'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 22

Shirley Sue raked her fingers through her hair. Satisfied, she wrapped the cord around the hair-dryer and tucked it under the sink. She gave her hair one last brush before exiting the bathroom. The sound of the clothes dryer hummed in the background as she walked down the stairs to the living room.

She walked into the living room and saw Buck. He was sitting on the loveseat, flipping through channels on the television.

“Hey!” she called to him.

He turned his head in her direction and waved. “Emma had an errand to run and asked us to watch Rachel, and since Rachel is down for a nap, we've got the house to ourselves.”

“Oh really?” she said. She smiled as she sat down beside him. Buck put his arm around her and drew her in close. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. Her lips grazed his stubble.

“Close your eyes,” he said. “No peeking!”

Shirley Sue closed her eyes. What was he up to? After a few seconds, she felt something soft and fuzzy on her cheek. She opened her eyes and turned her head to the side that the fuzzy sensation had come from. Buck was holding a small, blue owl with a silver, blueberry necklace wrapped neatly around its neck. She felt a grin pull tight across her face as she took the owl from Buck. She touched the silver charm dangling from the stuffed animal's neck.

“That's the necklace I was looking at yesterday! How did you know?”

“A little birdy told me,” he said, and then winked.

He pulled the necklace off the plushie and unclasped it. She drew her hair away from her neck. She shivered as his rough fingers brushed against the skin of her neck as he fastened the chain.

She threw her arms around him. “Thank you! I love them both!”

“Glad you like them,” he said, and squeezed her back.

As Shirley Sue looked into Buck's eyes, she felt the smile on her face grow. Buck lightly touched the side of her face and a tingle went down her spine. She place her palm on his chest and tilted her head to the side, then leand in toward him. She closed her eyes and an instant later she felt his soft, warm lips embrace hers. She felt a jolt of electricity jolt through as he gently ran his fingers along the small of her back.

“Uncle Buck, Aunt Tirly Tue can I have some water pweeze,” said a tiny voice nearby.

Shirley Sue looked up to see Rachel standing in front of them. A green stuffed animal frog dangled from her hand.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Buck said, standing up.

Rachel followed him out the the kitchen.

Shirley Sue sighed. “Well, so much for having the house to ourselves,” she said.