giant arms around her petite frame. “I’m a very blessed man. I don’t understand how I got this lucky, but I thank God every day for bringing you into my life.”
“You’re such a charmer, my handsome hubby. And it worked, because I’m no longer mad at you,” she said, a flush in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes.
“Ah, Katherine, you never cease to amaze me,” Joseph said, leaning his head against hers as he looked at her expression in the mirror.
“How is that?” she asked. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, then loosened his grasp so she could turn. She lifted her hands, one resting on his heart, the other on his shoulder.
“Because you’re as beautiful today as the day I met you, and because you make me feel like a young man instead of this white-haired person I see looking back at me,” he told her.
She reached up on her toes and kissed him, a gentle kiss that told him without words their love would stand the test of time. Some might say it already had, but not in Joseph’s mind. Each moment he spent with her was another he cherished.
His heart fluttered as he deepened the kiss, careful not to grab her too tight. It didn’t matter how many times she was in his arms; it always felt like the first.
When she pulled back, her cheeks were flushed, and she looked slightly dazed. He smiled, wanting to scrap their day, carry her to their bedroom, and take his time showing her what she meant to him.
“Don’t you give me that look, Joseph Anderson. We are leaving this house, and though you make me feel like a blushing bride, I have more patience than you. Besides, anticipation makes lovemaking that much better,” Katherine said, with a playful slap on Joseph’s chest.
Joseph groaned as she pulled from him. It boggled his mind how much he hungered for his wife. He loved her in all ways possible. He would to his dying breath. When the door closed in his face, he chuckled. He’d been wrapped around Katherine’s finger from the moment they’d met many, many years before.
When Katherine emerged from the bathroom, they both donned hats and sunglasses. They knew it wouldn’t completely disguise them, but it might give them a semblance of peace from other shoppers. Holding Katherine’s hand, they made their way down the large halls of the Anderson mansion, and out the front door. Joseph snuck a few more kisses in the back seat of their car as the driver took them to downtown Seattle, leaving both of them breathless by the time they arrived.
As the vehicle came to a stop on Western Avenue, across the street from Victor Steinbrueck Park, Joseph gave a quick look at his wife and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to turn around, my love?”
“Not a chance, old man,” she said with a laugh as her door opened. Paul, one of the two members of the security team, was awaiting Katherine’s exit from the vehicle.
One of the few unfortunate parts of the Andersons’ lives was that anytime they went out in public, they had to have security close by. Joseph had insisted years before that their security blend into the crowd. He didn’t want it obvious they were there. He didn’t want to cause a scene. Sometimes one happened no matter what, but there were times they went somewhere and managed not to get noticed. Those were the best trips.
Kevin, Joseph’s longest tenured, and personal favorite of the security team, opened Joseph’s door. As Joseph stepped from the car, Kevin simply reminded his boss, “We’re here if you need us, sir.”
“I appreciate it. We’re just going to wander down the market,” Joseph said.
“I’ll be with you while Paul parks the car, and then he’ll join me. As always, unless needed, we’ll stay out of sight,” Kevin relayed as they walked behind the car and up to the sidewalk.
“Thank you, Kevin. Thank you, Paul,” Katherine said.
Joseph took Katherine’s hand as they crossed Virginia Street onto Pikes Place. Her smile grew wider as they stepped into the already bustling crowds. With the lack of breeze coming off of Elliott Bay and the morning sun shining bright, there were many people already pulling off cardigans, sweaters, light jackets, and other long-sleeved items.
The joy in Katherine’s face as she purchased some knickknacks and walked among other people made the entire trip worth it. Each stop they made, Joseph stepped forward and made