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A Few Months Earlier - Christmas 2004
She should have been feeling happy. No - she should have felt ecstatic. But instead, it was quite the opposite... She was feeling some mighty case of the blues these days, and during the holidays, at that. Not only that, but a mere two months after her wedding. It should have been the most joyous time of her life.
Instead, she was sulking and feeling miserable on the inside. On the outside, someone looking at her probably wouldn't be any the wiser. Jay sure as hell hadn't seemed to notice anything. Or, if he had, he hadn't said anything to her.
"Come on, Amy," he called to her, pulling on her hand. He was generally acting like a little kid on Christmas Day, full of excitement and happiness.
"Okay, okay," she relented, smiling as she followed her new spouse out to their living room. It was evening, and in spite of the fact that most people opened their gifts at midnight, or at least first thing in the morning, they'd decided to wait.
"Surprise!"
The redhead was taken aback by the multitude of voices practically singing that word. All around them were fellow WWE superstars, friends of theirs who were clearly in the Christmas spirit.
"Oh, my God! What is this?" Amy questioned. She grabbed Trish, the person closest in proximity to her, enveloping her in a hug.
"Just a little surprise for you, honey," Jay said in a sort of sly voice.
She stared at him in shock, her mouth hanging open.
"You planned this?"
"That's right," he said with a smile.
"Liar." The single word came from Adam, who stepped ahead and lightly smacked his best friend in the chest with the back of his hand. "It was actually all my idea."
The redhead's gaze instantly drew to the tall Canadian. She'd been so flustered, she actually hadn't even seen him until he'd spoken up - strange as that seemed. She cocked her head as she studied him.
"Really?" she asked. Even with Jay right there, she suddenly found it difficult to tear her gaze away from Adam.
"Really," he said. Without looking away from her, he nudged his best friend in the ribs. "Tell her, Jay," he demanded.
"Yeah... It was his idea. I admit it," the short-haired blond man relented.
Amy's lips parted slighly, as though she wanted to say something more, but somehow, she couldn't even speak. She simply eyed the tall blond wordlessly, a sweet warmth rushing through her. Touched... She was so touched by his sweet thoughtfulness.
"Well, what are we all waiting for?" The question came from Chris, whose face donned a big smile as he wrapped an arm around Trish's shoulders. "Let's get this shindig started. I wanna be the first one wearing a lamp shade on my head!"
Everyone laughed.
*
Amy slipped out of the house in spite of the fact that a few friends were still there. The party had overwhelmed her, but in a good way, and she felt she needed to catch her breath.
She was sitting out on the porch, on the topmost step, just listening to the soft sounds of the Christmas night. In the distance, she even thought she could hear carolers singing festive songs.
"Quite a night, huh?"
She looked up over her shoulder as Adam stepped through the front door. He came to sit two steps below her and rested his arms on his knees. A soft breeze picked up the blond curls of his long hair, and his handsome face seemed somewhat childlike in his excitement.
"Yeah, that it is," she said, smiling. She couldn't get over the fact that the party was all his idea. It made her feel somewhat disappointed, since, after all, Jay was her husband. He should have been the one thinking up something like that. But at the same time, it touched her in a deeply profound way. And somehow, she couldn't stop staring at him all of a sudden.
"By the way," he said, interrupting her thoughts. He reached for something in his jacket pocket, coming up with a tiny gift-wrapped box. "I do have a gift for you." he placed it in her hand.
She stared at him with further surprise. It wasn't that she hadn't reciprocated, because she had. She'd given him a present, but that had been two weeks prior, when they'd been on the road for shows before the holidays, and in front of other people. Yet, here he was, giving her a gift in private, no one but the two of them there.
Quickly but carefully, she undid the pretty wrapping paper and opened the tiny box. Her breath caught in her throat, and she pulled out a shiny object. It was a beautiful, delicate bracelet made of silver, with tiny rubies all around it.
"Oh, Adam," she said. She wasn't quite sure of what to say. "Thank you! It's gorgeous."
So are you, he thought, but he didn't breathe a word of it aloud. He helped her to put the jewelry on,
smiling at the expression on her face. As he shared a hug with her a moment later, he sighed as he longed for
more... so much more.