#richonnefirsts

They were lucky to have stumbled upon the place where food and drink was in abundance. The beer washed the food down Rick’s throat; it was by no means chilled, nor was it fresh, but there in the moment with Michonne, things were just better. The food was better; the makeshift furniture was better; everything was better.

Rick placed the bottle down and continued to eat. His gaze found her once more, over the improvised table, as she enjoyed their meal. Her pretty features bathed in the warm glow of the candle’s light. And the whole scene was so soft. So goddamn soft that Rick wanted to cry because he knew it was not going to last. He knew that soon, they would have to pack up what they had found, and return to the Safe-Zone; back to their lives. Oh, how he wished that this could be their lives: Romantic candlelit dinners with the woman he loved. And boy did he love his Michonne.

“This feels like date night,” he said, causing her to look up from her ready-to-eat meal.

“Yeah,” she replied. “It does.”

“If things were different, I could take you out on dates all the time,” Rick mused, somewhat pensively.

Michonne sighed happily and then smiled.

“That’d be nice,” she proffered. “What would we do?”

“More dinners like this, but better,” he said. “Dinners where I could pull the chair out for you.”

“Hey, you set the pillows down here for me,” Michonne reminded him. “That’s good enough.”

Rick smiled at her.

“We’d go out dancin’, too,” he said.

Michonne tilted her head to the side and gave him a questioning look, before saying, “I didn’t take you for the dancing type.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m an excellent dancer,” he said.

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” said Rick with mirth in his eyes.

“Well, what’re we waiting for?” asked Michonne, as she placed her meal down and got to her feet.

“You wanna dance now?” asked Rick, with a raised eyebrow.

“Sure.”

“We ain’t got any music,” he replied.

“Just hum something to me,” Michonne suggested. “Like you do to get Judith to sleep.”

“Alright, then,” said Rick as he smiled up at her, and shifted to stand.

He’d noticed the woman, Michonne, the moment she’d entered the small downtown café four months ago. The way she lingered over the menu and peppered the baristas with questions about the offerings signaled her newcomer status.  

New faces typically stood out among the café’s regular patrons, of which Rick was one. But Rick had no doubt Michonne stood out wherever she went. She was beautiful, yes, but there was a quiet confidence and assuredness about her that drew everyone’s attention and interest...Rick was no exception. But while the curiosity of the other regular patrons faded as Michonne became a regular herself, Rick’s interest only continued to grow. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was just something about Michonne that made him look forward to his time at the café in a way he hadn’t before.  

Rick was convinced the interest was one-sided, but an incident two months ago had him questioning that belief.  Rick had been taking a bite of his breakfast bagel when he felt eyes on him. When he looked up, he spotted Michonne in her seat looking his way. She waved in his direction with the beginnings of a smile on her face. Shocked and pleased, Rick was about to offer Michonne a smile in return. However, he looked around and behind him first just in case she’d been waving at something one else. He didn’t need that type of humiliation. Seeing no one else nearby, Rick had turned back towards Michonne, but it was too late. Michonne was engrossed in her book and stayed that way, not even sparing Rick so much as a glance when he got up to leave.

While Michonne warmed up and conversed more and more with the other regular patrons and the baristas in the weeks that followed, Rick was not part of her growing circle of café friends. Rick had mentally kicked himself over that. Every so often he’d get that same feeling of eyes on him, but whenever he looked in Michonne’s direction, her eyes would be glued to whatever book or magazine she’d brought only pausing to take a sip of her tea or a bite of her croissant.

And try as he might, Rick could never catch Michonne’s eyes again...until today.

I caught her eyes and a smile. It was quick, but a smile nonetheless.

The smile Rick had been trying to contain earlier, bloomed, unbidden, on his face. So lost was he in thought, that Rick failed to notice Michonne looking at him in a way that would have left him without any doubt that the interest was mutual.  

Three weeks later...

Rick trudged into the café hoping to decompress in the shop’s normally calm and serene atmosphere after a trying overnight shift on patrol. What he found instead was a madhouse. The small café was packed to the brim with very talkative customers.

Rick almost turned around and went straight home, but something made him get at the end of the long line of patrons waiting to place their orders. A few minutes into his wait, Rick heard his name called and looked up to see barista Ryan motioning him to the front of the line, his regular order ready. Rick sheepishly moved past the other customers who threw exasperated looks his way.

“It was a call-in order,” Ryan offered in explanation to the crowd. It was a ball-faced lie that was gratefully and handsomely rewarded by Rick at the tip jar.

Rick was about to head for the exit when he saw Michonne in a booth waving him over. Not about to repeat his mistake from two months ago, Rick bounded over to Michonne.

“Hi. Um...space is really limited today. Even my window seat was taken when I got here. I guess the foot traffic from the street festival spilled over here.”

“Yeah, it sure looks like it.” Rick agreed.

“Well, if you’re looking for a place to sit, we can share this booth. Only if you want to, of course. You might have been on your way out—”

“No!”

Michonne looked taken aback and Rick rushed to clarify.

“No, I don’t mean no to you! Sorry! It’s been a long day already and it’s not even noon. My mouth and my brain aren’t working as a team at the moment.” Rick slid into the booth. “What I meant to say was that I’d love to share the booth with you. Thank you for the kind offer.”

“You’re welcome.” Michonne offered Rick a quick smile.

Suddenly nervous now that he was sitting across from Michonne, Rick cleared his throat and searched for something to say. “Oh, my name!”

“What?”

“I didn’t introduce myself. My name is—”

“Rick...half caf and steak, egg, and cheese bagel sandwich.”

Rick nodded and laughed, inordinately pleased that Michonne hadn’t been as oblivious to him as he thought.

“And you’re Michonne...chai tea and chocolate croissant.”

Michonne smiled fully and Rick was sure he forgot how to breathe for a second.  

Now that smile was worth waiting for.

Rick held out a hand which Michonne readily shook. Their nervousness evaporated upon that first touch.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Michonne.”

“It’s pleasure to meet you, too, Rick.”

The booth became an oasis of calm in the bustling café, as Rick and Michonne blocked out everything around them and got to know each other.  

***

First Date

“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?”

“But what if I’m dressed all wrong for whatever you’ve planned?”

Rick glanced over at Michonne. “Impossible. Everything always looks just right on you.”

Knowing him as she now does, Michonne knew Rick truly meant what he said and it wasn’t some line he was feeding her.

If he keeps this up, I’m going to fall hard...fast.

While Rick and Michonne had grown into close friends over the past three months, Michonne had been hoping they’d grow into something more. She thought Rick had felt the same romantic spark and connection from their introduction, but as the weeks turned into months, Michonne assumed she’d read the signals wrong and friendship was all he wanted. So, she was a bit caught off guard but happy when Rick finally asked her out last week as they were leaving the café.

Twenty minutes later, the couple arrived at the local art museum. Michonne gasped when she realized where they were headed for the night.

“You got us tickets to the History of Fashion in Art exhibit? Rick, this is perfect! I was planning to buy a ticket for myself. What made you think of this?”

Rick blushed at Michonne’s praise. “Well, before you were always reading books and magazines about history, art, and fashion at the café. I figured this event combined three things you seem to love.”

“Before” was before Rick and Michonne started spending time together at the café. Now, whenever they were at the café together, they were too engrossed in each other and their conversation to focus on other distractions.

“You’ve set the bar high for our first date, Rick. I’m going to have bring my ‘A’ game when I plan our next one.”

“So, there’s going to be a second date?” Rick asked hopefully.

“Of course. I knew there was going to be a second one when I said yes to this first one.”

Michonne clasped one of Rick’s hands in her own and led the smiling man up the steps and into the museum.

***

First Kiss

“Hold up. You mean to tell me you really didn’t kiss her on the first date?”

Rick rolled his eyes. “No, we didn’t kiss. How many times do you want me to repeat it, Shane?”

“Until you can make it make sense. Cause right now, I’m not understandin’ it. Didn’t you have a good time on your date?”

“I had a great time.”

“And she had a great time?”

“Yeah.” Rick smiled. “I really think she did.”

“Then why the hell didn’t y’all kiss?”

“It wasn’t the right time.”

“Wasn’t the right time?” Shane asked, incredulous. “Did her lips fall off?”

“No.”

“Did your lips fall off?”

Rick sighed, exasperated. “No, Shane.”

“Then I’m still not understanding how it wasn’t the right time. How did y’all end the date if you didn’t kiss?”

“With a hug.”

“A HUG!? A hug?!”

“Do you need a hug, Shane? You seem really agitated right now,” Rick said dryly.

“I don’t understand why you aren’t agitated. Your ass just got friend-zoned and you’re up here talking about the date smiling all big and shit like you just won the lottery.”

“I didn’t get friend-zoned. We’re going out on another date.”

“When?”

“We haven’t decided yet. Our first date was just last night.”

“Mhhhmm. And the fact that you are talking about it with me this morning instead of having some pillow talk with your date tells me your date was a flop.”

“The fact that I’m talking to you about it this morning tells me I should have waited for Glenn to get off the phone with Maggie so I could have this conversation with him.”

“You wound me brother.”

“Look, Shane, it took me three months to build up the courage to even ask Michonne out, I’m not gonna risk messing things up by making the wrong move or moving too fast. I want Michonne to be comfortable. I really like her.”

“Did you ask Michonne what she wanted?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you ask her if she wanted a kiss goodnight?”

“No.”

“How else are you gonna know if you don’t ask?”

“That seems a bit forward. Besides, what if she’d said ‘no’?”

“Rick, from all you’ve told me about last night and everything with y’all before that, she wasn’t gonna say ‘no’, all she was gonna say was “lay it on me, daddy.”

“Michonne doesn’t talk like that.”

“Well she should cause that shit’s sexy as hell. There was this one chick I was seein’ that liked to call me ‘The Punisher’. You want to know why?”

“Absolutely not,” Rick answered.

“Your loss. Anyway, what are you gonna do about Michonne? You obviously want to kiss her.”

“I do. I really do. But I already told you I’m not going to rush things.”

“Have you talked to Michonne since your date?”

“Yeah, I called her after I got home last night and we spoke this morning. We’re meeting at the café when I leave here.

“How did she sound when you talk to her?”

Rick smiled to himself. “She sounded happy.”

“Well, there you go, brother. She likes you. You like her. Go with that. Everything else will fall into place. Go at whatever pace works for y’all. But don’t wait too long to kiss her,” Shane warned. “You don’t want her to think you’re not interested or that you don’t find her desirable.”

Rick looked at Shane in surprise at his about-face and his logical advice.

“Hey, man. Imma livin the thot life by choice at the moment, but I do know how to court a woman. My mama raised me right.”

Rick raised a brow.

“Just because I choose to ignore my home training doesn’t mean it don’t exist. I’m living my best life right now, okay? I’ll settle down when the time comes.”

“Take it from me, that time might come sooner than you think.”

“Wait, are you thinking Michonne’s ‘The One’?”

“I’m not saying that. It’s too soon for that, right? We’ve only really known each other a few months.  But...” Rick sighed. “I don’t know...there is just something about her...from the very first moment I laid eyes on her...”

Shane shook his head with a chuckle. “Your ass is gone, man. I call dibs on being your best man.”

“First of all, you’re getting ahead of yourself. Second of all, what about Glenn?”

“He can be your maid of honor.”

*****

“Did you want to kiss him?”

Michonne paused looking through her closet and faced her best friend. “Of course I wanted to kiss him, Andrea. I’ve wanted to kiss Rick for months now.”

“So why didn’t you just kiss him at the end of your date last night?”

“What would he have thought of me if I’d just hauled off and kissed him?”

“Well, if the opinion of your overly muscled ex is anything to go by, Rick would have thought you were a damn good kisser.”

Michonne rolled her eyes at the mention of her ex. “Please don’t bring Mike up. He’s taken up way too much of my time recently.”

“Is he still texting you?”

“Yes. He texted me last night before my date with Rick and again this morning. It’s like he can sense that I’m finally moving on. After six months of radio silence, now he’s sending messages saying he wants to meet for lunch and that he’s sorry and he’s changed.”

“Just block his number.”

“You really think I should? I was hoping he’d just take the hint when I didn’t respond.”

“You are giving this man too much credit and consideration. This is the same guy who left you behind to ‘find himself’ overseas and expected you to wait for him until he decided when or even if he was going to return to the States. And instead of just finding himself, he found himself with someone else and then sent you a “Dear Michonne” text and cut off all contact. Now that the fling is over and he’s back he wants things to go back to how they were as if he never left.” Andrea sucked her teeth. “Block his ass...and kiss Rick’s.”

Andrea laughed at Michonne’s shocked expression. “I didn’t mean Rick’s literal ass...unless that’s something y’all end up being into as a couple. There was this one guy I used to see that liked me to—”

“Do not finish that sentence, Andrea. It’s way too early in the morning.”

“Fine, I’ll tell you later. What you need to do now is block Mike’s number.”

“I will. But what I really need to do now is find something to wear. I don’t want to be late for Rick.” Michonne moved back to her closet.

“You saw the man less than twelve hours ago. And you see him at the coffee shop just about every day.”

“Yeah, but now we’ve had our first date with the promise of a second one. Things feel different now. I was always excited to see him even before we ever spoke to each other, but now, I literally cannot wait to get to the café and see him.”

“Again, I say, you saw the man less than twelve hours ago.”

“I know. Is that crazy?”

“Actually, no, I don’t think that’s crazy. I think that’s love.”

“Let’s not jump the gun, Andrea. It was one date.”

“One amazing date after months of anticipation on your part. I still remember the first time you told me about him. You’ve wanted that man from the word ‘go.’”

“I’m not having this conversation now.” Michonne held up revealed her final outfit selection to Andrea. “What do you think?”

Andrea let out a whistle. “I think that whole “no kiss” situation will be rectified before your chai tea gets cold.”

*****

Michonne adjusted her outfit one last time before she entered the café. She spotted Rick seated at their regular booth. He looked up as Michonne approached.

“Hey you.” Rick slid out of the booth and gathered Michonne in a hug. “How are you?”

“I’m good...great actually.” Michonne answered as they sat down. “How are you?”

“Never better.”

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“No, not at all.”

“Good, we can go place our order now.”

“Actually---”

“Rick and Michonne...order for two!”

“I already took care of it,” Rick finished. “Be right back.”

Rick returned with a tray laden with both their regular orders.

“Thank you, Rick. That was so thoughtful.”

“It was nothing, really.”

Michonne bit into her croissant and closed her eyes and moaned slightly at the intermix of buttery croissant and bittersweet chocolate.

This never disappoints.

Michonne opened her eyes to find Rick watching her closely. She held her croissant out to him.

“You want to try it?”

Your lips...yeah? But the croissant will do for now. “Yes, thank you.”

Rick leaned forward and let Michonne feed him a bite of croissant. His lips grazed her fingers as he pulled away.

Michonne swallowed hard at the contact. Now if only my lips were so lucky. “Do you like it?”

Rick licked his lips, savoring the flavor. The taste of your fingers...absolutely. “Delicious.”

The byplay wasn’t lost on either of them. Try as they might to focus on the conversation at hand, both Rick and Michonne were distracted with thoughts of what did and didn’t happen between them the night before. Unconsciously, the eyes of one would stray down to the mouth of the other as they talked.

“Rick, I just wanted to tell you again how much fun I had last night.”

“I did, too. I really enjoyed the exhibit. Who knew I had a passion for fashion?” Rick joked. “But I enjoyed your company most of all.”

Michonne smiled sweetly. “It was nice spending time with you, too.”

“I’m looking forward to our next date.”

“Me, too. When did you want to go?”

Tonight! Dang, play it cool, Rick. “Uh, what’s a good time for you?”

Tonight! Girl, don’t be overeager! “If you’re not working, maybe we can try something on Wednesday.”

“Wednesday it is.” Rick looked at his watch and grimaced. “I really hate to do this, but I have to go. My shift starts soon.”

Michonne tried to temper her disappointment. “Oh...okay.”

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

Michonne turned her cell over when she noticed a new message pop up. “I’ll probably just go home for a bit and then meet up with some girlfriends.”

“Can I stop by to see you on my way home tonight? I promise it won’t be too late.”

Rick had gotten into the habit of calling Michonne on his way home from work. She liked hearing his voice and knowing he’d made it safely through his shift. He liked hearing about her day or, if he was on the night shift and coming home early in the morning, he loved talking to her as she got ready for the day. Her voice soothed him in a way nothing or no one else could.

“Yeah, I’d like that. Now, you’d better get going so you aren’t late. Have a good day and be safe.”

“I will. You have a good day, too. See you tonight.” Rick lingered for a moment longer before reluctantly getting up and moving to the café’s exit. He was nearly to the door when he stopped and walked back to Michonne.

“Michonne, if I don’t ask you this, it’s going to weigh on me all day.”

“What is it, Rick?”

“May I kiss you? I wanted to last night but I didn’t want to seem too forward. If you aren’t ready for that, it’s okay. I’ll wai—”

Rick fell back slightly as Michonne’s body suddenly landed against him and her lips covered his. He quickly recovered and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer.

“I guess you were open to the idea?” Rick joked softly once the kiss ended.

Michonne smiled shyly. “Maybe just a little.”

“I really hate that I have to go now. But I’ll see you tonight.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Rick glanced at Michonne’s lips before meeting her eyes once again. “One more for the road?”

Michonne nodded as Rick quickly closed the distance between them.

“What?! No! Mike and I were over long before you and I ever even met.”

“Who ended things? You or him?”

“He moved overseas and was gone for six months. Then he met someone new and—”

“So he ended it,” Rick interrupted.

“No, being gone six months weakened an already floundering relationship. Him meeting someone just sped up the inevitable.”

“Okay, if he found someone new and you’ve been over for months, why is he texting you now?”

He should be a detective with all of these questions. “Mike came back home and he wanted to meet and talk.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know, Rick,” Michonne huffed. “Why don’t you text him back and see?”

“Why are you getting an attitude with me?  I’m not the one texting an ex behind your back.”

“I’m not texting him behind your back!”

“How am I supposed to know that? I wouldn’t have even known he was texting you if I hadn’t asked me to grab your tablet.”

“Rick, you have the password to my tablet, just like I have the password to yours. If I was trying to keep this such a big secret, I wouldn’t have given you access to a device that’s linked to my phone and receives all of my messages!”

“First of all, you know I wouldn’t invade your privacy and go into your messages. Second, why didn’t you just tell me he was texting you?”

“This...” Michonne motioned between her and Rick “This right here is why I didn’t tell you. I knew it would cause problems where it really shouldn’t.”

“Well, that plan didn’t work out too well.” Rick started gathering his things.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going home.”

“Are you serious right now?! You’re overacting without even knowing the whole story.”

“Don’t do that Michonne! Don’t diminish what I’m feeling. What if the roles were reversed and I was texting my ex-fiancée behind your back?”

“Rick, that is not even remotely the same and you know that. I was never engaged to Mike.”

“How would I know that since this is the first I’m even hearing about Mike’s existence? I thought we didn’t keep secrets, Michonne.”

“We don’t.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me about Mike?”

“Because he’s in my past.”

“Is he? That text message says something different.”

Michonne shook her head as tears sprang to her eyes. “You are being really unfair right now. You’re building this whole scenario in your head without even letting my explain.”

“I just need to go get some air right now.”

“Are you coming back?” Michonne asked softly.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea tonight.” Rick bent down and placed a kiss on Michonne’s cheek. “I’m not angry with you. I’m just...”

“Just what?”

Afraid.  “Nothing. I’ll talk to you later.”

***

If Michonne didn’t tell me about this guy, then she must still have some kind of feelings for him. Or is Michonne right and I’m overreacting? I mean if she was really trying to hide something, she wouldn’t have given me such easy access to her phone and tablet. But, still, why is he still texting her? And why is he telling her that he misses her and wants to see her? How long have they been in contact?

Rick sighed as thoughts ran rampant in his head. It had been a couple of hours since he’d left Michonne’s and he hadn’t thought about much else. His thoughts were going in circles at this point; the same questions coming up again and again with no answers. “I should have stayed and talked it out with her instead of acting like a jealous ass.”

Rick’s phone suddenly dinged with a notification. He picked it up and saw a message from Michonne. He was actually afraid to open in, not knowing what he’d find.

“Whatever she says, I deserve it.” Taking a calming breath, Rick opened the text and found screenshots of text messages between Michonne and Mike. His heart racing, Rick began to read.

“Mike, after six months of no communication and nearly a year of miscommunication before that, I thought I would never hear from you again. Honestly, I was completely okay with that prospect. But I realized that by not answering, I was allowing you to assign your own meaning to my silence...allowing you take it to mean more than it really does. I’m answering you now because I don’t want there to be any confusion or misunderstanding about where we stand and how I feel about you. I’m not angry anymore. I’m not hurt anymore. I’ve moved on with my life.

These past six months have shown me I can live without you. I can be happy without you. I can be me without you. I am better without you. I needed the distance, the separation, and the silence to gain clarity and see what we both should have a long time ago...we don’t work as anything more than friends. We were amazing friends and that’s what we should have remained.  But because we had so much in common, we forced our connection beyond where it was meant to go and now we can never go back to what we were only meant to be...friends.

But this really isn’t about what you and I were, it’s about what me and someone else are becoming, what we could be. I’ve met an amazing man. We are so different in so many ways, but it works for us. I am happy with him. I can be myself with him. I am better with him. And, though he’s only been in my life a short while, I already can’t fathom not having him in it. This man and I are building something. It’s something honest and pure and fun and natural...something unforced.  I can’t wait to see where it goes. But I before I can move forward with him and the future we’re building, I have to leave you and our relationship in the past where it belongs. I can’t and won’t risk what could be with my guy over what was never going to be with you.

Just as I did when you moved on, please respect me and my relationship enough to stop trying to contact me.

I wish you well.  

Rick looked at the date and time the message was sent. It was morning after their first date.

She must have sent this after we met at the café that morning.

Rick began to read the text message after that. The one Mike sent today.

“Michonne, I miss you and I want to see you, but I understand why that can’t happen. I was hurt when I read your message. I couldn’t...or wouldn’t...accept what you were saying. I tried to explain it away as being anger, hurt, or revenge on your part. But now I know it was none of those things. It was simply the truth.

I saw you out one day last week. I was walking by this café downtown and I happened to look in and see you sitting at a booth. I took this as a sign that I should go in and talk to you and lay all my cards on the table. But then a man walked past me into the café and towards you. The expression on your face when you stood up to greet him left me devastated. I was devastated that you never looked at me like that during our entire relationship...with love shining in your eyes. I stood outside that café longer than I should, but I wanted to be sure your guy felt the same way (whether I wanted that assurance for you or myself, I don’t know).  When he sat across from you, I knew. He looked at you like you were his entire world. I am ashamed, but man enough, to admit that I know I never looked at you that way. But I am happy that you have the love you’ve always deserved.

I’m sorry for not following your request to not contact you. I do respect you and your relationship. And I am in full support of both. You deserve all the happiness in the world and it looks like you have found that.  

Michonne, I am truly sorry for hurting you. I hope that one day we can be friends again because I really do miss you as my friend.

Rick tossed his phone on the bed and closed his eyes. “I’m a fucking idiot.” His eyes popped open as he quickly sat up. “I gotta go see Michonne and apologize and hope she doesn’t slam the door in my face.”

***

Michonne let Rick into her apartment without a word.

The couple stared at each other, each gathering their thoughts and their courage before speaking.

“I’m sorry.” They said simultaneously.

“Michonne, you don’t have anything to be sorry for. I’m the one in the wrong here. I should have trusted you...trusted us.”

“I should have never given you a reason to doubt me or us. I should have told you about Mike and the messages.”

“You see how well I reacted when you did tell me. So maybe you made the right call.”

“No, I didn’t. We made a vow to tell each other everything and I didn’t do that.”

Rick sighed. “But I didn’t tell you everything either.”

“What didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t tell you why I was so upset. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t angry. I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Of losing you, of losing what we have.” Rick took Michonne’s hand and walked her over to sit on the couch.

“Michonne, these past six months with you have been the best of my life. They’ve almost felt too good to be true. Ever since our first date three months ago, I’ve been feeling like I’m in a dream. And every minute I’m afraid someone is going to wake me up and I’ll discover that none of this was real or you will suddenly realize you can do better and leave.”

“First of all, this is real, Rick. I’m real...we’re real. I’m in this and I don’t plan on going anywhere. Second, there is no one who is better for me than you.” Michonne caressed Rick’s face. “If this is going to work, you have to trust what we have.”

“I do trust what we have.  This was about me not trusting myself and being afraid of what I was feeling...how soon I was feeling it. But after reading what you wrote to Mike about us, I’m not afraid anymore. I trust us and what we have, Michonne. And I trust you. I trust you with my life. I trust you with my heart. And I trust you with my love. I love you, Michonne. I have for a while now.”

Michonne’s face immediately broke into a joyous smile. “I love you, too, Rick.”

Rick kissed Michonne slowly before pulling away with a rueful laugh. “I waited so long to tell you that because I was so scared of what you would say. I’ve told you ‘I love you’ a thousand times over in my head...every time we met up and every time we parted and all the space in between. It feels good to finally say it out loud and even better to hear you say it back.”

“Well, you better love hearing it, because you’re going to hear it from me every day.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah. Do you?”

Rick nodded and the couple sealed their promise with a kiss.

 ***

First Trip

Michonne snuggled deeper into Rick’s embrace with a contented sigh.

“I’m so glad we decided to come here.”

Rick leaned forward and kissed Michonne’s bare shoulder. “Me, too. But you sure you’re not missing the beach?”

“Not at all. The beach would have been way too crowded. It’s so beautiful and peaceful here. This is exactly what I needed...along with you.”

Michonne’s private law practice had grown immensely in the past six months with new clients and personnel. On the one hand, she was ecstatic but, on the other hand, she was exhausted. She hadn’t taken a real vacation in the near year she and Rick had been dating. Beyond day trips on the weekend to special events or to visit family and friends, Michonne hadn’t felt comfortable being away from her firm for an extended period of time. She knew the first year was crucial to the success of any business. But now that she had successfully made it to year two with no signs of slowing down, Rick knew it was time for Michonne to take a break and time some time for herself. So he surprised her with a trip to the mountains as an early one-year anniversary present.

“I still can’t believe you were in cahoots with Rachel and Tonya planning all of this.”

Rick worked with Michonne’s assistant and law associate to make sure her vacation leave was secured with the courts and that her calendar was clear of all obligations for an entire week.

“I knew I couldn’t leave any detail undone if I wanted you to actually relax on this trip.”

“You know me well. And you did such a great job planning everything, that I’m leaving all of our future vacation planning up to you. You’re pretty damn good at it. I’d even let you plan our honeymoon.”

“Honeymoon? So you want to get married?” Rick asked slowly.

“Well...yeah eventually.” Michonne turned her head towards Rick. “Don’t you?”

“Do I? Babe, I knew you were it for me you before our first date was over.”

Michonne smiled in relief. “Oh really? It took you that long? I knew when we walked up the museum steps hand-in-hand. Our kiss the next day just confirmed it,” she joked.

Rick chuckled. “The kiss sealed the deal, huh?”

“Yep. That and your kindness, thoughtfulness, sincerity, and your humility. Of course, that accent and those bowed legs of yours didn’t hurt either.”

“Well, for me it was your confidence, your warmth, your intellect, and your heart. Throw in that smile and those eyes and I never stood a chance.” Rick grew serious as he looked into Michonne’s eyes. “I love you, Michonne.”

“I love you, too, Rick.”

“It’s hard to fathom that 18 months we had never even spoken a word to each other and now I can’t bear to go a day without hearing your voice or seeing your face. Having you in my life these past 15 months has taught me so much about life, about love, and about myself. The better I got to know you, the better I got to know myself. And after a year together, there are four things I know with absolute certainty.”

Michonne sat up and turned fully towards Rick. “What are they?”

“I know that I’m happy with you. I know that I can be myself with you. I know that I am better with you.”

Michonne’s eyes glistened with tears as Rick recited the words she’d written about him nearly a year ago.

“Most of all, I know that I can’t live without you. Michonne...will you marry me?”

Tears spilled down her face and Michonne nodded, unable to find her voice.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you! I love you so much, Rick.”

“I love you, too.”

The couple celebrated with a sweet kiss. Michonne straddled her fiancé’s lap as the kiss grew longer and more heated.

Rick suddenly pulled back as he remembered something.

“Your ring! It’s in my suitcase.”

“Wait, you were already planning on proposing?”

“Yeah...and not while we were naked in a bathtub.”

Michonne chuckled. “I’m glad it happened like this...with just the two of us. Besides, some of my favorite moments involve us being naked,” she said saucily. “And this moment has definitely topped the list.”

“I’m glad it was just the two of us as well, but what do we tell everyone when we get back...or our kids when they ask how I proposed to you one day?”

Michonne thought a moment. “We’ll tell them that you proposed while we were by the water.” She smiled at a sudden thought. “You’re already thinking about our future children?”

“Yep. I’m thinking two...no three boys and one girl.”

“Four kids? Using whose vagina?”

Rick slid his hand between Michonne’s thighs. “Mine right here.”

“Sorry, this one’s mine,” Michonne said, breathless.

“You sure about that? Cause I distinctly remember you saying it was mine last night...and this morning...and about thirty minutes ago.”

“Sorry, I don’t recall. I think you’ll have to refresh my memory.”

“Challenge accepted, Mrs. Grimes.”

“I’m not Mrs. Grimes yet.”

“Not on paper, but in my heart you’re already Michonne Grimes.”

“Michonne Grimes. I like the sound of that.”

“Me, too.” Rick gave Michonne one more lingering kiss. “Now, let’s get out this tub and back into our bed. We have some celebratin’ to do and I got to refresh that memory of yours.”  

***

Four hours later, the couple was seated in the restaurant Rick had chosen for the evening. The couple was enjoying the mountain views through the restaurant’s floor to ceiling windows.

“Rick, this place is amazing...the view, the food, and most especially the company.”

“You can thank Mama for the suggestion.”

“Oh, your parents have been here before?”

“Yes. They come here every year to celebrate their anniversary. Mama thought you’d enjoy it.”

“Well, Suzanne was right. I can’t imagine a better place to celebrate our anniversary and our engagement.” Michonne shook her head with a sigh. “I still can’t believe we’re engaged.”

“It’ll be more real once you have your ring.”

As the couple had gotten ready for the evening, Rick informed his fiancée that, in his excitement and nervousness, he’d accidentally forgot to pack her engagement ring. Michonne assured him that was okay and she’d have something to look forward to when they returned home the next day.

“I told you not to worry about that. The proposal was perfect because of what you said, not what you gave me.  I honestly just want to relive the moment over and over again.”

“How about reliving it one more time?”

“What?”

Rick stood up from the table and walked to Michonne’s side. Seemingly out of nowhere, a violinist appeared and began to play Michonne’s favorite classical piece. Rick got down on one knew before Michonne and opened a small box containing a beautiful diamond solitaire housed in an intricate antique setting.

“Is that my ring? I thought...” Michonne shook her head confused. “Rick, what are you doing?”

“I’m asking you again...because I can never hear you say yes too many times. And because you deserve the whole proposal experience.”

Rick blew out a breath, suddenly nervous. “Michonne, you are my best friend, my partner, and the love of my life. You are the very best part of my life. There is no me without you and no me without us. Michonne Richardson, will you grant me the honor and privilege of becoming my wife?”

Eyes full of tears and heart full of emotion as if it were the first time, Michonne nodded and said, “Yes.”

The violinist began playing the “Wedding March” and the restaurant patrons broke into cheers and applause as Rick took Michonne’s left hand and slid the solitaire on her finger.

*** 

First Dance

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Rick and Michonne Grimes to the floor for their first dance as husband and wife.”

With Rick’s right hand on Michonne’s back and her left hand on his shoulder, the newlyweds clasped their other hands together in a traditional dance hold. The couple swayed to their song as it began to play while their family and friends looked on.

“This is the one part I’ve been dreading.” Michonne looked up at her husband. “We really should have skipped this whole ‘first dance’ thing.”

“Why?”

“It’s so awkward being the only ones dancing. People are staring at us like we’re on display.”

Rick laughed and pulled his tense wife closer. “We kind of are, babe.  I told you we should have gone with a line dance as our first dance. That way everyone could have joined in from the beginning.”

“You just want to do a dance that shows off those cowboy boots of yours.”

Rick glanced down at the shiny black boots. “They are nice, aren’t they? A very smart, beautiful, and considerate woman left them for me this morning.”

“What a coincidence. A smart, handsome, and thoughtful man had a beautiful set of birthstone jewelry sent over to me this morning.”

Rick had found the boots gift wrapped and waiting for him in the groom’s suite. While Rick’s mother, Suzanne, had delivered Michonne’s heart shaped amethyst and diamond necklace and matching bracelet and earrings.  

“Thank you, babe. I love them.”

“You’re welcome. You wouldn’t be you without some cowboy boots.”

Rick twirled his wife away before pulling her back into his arms.

“And thank you for the jewelry. It’s beautiful.”

“You’re absolutely welcome. But you know how you can really thank me?”

“How?”

Rick leaned down to whispered, “Leave the necklace on after you take everything else off tonight.”

“Richard Grimes. Are you getting fresh with me?”

“I certainly am, Mrs. Grimes.”

“Good, keep it up.”

Michonne paused as Rick dipped her. When he pulled her back up, the couple abandoned the traditional dance hold altogether as Rick wrapped his arms around Michonne’s waist and hers went around his neck.

“Now, are you going to wear just your cowboy boots tonight?”

“Hey, if you’re into it, I’m game. Though I won’t be able to leave them on too long. There are some positions where I’ll have better balance on my bare feet.”

“Rick, how many positions are you planning on us trying tonight?”

“As many as possible. I’ve been doing some research on the internet.”

“I hope you didn’t use my computer.”

“No, I used Shane’s. He already had most of the sites I needed saved on his favorites tab.”

The couple shared a laugh before a content Michonne laid her head on Rick’s shoulder. The music washed over her as she lost herself in the warmth and security of her husband’s embrace.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give it up for Rick and Michonne!! Now everyone make your way to the floor and join the happy couple.”

Michonne pulled back, confused. “Wait? Our dance is over already?”

“Yeah.”

“I feel like it just started. I spent all this time dreading it and it flew by.”

Rick smiled at his wife. “I think we just learned our first lesson as a married couple.”

“Really? What’s that?”

“We can make it through anything when we don’t lose focus on the most important thing...each other.”

Michonne nodded in agreement. “Look at you. We’ve been married less than four hours and you have already turned into a philosopher.”

“What can I say? I guess being married to you brings out the best in me.” Rick gave his wife a quick kiss before letting out a low whistle. “Have I told you how beautiful you look today? You always look amazing, but today you are just on another level.”

“What can I say? I guess being married to you agrees with me.”

Michonne settled back into Rick’s arms and the newlyweds danced the night away.

“It’s a disaster,” said Michonne, close to tears, as she and Rick stood in the almost empty space.

“It ain’t so bad,” said Rick, as he wrapped his arm around her back and glanced over their surrounds. Strategically placed candles offered them some lighting, but there was not much else in the house at that point.  

“Everything’s gone wrong,” she said, as he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

“At least we’re here together.

“With no electricity because I forgot to call the electric company.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up,” said Rick. “Look on the bright side: There’s always tomorrow.”

Michonne let out a loud sigh.

“We should’ve just paid a moving company,” she offered tiredly. “Instead of getting your dumbass friend to drive our furniture here.”

“Hey, Shane’s not that much of a dumbass,” said Rick, not really offended by his girlfriend’s assessment of his best buddy.

“He borrowed his uncle’s old ass, rusty ass truck, and proceeded to break down on the way,” said Michonne. “With all of our stuff in the back of the truck.”

“At least we’ve got a couch,” said Rick pointing toward it.

“It’s the one the last tenants left here,” said Michonne.

“And it ain’t so bad,” said Rick as went to sit down on it. He smiled up at her and tilted his head to the side like he always did, before saying, “C’mere.”

Even though she was frustrated, she could not resist Rick when he was like this. All charming and sweet and playful; he really did know how to make her feel better and soften her up. She went to him as he gestured for her to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arm about her waist as she took up her seat; she draped her arm over his shoulder and played with his loose curls.

She kissed his head and then asked, “How are you not annoyed right now?”

“It doesn’t help the situation,” he replied, running his hand up and down her back soothingly. “Besides, the lights’ll be on tomorrow; Shane’s dumbass will get the rest of our things to us tomorrow. There’s always tomorrow. I’m just tryin’ to live in this moment with you, right here, right now. You gotta look on the bright side, sweetheart.”

“I’m trying. I wanted it to be perfect,” said Michonne. “Our first night in our first home together.”

“Hey, now,” he said, as he reached up to cup her face. “It is perfect, darlin’. It’s perfect because I’m here with you and that’s all I need.”

Michonne smiled warmly and then pressed her lips to Rick’s lips. The soft glow of the candlelight caressed their skin as they deepened the kiss. Michonne shifted in her position so that she was straddling him as she threaded her fingers through Rick’s hair. After a moment, he broke the kiss; she rested her brow to his. They were both breathless.

“We could christen the sofa right now,” said Michonne teasingly, as she leaned back and removed her top.

Rick stared at his watch for what felt like the millionth time. He looked over at his wife who didn’t seem to be faring any better. She was chewing on her bottom lip and staring off into space.

They intended to do this last night, but the move into their new home had taken longer than expected. By the time their family and friends left after a dinner of pizza and wings, the couple had just enough energy to shower and fall into bed. But as soon as the sun rose, they were up and ready. And now they were waiting.

Finally, the timers starting going off on both Rick and Michonne’s phones and her smart watch. The couple silenced the devices and looked at each other. Michonne took a deep breath and headed into the adjoining bathroom. After a few seconds, she came back out. Rick couldn’t tell if her blank expression was a good or bad thing.

Is she in shock from happiness or sadness?

Michonne held the plastic stick out to her husband.

Rick looked at the stick and then his wife. He was too nervous to remember Michonne’s explanation from just ten minutes ago. “Babe, what does this mean?”

“It means...” Michonne swallowed as tears gathered in her eyes. “It means we have about nine months to turn the bedroom next to ours into a nursery.”

Tears sprang to Rick’s eyes. “We’re having a baby?” he whispered.

“We’re having a baby.”

The couple embraced as their tears of joy flowed.

***

First Child

“Babe, I need you to sue this company for false advertising. ‘Easy open’ my behind. It was easier putting the crib together than opening this thing.”

Michonne tried to contain her laughter as she watched Rick struggle with the top of the line stroller.

“You only have yourself to blame. You insisted on buying this stroller remember?”

“I did a lot of research and this one had the best safety ratings and features, so of course our baby was going to get it.”

“I’m not arguing that. There’s no question our baby deserves the safest stroller. The question is, when is our baby going to be able to get in the stroller to enjoy all those safety features?”

“I almost have it, smarty pants.” Rick’s face lit up. “There got it!” He exclaimed triumphantly.

Michonne reached into the backseat of their SUV and gathered up their sleeping infant. “Okay, little one. You’re chariot awaits.”

***

The couple took in their surroundings as they strolled through downtown on the quiet Sunday afternoon.

“I can’t believe it’s been three months since we’ve been back.”

Rick smiled down at the stroller as he pushed it. “Yeah, but I think we have a really good excuse for our absence.”

“Yeah, the best one.” Michonne checked on their baby before continuing. “It was sweet of them to do this for us.”

The owners of the café Rick and Michonne frequented planned a “Sip and See.” It would give all of Rick and Michonne’s café friends a chance to see the couple and their new baby for the first time since Michonne gave birth three months ago.

The couple arrived at the little shop, which had a sign stating it was closed for a private event. A cheer went up when Rick and Michonne entered the café.

Barista Ryan was the first one to rush over and hug them both.

“It’s so great to see you guys! Feels like it’s been forever.”

Michonne smiled. “We missed you guys, too. Thanks again for the basket you sent over. It was much appreciated and is being much used.”

“Especially that espresso. Some days it is the only thing keeping me awake,” Rick joked.

“And I nearly cried when I saw an entire container of chocolate croissants.”

“Nearly cried? You did cry, babe. And then you ate four of them in one sitting.”

“Honey, I’d just had a baby. My hormones were all over the place. Besides, I thought we agreed to keep that between the two of us. Just like we agreed to never tell our friends how you passed out during the delivery.”

Rick blushed at the reminder. “You’re absolutely right.” He turned to Ryan. “If this gets out, we’ll know you gossiped, Ryan.”

Michonne side-eyed her husband. “Yeah right. It’s already out because of you, ‘loose lips.’ Maggie let me know you told Glenn about me crying over the croissants. Apparently that’s why he sent over those dessert pizzas from their restaurant. That was actually very sweet of him though.”

“Well, I know you told your sister about me passing out cause Jacqui suddenly started calling me ‘Rick Van Winkle’ right after the baby was born.” 

Michonne chuckled. “Okay, how about this? We promise not to tell anyone else. Because if Shane or Andrea get a hold of this information, we’ll have to relocate.”

Rick nodded. “Agreed.”

Ryan laughed at the couple’s lighthearted antics. “We’ve really missed you guys. It truly has not been the same without you here.”

“We’ll be making our regular trips again soon,” Michonne promised. “With one special addition.”

Rick and Michonne moved into the middle of the room with the stroller and were soon surrounded by all those they called their “café family.”

Rick reached down and carefully lifted a now wide-awake baby into his arms.

“Everyone, Michonne and I would like to introduce you to our son, Richard Sutton Grimes, Jr. But you can call him R.J.”

The couple basked in the full circle moment of bringing the little life they created together to the very special place where their life together began.