by Rinyu, Beth
I thought about how much I wanted to be with him. It didn’t matter where we were. I just wanted the three of us to be a family. “I don’t need to think about it – I’ll go,” I answered quickly.
His blue eyes widened. “I don’t want to push you into anything.”
“You’re not pushing me into anything. I want to be with you. It doesn’t matter where, as long as it’s with you.” I wanted to hug him so badly but I couldn’t—I was in too much physical pain. Emotionally it was a different story—I had never been happier.
He looked up at my IV and smiled. “Do you want me to ask you again when you don’t have all those drugs pumping into you?” He laughed.
I managed my best smile, and shook my head no.
“I love you Kat.” He said as he bent down and kissed me on the forehead.
“I love you too,” I answered, making sure he heard me loud and clear.
Chapter 38
It had been three weeks since my accident and Julian hadn’t left my side. I was feeling much better. I was still a little sore and bruised but it was nothing compared to the pain I had been in when I first came home. Matty was out of the hospital and doing well too. He and Julian had been taking such good care of me these past three weeks.
My car had been totaled so Julian and I were spending the entire morning car shopping. There was nothing I hated more than buying a new car. I usually gave in and took the first price that they threw at me just to avoid playing their stupid game. Julian was the opposite; he loved playing this game and he played it well. The salesman got up from the desk to talk to his manager.
“You know we could have been out of here hours ago,” I said.
“No way, Kat; you never take the first price they give you.”
“Well, that was just a ridiculous figure you threw at him; you know they’re not going to accept it,” I said. I was getting anxious over the thought of wasting the rest of this sunny warm spring day in this place.
I watched as the manager got up from his desk with the salesman. “Here we go,” I whispered to Julian.
“Congratulations, Dr. Vallia,” the manager said with a Cheshire cat grin.
Julian smirked at me. “You see, that’s how it’s done,” he said proudly.
They didn’t have the color I wanted so they had to order it from another dealership. I could pick it up in two days. I finished filling out the paperwork and was so relieved to be leaving, car or not. I jumped into Julian’s rental car and sighed with relief. I pulled my phone from my purse and realized there was a text from Tricia. We were heading to her house for a barbeque later. Matty was with her and James to spare him from the agonizing task of car shopping.
Please bring Matty a change of clothes he and James had a little mishap.
I shook my head wondering what kind of mischief he and James had been up to now. I showed Julian the text as we made our way back to my house to get Matty’s clothes.
Julian’s phone rang as we were just about to enter the house. I could tell it was a work call and went in ahead of him to gather Matty’s clothes. I grabbed Matty a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. I went into my bedroom and sat down on the bed for a moment, waiting for Julian to get done with his phone conversation. I had so much to do to prepare for this big move to Chicago. I was hoping to have my house on the market within the next week, which made me sad. This had been my home my whole life. I had so many happy memories here and it was hard for me to fathom living anywhere else. When those thoughts crept in, I reminded myself that I would be with the two most important people in my life and would be making new memories.
I still had to give my notice to work and had to work on finding a job in Chicago. Julian kept telling me to take my time with it and that I didn’t even have to work if I didn’t want to. I knew that wasn’t an option for me; being a doctor was part of who I was. I would never be happy just sitting home all day. I let him know I had every intention of working and I would find a job all by myself without any outside influence from him.
We still hadn’t made love and I wanted him more with each day that passed. He was so afraid that I was still in pain and didn’t want to hurt me. What he didn’t realize was that it was hurting me more by not being with him. It had been six long years since I felt his touch and I yearned for it more than anything. I heard the front door open as he came into the bedroom.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
I tapped lightly on the bed signaling for him to sit down next to me. “I want you to make love to me, Julian.”
“Kat, we can’t; you’re still healing. Believe me there’s nothing I want more, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Please, Julian; you’re not going to hurt me, I promise.”
There was a look of longing and hesitation in his eyes. I decided to be bold and make the first move as I leaned in and kissed him passionately. He responded with the same intensity, taking me a little off-guard – but I liked it. As our lips finally parted he pressed his forehead up to mine. “I want you so badly, Kat.” There was still a little uncertainty in his voice. I lifted my sundress over my head and removed my bra. I became a little self-conscious realizing that I still had some faint bruising on my chest. I removed his shirt and began to kiss his neck, slowly making my way down to his chest. I could feel him breathing heavier as he softly and gently caressed my breasts. His hands touching my body felt so perfect. I unzipped his pants and he quickly removed them. He began to kiss me softly on my neck. He slowly removed my underwear and gently laid me down on the bed. He was on top of me taking extra care to make sure he didn’t press his weight up against my ribs. He slowly began to kiss my breasts, making his way down to other parts of my body – I was in heaven. He rolled over, pulling me on top of him very gently. He gazed at my naked body closely while he softly caressed my breasts.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. My stomach did a somersault at the sound of his voice.
He was inside of me now, never breaking eye contact as he looked up. I moved about slowly, watching the pleasure on his face as he placed his hands on my hips. It felt so familiar – so right. He sat up, kissing my neck, gently moving on top again. His movements were quick and hard—it felt perfect.
“I love you,” he whispered in my ear. I was filled with a rush of excitement hearing his words. He continued to take me with each thrust. I was enjoying every single second; I had longed for this forever. I didn’t want to close my eyes because I was afraid that if I opened them, it would only be a dream. All those years apart, comparing every guy I met to him, dreaming of being in his arms – and here we were together again. I could no longer hold out. I gently dug my fingers into his back, raising my hips one last time to meet him as I let out a gentle cry of sheer pleasure.
He began to move quicker and harder now. “Oh Kat,” he whispered as I felt the warmth of his release filling me up.
I kissed him gently on the cheek. I was on emotional overload as my body began to quiver. I had never felt so fulfilled in my whole life, being with him again in this way after all of these years. I was overjoyed and at the same time inexplicably crying. It was as if all of the emotions that I had bottled up for the past six years were coming out.
He had a look of alarm on his face. “Are you okay; did I hurt you?” he asked.
I pulled him closer as the tears continued to fall. “No, Julian; that was absolutely perfect.”
We quietly rested in each other’s arms for quite some time. “We’ve got to get going to Tricia’s,” I said half-heartedly. I would have much rather been spending the afternoon wrapped up in his arms.
I nuzzled closer giving him one last hug and kissing him on the chest. “I missed you,” I said as I rested my chin on his chest.
He smiled widely at me. “I missed you too,” he rolled over and began to kiss my neck.
My body was still overly sensitive and the touch of his lips on my neck tickled me, I began to giggle. “Jul – ,” he pressed his lips against mine.
I didn’t put up much of a fight and we ended up being just a little late to Tricia’s barbeque.
Chapter 39
Summer
Matty was back to looking and acting like the child I knew before he had gotten sick. He was still being monitored very closely and getting stronger each day. His thick dark hair was starting to grow back in. He would finally be starting kindergarten in the fall.
I was finally feeling one hundred percent myself as well. So much had happened in just a few short months. I had met Julian’s family and felt immediately comfortable around all of them. His mother and father were so warm and accepting. They instantly fell in love with Matty and vice versa. His mother was mesmerized with just how much Matty looked like Julian. She expressed her gratitude to me for helping her son realize that there were more important things in life than just work. His sister and I became fast friends. I felt like I could talk to her about anything from the moment I met her. The same way I had felt when I had first met Julian.
Matty and I had just returned from visiting Julian in Chicago for a few days. It was Matty’s first time there and he loved it. I actually enjoyed myself as well. The circumstances were a lot happier compared to the last time that I had been there. Julian’s home was absolutely breathtaking. It was a magnificent four-bedroom townhome. It was about four times the size of my home. It had three floors, which Matty was mesmerized by after living in a one-story home his whole life. The humongous kitchen was a chef’s dream. The second floor consisted of a very spacious master bedroom suite, while the third floor contained the three other bedrooms. My favorite part was the beautiful patio area off the dining area. It overlooked the perfectly landscaped courtyard giving it a very Parisian feel - I could definitely get used to living there. I closed my eyes thinking back to our visit:
We were winding down from a very busy day of sightseeing around the city. We finished the day with dinner and then returned to Julian’s. We were enjoying a glass of wine on the patio while Matty was absorbed in a chocolate milkshake.
“So, do you like it here?” Julian asked Matty.
Matty nodded. His eyes crossed as he tried sucking the thick milkshake he was drinking through the straw. Julian laughed at his persistence.
“Do you like it here?” he asked with a cute boyish smile.
“Of course I do – because you’re here.” I took his hand in mine and kissed it.
It was a perfect early summer evening. Even though I knew that I could get very used to living here, it was still going to be a big adjustment for me, but I was looking at it positively. I didn’t care where I was, as long as it was with Julian and Matty. I smiled thinking about being able to wake up with Julian every morning.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked.
“You,” I said kissing him softly on the lips.
I closed my eyes and smiled as I reminisced back to that night and what followed after Matty was fast asleep. My stomach fluttered as I thought about how many more nights like that I had to look forward to once we were finally together.
Surprisingly, my house sold quickly, and we would be moving in a month. It worked out perfectly. I wanted to make sure that Matty would be in Chicago by the time school started. I was sadly boxing up my items. It was bittersweet for me to be leaving the place I had lived my whole life. But I knew that my home would now be wherever Matty and Julian were.
James and Matty had gone to pick Julian up from the airport. He was flying in for the weekend to help me finish packing. Tricia was trying her best to help, but was getting easily distracted with talking. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me,” she said sadly.
“Tricia, I’m not leaving you. I’ll be a two-hour plane ride and a phone call away.”
“It’s just not going to be the same,” she said.
“Come on, I will coming back a lot to visit,” I said. “You know that I can’t be away from the ocean for too long.”
She still wasn’t smiling; she was taking this harder than anyone. Even Claire and Charles were handling it better. They were upset, but they knew how much I loved Julian and this was the only way for us to be together.
“Well, I still say you shouldn’t be going anywhere without a ring on your finger,” Tricia said as she taped up one of the boxes.
She had been on my case since the day I told her I was moving about making such a big commitment without being engaged. I reminded her that she had been engaged for almost two years and still had not acted on it.
“I pushed him full force into being a dad. I’m not going to push him into being a husband too,” I said. “I know he loves me; I don’t need a ring to tell me that.”
She rolled her eyes as if she didn’t agree with me. “Yeah, but he’s like your knight in shining armor. I’m just shocked that he didn’t get down on one knee with a beautiful diamond, but instead just asked you to shack up with him.”
I shook my head at her fairy-tale way of thinking. “Tricia, I’m not shacking up with him, we love each other.”
“While we’re on the subject of marriage…” I started.
She put her hand up to stop me, as if she didn’t want to hear my lecture about setting a wedding date. I laughed as I walked into Matty’s room to begin packing up his closet. I pulled everything out, finally reaching the back when a stack of boxes caught my eye. I pulled one out and took off the lid. I instantly recognized them as the presents that I had bought for my dad on his last Christmas. I didn’t have the heart to donate them back then so I shoved them in the back of the closet and forgot all about them. I smiled and at the same time felt the familiar sting of tears forming in my eyes. I could almost feel his presence in the room.
“Thank you, Dad, for watching over Matty,” I whispered. I sat on the floor for a moment rubbing my hand over the soft fleece sweatshirt, still perfectly folded in the box.
“Are you okay?” Julian asked, leaning down and kissing me on the cheek.
“Yeah, I’m fine, I didn’t even hear you guys come in.” I got up quickly, rubbing my eyes and giving him a hug.
“That’s because nobody else came in. Matty talked James and Tricia into taking him for ice cream,” he said.
“Great; so I guess Tricia is officially off duty,” I said, looking around at the mess.
“I’ll help you,” he said, pulling me closer and kissing me on the lips. “But first, I want you to come with me.”
“What? Where? Julian I have to…”
He grabbed my car keys that were hanging on the hook in the entryway. He took my hand and led me out the front door.
“Where are we going?” I asked with confusion. He completely ignored me. We drove a few blocks up the road along the bay front. He parked the car and we got out.
“Let’s go for walk,” he said, taking my hand.
There was nothing I would have loved to have done more than go for a walk with him. But I had my house all ripped apart and was in desperate need to get back to that mess if I had any intention of moving within a month.
“Okay, but only for a few minutes,” I said.
He took my hand in his and we walked for a while. I still didn’t get the point. He was quiet the whole time. He obviously didn’t have anything that he wanted to talk about.
“Okay, are you ready to go back?” he asked after we had walked for about five minutes.
I shrugged, looking at him strangely. I was totally confused by his odd behavior. We exited the beach a few blocks up from where we had started. I stopped for a second to admire the beautiful new home right across from where we were standing. It had been built to replicate an old Victorian house. Matty and I would peak in the windows trying to get a glimpse inside as it was being built. It looked like it was finally complete.
“Wow, that’s beautiful,” Julian said.
“I know,” I agreed.
I pulled his hand leading him in the direction of the car, but he wasn’t moving. He walked up to the house. I was shocked when he turned the handle on the front
door and it opened.
“We just can’t go in there,” I said as he walked in, ignoring me. I was a little wary about just walking in. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me, and it didn’t take me long to follow him.
I was awe-struck when I walked into the huge entryway. The living room was open and airy with a huge fireplace. The kitchen had all top of the line appliances and beautiful granite counter tops. There were pristine hardwood floors throughout and bay views from every window. We walked upstairs where there were four bedrooms. The first three bedrooms were all similar in size. We saved the master bedroom for last. As I entered I was overwhelmed by the size. There was a fireplace and two enormous closets. The huge master bath was intricately tiled with a double sink, a shower, and Jacuzzi tub.
There was a set of French doors off the bedroom that led to a balcony overlooking the water. I stepped outside, taking in the view.
“Wow, could you imagine waking up to this every morning?” I asked looking around.
“Yeah, it’s pretty nice,” he said.
“Pretty nice? It’s gorgeous!” I said.
He smiled at my enthusiasm. “So you wouldn’t mind living here?” he asked.
“Um, sure but I’m moving to Chicago with you; remember, silly?” I said playfully.
“Okay, if you weren’t moving to Chicago, would you want to live in this house?” he asked more seriously.
“Are you kidding me? Of course.”
“Well, that’s good to know because they accepted my offer today,” he said.
“What are you talking about?”
“You love this house—it’s yours,” he said.
“Okay, now I’m really confused. What, are you going to keep commuting back and forth to Chicago? As much as I love it here, I want to be with you more and not just a few days out of the month.” I tried to catch my breath. He began to laugh at the state of panic I was getting in. I didn’t find much humor in it. I thought we had it all figured out and here he was changing the plan.
