Cross My Heart

"I can't believe you three crashed our honeymoon." I said as we sat all walked back toward the hotel. The moon was shining bright and large in the sky, causing me to not be able to take my eyes off from it.

"We didn't crash nothin'. We're just on vacation, you CAN ignore us you know." Dillon said. He was still wearing the lei that some girl gave him for trying to learn how to do the hula dance.

"It's kind of hard to when you're staying in the room next to us." Jimmy said.

"Yeah, and what about our house? You're supposed to be babysitting it."

"What's with all the worry?" Charlie asked finally taking his shades off and sticking them up on his head. "We wouldn't have all three came if it meant leaving your house unattended."

"Who'd you get to watch it then?" I asked narrowing my eyes.

"Does it matter? No one is gonna break in or take anything since they KNOW who lives there." Dillon looked at me then up at the sky where I was looking. "You might wanna watch where you're going. It'd be a shame if you slipped and fell in the pool."

"Hey, don't make threats at my wife." Jimmy said pointing his finger at our friend.

"It'd be a shame if you went with her." Charlie added with a smirk on his face.

"If I go down, all four of you are going with me." I said, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah right, you couldn't get me in that water even if you put a hot bitch on a pole and dangled her there."

I rolled my eyes at Charlie and then a sudden evil smile crept up on my lips.

"Tell your wife to stop it. When she looks like that she looks like you, and you haven't even been together long enough to start lookin' like each other." Matt said as we reached the front doors of the hotel.

"I can't make her do anything. She's a big girl. She makes her own choices and facial expressions." Jimmy said putting an arm around my shoulders. I had to admit I loved it when he did that. I felt like anyone could look and see just how lucky I was to be married to him.

"So are you guys headed in for the night? And by the way, I know there is only one bed in your room. Were you all three planning on sharing it or what?" I asked giving them a slight grin.

"Those two assholes are sleeping on the floor. I get the bed." Matt said.

"Bullshit! I already told you since I paid for most of this trip I get it!" Charlie said.

"How did you pay for most of this trip?" Dillon asked looking at
him.

"Yeah." Matt added.

"Hey, don't you turn this around on me. You two wouldn't have a problem leaving me outside and sleeping together."

I looked at Jimmy and he winked. I knew it was his way of agreeing with my silent plan. We waited to hear a few more insults exchanged then slowly snuck away to the little winding path that lead to the beach.

"I still can't believe those three are here." I said as we reached the sand.

"Me either, but you have to admit you love them."

"Sure. I love my family too and you don't see none of them here."

"Does it bother you, really?" He asked.

I sighed. "No, it doesn't. I'm glad they're here. I mean yeah, a honeymoon is supposed to be between the two people who got married but look at us. What have we done that lives up to tradition anyway? Nothing. Our wedding wasn't normal. Our engagement wasn't normal. In case you haven't noticed, WE'RE not normal."

Jimmy chuckled and reached down, grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together. "I love you and your weirdness."

"I'm glad. Because I love you too. You and your stupid friends who follow us everywhere."

We stood on the edge of the water, watching the waves crash up around our feet. It was so nice here that I could have went home, packed my things and then come back permanently.

"You know something?"

"What?"

"Sometimes I look at you and I can't figure out why you agreed to spend the rest of your life with me."

I looked at him, his face serious but he was zoned out.
"Jimmy...we've been over this. We're both lucky. Why wouldn't I marry you? You're smart. Seriously, one of the smartest guys I know. Yeah you act a little goofy, and you sometimes get completely out of control, but you're amazing. You're funny."

He smiled slightly then looked down at me.

"Everyone loves you. You blend in anywhere. No matter what crowd." I turned my body toward him and reached my arms up so I could wrap them around his neck. "And you're the best husband a girl could ask for. You love me no matter what I look like, or how I behave. You were there for me when I couldn't even bring myself to be around anyone else. You never left my side... and that means more to me than anything else."

"You're just saying all that because you never had a decent boyfriend. Everyone you ever picked was a loser, remember?"

I shook my head. "I'm saying it because it's true. I feel like a giddy little school girl, or like I live in some kind of cheesy love story."

He laughed. "No body would waste their time and write a story about us." Then he bent down and kissed me gently on the lips.

I was almost lost in the moment until I heard the pounding of feet on sand, and pulled away from Jimmy just in time to see Matt, Charlie and Dillon hauling ass at us.

"Shit!" I squealed and was picked up off the ground by Dillon's strong arms. Matt had tackled Jimmy and they were now wrestling
around in the shallow water.

"Put me down you freakin' heathen!" I said kicking my legs.

"The more you struggle the worse it's gonna be." Dillon said.

"Hey! Let me give her a ho-down!" Charlie yelled excitedly.

"You are NOT pulling down my pants, you assholes! When I get down from here you two are in so much trouble!"

Instant laughter from Charlie and Dillon who weren't convinced.

"I'll believe that when I see it. Tell you what, if you can get out of my grip I'll give you a free shot!" Dillon offered.

"I'm not gonna need a free shot!" I said wiggling as much as I could, hoping to make it difficult for Dillon to hang on to me.

It didn't work. I glanced up in time to see Jimmy and Matt stand up and laugh and tried to yell for help but was suddenly submerged in to the nice cool water.

Bubbles flooded around me as I let some of my air out then shoved myself off from the sandy bottom to the surface. I let out a yell then ran my hand over my hair to brush it out of my face.

"You assholes are dead. I mean it, dead d-e-a-d."

"Yeah right! You'll have to catch us first, which I don't think is gonna happen." Charlie said laughing. They were both standing in
the water up to their shins.

I wasn't sure how I would get my revenge because really they were right and it was pointless to try and chase them, however
Jimmy and Matt were to my rescue in no time. Jimmy jumped nearly over Charlie's head taking him by surprise and knocking him over with a loud 'splash'. I swore I heard a girly scream come from him just before impact.

Matt however took a different approach with Dillon and football tackled him in the legs causing Dillon to fly over Matt's head and they both disappeared under the waves.

I couldn't help my laughter, the honest deep laughter that came from who knew where. I was happy. The most happy I had ever been, and if being married to Jimmy and starting our life out and Mr. and Mrs. was going to always make me feel like this, then I knew I had made the right choice.

Of course, I knew every couple had their fights, shit we had had some good ones even before we were together romantically, but that was just it. I was prepared. I knew it would come and I knew Jimmy well enough to know how to calm him down when he was upset, and he knew how to calm ME down when I was having one of my bad days. It was perfect, almost a match made in heaven if that weren't the dumbest thing I had ever heard.

"How do you like me now, boys?" I asked when they were all standing around laughing.

"You didn't get us, you had to hire your little henchmen to come for us." Charlie said shaking his head to get some of the water out of his ears.

"Doesn't matter how I did it. The fact remains you two can't mess with this." I made muscles with my arms, or at least I attempted to, and this sent all four of them in to a fit of laughter.

"Why don't you leave all the muscle involving jobs to us." Matt said with a smirk.

"You think I couldn't take you? Mr. I have arms bigger than most people's legs? I know pressure points, remember? Plus, I took classes. I think I could do it."

"IF you could make it the whole time without laughing, sure you might have a chance." He said.

"I could take you without laughing!"

More laughter from the guys.

"Well, I hate to be the one to do this but, it's getting late and as much fun as seeing Layla fight to the death with Matt, I'm tired as fuck. We've got a lot to do tomorrow." Charlie said.

"What are you guys doing tomorrow?" Jimmy asked.

"We're gonna rent a boat and go out diving and shit." Dillon said.

"Yeah, you guys can come too, but we really did figure we'd let you have your alone time." Matt said.

"I'll have all my alone time with my darling husband when we get back home. We can come with you guys. Besides, we had pretty much the same plans." I said as we all started walking toward the beach.

"Well then! We can all meet up in your room tomorrow morning and we'll go from there." Charlie said, reaching out and shoving me one last time causing me to fall over in the last bit of shallow water.

"I will beat you!" I yelled as Jimmy helped me up.

"Don't threaten me with a good time. You just got married, I'd hate to be the reason you divorced him."
I rolled my eyes. "Charlie, I love you but no."

"Ha! Turned down!" Dillon yelled.

"Hey! She turned YOU down first, remember?" Charlie yelled back at him.

"Oh my God, thanks." Matt said turning to me as the other two continued to argue about something completely unrelated. "Now I'm going to have to listen to those two all night."

"Just slip them some tylenol p.m. and some warm milk. You won't hear shit from them until noon tomorrow." Jimmy said.

"I wish." Matt looked back at them. "If you two don't behave I WILL turn this vacation around and we will go home!"

Once we made it to the hotel we said goodnight to the guys, Charlie and Dillon still bickering in whispers, and locked the door behind us.

I stripped out of my wet clothes and put on a simple night gown, feeling too tired to do much else, while Jimmy remained in only a dry pair of boxers. We crawled in to bed and I rolled over on to my side to get comfortable. Moments later I felt his long arm slide around my side and he pulled me to him.

"Lay?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

I reached my hand up and grabbed on to his. "I love you too."

"Don't ever leave me, ok?" He asked.

"Jimmy! I wouldn't leave you, what's wrong with you?" I rolled over now so I could face him, the moonlight coming through our window made it easy to see his face.

"I just wanted to hear you say it." He said then moved his hand to
brush a few strands of my hair away from my face.

"Well, I'll say it again. Or a hundred times if you need me to. I'm not leaving you. Now or ever. You're stuck with me. I made a promise remember? A damn pinky promise, and you of all people know how serious that is."

He smiled. "I do."

"So, stop worrying. Alright? I love you." I leaned up and kissed him gently. "And only you, despite what Charlie and Dillon think."
He smiled.

"Hey..what's wrong? For real. This is our honeymoon you shouldn't be depressed until we get home." I teased.

"Nothing is wrong. I just can't get over all of this. It's so perfect right now, does that mean it'll change? Because any time I get something in life that's perfect... it just falls apart or gets ripped away for some stupid reason. You've known me a long time, how many girlfriends did I ever have? Hardly any."

"I know."

"And after Lena-"

"Jimmy. You don't have to talk about her if you don't want to." I said stopping him.

Lena was Jimmy's true love. Even over me, and I knew that. They had been together as teens and unfortunately a terrible car accident took her life. Jimmy didn't talk about it much, I never made him. I only knew bits and pieces since it was from a time when I didn't know him.

"It's not that I don't want to talk about her...It's just that..."

"What?" I asked him when he remained silent. I snuggled closer to him and put my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat underneath it.

"I don't want to lose you the way I did her. I don't want to lose you at all, but..."

Without another word I leaned up and pressed my lips against his, moving my hand from his chest up over his shoulder and to the back of his neck then finally tangling my fingers in his hair.
Jimmy didn't hesitate at the invitation and he wrapped his arms around me, pressing my body up to him.

Kissing lead to touching, touching lead to the loss of what clothes we did have, and the loss of the clothes lead to one of the best distractions in the world. We didn't have time to think, only time to be with each other and for that I was grateful.

A few hours later Jimmy collapsed on top of me, exhausted and I smoothed his hair out of his face.

"I love you." He whispered and hung on to me as though I were going to come flying up out of the bed.

"I love you too, James Sullivan."

"Forever?" He asked.

"Forever."