Will You Love Me? : The Golden Years

Chapter 32

"Ready, sexy?" Ben asked as he came up behind you and kissed your neck. You turned to him as you said, "I am." He looked you up and down, then sucked in a breath. "You definitely are," he told you. "You are so gorgeous, darling." He kissed your cheek as to not mess up your lip stick. 

You were going out to celebrate your anniversary tonight. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of a chance to celebrate last year with all that went on with Emma. This year, Ben was determined to make it special. He booked a reservation at one of the top restaurants in London, then planned to take you to a pub, and then a walk around the park. To top it all off, he got a hotel suite. 

He grabbed their overnight bags and headed downstairs. "Alright, kids, we're off!" Ben called. The kids came over to say goodbye and Ben, of course, had to give them a stern warning. "No boyfriends, no girlfriends, no friends, no parties, nothing. Understand me?" Em and Nate lightly rolled their eyes, but nodded. 

"It's not like I have a boyfriend," Em muttered. Ben kissed her head, then told her, "I mean it. Scar, darling, you're in charge." He gave her a wink when Em and Nate scoffed. "Bye, kids," you called as Ben led you out the door, "see you tomorrow!"

Ben got you to the restaurant in time for your reservation and you were sat in a private room. Ben gave you a wink when you looked at him with a gaping mouth. It wasn't a big room, but it was clearly meant for a large party of people. "I wanted you all to myself," he told you. "No fans, no cameras. Just us."

You gave him a kiss as a thank you, then took your seats across from each other. "Where are the menus?" You asked. He gave you a small smirk and said, "We don't need one. I already ordered for us. We're having a three course meal, but I'm not going to tell you what it is."

A moment later, a waiter came in with a chilled glass of champagne and poured you each a glass before leaving it on the table. You moaned at how good it was. "This must be some top shelf, stuff, Ben," you chuckled. He shrugged, then said, "Only eight thousand pounds a bottle."

The appetizers came in a moment later and you gaped at your husband. "Eat up, darling," he said with a shit-eating grin. He ordered your favorite, but very expensive, seafood appetizer dish. It had scallops, clams, lobster, and shrimp. He was smart and got one for each of you because you were not about to share. 

"This just might be better than you in bed," you teased with a mouthful of food. "Ouch," he laughed. "I guess I have a lot to prove tonight, then." It was about an hour later when your entrées came. He ordered you steak and himself some pork. The pieces were absolutely huge, so you decided to share. He gave you half his pork and you gave him half your steak. 

He told the staff to hold off on dessert for a while. 

In the meantime, he ordered more expensive champagne and you found yourselves sitting next to each other. He was making you laugh with jokes and impressions. There were no talks of the kids or anything either of you were struggling with. You were just having a conversation, which is something you rarely get to have nowadays. 

The customized playlist he had them play in the room was very romantic, but then it got to some more upbeat songs. He pulled you up to dance when 'I Want You Back' by the Jackson 5 started playing. You felt a little ridiculous dancing in a restaurant like this, but then remembered no one could see you. 

You laughed as he spun and twirled you around. At one point, he just held you close and danced to the beat. He sang out loud making you laugh because you really couldn't tell if he was good or bad. It was also funny how he didn't care. 

'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' started playing and you laughed hysterically at how he danced and sang to you. "Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from gettin' to you, baby!" He pulled you to him and brought you in for a kiss. 

After all your dancing, you started to feel hungry again, so Ben had them bring in the dessert. It was a mini chocolate mousse with two spoons. "Uh...not quite what I meant by large," Ben told you, "but I suppose it'll give us some room for the pub in a bit."

You dug in, Ben being soppy and feeding you a few bites. Once it was gone, you finished the champagne, then left. Ben paid the bill at the front and your jaw practically fell to the ground at how much he spent. 

"Ben, you did not just spend over ten thousand pounds on all of that," you said as you drove to the pub. He took your hand and told you, "I did and it was worth every penny." When you got to the pub, you made it clear that you wanted to pay for anything you both got. Ben only protested for a moment, but saw how important it was to you. 

He wanted to sit at the bar top instead of your usual booth, but you told him how you wanted him all to yourself for as long as you could get. He smiled and blushed at that, so you ended up in the booth. You barely drank anything, as you were just sharing kisses, light touches and whispered compliments. He had his hand in your hair, stroking the back of your head with his long fingers as you talked and sipped on your drinks. 

When it got past midnight, Ben proposed you head to the hotel. When you got there and checked in, he led you to the elevator and held you on the ride up. When you got to the big double door suite, he unlocked it and let you in. "Wow," you breathed out. "Can we stay here for more than tonight?"

He laughed as he set your bags down. "Unfortunately, darling," he said as he wrapped his arms around you from behind, "we do have some responsibilities at home. But as of right now..." He gently unzipped your dress as he peppered light kisses to the crook of your neck. 

"I love you, my darling," he whispered against your skin. "Sixteen years has not been nearly enough time with you. Well, technically eighteen, but still not enough." You giggled and leaned back into him. "This definitely tops every year so far," you told him. 

He breathed a kiss to your head, then said, "Just wait until next year."