I Think I Love You

The next morning, I woke up to Ez kissing my neck. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair. "Good morning, lovely," he said.

"Good morning." He smiled down at me.

"What would you like to do today?" he asked me. I thought for a minute.

"Do you want to go to the beach?" I asked. He smiled.

"That sounds fun." I sat up and kissed him. When I went to stand up, he pulled me back and kissed me again. When we parted, he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I love you, Nikki." I smiled.

"I love you too, babe." I climbed out of the bed, pulled on my bra, panties and robe, and went downstairs for breakfast. Quellie was at the island eating a bowl of cereal. She turned around when she saw me and grinned. "What?" I asked.

"I know what you did last night," she sang. I rolled my eyes.

"What, sleep?"

"No," she said.

"Why do you think I did anything but sleep?"

"Well, for one, you're glowing." I felt the heat rise up in my face. "The fact that you're blushing right now confirms my suspicions." I bit my lip to hide a smile. "So?"

"So, what?"

"How was it?" I looked at Quellie, stunned. "What?"

"You ask me that like I'm really going to tell you!" I heard Ez coming down the stairs and I ran to tell him what Quellie was doing. "Ez, tell your sister to stop."

"What's she doing?"

"She's trying to get me to confess about last night." Ez rolled his eyes.

"Really, Quellie?" Quellie shrugged.

"I'm just curious," she said. I went over to the pantry and grabbed a Nutri-Grain fruit bar. After I ate, I went up to my room to dress and do my hair. I swiped on a light pink lipgloss and some brown mascara, then grabbed my purse and went downstairs. Quellie was now on the sofa, reading a magazine. I sat down next to her and waited for Ez. "Where are you two going?" she asked.

"The beach," I said.

"Oh. Well, have fun."

"Thanks." When Ez came down the stairs, he asked,

"You ready, love?" I stood and smiled.

"Ready."

When we got to the beach, we set our towels up in a decent area. I stepped out of my flip-flops and shorts and sat down on my towel. "Hey, babe, can you get my back?" I asked Ez. He took the sunblock from my hand and squeezed some in the palm of his hand. He rubbed it in all over my back, neck and shoulders. He finished and stood, heading towards the water.

"You coming?" he asked.

"No, I think I'll just chill here." He smiled.

"Your loss." I watched him run into the water, then I laid back on my towel. A few minutes later, a shadow was cast over me. I opened my eyes to see Ez, dripping wet, standing over me.

"Well, hello there, mister Spencer!" I said through the giggles. He grinned and sat down in the sand beside me. I sat up and leaned in close to Ez. "Don't tell my fiancé this, but I think you're very handsome," I whispered. He leaned in closer and said,

"Don't tell my fiancée this, but I think you're very gorgeous." I placed my hand over his and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too." I looked up and he kissed the tip of my nose. My cell phone rang inside my purse, so I reached inside to grab it.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, honey." It was my mom.

"Hey, mom."

"How is everything?"

"Great, actually. How's everything with you and daddy?"

"Well, that's what I'm calling for. I tried to call you the other day, but you didn't answer."

"Oh, sorry about that. I was. . . busy. What's up? Is everything okay?"

"Honey, everything is wonderful. In fact, I have some big news to share with you."

"What is it? You're not like, pregnant or anything, are you?" There was a moment of silence, and I got worried. "Mom, no. Are you pregnant?"

"Ten weeks today!" I rolled my eyes.

"Well, congratulations."

"Why don't you sound happy?"

"I don't sound happy because the baby won't get to know me. I mean, I live here now. I'll never see the baby."

"Aw, honey, you'll get to see the baby! You can fly out here, can't you?"

"Mom, flying isn't cheap and I don't want to bug Abby and Stefan for money whenever I want to see the baby."

"We'll arrange something. Honey, I have to go now, but be good for the Spencers. Oh, and have fun."

"I will, mom. Tell daddy I said hello."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too, mom." I hung up and turned to Ez.

"Your mom's pregnant?" he asked.

"Yeah." Ez pulled me onto his lap and rubbed my arm.

"Have you given any thought to how big you want our family to be?" I laughed - on the inside. I never really told him that I don't want kids. Whenever the subject comes up, I just let him ramble on about having kids and pets and a two-story cabin on a hill. I looked down at the golden sand.

"No, not really."

"Nikki, you say the same thing every time I ask you that. If you aren't ready for kids, you can tell me." I smiled and looked up into his eyes.

"How about we get married first. We can talk about kids after our first year of marriage, okay?" He smiled.

"That sounds perfect." I kissed his lips and laid my head on his chest. Maybe one day I'd be ready for children, but not right now.