The sun beams creep through the blinds on my window, stinging my eyelids I pull the blanket over my face. I turn over to reach for Adam, to find I'm alone in bed. Usually he wakes me up, I suppose I was in too much of a deep sleep to wake. Moments after I hear footsteps downstairs, and the aroma of fresh coffee.
He must have wanted to make a start on the house.
I groan sitting up, I could use another hour, but I can't leave Adam unpacking alone, I'd never hear the end of it.
I reach out, taking my phone from the bedside table, with a text from Sophie asking if I decided to come home in the middle of the night.
Laughing to myself I text back:
Sorry, still in Scotland.
I focus my attention on the time.
'It's ten! Crap!' I throw the blanket off me and jump out of bed. Grabbing my dressing down I make my way downstairs, still unsure of where everything is.
I follow the smell of coffee, which takes me to the kitchen. Adam is standing on the other side of the counter, shirtless, abs out and sipping his coffee while reading a newspaper. I didn't think people still read the paper, not when everything is literally at your fingertips on your phone. How times have changed.
'Morning, Adam' I place a kiss on his cheek, giving him a little squeeze.
'So, you're finally awake.' He puts his arm around my back, kissing my forehead. 'I did try to wake you earlier.'
'Must have been dreaming.' I smile. 'I don't remember the last time I slept in till 10.'
'Well don't make a habit of it.' He puts a hot cup of coffee in my hands, I jump, grabbing the handle, the lingering sting pulses through my hand. 'We have a lot of work to do, with the house, and Thomas wants to see us next week.'
'The house seems in pretty good condition.' I take look around, before we bought the house it was completely renovated. The kitchen is black and white marble, an island in the centre with six stools around the counter. The size consumes us, it's not homely with just the two of us, but I know Adam wanted flashy, and I wasn't going to deny him that.
'I think we can keep the kitchen and living room the way they are, however I think the bedroom could do with more work.'
'I agree.' I then notice the collapsed boxes on the floor, I look around to see the plates and cups have been placed neatly in the cupboards. 'You started unpacking.'
'I was awake, and it needed to be done.' He sips his coffee, not breaking eye contact with me. 'I want to spend the rest of the day unpacking. Tomorrow we will go into town and get to know the place, maybe get a few things for the bedroom.' I nod, it'll be a good time to visit the shop and Shauna.
'I can start in the living room.' Splitting up and covering more of the house seems the best idea, I'll be out of his way and he'll be out of mine.
'Okay, get a move on.' Spanking my ass he forces me out of the kitchen, laugh giving him a wink before heading upstairs to the bathroom. Also been newly renovated which the most incredible power shower. Nothing like my old one back home, which only had hot water for all of ten minutes before giving you hypothermia.
*
After a quick shower, and getting dressed in Adam's old clothes I make a start. I rummage around the unlabelled boxes. Adam asked me to do that before I left, but Sophie came by with wine, and well, wine has power over us all.
All I can hear are my mother's words.
'Oh you did something stupid and now you're paying the price for it. Life's a bitch.'
Her tone would still be cheery, and she'd stand there and laugh at you while beads of sweat would pour down your face. A situation I'd been in more than I like to admit. My mother would say it's because I was more of a girl in the moment and would worry about things later, however Adam thinks it's because I'm blonde.
Do I think that's right?
No. It's insulting.
After another ten minutes of rummaging, I finally find the living room boxes. I set up the coffee table first, a task which Adam wanted, but a woman can be handy with a toolbox too.
Once that's done, I pull it to the front of the sofa and line it up perfectly.
Then the coasters, god forbid you get rings on the table.
After the table is set up I make a start on everything else, cushions for the sofa, statues, flowers in vases, and my favourite part, the photos.
I look around for the box with the photos, eventually finding them in the bathroom. I swap them for the box of towels chilling by the fireplace. Adam trades the box, biting his lip, stopping the corners of his mouth still curving no matter how hard he tries to keep a straight face.
'Didn't I tell you to label them?'
'You might have.' Before he can scold me I hurry off to finish unpacking.
After battling with the tape, I open it to see all the photos intact and ready to be put on display. I pick up the top on and take off the bubble wrap, popping each little bubble as I go. So, so satisfying.
I take out the photo to see it's our wedding picture, taken a few seconds after we said our vows. I remember it being a somewhat sad day, I walked down the aisle alone, I had no family, the only people from my side were Sophie and Shay with their families. No one that day looked at me with envy, instead they showed sorrow.
Adam didn't let go of me the whole time, he was scared I'd buckle or run. He knew the pain I was in. Yet I felt love, love from the man who saw me through the last few years. I knew I was entering a family who loved me, who had high hopes for me.
Mary, Adam's mother, became my rock, a shoulder to cry on, the woman I could turn to, and the woman who personally nursed me back to health when I couldn't do it alone. She sat in the front row, tears streaming down her face, but she was glowing that day. Once we were officially married, she cheered the loudest, threw confetti all over me, and embraced me for the best part of thirty minutes. She kept reminding me my mother was there, she would always be with me the days I most wanted or needed her.
And that day, I spent wishing she could've seen it. It was everything we talked about, and more.