The next morning, I woke up to find no Ashley, I then smelled the distinct scent of bacon and sausage. I smiled as I rubbed my eyes and Ashley came in with a tray of breakfast for both of us. "Morning, baby." She said.
"You didn't have to do this honey." I told her.
"Well, you've done so much for me that I wanted to do this for you." She just put the tray in front of me and reached over to her bedside table and retrieved my glasses. "You also forgot to take these off before you fell asleep. I had to do some bending and twisting. I'm sure they'll still fit." I smiled at her as she gently put my glasses on me.
"Thank you. I really appreciate it." I smiled. She and I shared the breakfast platter she prepared. Once we polished off he hashbrown patties, I moved the tray to the side and got up out of bed and stretched. She walked up to me and hugged and kissed me.
"Now, I'll take care of your tray and you, my dear, go and take a shower so we can go and pick up our new dogs."
"You had this planned didn't you?" I asked.
"I have no idea what you mean."
I smiled as I kissed her once more and did as she told me to. I walked into the bathroom connected to the master bedroom and started the shower as she took the tray downstairs to the kitchen. The water from the shower head was the perfect temperature and loosened up my back and shoulder muscles. I was just so happy that I was spending the Christmas Holiday alone with Ashley. Not even twelve minutes had passed as I felt a pair of slender hands on my back.
"Doing okay?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm perfect. I'm happy and content. And I'm here with my fiancée spending the Christmas holiday alone with her."
"Now I want you to close your eyes baby." I did as told. "Now I want you to think of us. Where or how do you see us in a year or two?"
"I see us married by this summer, and possibly, with a couple of kids." I smiled.
"Speaking of married, when will our wedding take place?"
"I was thinking either in March or April." I told her.
"I'd like it to be in April."
"Strange."
"What?"
"I was thinking the same thing." I smiled. "How does April 15th strike you?"
"Perfectly." She smiled and kissed me.
"Do you want to go a round?" I grinned evilly.
"Why not." She and I had an hour and twenty minute round and when it was all over it found us on the bathroom floor covered in sweat and breathing heavily as we tried to catch our breath. "Damn baby. That had to be the most intense round we've had in a long while."
"I agree." I smiled as we slowly got to our feet and got back into the shower and did a quick ten minute shower, dried off, got dressed and pretty soon, we made our way to the car and I drove us to the address from the ad. When we got there, the owner approached us. "Hey, we're here to pick up our boys."
"Right this way." He said as he led us to the shed in his back yard. I handed him the check that had the amount we agreed on written on it. "Those two right there." He pointed to a pair near the back of the fenced off area. And they were pretty big for being eight to ten months old. Ashley smiled as she and I went inside and went right to our boys.
"Hey, Zeus. Apollo." I smiled as Ashley said their names. They barked and whimpered. "Ohh, you two are momma's boys aren't you?"
"That's impressive." Said the owner.
"What is?"
"Normally they bark and growl at new faces. But with you two they pant and whine."
"Okay. Well, you might say, we have the magic touch." Ashley smiled as Apollo licked her face.
"Okay. Let's go boys." I said and Zeus and Apollo rushed out the gate and sat near the door of the shed. "Thank you." Ashley smiled as I walked up to the car and opened the back seat driver side door and they rushed into the car. Ashley and I got in and we headed to town to get the dog's licenses and collars. Once we got the collars and licenses we headed home and the moment I opened the front door they ran in and familiarized themselves with their new surroundings.
"So which collar goes to which dog?" Ashley asked.
"One way to find out." I told her and she handed me a collar. "Zeus!" The taller one of the pair ran up to me. "That answers that." I smiled.
"Apollo." Ashley said and the other ran up to her and sat. "Do you think they like their names." She smiled.
"Well, I don't think they'd have responded so quickly if they didn't." Now we had two new members of our small family. Zeus and Apollo. We took the time over the next few days training them to go outside if they needed to use the restroom. They loved to run around the yard and even go on walks with us. It was fun to watch them as Ashley and I would work out in our gym and they would bark whenever I climbed the salmon ladder and the bar would clang. Ashley loved seeing them watch me climb the salmon ladder and whenever she did the ropes the boys would watch the ropes go up and down, or the squat barbells or the bench weights their eyes would follow the points of the bar or the weights. When I would play with them out in the backyard Ashley would smile and laugh.

When Christmas Day rolled around, I woke up to Zeus and Apollo whining. "Okay, give me a second boys." I smiled as I got up and walked to the back door and opened it and they darted out to the backyard. Ashley woke up as she smelled blueberry pancakes cooking. She smiled as she saw Zeus and Apollo playing around in the backyard. As she made her way downstairs, she smiled as she walked into the kitchen and saw me cooking up a storm for her breakfast. I saw her leaning against the doorway leading to the dining room. "Morning honey." I said as I flipped the last blueberry pancake and she approached me.
"Morning baby."
"Sleep well?" I asked. She hugged me from behind and kissed my cheek. "I'll take that as a yes." I grinned.
"So this is why I woke up alone in bed." She smirked.
"Yeah. I mean you did it for me. I thought I'd do it for you." I smiled as she hugged me tighter.
"Ohhh, your such a sweetheart." She smiled as I stirred the scrambled eggs and gently nudged the bacon over. Once everything was done I took the plates of bacon, eggs and the two stacks of pancakes to the table. I pulled a chair out for Ashley and she slid into the chair and I gently pushed it in. "Should we let the boys in?" I looked to the glass door leading to the backyard and saw Zeus and Apollo sitting at the door waiting to be let in.
"I'd say at least until after breakfast." The moment I lifted a piece of bacon to my mouth Apollo whined. "Ohh, alright." I smiled as Ashley giggled. "Now if I open the doors I want you two on your best behavior. Or you'll be spending the night outside." Ashley laughed as I talked to the boys like they were children. I opened the door and they gently trotted past me and to Ashley. "Good boys." I smiled. Ashley fed a couple of pieces of bacon from the plate to the boys.
"That's it. No more. Now go and eat your own food." Ashley smiled as the boys trotted to their bowls.
"Momma strikes again." I laughed as I sat down.
Ashley swatted my arm as I sat down. We finished eating breakfast and after cleaning the dishes and pans and putting them away, we headed upstairs and changed into our workout clothes and then headed into our gym and did at least an hour workout. Then headed upstairs and showered and changed into some clean clothes. I headed downstairs as Ashley played with Zeus and Apollo. I looked at the pictures of me and Ashley so far on the walls. There was the picture of us at Super Showdown. The picture of me and her when she first stayed with me in our home. Then it was the picture Becky took of us at Surivor Series we both had unhinged smiles on our faces. Ashley was fresh from giving Rousey a beatdown. I smiled as I heard Ashley in the backyard playing with our boys.

When nightfall came she and I made our favorite dishes. Once we finished cooking. The boys went outside to use the restroom and Ashley and I sat at the table and ate our dinner. It wasn't turkey or anything but we were very happy either way. Then not too long after we finished eating, "So, I'm sure that your wondering what my surprise is for you?" She asked. I nodded. She got up and went upstairs and came back with small box that fit in her hands. Then once she reached me, she handed it to me. Then sat back down as I smiled and opened the box and found a blue baby rattle.
"Is this..." I looked at her as she smiled. "Is this what I think..." She smiled wider and nodded. "Your..." I grinned widely and stood up.
"I'm pregnant baby." She smiled as she stood up. I put the box with the rattle on the table. I hugged and kissed Ashley.

Later in the night I led her to the parlor and sat at my piano and just started playing a various variety of songs as she smiled and leaned into me. When I started playing and singing 'If I Didn't Have You' from Monsters Inc. she smiled and giggled. When I finished, "Why didn't you tell me that you could play the piano?" She asked.
"Why didn't you ask?" I replied. I then played a Ray Charles standard. 'Mess Around'. And Ashley sang along with the rhythm and it surprised me how good of a singing voice she had. After we finished playing the piano and singing along with it. We decided to head to bed.

As I slid into bed, "How long have you known that you were pregnant?" I asked.
"At least a month and a half." She told me.
"Well I think I understand why it took you so long to tell me. But babe. I'm still as happy as a meadow lark." She smiled as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer to me. "If anything this makes our wedding all the more special and all the sweeter." She looked up at me and I kissed her lips. "I love you, Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr."
"I love you too, Daniel Robert Boyce." We held each other close and fell asleep.