Mike

P.S. Happy 27th.

Beulah looked up from the Hallmark card in her hands; tears stinging at her eyes and the sounds of party guests chatting away as she sat there, at the dining room table, opening her last gift from Mike, her husband of five months.

Parting her lips, she slowly began to smile as he tilted his head and smiled back.

When her eyelashes fell over her eyes as she blinked, she turned her gaze to several of the guests standing around the dining room table where they were located. Across the way, six-year-old Bailey sat on his father's lap, while Adrienne stood behind her husband with baby Ava on her hip; and for a moment, it almost appeared as if Bailey was the child of the Armstrong couple and not of Billie Joe and Beulah.

Biting her bottom lip, Beulah looked back at Mike and set her birthday card down as she leaned forward while he took the hint and met her halfway in an endearing kiss that last moments, but felt like a beautiful eternity.

Separating for the time being, Beulah grinned and turned her attention to the gift before her. Pulling at the ribbons gently, she unfortunately broke one and Tre piped up, making a comment about how now they'd had another baby. Beulah simply blushed while her husband laughed.

And then her heart almost stopped as she looked at the gift Mike had given her for her special day.

It was the most simple, but best gift ever in her eyes.

It was locket. A gold locket with a little pink heart engraved on the front and when she flipped it over to the back, it read: Forever your love, Mike. Just like his card.

Flitting her blues eyes, skeptically, she unclipped the locket to stare at the little pictures inside and it brought more tears to her eyes. On one side was a baby picture of herself, and on the other, his own baby picture.

Smirking, Mike reached out to take the locket from her as he stood up to help put it around her neck.

"It's so..." she trailed. "I can't find the words, Mike."

"There's no need for any," he replied, his mouth about an inch from her right ear as he fastened the clasp without watching what he was doing. "I chose our baby pictures because I feel we were destined to be together forever since the day we were born. It was written in our stars that you'd be my wife and we'd live the rest of our days that way."

When she felt Mike was finished, Beulah cocked her head up to look at him and found his hand resting on her shoulder, so she placed one of hers over his as they met for another kiss.

"Happy birthday," he whispered against her lips.

"Can we have cake now, mommy?" Bailey called out from Billie Joe's lap, resting his little elbows on the table and his head in his hands as if the whole opening gifts that weren't for him was the most boring and exasperating event to watch. Ever.

Laughing, Beulah nodded. "Yes. We can have cake, Mister Impatient Pants."

Passing her daughter off to Claudia, Adrienne stepped around the table to touch Mike on the arm and lead him from the room, into the kitchen, only to return moments later with a birthday cake, littered with twenty-eight lit candles.

Setting it before Beulah, all began to sing 'Happy Birthday' to her while she seemed to glow, not just from the candlelight, but from something within her.

Mike couldn't explain it, but it made her all the more beautiful to him.

When the singing was over, Beulah blew out the candles and then sat back with a sigh. "How many candles were there?"

"Twenty-eight," Mike replied.

"But I'm only twenty-seven today."

"Well, there's twenty-seven for your age, then one for good luck," Adrienne explained.

Looking at the brunette woman, it was almost unthinkable to Beulah that months earlier, so much shit had hit the fan and driven a wedge between their friendship. But, it appeared that bygones would finally be bygones.

Even though the scars would always be there, the wounds were -- without question -- healing.

After a few more hours, the party began to dwindle, leading to the guests leaving to go home; including Billie Joe, who took Bailey to his home for an overnighter before having to bring him back the following evening for school on Monday.

And that left Mike and Beulah alone for the night.

With the exception of nine-month-old Vegas, that is.

However, Vegas was, thankfully, a heavy sleeper for a baby. He still woke up at odd hours, but he was sleeping longer. And that made his parents happy campers.

Taking advantage of the quiet time allotted them for the moment at hand, Mike took his wife and lead her upstairs to their bedroom that was quite messy but warm and inviting all the same.

Hooking his hands under her arms, he lifted her up above the ground and wrapped his own arms around her waist as he carried her to the bed; gently laying her down on the mattress before slowly peeling both of their clothes away.

And in a torrent of emotions, Mike claimed his wife as if he had hiked up to the top of Mount Everest and stuck a flag in the ground, claiming it in the named of Mike Pritchard-dom.

She let him be on top, for the simple fact that she liked feeling as if he were protecting her. Making sure she was okay and safe from all the bad things in life. Covering her like a blanket made her scream inside. Scream with glee.

When they made love it was almost an art. Every move was just right. Pushing forward, arching back. Kissing lips, the touch of rough fingertips. Rolling around, up and down. Every sigh, every look in the eye.

Mike felt as if he'd have a heart attack and die right there in her arms; working up a sweat.

And when they were spent, he lazily rolled onto his side but wasted no time in gathering his ladylove up into his arms to just bask in the afterglow.

Pressing the tips of their noses together, they looked each other in the eye; smiling. Neither felt the need to say anything because, as Mike had said to her during the party, words weren't needed.

Lifting his right hand, Mike grazed the surface of her face, lovingly. He loved the softness of her skin, and the scent.

She was still wearing J.Lo's 'Live' that he always bought her. The moment she ran out, he was returning home with a new bottle...or five.

Craning his head to the side, he nuzzled his face into her neck and left a trail of kisses along her neck as she giggled quietly, taking in the scent of his hair as it tickled her face ever so softly.

"I got a surprise for you," she muttered.

"For me?" he questioned. "My birthday was two weeks ago. I shouldn't be getting any surprises."

"Okay, then. It's a birthday present for the both of us because this is our birthday month."

Mike stopped kissing her neck and looked her in the eye, then smirked. "Okay. Continue."

Biting her lip, she propped her head up and studied every contour of his face before uttering two very simple words.

"I'm pregnant."

"What? When? Now?" he rambled like an excited child. "That was fast. We just got done?"

"Not now now, you doof," Beulah grinned. "I'm a month pregnant."

"Serious?"

She nodded. "I was supposed to get my period around your birthday and, as you pointed out, that was two weeks ago. And, perhaps you noticed how I was throwing up a bunch these past two weeks?"

"Honestly? I haven't."

"Even better. I didn't want you hovering around me like you did when I found out about Vegas."

"I was doing that out of love and concern," he insisted, tapping her nose with his finger.

"Whatever," she replied, swatting playfully at his hand.

As the two of them just laid there, staring at one another, and smiling, they began to slowly embrace.

Just the act of holding each other was satisfying enough.

"You make me a very happy man, you know?"

"So you've told me."

"And I'll keep telling you," he added. "Forever and for always, O Bearer of My Offspring."

Giggling Beulah swatted at his chest this time before Mike shushed her by claiming her lips and claiming his wife yet another time that night.