Dominic winced when Nadine's elbow dug into his side. Nadine laid beside him her eyes closed as she slept peacefully. The hand that assaulted him returned to its place over her stomach as she stretched her leg father into the blanket. He laughed then leaned forward to pinch her nostrils shut. Nadine choked and coughed out before he removed his finger. She jerked awake and frowned when her squinted eyes caught him laughing. Nadine scowled at him but smiled when she slapped his shoulder.

"Jerk."

Dominic reached for her, kissing her lightly on the lips but he stayed on her when they pulled away. She seemed better than she had the past few week, the light was back in her eyes and some bits of colour had returned to her cheeks. Underneath him, she adjusted to his weight so it was even against the full length of her body. She dragged her fingers up and down his back, straining forward to kiss him again.

"You came back late last night." He murmured into her hair, the tips of his fingers tugging at the end of her loose camisole. "Can I hope that all the fun you were having didn't include a lot of men."

She giggled when he tickled her ribs a little, still keeping her eyes closed as she tried to shut out the approaching day. "We went to a strip club and got some lap dances but no one, not one of them were as handsome, as desirable, or even as inviting as the man I had back home waiting for me."

After they gave their second day in the city to the married couple, they decided it would be fun to take the day off to enjoy each other's company. Of course, without a tour guide, Dominic was sure that they had a high chance of getting lost. Dominic moved underneath the duvet, trying to slip out when Nadine took advantage of the position to throw herself against him. Dominic chuckled, turning on his back and pulling her closer. She sighed, tucking her face into his neck and stroking his shoulders.

"Please it's too early to get off this bed. Isn't it?"

Dominic turned his head to the clock, placing his hand on the small of her back. "It is eight in the morning."

Nadine nodded. "I never get to keep you past eight back at home. Today you are all mine and I want to enjoy you as well as all this Egyptian cotton."

Dominic relented and wrapped his arms around her. There was small talk left and right with even sometime to fall back into a short siesta. They stayed in bed for most of the morning but by the time the clock struck ten, they dragged themselves out of bed and out into the city. Nadine left the hotel dressed in a light shirt that hung over one shoulder and deep blue shorts.

After she became his wife, she rarely went out so casually dressed. Her legs saw heels more than they did sneakers. Dominic, himself, always saw more suits that sweats so it was a welcomed relief for him as well. They walked under the glaring sun together. He held the umbrella over their heads while they roamed the streets. Nadine looked up at it, resting her fingers around his raised arm while they walked.

Everything in the city seemed to marvel his beautiful wife; she took in every tall building, all the people, all the colours and even the cars seemed to fascinate her. The latter he had no idea why. Nadine ate everything they could buy from the streets even though he tried to convince her that it might not be healthy. Dominic could just tell that she was enjoying being away from town.

"Gosh this ice-cream is tasty." She cooed to herself, swiping her tongue around the sides of her lips to stop the ice cream from rolling to her chin. Her finger reached out to wipe what little was against his lips as well. "Are you enjoying yours?"

He nodded, taking a lick from the cone and smiling at her as he did. Nadine stood on her toes to kiss him then smiled at him as they continued to walk. "We should have rented a bicycle. Do you want that? You know, ride around the town instead of walking."

"I will love that so much. Why didn't we rent one first? I miss that darling, riding around with you. Don't get me wrong, walking beside you is amazing as well. Holding your hand, kissing you, but a bicycle would take us less time."

"Always the lazy bunny."

He dropped the umbrella, folded it up and let it swing by his side for a while as they entered a shaded street. The buildings lined perfectly along the street, each house was brightly coloured and had a lot of open space. Lush green grass and high trees lines the path of the sidewalk. Nadine had lived in a similar neighbourhood when she first moved into the town, though the buildings weren't as lavish as the ones in Santa Montes.

"I was thinking of buying us another house."

Nadine looked up at him in shock. "Honey, the house we have has been your house for years. It is big enough for the two of us and located in a beautiful area. Why in the world will you want to buy another one?"

Dominic squeezed her shoulder, pushing her to the side to give way to woman jogging past them. "My tenure as mayor is ending soon and I-I am planning on using it to start my life afresh, to start our life afresh. I love our home in Aeston but I need us to get away for a while, stay somewhere else to get our lives in a new direction."

Nadine twisted her finger in his shirt, stopping to lift her face to his. "You want to buy a house outside of the town?"

"Yeah." His fingers drummed on the side of her arm as he continued to walk forward, pulling her alongside him. "If that is okay with you anyways. I just want us to have some peace to ourselves, relax as we are doing here. Peace and quiet, to enjoy you in my arms with people who don't know us."

"I don't know Dom. I would hate for you to be doing this all in some twisted way to please me."

"No, babe. I am doing this for us. Look, I already have a house in mind and it is amazing. It is actually not that far from our town, maybe four or five hours away from us and the design is impeccable. I know you have your business in town and your charities that's why, for now, it is just a thought. "

Nadine said nothing but Dominic did not need her to because he did not want her to rush her decision. Although the loss of their children had sent tornadoes through his life, it black holed through his wife's. He did not want her to think that they were running away from their problems or from the town. Dominic did not think it would be such a strange idea to find a place away from town, lots of people move at some point in their lives.

He raised his head to watch the sunlight filter through the thick barricade of leaves and branches. He wanted to get a house so far away from all the noise so he and his wife could grow out of the bitter memories. Not only losing their child but also escaping all the pain the town bore down on her before they were married. Nadine took his hand, lifting it to her lips in a quiet kiss. They walked on for a few more minutes in silence before Nadine finally spoke.

"I think I should have given Jonathan a call. He loves weddings."

"Well I haven't heard from him in a while. How has he being doing?"

"Well, he is dating someone else, again. Sadly, things didn't quite work out with Harriet like we thought it would. From what I have heard about this new girl I think she might really be the one."

"You said that about Harriet as well."

"Yes but I always think anyone he is dating is the right one because when they start out he is just so happy. Harriet didn't end on a sour note, mind you. They both agreed to stay friends but decided they did not love each other enough to keep up the relationship. Or something like that."

They walked on for a few more hours until they got tired and decided to take a taxi for the rest of their journey. Dominic did not bring up the new house again or try to approach any other subject with Nadine. He knew, somehow, that she liked the idea of moving away from the town for a while. It would take her some time but Dominic knew her answer would be a "yes".