Chapter Forty Seven

Trinity

A few days later, I was finally discharged from the hospital. But I still had to go back regularly for tests and brain recognition testing so the doctors could keep an eye on my progress.

I was sitting in Stephen's car, staring at a house we had just pulled up to.

Trinity - Is this... our home?

Stephen - Yes, baby.

Trinity - It's nice.

Stephen - We both fell in love with it the moment we saw it. We knew it was the home we wanted to raise our family in. But of course, I would have gone with anything you suggested. Real estate is your thing, baby.

I smiled at him as he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. I took off my seat belt and was about to open my door when Stephen beat me to it. He stretched his hand out to me and I took it as he helped me out of the car.

Trinity - I feel like I should remember something, anything.

Stephen - You will, baby.

Trinity - Can I ask you something?

Stephen - Anything.

Trinity - Do I upset you?

Stephen stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face me.

Stephen - What? Baby, why would you upset me?

I couldn't stop the tears that welled up in my eyes as I looked at this man.

Stephen - Trinity, please talk to me. You're worrying me now.

Trinity - Don't I hurt you every time you have to explain our lives together, all of which I can't remember?

Stephen - No! Because I choose to see the bright side, baby. You didn't forget us completely, and we are still right here together. Each day, I'm going to show you over and over what we have here—the love, the happiness, the family, each other. I would do it day in and day out just to know that I still have you here with me.

I started sobbing.

Trinity - How can you be so patient and considerate with me when I know you must be hurting too?

Stephen - Because I love you. There's no other answer to it. Come on, baby, let's go inside and I'll make you a cup of tea. You need to rest. It's been such a long few days and I want to take care of you and make sure you're rested.

Trinity - I'm scared, Stephen... to go in there. What if I don't remember anything about it?

Stephen - Then while we wait, we create new memories.

Stephen came over and scooped me up in his arms as I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

Trinity - What are you doing?

Stephen - Carrying my wife and baby inside our home so I can hold her and reassure her she has nothing to worry about.

I wrapped my arms around Stephen's neck as he carried me up our porch before setting me down to unlock the door. He opened the door and held it open for me as I stepped in and took everything in.

I looked up the large white staircase in front of me, taking in the pictures that hung up the wall of the staircase. I walked over to them, looking at them. Each one a special memory of our lives together. I ran my hand down a photo of Stephen and I in Jamaica and I smiled—this was one memory I did remember. I felt him come up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist, stroking my stomach gently, reminding me again that I was carrying his child.

Stephen - That was a good day, wasn't it?

Trinity - One of the best.

Stephen - What was your favorite part?

Trinity - You mean apart from being there with you?

I turned my head slightly to look at him and he smiled at me, kissing me gently on the temple.

Stephen - Don't think that wasn't my favorite part too, being there with you.

Trinity - It was that night. Remember, you took me to meet some people you knew and we went to that authentic Jamaican restaurant they owned.

Stephen - And it was the first time you had tried dumplings.

Trinity - It won't be the last.

Stephen - They have become quite the regular.

Trinity - Really?

He nodded at me, smiling.

Trinity - Afterwards, you pulled me up and we went for a walk down along the beach. We were standing and holding each other when you turned me to you and we danced for hours on that sand, to our own melody, the moon above us.

Stephen - You had your head resting on my chest and I swear still to this day you must have been able to hear my heart racing.

Trinity - Have we been on other vacations?

Stephen - We have.

Trinity - Tell me about them.

He took my hand and led me up another two stairs before pulling me back into him, holding me tight, making me feel safe.

Stephen - These ones here were taken on our honeymoon.

Trinity - Where did we go?

Stephen - Thailand.

Trinity - Oh my god! I have always wanted to go there.

Stephen - I know, baby, we have spoken about it. You wanted to see the elephants. How could I refuse my wife anything? So we spent our honeymoon in Thailand for three weeks.

Trinity - Tell me about these photos, what did we do?

Stephen - Well, this one here you took. In our first week there we stayed on Koh Samui. We went for an elephant ride through the forest and river and I was coming across the river behind you and you took it. You didn't show me until the end of the ride. You wanted it printed because you said it was always one of your favorite pictures.

Trinity - I can see why I loved it so much.

He squeezed my waist gently.

Stephen - After the ride, we went for a hike up to the waterfall which is when you took this picture before I dived in off the rock ledge and I took this picture of you. It was in that moment I realized just what a goddess my wife was.

I ran my hand gently over the photo he was describing as Stephen took my hand in his and touched it also, wrapping me delicately in his body as we both touched the photo. He then dragged my hand over to another photo of me in what looks like an alley street wearing a little black dress looking back over my shoulder smiling at him.

He ran our fingers down the length of the photo and I felt myself shiver at the closeness and intimacy between us right now. Even without my memory of our lives together, I could still feel the chemistry I had with this man and the longing in my soul to be as one with him.

Stephen - I took this one on the first night we were there. We went out to get some dinner then on the way home we saw some fireworks off the ocean and sat and watched them. We were walking back from there and you just looked so bright-eyed and excited I had to take a photo to remember that moment.

Trinity - And this one, is that us?

Stephen - It is, baby. When we arrived they took this photo of us coming in our boat and printed it for us as a keepsake. When we got back from dinner and the fireworks on that first night, we found it under our door with a congratulations note from the staff.

Trinity - And then what did we do that night?

I felt Stephen suck in a breath and his hand shake slightly in mine.

Stephen - We hit the sack, baby. We were beat after that long flight. The jet lag was a real beast. Neither of us took long to drift off.

Trinity - Oh.

That makes sense, I guess. I climb a few more steps and spot photos from another vacation.

Trinity - Where are these from?

Stephen - Barcelona, baby.

Trinity - When did we go there?

Stephen - For our second wedding anniversary. Clint and Mia watched the kids for us so we could have a little us time.

Trinity - And did we? You know . . . never mind, sorry.

Stephen - You never have to apologize for wanting to know about our life together. I’ve loved every second of it and I’ll never get tired of talking about these memories or moments, okay?

I nod at him and wipe away a tear that’s slipped down my cheek. I step onto the landing and see a wall filled with more photos. I head over to take a closer look.

Trinity - Is this our wedding day?

Stephen - Yes.

I gently trace my fingers over the photo and carefully lift it off the wall for a closer look.

Trinity - How long ago?

Stephen - Four years this past January.

Trinity - Where did we get married?

Stephen - At Aquaviva Winery. You did an incredible job, baby. The place was stunning. You were stunning. The first tear I ever shed out of pure love was that day, the moment I saw Luke walking you down the aisle to me.

I turn back to Stephen, still holding the photo.

Trinity - What song did we dance to?

Stephen - Hold on.

He takes the photo from me and carefully sets it on a chair in the corner of the room. He pulls out his phone, sets it on the table, and comes back over to me, taking my hand.

Stephen - May I have this dance?

Trinity - Here?

As I say that, I hear music start playing from Stephen’s phone.

Stephen - You asked what song. I thought I’d show you instead. So, will you dance with me?

I smile and nod at him as I take his hand. He pulls me into him as the lyrics start. Stephen leans down to my ear and starts softly singing to me. The emotions well up inside me, spilling out through my eyes.

Stephen - Every time our eyes meet, this feeling inside me, is almost more than I can take. Baby when you touch me, I can feel how much you love me, and it just blows me away. I've never been this close to anyone or anything, I can hear your thoughts, I can see your dreams. I don't know how you do what you do, I'm so in love with you, it just keeps getting better. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side, forever and ever. Every little thing that you do, baby I'm amazed by you.

Stephen and I hold each other tight as we finish dancing to the song. As he steps back, he kisses me softly on the cheek.

Stephen - Thank you.

Trinity - No, thank you. It was beautiful.

Stephen - No, ~you~ are beautiful.

I continue to hold his hand and wipe my eyes again as I turn back to look at the wall. He holds me again.

Trinity - This is Olivia and Nathaniel.

Stephen - Yes, it was the day you gave birth to them. The four of us were on your hospital bed, for the first time as a family. They were laying on the blanket in front of us, and neither of us could tear our eyes away from what we had created. We were both in awe of them.

Trinity - And this is Jayden.

Stephen - Yes, you had a much easier birth with our youngest. Not to say that you weren't incredible throughout both pregnancies. I am still in awe of you carrying our children. And our little one here too.

He runs his hands over my stomach as I look down and place my hands over the top of his. He rests his head on my shoulder.

Trinity - Stephen?

Stephen - Yes, baby?

Trinity - I want to see our bedroom.

He lifts his head slightly, looking at me questioningly.

Stephen - Are you sure? We have all the time in the world, baby.

Trinity - I . . . I just, after this, I’m feeling really emotional right now. I need to see us, our space, where we get to be together, just the two of us. I don’t know if that makes sense. It’s hard to...

Stephen - I understand, Trinity.

He takes my hand and leads me down the hallway to two white double doors at the end of the hall.