His Chosen One

Six

Nicklaus

I did not expect the kind offer to let me stay after the mixer was finally declared over... But the carers had taken one look at Ezra where he lay cradled so comfortably in my arms, fast asleep and gifting me with the most adorable little snores and decided that it would be best for us not to wake him... And I cannot say that I am not grateful for the extended time I have been given to spend with the sweet young man who had captured my heart so easily... The other residents of Mrs.Ezalie's Home For Future Wives and Mothers had been led out of the playroom along with the other possible husbands having all been dismissed to their separate lives so that we might have peace and quiet to enjoy the tender bond that seems to be sprouting between us... If I am understanding things correctly that is...

The staff had been all smiles, and the chaperones that had volunteered to stay in the room with us still are, the slight blonde woman and the man backing her up as the muscle that would put a stop to any inappropriateness that might occur both giving us as much space as they can allow so I can simply sit and enjoy the feel of Ezra as he finds himself unconsciously nuzzling his sweet face into my neck under the now dimmed lighting...

I had been ready to weep at his gentle acceptance of me... Of his tender nod that had let me know that my presence here is not unwelcomed and made my heart feel as though it might burst... It had filled me with such great happiness that I had actually struggled to keep tears at bay when they had unexpectedly filled my eyes... And it wasn't even a true acceptance of me myself... Just to the fact that he would not object to being with someone older than he is... Not me personally... But just knowing that I have a true chance at winning his heart means the world to me.

Everything about him calls to me like a siren... His gentle nature... His adorable mannerisms... The way he still hasn't found it within himself to speak to me out loud, his nodded answers... The way he clings to me just so..

. Every single thing about him causes such adoration to pour out of me and this is only the first time we've actually interacted with each other... I almost cannot stomach the thought that I almost did not come to meet him today... I cannot believe that I almost abandoned all hope when I woke on the couch this morning thinking to myself that there would be no possible way that he would ever look at a man almost in his late forties and think that he would have not a single problem entrusting me with his care so that I might love and spoil him for the rest of our days... I had never wanted to let myself hope and now that I know I have a true chance with him it as if the world itself has started spinning slower so that our time today might stretch out so that I may spend more of my time rubbing his back and holding him close.

I do not think there is anything in this world that could draw me away from him in this moment, though when I catch the kind blonde stand after checking her watch that it is not my decision to make... The rules that govern the home that protects him rules I must listen to and obey if I want to actually succeed in bringing him home with me to the vineyard so that he might flourish before my very eyes being watered daily with the love I already feel blooming for him in my very soul...

The caregiver's smile is apologetic as she approaches, her eyes kind when she allows herself to perch next to Ezra's feet where they lay resting on the cushion that until now had been unoccupied, "Mr.Moone... I hate to interrupt, but it's time for Ezra to wake up."

Ezra

I do not think that Nicklaus could be any kinder in the way that he keeps hold of me... His questions had stopped after I had nodded in affirmation that I would not find an older husband objectable, the stifled sniffle that had reached my ears as he had tightened his hold around me one that made my heart feel more fluttery than one of the little sparrows that I think might live in the tree outside of the window... But luckily he gives no statement on it and simply allows myself to nuzzle close to him and let myself relax upon his calm insistence as he has since I had climbed into his lap for a cuddle...

A cuddle so warm and inviting that I had found myself nodding off before I had even been aware of it, the feel of Nicklaus's hand stroking my back better than any lullaby ever hummed to me... And when I wake to the feel to it still slipping up and down my spine, a gentle whisper of my name having been enough to rouse me in the silence surrounding us... I feel a flush rush to my cheeks knowing that he has been content to sit and hold me this entire time, even when I had fallen asleep.

"There you are..." His voice is kept low enough to make me shiver and feel shy... And before I know it I find myself curling into him even more to keep my face hidden so that he does not have the chance to see how harshly my cheeks have chosen to glow... Though I find my efforts thwarted as the hand not stroking my back comes up to caress my reddened cheek and then slip down to gently snag my chin between his thumb and forefinger in order to draw me out of his shoulder with another whisper, this one being, "Please don't hide yourself away... There's no need..."

His voice has such a peacefulness in it that I find myself nuzzling into his palm instead of retreating back into the crook of his neck in order to hide... There isn't any malice... And the request is as far from demanding as he could possibly get... It's simply filled with the gentleness he has shown me all day... And said gentleness is something that I've not ever been exposed to...

He's so different than anyone who has come here with the express purpose of visiting me... My family has never made me feel this way... Not even Wendy, and I see her every day... All of them do indeed make me feel shy from time to time... But when it happens they tend to give me the space they think I need so that I might recover from it... But Nicklaus has not yet backed away from me... He's shown impeccable kindness and has been gentle and steadfast with me and the emotions that it causes to stir in my belly are somewhat unsettling... Nice... but unsettling to say the least because I've never felt them before... I don't even have a name for them...

"There you are, Darling... Such a sweet face..." The way Nicklaus says things seems to carry such importance with how intimately he tangles his words into my consciousness, his hand sliding from my chin back up to cup my cheek in such a tender way that nearly brings a tear to my eyes, the smile that I catch on his face when I take the chance to look up at him one that melts even more of my defenses away as if they were made of nothing but ice, "Wendy here simply insists that you must wake for something called... Belly time?"