6
CHAPTER 6
Kimberly couldn’t help but laugh at Ian who was repeatedly grumbling about the welcome party his mom mentioned earlier, his annoyance almost childlike despite how serious he sounded.
“Babe, please finish your meal,” she said, stifling a laugh as she watched him poke at his food with irritation.
“You don’t understand, I told her that a party wasn’t necessary since I’ll be leaving soon,” he replied with a frown, clearly frustrated.
“It’s okay, babe.” She tried to calm him, her tone gentle.
“It’s not okay! She never listens to me!” He yelled, his voice suddenly rising and sharp, making Kimberly flinch instinctively.
Ian noticed her reaction almost immediately and felt bad for frightening her with his unnecessary anger, regret washing over his face just as quickly as the anger had appeared.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He apologized, reaching for her hand and taking it in his, placing light, lingering kisses on her knuckles as if to reassure her.
“I understand,” she quietly replied, though her appetite had suddenly vanished. She stabbed at her food with her fork absentmindedly, her earlier mood fading.
“Would you at least finish your meal?” She murmured, glancing at Ian who still had that upset look lingering on his face.
“Alright,” he replied after a brief pause and resumed eating, though more slowly this time.
After lunch, Kimberly did the dishes while Ian stayed in the living room watching a movie. The sound of the running water filled the kitchen, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She couldn’t help but think back at Ian’s outburst. He scares her whenever he gets angry and that tends to happen pretty often. His anger was always triggered by little things, which makes her wonder if that was a military thing, but she decided not to dwell too much on it so she doesn’t ruin their time together, pushing the thoughts aside for now.
When she was done with the dishes, she dried her hands and joined Ian in the living room, quietly settling beside him and cuddling up against him on the couch. He instinctively wrapped an arm around her and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head before whispering,
“I’m sorry.”
She smiled at this simple gesture, her insides fluttering from his touch despite everything. They stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s warmth while the movie played in the background, neither of them paying much attention to it before they eventually drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.
Kimberly was woken up the next morning by her ringing phone. She blinked sleepily, looking around her surroundings and realizing that she was now in the bedroom. How did she end up here? The last thing she remembered was being in the living room with Ian, watching a movie.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing again, louder this time, and then she felt a slight movement on the bed. She turned her head and realized that Ian was still asleep and would wake up any minute if she didn’t pick up her call. The alarm suddenly went off, shrill and abrupt, causing her to flinch.
“Just great!” She exclaimed under her breath, quickly turning the alarm off so Ian wouldn’t wake up.
Just to be sure, she stole a glance at her fiancé. Thankfully, he was still asleep, though she knew it wouldn’t be for long. Letting out a soft yawn, she wiped the remaining sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand before reaching for her phone and quietly getting out of bed.
The moment she saw the caller ID, a wave of guilt instantly flooded her as she saw her dad’s name on the screen.
“How stupid of you, Kim!” She muttered, mentally face-palming as she hurried out of the bedroom.
“Hello? Dad, I’m so sorry, I should’ve called last night. Please forgive me. God, I feel so awful right now!” She apologized in a hushed, rushed tone as she made her way into the living room.
Her dad only chuckled warmly at her rambling, clearly not bothered.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I only called to check on you,” he assured her gently.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m so excited, Dad. Ian is back, I still can’t believe it!” She whisper-yelled, her excitement bubbling over as she settled into one of the armchairs.
“Hey, don’t get too excited. You know he’ll be leaving again pretty soon.”
“I know, Dad… and I hate it.” She couldn’t hide the sadness in her voice this time.
“Don’t think about that yet. Just enjoy the moment.”
“I’m trying, Dad.”
“Please do… So, how are you coping with having to be at the hospital and later be with Ian?” Her dad asked, concern evident in his voice. He knew Kimberly well enough to worry about how she handled pressure. She wasn’t good at handling work and pleasure at the same time, especially when there’s a time limit.
“I asked for a leave of absence and got lucky because the director approved it,” she explained, a small smile forming as she remembered the moment.
Just then, she noticed Ian dragging his feet downstairs, still looking half-asleep.
Gosh, this guy needs to learn how to put on a t-shirt! She thought to herself, her gaze lingering a little too long on his shirtless torso.
“You’re lucky this would be the last time he’d be going back to sea,” her dad said, pulling her attention back to the call.
“Fortunately, yes… But I can’t help but feel like shit whenever he’s gone.”
“I know, honey, but you have me.”
“I love you, Dad,” she said softly with a smile, now sitting comfortably on Ian’s lap as he absentmindedly played with her hair.
“Dad?”
“Yes, honey.”
“Ian would like to say hi.”
“Alright, honey. Give him the phone.”
“Hello, Sir,” Ian began after taking the phone from her.
“How long do I have to tell you to call me Ben?” Mr. Wright said with a light chuckle.
“I’m sorry, I’m so used to being formal with my dad and superiors… and I consider you as one of them. I can’t help it,” he explained, earning a laugh from Ben.
“I’m flattered to hear that, son, but just call me Ben.”
“My bad. So how are you doing, Ben?” Ian corrected easily this time.
“I’m fine. It’s a good thing you’re back, Kim will be a little relaxed now. She had been worried sick about you,” Ben said, amusement lacing his tone.
Ian let out a soft laugh. “I’m happy to be back as well… How is work going?”
“It’s going great. I’ll be traveling next week for a lecture.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“It sure is… I better leave you two now to catch up because you both need that… I hope you have fun.” Ben teased lightly at the last part.
“I’ll make sure to do that,” Ian replied, tightening his arm around Kimberly’s waist, making her gasp softly in surprise.
“Have a nice day, Ben.”
“You too, son.” And with that, the line went dead.
“You didn’t let me say goodbye to my dad,” Kimberly said with a pout, playfully punching Ian’s arm.
“He asked me to take good care of you,” Ian told her with a smirk.
“I’m sure he did. That’s typical of my dad.” She rolled her eyes lightly, clearly not surprised.
Ian leaned closer, his breath fanning against her neck as he nuzzled into her skin, sending a shiver down her spine and making the tiny hairs at the back of her neck stand.
“You didn’t get my message,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear before lightly nibbling it.
“He wants us to have fun,” he added in a low, teasing tone.
“He did not!” She gasped, her eyes widening.
“You’re just being naughty!” she giggled as Ian’s hand slid over her stomach, making her squirm slightly from the ticklish sensation.
“Well… you can’t blame me for that now, can you?” he murmured, still lost in her neck.
“Sometimes I wonder how you even joined the military,” she teased lightly.
“Be careful what you wish for… you don’t want to see that side of me.” His tone shifted, darker now, sending a strange mix of fear and excitement through her.
“Show me.” She blurted out before she could stop herself, the words leaving her lips almost impulsively.
Ian went still for a brief moment, clearly not expecting that response.
Kimberly’s eyes widened slightly as realization hit her.
How did that end up coming out of your mouth, Kim? She wondered, her heart racing—but deep down, she knew she meant it. She wanted to know every part of the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with.
“You asked for it,” Ian finally said, his voice low and unreadable as he picked her up effortlessly and carried her bridal style toward their bedroom.
