How It's Supposed to Be

Chapter Seventeen

It has been about six months since Jimi and I have brought up the subject of kids. Jimi and I have been together for a little over a year now. I love that man more than anything. Jimi is my better half and I can't imagine my life without him.

We are taking a break from the road and starting our new album. Last week, Jimi went down to Alabama to visit his Mom and the rest of his family. He hasn't seen them in a while and is going hunting with them. I decided to stay here in Nashville to let him have some quality time with his family since I know he doesn't get to see them all that much. He is coming home tomorrow and I can't wait. This is the longest we have been apart in the past year and I miss him like crazy. We have talked on the phone every day, but it's not the same as having him here. Kimberly and Rebecca have been over here a few times and we've gone shopping and stuff. It has been a nice distraction, but at night, it's pretty lonely.

Jimi calls me every day at 8:00 at night. It was just reaching 8:00 and Jimi was right on schedule.

"Hey, Jimi" I answered cheerfully.

"Hey, babe"

"How was your day?" I asked.

"It was good"

"How's your Mom?" I asked.

"She's good. She said she misses you. And I miss you too. I wish you were here" he said.

"I miss you too. I can't wait for you to come home tomorrow" I said.

"I can't wait to see you" he said.

We talked for about fifteen more minutes before we decided to hang up the phone.

"Alright, I'll let you go. You sound like you've had a long day" I said.

"Ok, I love you" he said.

"I love you too" I replied and we hung up the phone.

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Jimi put his phone down and returned to the living room by Karen's parents. "How's Karen?" her mom asked. "She's good" he said. "I'm so glad she found you" Karen's mom said. "I'm glad I found her too. I never knew how much I could love someone until I met her" he said. "You know, Mark never came down here and asked for my blessing" her dad said. "Really?" he asked and her dad nodding. "I knew that Mark was not a good fit for her, but she claimed she was in love with him. I told her I didn't want her getting hurt, but she got hurt anyways" Her dad said. "They were too young. I bet you any money, if she would have met you before Mark, she would have chosen you" her mom added and Jimi smiled. "I can see how much you love my daughter, and how much she loves you and I can't wait to welcome you to the family Jimi" her dad said. "Me too" her mom added and gave him a hug. "Thank you for asking for my blessing" he added. "Well, it's the right thing to do and it's something that was drilled into my head growing up. My dad always told me that when I find the right woman to make sure to ask for her father's blessing" Jimi said. "Your daddy raised you right" her dad said. "So how did you manage to come down here without Karen?" her mom asked. "I told her I was visiting my family and we were going hunting, which wasn't a complete lie because I did spend a few days in Alabama earlier this week" Jimi said and laughed. "She has no idea you're here does she?" Her mom asked. "Not a clue. She still thinks I'm in Alabama" Jimi said with a smile. "Well, we're glad you're here. You're practically part of the family" her mom said.

"So when are you gonna do it?" her mom asked. "Tomorrow night. I have this whole thing planned. I've been talking to Kimberly and Rebecca all week and they are helping me out and they are going to set things up so Karen won't be suspicious if I randomly leave halfway through the day" Jimi said. "How are you going to ask her?" Her mom asked. "I think, I'll let her give you the details on that. She will be able to tell you better than I can" Jimi said and chuckled.

"So I take it you have a ring all picked out?" her mom asked. "Yes, I've actually been meaning to show you all week" Jimi said. He went over to his bags and found it. He opened the small box and showed her parents. "Jimi, that's absolutely gorgeous. She is going to love it" her mom said. "I have to agree" her dad said and Jimi smiled.

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I decided to clean up the house a little and put away the laundry before I go to bed. I finished up around 10:00 and decided to go up to bed since I have to be up early to pick up Jimi from the airport. I walk into my bedroom and grab my pajamas and put them on. Then I went into the bathroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth. I pulled my hair up into a bun. I walked into the bedroom. It just looks so empty. I crawled in bed and covered myself with the blankets. Thank God this is my last night sleeping alone. The bed just feels ginormous without him. Finally sleep takes over and my eyes feel heavy and slowly close.

My alarm goes off at 6:30. I turn it off and climb out of bed. Jimi's flight lands at 9:00. I can't wait. I walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on. Once it was warm enough, I climb in. Once I'm done, I turn off the water and wrap my towel around me. I walk over to the sink and brush my teeth. Then I go over to my closet to find something to wear. I pick out a pair of light wash skinny jeans, a maroon V-neck long sleeve shirt and a black and white scarf to match. I went back into the bathroom and dried my hair and put a few loose curls in it. Then I put on a little make-up. By that time it was around 8:00 and I figure I should probably head to the airport. I picked out a pair of boots and put them on. I went downstairs and grabbed my purse and keys and headed out the door.

I am so excited to see Jimi again. He has been gone for almost eight days. That is eight days too long. About thirty minutes later I reached the airport parking lot. I paid the fee to park and eventually found a parking spot. I parked the car and climbed out. I locked the car and headed for the doors. When I finally reached them it was about 8:45. I found out which gate Jimi would be at and I walked over there.

It was just reaching 9:00 and any minute, Jimi would be walking through the door. Finally I saw him. He saw me and smiled. He walked over to me and I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and picked me up and spun me in a circle. I started to tear up a little. I never knew that I could miss someone this much. He set me down and kissed me. Then he raised his hands to my cheeks and wiped away the tears that were just about to fall with the pads of his thumbs.

"I missed you so much" I said. "I missed you too" he said and pulled me in for another hug. "You look absolutely gorgeous, as usual" he said and smiled. "You don't look to bad yourself" I said and smiled at him. He reached for my hand and I intertwined our fingers as we walked over to the baggage claim.

"So I was thinking that we could go out to dinner tonight, if you'd like?" Jimi said. "I would love that" I said and smiled at him. We grabbed his bags and walked out to the car. He threw them in the back and climbed in. "Are you hungry? We can stop somewhere for breakfast if you want?" I asked. "Now that you mention it, pancakes sounds really good" he said. "So, do you want to go to IHop then?" I asked. "Sure" he replied and we headed over to IHop.

I pulled in the parking lot and found a spot. We walked inside and got seated. We ordered our drinks. "So how was Alabama?" I asked. "It was good. It was really good to see everyone" he said. "How was hunting?" I asked. "Hunting was good. I wasn't very successful though" he said. "That sucks. At least you had a good time though" I said. "Yeah. It probably would have been better if you were there. I missed you a lot" he said. "I missed you too" I said and smiled at him. "I'm glad you're home" I said. "The bed felt so empty and huge" I said with a giggle. "Well I defiantly missed my cuddle buddy" he said and I laughed. The waitress came back and we ordered our food.

We were finished up eating and we paid the bill. Then we went back to the car and headed home. We walked in the house and Jimi set his bag down in the living room. "Put your bag by the washer and I'll start a load of laundry" I said. "Ok, hold on though. I have to grab a few shirts and stuff that aren't dirty" he said. He brought his bag over and grabbed out whatever he needed and I went upstairs and grabbed another basket of clothes to throw in the washer.

I came back downstairs and started a load of laundry. After it was started I went over to where Jimi was on the couch and sat down. As soon as I sat down, he put his arm around me. I curled up next to him and wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder. This is one of my favorite things in the world. Just being in his arms.