by Adler
“I want to thank you all again for making our first Thanksgiving together so special. As you all know, we are heading up to Montreal in a few weeks to spend the Christmas Holiday and New Years with my family.
I chime in, “Don’t forget your birthday too!”
He chuckles, “Right, my birthday too.” He walks around the table to where I am sitting. Harrison gets down on one knee, and I am simply puzzled.
“Danielle, you have already made me the happiest man in the world the day you said ‘I do’ in paradise. I have found my purpose in you, and I am a better man because of you. I am excited to start the rest of our forever together.” I feel like I may bust out of this chair and right into his arms. “The reason I am here on bended knee, is that I am asking you to marry me again in front of our loved ones in Montreal on New Year’s Eve.”
There is a collective gasp around the room. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me.
“Harrison, I thought we agreed that we would plan something for this coming summer. I don’t know if we can pull off an entire wedding in a month.”
His face falls.
Shit! Now I’ve done it. As he starts to stand up, I reach out my hand and place it on his face. “If you want to get married on New Year’s, then I am all in. I love you Harrison.” I lean over to kiss him and then hear my mother sniffling. Clarke jumps up from her seat squealing and clapping her hands.
“Oh, this is great! I am so planning your ensemble.” She stops, “Can you still wear white?”
My mother steps in, “Of course she can.” Then she turns to Harrison, “Oh, you scoundrel, you never told us you were planning this.”
He gives my mother his mega-watt smile. “Well, I only decided a few days ago. I figure there is no reason to wait. It’s more for our loved ones than anything, but I want to shout out to the world how I feel about my love for your daughter.”
“I have already spoken to my family, and they are ecstatic.” He turns to me. “My mother is anxious to meet the woman who captured my heart.”
My dad is stands next to Harrison, patting him on the back. It’s fun to see the bond my dad has with Harrison. He never warmed up to my ex like this.
I turn to Clarke, and she is beaming at me. “Clarke, will you be my maid of honor?”
She gasps, “But of course, Danners! I am so excited, I’ve never been to Montreal and how exciting, New Year’s Eve!”
All of the sudden, the blood empties from my face, and I feel a chill down my spine. In all the excitement, I had forgotten that was the date the Wine Witch wanted to marry Harrison. It has been a while since we have heard anything from her. I wonder if we are actually rid of her or if she is sitting back licking her wounds and planning more. Well, news of this will travel fast. We shall see if this smokes her out, or if she has conceded and moved on.
“Danners, hello DANI?” Clarke is flapping her hand in front of my face. I look at her and take a deep breath. “What is it? You look like you just saw your dead uncle?!”
I try to perk up, “Oh, nothing, just a lot to do in a very small amount of time. I suddenly feel really overwhelmed!”
She takes me by the elbow, “No worries, I will help you however I can! Actually, is there somewhere private to talk? We haven’t had a chance to catch up, and I have some stuff to tell you.”
“Sure, of course. Let’s go to my room.”
Chapter Thirteen
Walking down the hallway, I notice Harrison’s den door is still closed. I quickly grab the handle and give it a turn. Good, still locked.
Clarke throws me a funny look, and I shrug my shoulders at her.
Once inside my room, we settle into the sofa, and I flip on the fireplace.
‘So, girl talk time huh?”
“Danners, you know I am not much for small talk. I just thought you should know what a certifiable lunatic Bradley has turned into.”
I am alarmed, “Why do you say that? what has he done?”
She scoffs, “What hasn’t he done? He is calling me constantly to ask about you. Your hubby had him thrown out on his ear when you were in the hospital. He was sneaking in at times the rest of us weren’t there.”
I nod, “Yes, Harrison told me this the other day. He also told me how grave my condition was when they first brought me in to the ER. I am shocked that you all lied to me, Clarke.”
She stands up and walks to the fireplace. She sits on the hearth and says in a sober tone, “Well you can be sore at me all you want; the last thing you needed to hear while you were recovering was that you had almost died. We all decided together that when the time was right, you would be told. Besides, you are here to talk about it now, and that is all that matters. You are like a sister to me and the thought of losing you was devastating.” She hops up quickly and returns the sofa, fanning herself.
“Ok, so what else about Bradley?”
“Right. Well, since he can’t call you and you live in Fort Knox, he keeps dropping off bouquets of flowers at my house and office for ME to deliver to you. Apparently, he watched the reception girl in the lobby downstairs throw away one bouquet after another.”
I feel sick. “Doesn’t he know that I am married to Harrison now? And how do they know the flowers are from Bradley?” I now understand why Harrison was so adamant about my not engaging with or mentioning Bradley.
“Oooh, yes! Bradley knows about your skipping off and getting hitched. I know for a fact that he has not accepted it. He kept telling me the other day that he was going to make right by you and fix everything. I am not sure what that means exactly. It was creepy, though. He just kept saying it over and over again, like one of those nut jobs you see blurting out stuff on the streets. I told him to leave you alone and never to contact me again. Seriously, I don’t know what has gotten into him. He is just so freaking gross now! It is hard to believe he used to be so hot!”
I nod. “It’s like he has snapped. I can’t help but to feel a little sorry for him. He seems like he is teetering on the brink of completely losing it.”
“He dropped off a letter that he wrote to you that he wants me to give you. I almost threw it out, but I thought I should give you the opportunity to see it and make up your own mind about how you want to handle Bradley.” She reaches into her blazer pocket and pulls out a folded envelope. As she is handing it to me, we hear a voice from behind.
“Well, isn’t that clever of the old boy? Sneak around the husband and go straight to the best friend to get to my wife.”
I jump up from my seat and see Harrison standing in the doorway with his brow furrowed and the look of rage marching across his usually handsome face. He walks over to us, and I place the envelope in his outstretched hand. I look from him to Simone and realize he is really mad at me. His eyes are fixed on my face, with flames licking at the corners of his brows.
“Harrison, Clarke was just telling me that…” He puts his hand up and looks at Simone. She hastily leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.
“I thought that I was perfectly clear about your ex husband. I came in here to tell you that I was going to send you, your friend and mother to New York to Maxwell’s to buy your dress. Imagine my distress to hear you and your little friend discussing the very man whose name makes my blood boil. Do you still have feelings for him? Is that why you can’t let him go? Am I not enough for you?” He is now shouting. I am sure everyone in the living room can hear.
I sit back down on the sofa and stare ahead at the dancing fire. When I look back at Harrison, he looks tormented.
“Harrison. Sit please.” I motion to the stuffed chair.
At first, he shakes his head, and then he sits down with the envelope still in his hand.
“Before you say anything, Danielle, maybe you should understand a few things. I never planned to fall in love again. I never thought I would find someone that would fulfill me as Adelaide did. The day she died, my soul died with her. I was a shell of a person, seeking out pleasure without strings. When I first saw you
standing in the master bedroom in the demo home last summer, something stirred in me. At that moment, I had an idea that you were to be the one who was going to resuscitate me and save me from myself. I can’t live without you, Danielle, but I also can’t live with someone who has feelings for someone else. I have given my soul to you, Danielle, please tell me that wasn’t a mistake.
I jump up from my seat and kneel beside Harrison, taking his hand in mine. I look deep into his tortured eyes.
“You need to understand a few things. I want nothing to do with Bradley. He is my past and you are my future. I can’t imagine living a single moment without you. I was a broken woman when I met you. It hurt so intensely when I thought you were marrying that bitch! I felt as if I had nothing to live for. I have never felt like this before, especially in my previous marriage. It was void of passion and connection. My past needs to stay in the past; all I want is you, Harrison.”
I snatch the envelope out of his hand and proceed to rip it in several pieces, letting it fall to the floor. Harrison grabs my face with his hands and presses his firm, supple lips to mine, while he holds me in a soul speaking to soul embrace. After several minutes of our tongues dancing with each other, we release one another.
“By the way, you are more than enough for me.” I look into pools of limpid blue and know that my strong, secure sex machine is back.
He groans and then pulls me onto his lap, as he kisses my neck in that magic spot that sets my core on fire! “God Danielle, I want be buried inside you so bad! I wish that everyone would just leave!” He kisses my lips again and then allows me to stand back up.
I straighten out my skirt and fluff my hair. “Did you mean what you said about going to New York?”
He grunts, “I don’t know, I don’t know if I trust your friend. She is sneaking behind my back and playing messenger for your ex husband.”
“Oh Harrison, now you are sounding insecure again! I get where you are coming from, but she is only trying to be my friend. We are practically sisters. It’s like it’s in our code. She would never do anything to come between us. She doesn’t like my ex anymore than you do. In all fairness though, he is acting completely out of character for him. It’s like something or someone has a hold on him.”
He grunts, “Yeah, well I am beginning to wonder if he is obsessed with you.”
“No, of course he’s not. He just doesn’t know how to move on.”
“He’d better figure it out quickly before I start legal action to force his moving on.”
“Oh Harrison, let’s just focus on keeping that crazy woman away from us. Have you heard anything?”
“Not exactly. She seems to be keeping her distance after the board served her a formal warning following her text message to me. My father did say that she is hiding out at the Devereaux compound. That is all I know.”
“I still have my suspicions that we haven’t heard the last of her. I wonder what she will do once she learns that we will be marrying on her turf on her wedding day?”
He looks stricken, “Oh Danielle, I can’t believe I didn’t even think about the date. It had not even crossed my mind. She can’t do much, as I will see to it that we are heavily secured. Let’s talk more about this later. We have guests to see to out there, and I plan to ravage your body the minute everyone leaves.”
Oh! There goes my body responding to him as it normally does. As inappropriate as it is at times, I hope that I always react to my husband with such abandon for years to come.
True to form, after everyone left, Harrison takes me to our room and devours every inch of my body. We explore each other’s bodies for the better part of the night. When I finally fall asleep, another nightmare greets me. I dream, once again, of the dark hooded man chasing me down the corridors, out into the street. I turn to look behind me, and he is no longer there. I look forward again and there he is, standing in my path and I am about to hit him head on. I scream at him, but no sound comes out of my mouth. I feel my heart pounding, and I can barely breathe, as if his hands are around my neck. I hear a sinister laugh. Then, I wake up. I lie there for a moment, as my breathing slows back down to normal and my heart stops racing. I turn toward Harrison, but he is not there. I sit up and look at the clock on my phone. It is 1:48 AM. I climb out of bed and put on my robe. I am sore from all of our recent lovemaking. I slowly walk out into the hallway and I about to call out his name, when I hear the tinkling sound of a woman laughing. I strain to hear. Is it the television? It is coming from the direction of the media room, so it is possible, though watching TV is not something Harrison engages in very often. Maybe Albert is up. I tiptoe across the cold travertine floor, wishing I had worn slippers. You would think that I would have learned by now. Just as I am about to enter the room, I hear the giggling again and it is definitely not the TV. I walk through the door, into the media room, and there are Harrison and Alicia sitting on the sofa together, talking.
“What the hell is going on here?” My mind is racing a mile a second.
Harrison looks at me, with a surprised expression. “I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to wake you. I came out here and found Alicia up watching TV, so I came in to join her.”
She looks at me with a smugness that I would like to slap off her face. “Harry has been lecturing me about going back to school. I think I am convinced, but I just need to find the funding.” She giggles.
Harry? Did she just call my husband Harry?
“I see, well Harry, perhaps you would like to join me back in our bedroom?” I look at Alicia, “Don’t you have a TV in your room?”
I notice that she is wearing a pair of slinky pajama bottoms and a low cut, practically threadbare, light pink colored t-shirt. I swear that I can see her perky nipples through the fabric. Oh my gosh, I am losing it. I just need to have Harrison get rid of her.
“Yes, but this one is bigger.” She doesn’t seem to have once ounce of humility.
I look at Harrison and turn to leave. I hear him get up and follow me out into the hallway. Turning back to Alicia, “You might want to get to bed too. We like to get things started early around here.”
She mumbles something, switches the TV and lights out, and then heads the opposite way to her room.
Once back inside our bedroom, I turn to Harrison “What the fuck was that all about?”
He actually has the nerve to give me a perplexed look. “What are you getting at?”
“What am I getting at? That girl is seriously trying to come on to you that’s what!”
He laughs, “She is not coming onto me. I am sure I am a little too old for her. Besides, I am taken by the most beautiful woman in the world. How can she compete with that?” He grabs me and suckles at the magic spot on my neck. I try to push him away, but it feels too good. I guess this can wait until the morning. We make love again before I fall back into a fitful sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
The next day, Harrison goes next door to the Rogue Tower to get in a workout. He claims the little workout room he had put in for me doesn’t have manly enough equipment. I set about doing some online shopping for things we will need to take to Montreal with us. I have lots of Christmas shopping to do, but no way am I going to head out to the malls. Harrison wouldn’t hear of it anyway.
I set myself up in the great room on the white leather sofa. It is a dismal day, but it still seems cheery in this room. While my laptop is firing up, I head out to the kitchen to make myself some tea. I walk in and must have startled Alicia, as she jumped when I said hello. She quickly tucked something into her apron pocket, mumbled a hello, grabbed her rag, and left the kitchen out the other doorway. I notice something on the floor where she had been standing. I bend over to pick it up. It’s a piece of off-white torn paper. The longer I look at it, the more familiar it is. It finally occurs to that it is the same paper as the envelope Bradley’s letter was in. How peculiar.
I put the piece into my pocket and go in search of Alicia. She is in the powder room, cleanin
g. “Ah, there you are. I was hoping I could send you on a couple quick errands?”
She seems to jump every time I speak to her. She stammers, “Uh, sure. I guess so. What do you need?”
“I have a craving for a few things, so I was thinking you could run up to Zupans in John’s Landing area.”
“Okay, let me just change real quick and I will go, just make me a list.”
“Great.” I head back into the kitchen, make a quick list of things, and grab some cash from my purse. I wait for her in the elevator foyer. I am perched on the edge of the water feature ledge when she walks in. She is dressed in typical college student garb, a hoodie sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. As I look her up and down, I have not a clue why I am so threatened by her. She is the last thing that would make Harrison hot.
I hand her the list and money and ask her to pick up the dry cleaning as well. That will get her out of the house for at least an hour. I have some investigative work to do. Once I hear the elevator descend the shaft, I go in search of Albert. I need to enlist his help. As I suspected, Albert is parked in the media room watching his morning talk show circuit.
“Albert?”
“Hmm, oh oui Madame?” He stands up.
“I need you to keep an ear out for the elevator for the next thirty minutes or so.”
He tilts his head looking confused.
“I know don’t ask, just work with me, okay?”
“Oui Madame, whatever you want.”
I head back to my bedroom and into the master closet. I remember seeing a ring of keys in one of Harrison’s drawers. I grab the key ring and head back down the hallway. I get to Alicia’s door and try it. Sure enough, it is locked. I pull out the ring and begin trying the different keys. I am on my fourth try, when I hear someone walking up behind me. I quickly turn around to find Albert standing behind me. “Here, I have a master.” He swiftly unlocks the door, and I give a smile of thanks. He continues to stand outside the door, as I nervously look around. I would just die if I were to be caught. I walk over to the closet and open the door. On the floor of the closet, is the apron she was wearing earlier. I pick it up and put my hand in the pocket only to come up empty handed. I drop the apron back to the floor and shut the closet door.
