The only trouble with having built a house on the beach, Lena was discovering, was the fact that the sand underfoot made it all the more difficult to hulk heavy boxes from the van. Thankfully, all the big furnishings had been put in professionally, since they'd all had to be bought new anyway. The boxes were just the personal belongings of the couple who were moving in. In a few days, Jack and Jasmin's house would be complete, too, but for now, King's Cove belonged entirely to Tommy King and his girl, theirs to enjoy for a night or two in their new home.
Kicking off her sandy shoes at the door, she pushed inside and set her box down on the nearest table, turning to look out through the wide windows at the sea. A year ago, this would have been inconceivable, and yet here she was ....engaged to an amazing man, living in a brand new house built just for them, and increasingly close to coming clean to her family about that little hobby of hers. She laughed suddenly, hugging her arms about hers. She was happy.
In the meantime, Tommy was lugging a box of his own personal belongings into the house. He didn't have much to call his own, other than for some clothes, his surfboard, and his hippie van. His surfboard was by far his most prized possession, not to mention his livelihood. "Midge!" he called as arrived at the door, carting yet another box into the house. "Can you get the door?"
Startled out of her contemplation of the waves, Lena moved to do as she was asked, grinning as she opened the door for her fiance. "Are you sure you don't want any help with all that?" she asked Tommy cheerfully, watching him struggle inside with his own box of precious somethings.
"No, I'm good," he said as he stepped past her into the house to deposit the box on the floor, for now. He shoved some wayward blond curls from his face as he took a look around. "It's really starting to look like a home," he said, even though there were boxes of this and that piled up here and there. It would take a few days before they got it all organized, but it was their home - the first house he could really call home. It was like a dream come true, not only the house, but the woman who came along with it.
Closing the door behind him, Lena followed Tommy into the main room, biting her lip as she looked around with a small smile. Even with the boxes, it looked like home - their home. "It might take a little while to fill it up," she mused quietly, a teasing flicker to the smile she sent in his direction.
He turned to face her, closing the distance between them to slide his arms around her waist. "Are you talking about furniture or kids?" he asked, smiling back at her. He was in no big hurry to start a family; it would happen soon enough. For now, he was enjoying this time alone with his soon-to-be wife.
"What, you want more furniture?" she laughed, easing her own arms around his shoulders to play with the curling strands of his hair as they shared that smile. "Next stop is the shop, and we can start passing the word around the city that this is the place to surf in a few weeks." She nuzzled close, happy to plan out the realization of his dreams. And very carefully not mentioning her own quietly held and hopefully never noticed dreams. Ah, but Tommy knew very well what those dreams were and was as excited to help her fulfill them as she was to help him fulfill his. "What about your studio' I haven't forgotten about that, you know," he said dropping onto his back on the couch and pulling her down on top of him.
He always managed to either phrase that question, or do something while he was saying it, in such a way as to make her laugh before she could answer - in this case, it was yanking her off her feet to land on top of him on their brand new, deep cushioned, ludicrously comfortable couch. Lena made a mental note to thank Des for talking Piper into helping with the furniture purchases, and looked into Tommy's eyes with a faint smirk. "That's a hobby, not a living," she pointed out. "And besides, only you know about that."
"So' You have to start somewhere, Midge. Surfing started out as a hobby. How does the old saying go' Nothing ventured, nothing gained" It's your dream, and you should never give up on your dream. I forbid it!" He poked her nose as he said it just for good measure, a broad, silly grin on his boyishly-handsome face.
"You forbid it?" This made her laugh again, her teeth snapping closed very close to the finger he'd poked her nose with in the first place. "You really think that's a good way to start a marriage, Moonbeam, forbidding your wife not to do something?"
"If it means not letting you give up on your dream, then yes! You have talent, Midge. All you need is some confidence and a lucky break. Wasn't it you who told me it was your dream to paint' I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine that," he told her as he pulled his finger away from her nose just in time to escape getting bit.
"If I can do what I love and help your dreams come true in the process, is that enough of a compromise for you?" she offered hopefully. "You make the boards, I'll paint them. How's that?"
"Only if you promise not to give up on your dreams for me." His expression turned serious, a small frown on his face. "I mean it, Lena. This isn't just about me. It's about you, too. I want you to be happy. You're a talented artist, and I don't want that talent to go to waste."
She sighed softly, knowing that look on his face. Her smile faded as she laid her head down against his chest, needing to hide some of what was in her eyes even as she answered the question he hadn't asked. Why" "I'm scared," she said quietly. "I'd rather leave it unfulfilled than try and fail."
"Do you know how many times I had to fall off the surfboard before I became a champion?" he asked in an attempt to make a point, but he didn't want to push her or argue the matter. There were ways he could help her achieve her goals without forcing the issue. He wove his fingers through her hair, stroking gently. "You just have to believe in yourself, Midget. That's all. I believe in you."
Kicking off her sandy shoes at the door, she pushed inside and set her box down on the nearest table, turning to look out through the wide windows at the sea. A year ago, this would have been inconceivable, and yet here she was ....engaged to an amazing man, living in a brand new house built just for them, and increasingly close to coming clean to her family about that little hobby of hers. She laughed suddenly, hugging her arms about hers. She was happy.
In the meantime, Tommy was lugging a box of his own personal belongings into the house. He didn't have much to call his own, other than for some clothes, his surfboard, and his hippie van. His surfboard was by far his most prized possession, not to mention his livelihood. "Midge!" he called as arrived at the door, carting yet another box into the house. "Can you get the door?"
Startled out of her contemplation of the waves, Lena moved to do as she was asked, grinning as she opened the door for her fiance. "Are you sure you don't want any help with all that?" she asked Tommy cheerfully, watching him struggle inside with his own box of precious somethings.
"No, I'm good," he said as he stepped past her into the house to deposit the box on the floor, for now. He shoved some wayward blond curls from his face as he took a look around. "It's really starting to look like a home," he said, even though there were boxes of this and that piled up here and there. It would take a few days before they got it all organized, but it was their home - the first house he could really call home. It was like a dream come true, not only the house, but the woman who came along with it.
Closing the door behind him, Lena followed Tommy into the main room, biting her lip as she looked around with a small smile. Even with the boxes, it looked like home - their home. "It might take a little while to fill it up," she mused quietly, a teasing flicker to the smile she sent in his direction.
He turned to face her, closing the distance between them to slide his arms around her waist. "Are you talking about furniture or kids?" he asked, smiling back at her. He was in no big hurry to start a family; it would happen soon enough. For now, he was enjoying this time alone with his soon-to-be wife.
"What, you want more furniture?" she laughed, easing her own arms around his shoulders to play with the curling strands of his hair as they shared that smile. "Next stop is the shop, and we can start passing the word around the city that this is the place to surf in a few weeks." She nuzzled close, happy to plan out the realization of his dreams. And very carefully not mentioning her own quietly held and hopefully never noticed dreams. Ah, but Tommy knew very well what those dreams were and was as excited to help her fulfill them as she was to help him fulfill his. "What about your studio' I haven't forgotten about that, you know," he said dropping onto his back on the couch and pulling her down on top of him.
He always managed to either phrase that question, or do something while he was saying it, in such a way as to make her laugh before she could answer - in this case, it was yanking her off her feet to land on top of him on their brand new, deep cushioned, ludicrously comfortable couch. Lena made a mental note to thank Des for talking Piper into helping with the furniture purchases, and looked into Tommy's eyes with a faint smirk. "That's a hobby, not a living," she pointed out. "And besides, only you know about that."
"So' You have to start somewhere, Midge. Surfing started out as a hobby. How does the old saying go' Nothing ventured, nothing gained" It's your dream, and you should never give up on your dream. I forbid it!" He poked her nose as he said it just for good measure, a broad, silly grin on his boyishly-handsome face.
"You forbid it?" This made her laugh again, her teeth snapping closed very close to the finger he'd poked her nose with in the first place. "You really think that's a good way to start a marriage, Moonbeam, forbidding your wife not to do something?"
"If it means not letting you give up on your dream, then yes! You have talent, Midge. All you need is some confidence and a lucky break. Wasn't it you who told me it was your dream to paint' I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine that," he told her as he pulled his finger away from her nose just in time to escape getting bit.
"If I can do what I love and help your dreams come true in the process, is that enough of a compromise for you?" she offered hopefully. "You make the boards, I'll paint them. How's that?"
"Only if you promise not to give up on your dreams for me." His expression turned serious, a small frown on his face. "I mean it, Lena. This isn't just about me. It's about you, too. I want you to be happy. You're a talented artist, and I don't want that talent to go to waste."
She sighed softly, knowing that look on his face. Her smile faded as she laid her head down against his chest, needing to hide some of what was in her eyes even as she answered the question he hadn't asked. Why" "I'm scared," she said quietly. "I'd rather leave it unfulfilled than try and fail."
"Do you know how many times I had to fall off the surfboard before I became a champion?" he asked in an attempt to make a point, but he didn't want to push her or argue the matter. There were ways he could help her achieve her goals without forcing the issue. He wove his fingers through her hair, stroking gently. "You just have to believe in yourself, Midget. That's all. I believe in you."