“So, tell me something Mrs Cordova.”

Michael Cordova began; with a mischievous smile on his face, as he lovingly gazed into the eyes of his wife.

“What?”

Everly Sanderson, now Cordova.

His recent long term girlfriend, newly turned wife prompted him.

With curiosity written all over her facial features.

“Is this how you pictured your first night as a married woman?”

He asked, and turned onto his side.

Just to properly admire her.

“Mmmh, let’s see.”

She mischievously started musing.

“A bit sweaty, very loud, quite dirty, with your head between my legs at times and being occasionally handcuffed to the bed post? I’d say yes, dearest husband. Last night ticked all the boxes that I had anticipated in my head.”

“Music to my ears,” he leaned closer to her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

“And you?”

Due to curiosity, she couldn’t help but ask.

Because she knew Michael to have always been a straight shooter; especially when it came to what he liked in the bedroom, and what simply didn’t fly for him.

“Let’s just say, you continue to make me a very happy man.”

He told her, with an earnest smile on his face.

“I was kind of fishing, you know?”

She chuckled.

“And seeing that I could easily tell, maybe you’re beginning to lose your touch.”

He teased, making her laugh.

Everly turned away from him after that, resulting in him instantly spooning her.

And pressing her petite and naked body to his, for the rest of the early morning hours.

As they fell asleep, after making passionate love to one another the whole night.

“Rise and shine, beautiful.”Were the first words that he said to her, the moment her eyes flew open.

“Have you been watching me, while I slept?”

She frowned at him, as she sleepily asked.

Before she began rubbing her eyes; which was an old habit of hers.

One that she always reverted to every time she woke up, with the belief that it somehow introduced an instant alertness to her eyesight.

“My favorite past time,” he confirmed her suspicions with smirk.

“And you already knew the answer to that.”

“You’re such a creep,” she teased.

“A creep that you’ve recently tied your whole life to,” he retorted with a shrug.

“That’s a good one,” she laughed.

“I arranged some breakfast,” he nodded in the direction of the tray that was sitting right by the edge of the bed foot.

“But I can totally run you a bath first, if that’s what you prefer?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, as he checked.

“Already campaigning for the husband of the year badge?” She joked, with a grin.

“Of course!”

He laughed.

“I hear these things turn out best, when you get on with them right from the get go.”

“Whoever told you that, deserves a round of applause.” She chuckled.

“Well, you better start clapping then ma’am. Because I’m the one who just told myself that,” he laughed lightly.

Everly loved how cheerful the beginning of her day and what she even considered morning despite the late hour, in her head- was.

How he continually brought some light and cheer into her life, made her fall for him all over again.

Michael decided to pull her out of her reverie, when he saw her smiling non stop.

“So? What’s it going to be, Mrs Cordova?”

He asked.

“I think I’ll begin with breakfast. Because I’m famished and totally burned out, after the night and morning long marathon that we just put ourselves through.”

She smiled satisfactorily, in response to the quite vivid memories that were coming up to the surface of her mind.

“Then, the bath will be up next. And of course, your wife will need you to join her for that.”

“So I can scrub her back?”

He lazily smirked at her.

“Amongst other things,” she flirtatiously and suggestively winked at him.

“Well, whatever my wife wants. She gets,” he said.

Just before they sat up and got comfortable for breakfast.

“I thought it would be different, you know?”

She broke the ice, as she chewed on her fruit salad.

“What?”

His toast froze mid air, as he curiously asked.

“Things between us,” she bluntly stated with a shrug. “You know, as soon as we tied the knot.”

“Different how, baby?”

He chuckled, as he obviously felt like her thoughts on the matter were nothing but hilarious.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Maybe I just fearfully expected us to experience a huge and noticeable shift, you know? Like things going from playful, to super serious.”

Even she laughed at herself as she said it.

“Speaking of that,” he cleared his throat.

“I now feel inclined to make an addition to my still newly said vows. So, here goes.”

“Uh huh,” she expectantly listened.

“I promise not to let that happen between us, Mrs Cordova. We will always be fun, playful and most importantly ourselves. Throughout our entire marriage.”

“I so love the sound of that,” she smiled.

“And I hereby promise too, to always meet you halfway.”

With breakfast out of the way, they moved on to taking the hot bubbly bath.

In which they simply soaked, and caressed each other’s bodies- as if seeing and experiencing each other’s naked company for the very first time.

“Baby?”

He called for her attention, some time during their bath.

“Yeah?”

A flash of seriousness appeared on his face, when she looked up at him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he began.

“Oh boy,” Everly muttered.

As her mind instantly jumped straight to the idea that whatever was coming, couldn’t be good.

“No, wait. Relax and just hear me out.”

He briefly laughed, then resumed sharing his thoughts.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, if you wanted to begin this step of our life together in our house? Like, do we keep it? Or look for a new place, that will, you know? Embody the new leaf that we have just turned?”

“Ohh!”

Everly laughed at herself for instantly imagining a worst case scenario.

Kind of like how she used to, during the Claire era.

Who was an ex girlfriend, ex fiancee and the woman who wouldn’t truly exit Michael’s life.

For weeks on end, she worried and did a lot of over thinking. As she tried her hardest to handle the threat in the best way that she could.

It was what she considered the hardest phase that their relationship endured, but they had persevered past it.

And thinking about it now, made her realize that what he was asking about and half suggesting was valid.

“To be honest, that didn’t once cross my mind at all.”

She thoughtfully said.

“But now that you mention it, I think properly turning this new leaf in a new house makes a lot of sense.”

“So, you’re open to the idea?” He cheerfully asked.

“That would be a yes,” she smiled up at him.

“That’s great then,” he said.

Still in his earlier joyous and uplifted spirits.

“There’s a real estate agent friend of mine that I’ll call as soon as we get back to the city, and she can get the ball rolling on this as soon as possible.”

“She?”

She frowned up at him. Because the one thing that instantly ran through her mind, was what on earth was Michael doing with female so called friends?

And most importantly, why hadn’t she never heard of this woman before?

“Relax, tigress. There’s honestly no need for you to be all jealous,” he playfully caressed her chin.

“She’s not my type,” he stated with a shrug before rectifying his statement.

“And neither am I hers.”

What was he talking about? She silently asked herself.

Because she believed that Michael was every woman’s type.

In fact, she even believed that even those who have a certain type of man set in stone as ideal in their minds.

Would sing a different tune after meeting or even getting to know her man.

“What do you mean?”

She hated how jealous and super territorial she sounded, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

Or let alone see their entire day peacefully without being grumpy, if she didn’t get answers right there and then.

“I mean, she’s into women baby.” Michael informed.

“In fact, she has a whole wife.”

“Oh!”

Everly blushed, as she thought about her most recent jealous wife act.

“I’m sorry for, you know –“ she began to say.

But Michael slammed his firm lips against hers, in a kiss that she hadn’t seen coming.

One that was slow, long, deep and intentional.

That left them both gasping for air, after.

“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her.

“I know I would have behaved the exact same way, if not crazier.”

Hearing him saying that, made her instantly feel better.

“I love you,” she softly said to him.

Totally smitten.

“And I love you,” he leaned a bit closer, in order for him to place another kiss on her cheek.

Now that their little misunderstanding was resolved, they resumed their bathing.

“And you can totally call the friend of yours,” she said.

The idea of a house that would totally be theirs together, suddenly excited her beyond words.

“Her name is Diane,” Michael stated with a chuckle.

“And yes ma’am, I’ll make the call.”

The house that they left behind in Seattle had originally been Michael’s bachelor pad.

Before he asked her to let go of her own house, and move in with him.

That’s why the idea of building a home from scratch together, transported her straight to cloud nine.

“Thank you,” she earnestly said.

“It is my pleasure,” he kissed her hairline as he stood and handed her a towel to wrap around herself.

Their honeymoon was coming to an end later that day.

Little did they know that so was the phase, that had come along with it.