July 13, Emma woke up to an empty bed in their still new feeling home. On the pillow beside her, indented where Prince had been sleeping, was an envelope addressed: My true love
She opened the envelope to find purple confetti, and a heart shaped note. The note read,
One year ago today, my life became complete when I saw U in a hotel lobby and from an elevator.
We don't have an elevator here, but perhaps U could come downstairs by other means.
I'd love to see U.
1,000 X's and O's,
Your true love
Emma got up, brushed her hair, which, as usual, had been destroyed during the previous night's lovemaking, put on a beautiful lace negligee she was given during their recent trip to Europe, and made her way to the top of the staircase. There she found another envelope, this time addressed to Heart of my Heart. Opening it carefully in case it contained more confetti, she found rose petals and lavender instead. This heart shaped note read,
As U descend the stairs, keep Ur eyes peeled for things U haven't seen before.
1,000 X's and O's,
Your true love
Inhaling the delicious scent of roses and lavender, she walked down the stairs. At the foot of the stairs, Emma found purple balloons tied to the banister, and an envelope attached addressed to Soul of my Soul. She opened it to read, again on a heart shaped note,
Ur love is my food, but U might need some coffee right now.
Come to the kitchen and feast with me.
1,000 X's and O's,
Your true love
Oh dear, is he thinking about loving me on the kitchen counters again? I guess I'll find out!
On entering the kitchen, she found a carafe of coffee, half
and half, sweetener, and her huge purple coffee mug. Propped against the mug was another envelope, this time addressed to Love of my life. It read,
Please join me outside on this beautiful day.
Ur presence will make it more beautiful by far.
1,000 X's and O's,
Your true love
She went out the French doors to the back patio, and sitting on the outdoor loveseat, a covered basket of croissants and a bowl of strawberries on the table in front of him, was her husband.
The heart of her heart.
The soul of her soul.
Her true love.
She walked over to him, sat down, and pulled him in for a long kiss.
When he pulled away, he smiled and said, 'Good morning wife, love of my life. Happy Anniversary!'
Emma, mildly confused and highly impressed, replied, 'Isn't our anniversary in the Autumn? It's July!"
Prince smirked, and stated, 'Wife, we're celebrating two anniversaries from now on. The day we met and the day we married. We got a late start, so this way we can double up!'
Emma curled up next to her husband, took a drink of coffee, and said, 'My love, this is an excellent idea.'
'Oh, sugar, we just got started. Here, have a strawberry.'
They enjoyed feeding each other breakfast, and when they were finished, carried everything back to the kitchen, putting away the leftovers. Emma poured herself another cup of coffee, leaned against the marble countertop, and looked at her gorgeous husband thoughtfully.
'What else do you have planned for this day, husband?'
'Not a lot, since we're still breaking in our home. I didn't feel travel was necessary for us, we've been traveling so much this past year. I do have a couple of surprises, though. You'll just have to wait and see. Race you to the shower!'
It wasn't really a race, but it was a leisurely shower. Emma and Prince were still discovering all the tricks their huge walk in shower could do, with it's multiple shower heads and shower towers. It was a sensual feast in itself. Finally they began to run out of hot water, and exited to dry off.
Prince picked up the bottle of lotion in the scent he loved on Emma, and slathered it on her, caressing her every inch as he ensured her entire body was soothed and softened. Emma did the same for Prince, and they ended up back in bed, where confetti got stuck in all sorts of places, filling their lovemaking with laughter.
As Emma picked confetti out of Prince's curly hair, she smiled and said,
'What else could we possibly need now? I've had breakfast and you, once wet and once dry, and am fully satisfied.'
'Oh no, wife, both times you had me you were very wet,' Prince replied, creating the blush he desired, enjoying the way it traveled all the way down her chest. He continued,
'I thought it might be nice to take a walk in a little while. We haven't been down to the lake recently, and it's always been one of my favorite places in the summer, sitting among the trees and watching the ducks. I've got some bread we can feed them, keep 'em nice and fat. I like my ducks fat.'
'You are a nut!' Emma pushed against his arm, laughing at the thought of fat ducks. 'That sounds like lots of fun, peaceful and serene. I approve of this plan. I do think clothes are in order, though.'
Emma pulled her hair into a french twist on the back of her head, secured it with a couple of pins, applied mascara and lipgloss, and put on a long, flowy summer sundress. As she was putting on her sandals, Prince strolled back into the bedroom in what passed for casual wear for him-a tunic and stretchy flared pants, with his favorite tall flip flops.
'Wife, would you mind if I played with your hair a little?' he asked.
'No, husband, go right ahead,' Emma answered, with a puzzled look on her face. Prince reached into her hair, and pulled a few tendrils out to frame her ears and the nape of her neck.
'If you have all your hair tucked away, I have nothing to play with, and I love to play with your hair,' he explained, giving Emma a quick kiss on the end of her nose.
'Only one more thing,' Prince continued, as he pulled a simple diamond pendant filled with paisley shapes out of his pocket, placing it around her neck.
'There. You're practically perfect in every way.'
'Oh, honey, this is beautiful!' Emma said, admiring his latest purchase in the bedroom mirror. 'Wait, wasn't that a Mary Poppins reference-practically perfect in every way?' Emma replied.
'Yes, for some reason it reminds me of you,' Prince explained, taking Emma by the hand. 'Come on, let's go fatten up some ducks!'
Grabbing a sun hat, Emma went downstairs. Prince pulled her into the kitchen and said, 'This is going to spoil some of the surprise, but I don't want the surprise to spoil you. I think you might need this.'
He handed her a bottle of sea sickness medicine, which she gratefully took. They both had seen her turn green on a couple of rough flights, and Prince wanted today to be filled with joy, not stress.
Taking Prince's hand once again, Emma walked out of the house and down to the lake with her husband, who was carrying an entire loaf of cheap white sandwich bread.
'These loaves of bread always remind me of my childhood,' Emma smiled to herself as they walked through the lush, green grass. 'I'm glad I found out about better bread as an adult, but bread and gravy is such a good memory. That's what we got for seconds on Sunday lunches.'
'Man, there were times in High School when Andre and I could go through a loaf of this between us after basketball practice. Slathering it with butter, and following it up with glasses of milk. Bless his mom's heart, the two of us almost ate her out of house and home.'
'Ah, youthful metabolisms. Those were the days!' Emma laughed, as they drew near the sparkling lake. They walked out on the dock, and the flock of ducks came swimming up to see if anyone had anything for them.
As they dangled their feet off the warm wooden dock, mindlessly tearing up slices of bread and tossing it toward the circling, quacking ducks below, Emma and Prince continued talking about everything and nothing. Emma, who was turned away from the lake and toward Prince, didn't realize anything was changing until she noticed the ducks struggling with a stronger wake than the lake had before. She looked up at Prince quizzically, and asked, 'Is there something I should know about?'
'Turn around, wife,' Prince whispered in her ear, turning her head toward the lake. In front of them was a very large sailboat, being skillfully brought up to the dock by a man of indeterminate age with a weather beaten face, and a shock of white hair under a captain's hat.
'Hi, Kurt!' Prince called out to the boat's captain.
'Hi, Prince! Glad to see you're out here waiting. It's a perfect afternoon for a sail. We'll have a great time!'
Emma turned to Prince. 'How did you come up with this idea?' she asked.
'I remembered how peaceful it was on that sailboat when we went whale watching in Hawaii, with only the wind and waves as sounds to accompany our conversation. I thought that would be fun to do today, and have a picnic out on the water. Ray has already delivered a meal to Kurt, and I think you'll like the menu.' Prince handed Emma onto the boat, followed her on, and said, 'Let's go!'
They sailed for several hours, sitting toward the bow of the boat on cushions, enjoying the view, the breeze, and each other. Prince frequently picked up Emma's hand to give it a kiss, or nibble on a finger, or even give it a sensual suck if he thought Kurt wasn't looking.
After they had reached a quiet cove, Kurt dropped anchor and went below, coming back up with a picnic basket. Gently depositing it between Prince and Emma, he remarked, 'I'm going below to take a nap. You two enjoy yourselves. Prince, this shoreline is still your land, so your privacy is assured.' He gave Prince a wink, and turned away, whistling as he descended into the boat.
Prince opened the basket, and brought out containers of three salads, looking remarkably like the menu they enjoyed on the patio of his friend's chateau in Switzerland.
'Hmmm, this reminds me of a meal we've had before,' Emma remarked, looking at the delicious dishes.
'Yes, the difference this time is that Ray made us some cake as well, and I asked for some champagne, since I'm not performing tonight.' Prince pulled out a miniature layer cake with caramel icing, and a split of champagne, enough for two glasses. In addition to these treats, the basket also contained bottled water. It was a feast indeed.
Emma and Prince enjoyed feeding each other with forks and fingers, the meal becoming more and more sensual as time went on. Finally Prince said, 'Emma, how open are you to trying something different today?'
'Well, define different,' Emma replied. As she spoke, she realized Prince's hand had slipped under the skirt of the sundress she was wearing, and her thighs had parted without her even realizing it.
Prince slid a little closer, and whisper-sang in Emma's ear, 'Do me baby,'
'Um, isn't it a little exposed out here?' Emma responded, wondering how in the world this could work out in the open.
'I think with this flowy dress, we might be able to accomplish a few things,' Prince replied, as his hand drifted a little higher, tugging on her soaked panties, drawing them down her legs.
Emma straddled her husband, arranging her skirts so they were spread as widely as possible.
'My dear, I've never doubted your talent for getting me in trouble, so do your best. Just promise me I won't be publicly embarrassed, and I'm all yours. Again. And always.'
Prince just grinned. He'd been planning every move he was about to make for days. He would definitely make sure his wife was truly satisfied and dressed before he knocked on the boat's window five times, signaling to Kurt that he could come back up.
Later, a very satisfied Prince and Emma, after making sure clothing was back where it belonged, knocked on the window, and Kurt came up the steps, whistling once again.
'Ready to go back to shore?' Kurt asked, smiling from ear to ear.
'Yes, sir, we are,' Prince replied, giving Emma a squeeze. 'It's been a lovely afternoon, practically perfect in every way.'
Emma smiled shyly at Prince, and said, 'Definitely the best anniversary I've ever had.'
'We're not finished, wife,' he remarked, smiling broadly at Emma. 'The day isn't close to over.'
Pulling back onto the dock, Emma stepped off the boat, followed by Prince, after he shook hands with Kurt, thanking him for a wonderful day.
'Any time,' Kurt replied. 'Being paid to take a nap is one of my favorite ways to make money.' He winked at Prince, then got busy heading the boat back out onto the lake.
'Weren't we quiet enough?' said Emma, blushing furiously.
'Yes, we were, but Kurt is smart enough to know the waves weren't that high in that little cove. We had that boat rockin' mama!' Prince took Emma's hand and led her back in the house, chuckling at his wife's continued naivete.
They went into the home studio, and Prince said, 'Sit right here, wife. I have a gift of sound for you.'
'Oh, husband, thank you!'
'Wait, you haven't heard it yet. You might hate it.'
'Now you're just being silly. I love everything you create. At least, everything you let me hear.'
Prince pushed a button, and a backing track with a modern feel filled the studio. Sitting right next to her, he began to sing;
I've got a thousand hugs and kisses for you when you come back home, baby...
Pulling Emma to her feet, he began to dance with her across the studio, as the song played around them, stating once more how much Emma was loved. With little touches and longer kisses, Emma responded to the lyrics she was hearing.
When the song ended, Emma looked up at Prince with a huge smile. 'That is so sweet! Thank you so much for that.'
'I wrote that song years ago, but it never seemed like the right time for the song. When we were apart before the wedding, the lyrics came back to me, but the arrangement has been working itself out for months. Fortunately, it all came together for our first anniversary.'
'What a perfect anniversary it has been, husband. Thanks for an amazing beginning to a fabulous life.'
Prince danced Emma over to the sofa, but didn't seat her. Instead, he began unbuttoning the dress that had made so much ecstasy possible that day. As he slid the dress from her shoulders, he murmured, 'Thanks for making my life a life. Before you, I swear I was just existing. The joy you bring me every day continues to amaze me. Come here, wife,' Prince continued, pulling Emma, now clad only in bits of lace, onto his lap on the sofa. 'Let me love you again.'
A/N-Thanks for the comments, the encouragement, and votes, and for continuing to read about Prince and Emma! 1,000 X's and O's to you!