*
Jake and Laurie walked with Carol down the long sterile hospital hall. Each room they passed, Jake glanced in seeing other ICU patients and their rooms filled with anxious faces. Each one with their own story, their own pain, their own hopes, their own grief. As others turned their faces to him, he saw understanding. When his father had been ill, Jake realized he had been too young to truly understand the human emotion of shared grief. Seeing his emotions mirrored on the faces of others in the hospital, he knew he wasn’t alone.
Holding tightly to Laurie’s hand, not knowing if it was for his support or hers, they entered Emma’s room.
Chapter 21
The lights were so bright, but they did not hurt her eyes.
There was a golden glow all around, like the reflection of the sun setting over the ocean.
That perfect moment when the last of the sun’s rays cast brilliant colors over the moving water, and everything has a pastel crystalline beauty.
Emma’s mother was on the shore, the pearlescent light glowing around her face,
and Emma could feel herself floating toward her.
Her mother opened her arms, wrapping them around Emma as she stood before her.
Emma, surrounded by her love.
Home. That was where love was. She remembered their home.
The laughter, the sharing, the love. That was home.
Emma looked up into her mother’s wise eyes and saw love shining from them.
I want to go with you, mom. I’ve miss you so much. I’m ready.
I want to go home.
Oh Emma dearest. This isn’t your home. Not yet. It’s not your time.
You still have so much love to give. You still have a home to fill with love.
Emma pulled back and looked around, not understanding.
You, my precious child, you will be home with me someday, but not right now.
Emma’s mother began to slowly move away. Emma reached out for her,
but she could no longer touch her mother’s arms.
Mom, mom, don’t leave me again…
Emma dearest, it is time for you to go to your home.
It’s time for Emma’s home.
*
Harsh. Bright. Glaring. Emma was aware of the light, but this time causing pain instead of comfort. She felt herself floating, but could not hear peaceful shore sounds. Only sharp beeping and the sounds of murmuring. She forced her eyes to open, not understanding where she was. She still felt as though she was floating, but her body was not moving. Trying to turn her head, she couldn’t seem to move it on her own. Emma cut her eyes over to the side and saw Jake slumped in a chair, his face unshaven, hair uncombed, shirt wrinkled, eyes closed.
As her fog-filled mind began to clear, she remembered the events leading to her going over the mountainside. She remembered looking at Jake right before Mike pulled her over and realizing that all she wanted in life was to be with this man every day, in every way. She loved him with a love that was boundless, endless, forever. She wanted to build a home with him.
Home… Home.
She remembered. A tear slid down her face as she remembered her mother. Was it a dream? It doesn’t matter. Her mother came when she needed her and guided her, just as she always had. That was what her mother meant. She was meant to build a home here, with Jake.
Emma smiled. A home with their children.
Thank you mom. Thank you.
Emma closed her eyes again in the peaceful sleep of one who knows they are loved.
*
The next time she opened her eyes, Jake’s beautiful baby blues were staring back at her.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey back,” he said smiling. He reached his hand around and cupped her bruised face gently. This time the tear that slid down was on his face.
“Oh Jake, honey don’t cry. I love you,” Emma said with reverence.
Tears continued to fall from Jake’s eyes. “Emma girl. I thought I lost you. I thought I was never going to have the chance to tell you that I want to spend every night watching you sleep and every morning watching your beautiful eyes open. I want you in my life every day. Every way.”
Emma smiled up at him. “Jake, I saw momma.” He looked at her in confusion. “When I was sleeping,” she continued. “Do you want to know what she told me? She told me that it was my time to build my home here. Jake, I choose you. You’re my home.”
Jake leaned over and touched his lips to hers in a tender, love filled kiss. “As soon as you’re out of here babe, we’ll make that home. I promise. Wherever we are together, that will be home.”
Epilogue
Four months later
Jake waited at the end of the aisle in the small white church on the edge of town. His dark suit fit perfectly, having been made just for him. The color set off his sandy blond hair, which had been trimmed recently. The jacket of the suit was cut to fit his wide shoulders and arms. The white shirt underneath and bright blue tie stood out starkly against his tan skin. Jake’s eyes scanned toward the back of the church, hoping the ceremony would start soon. His gaze found his mother’s face, as she smiled up at him.
Proudly standing next to Jake was Rob and Tom, equally as handsome in their dark suits. Tom leaned over. “Nervous?”
Jake shook his head and smiled. “Hell no. Been waitin’ for this for a long time. Ready to make it official.”
Rob just grinned as Tom nodded in agreement.
Emma stayed in the hospital for ten days until she was stable enough to go home with Jake and Mary. It had taken a couple of months of intensive physical therapy for Emma to be able to walk with a cane and regain full use of her arms. The bruises on her body healed much quicker than the bruises in her mind. Nightmares still occasionally plagued Emma, but when they occurred, Jake held her tightly until they subsided. Emma and Mary had grown inseparable, assisting each other as best as they could.
Suddenly the back doors of the church opened and the three men straightened, making an impressive sight. Carol walked down the aisle first, wearing a blue strapless, knee length dress, showcasing her delicate features and blonde hair. Tom smiled at his beautiful wife as her eyes sought his. Laurie followed next, in a similar dress as Carol’s only with a strap over one shoulder. Her long brown hair hung down her back in soft curls. Rob’s eyes never left the beautiful woman that he was lucky enough to call his own. He winked at her as she crossed in front of him to take her place.
Jake anxiously waited to see Emma, suddenly now nervous. She appeared at the back of the small church and began to walk down the aisle. Roger, looking as proud as a real father, escorted her as they began their slow journey towards the waiting groom. The continued physical therapy allowed Emma to walk with just a slight limp, but she was wearing ballerina flats instead of the heels she had so wanted to wear.
Jake’s breath stopped momentarily as his eyes took in the vision that was moving towards him. Emma’s hair was swept up, partially hidden by her ivory veil, with tendrils framing her face. Her ivory dress was a flowing creation of silk and lace, with a sweetheart neckline that just showed a hint of the top of her breasts. Emma was wearing the pearl earrings and necklace Mary had given to her the week before.
Her deep chocolate eyes were sparkling, but it was her smile that rocked Jake’s world. As she kept her eyes on his baby blues, her radiant smile lit her entire face and he could have sworn he felt it right down to his very soul. As Roger placed her small hand into Jake’s much larger one, Jake drew her close to his side. Smiling down at her, he leaned over and whispered, “I love you, baby.”
As Emma and Jake exchanged vows, the emotion was so palpable that the congregation wiped tears from their eyes as they witnessed the union of two souls destined to be together. As the minister declared them to be husband and wife, Jake picked Emma up in his powerful embrace lifting her in the air, kissing her as though his life depended on her as his next breath.
“Forever, Emma girl?” Jake sof
tly asked, looking into the eyes that held his soul.
“Forever, Jake,” Emma replied, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks.
Four Years Later
Emma slowly opened her eyes, seeing her handsome husband sleeping next to her. She never tired of staring at his face. A face that could break out into a smile that made her breath catch, a face that could hold her in ecstasy as he pleasured her long into the night, a face that could gentle with the holding of his child.
Speaking of his child, Emma could hear cooing coming from across the hall. She quietly slipped out of bed, stopping to rub Mister, sleeping on the bed at Jake’s feet. Walking across the hall, she looked down at their beautiful daughter playing in her crib. She scooped her up, snuggling her close. After changing her, Emma carried her back into their bedroom, holding her tightly as she slid back into bed.
Feeling the bed move, Jake opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight any man can wake to. He looked into the deep brown eyes of his wife, nursing his baby girl. A girl that had her mother’s dark hair and chocolate eyes. Baby Sarah looked at her dad’s face and reached out to pat his cheeks. Jake pretended to bite her chubby fingers, and Sarah burst into baby giggles. The door bounced open with force as three year old Richie came running into the room, sending Mister scrambling off the bed. Emma looked at her son’s rumpled sandy blond hair and baby blue eyes, seeing a younger version of her husband.
Jake made room for his son as he climbed into the bed. The four of them sat, quietly snuggling for a few minutes, until Richie’s enthusiasm for starting a new day was too much to hold in. Laughing, Jake grabbed the little boy, saying, “Come on, son. Let’s go get dressed.”
Emma looked up, mouthing ‘Thank you’ to Jake as he took their rambunctious son off to get dressed so that she could finish nursing Sarah. In a little bit, they all headed downstairs for breakfast.
“Gamma, gamma,” Richie said.
Emma looked at her son and told him that he could run get his grandma. Jake watched as Richie ran from their house across the yard to where his mother, Mary, now lived. Stepping out on the porch with his coffee, he looked around in satisfaction. Once Emma was released from the hospital four years ago, they decided not to waste any time and immediately began to plan for the future. He still remembered seeing her walk down the aisle, taking his breath away. Hearing his son’s excited voice, his attention was pulled back towards the yard, where Richie and his mother were walking together.
He and Emma had her old unused garage torn down, and they built a bigger house next to her little one. A house big enough for kids, he told her. As it was being built, they equipped her original house with some features that would make moving around easier for his mother. As soon as both houses were finished, they moved in. Emma would never consider not having Mary move with them. Now, Mary had a one level house that fit her needs and Jake’s growing family had their own home.
The sun was now peeking through the fall leaves of the woods surrounding them. The colors of fall were glistening in the early morning sunlight. The autumn morning mist was burning off, leaving the crispness in the air that only fall can bring. Emma walked outside carrying her coffee.
“Sarah?” he asked, looking down at his beautiful wife.
Emma smiled. “Your mom has Richie eating his cereal and Sarah in her bouncer. She’s happy. They’re happy. All’s great for the moment,” she joked.
Jake wrapped his powerful arm around her, pulled her in closely and tucked her tiny frame into his. Looking into those eyes he could drown in, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Emma girl, do you have any idea how much I love you?” he asked. “I never thought I would find someone so perfect, so giving, so loving. You are my life, darlin’. You and those children, are my whole life.”
Emma looked up into Jake’s strong face. “Jake you are everything to me. Everything I thought I might never have, you have given to me. You’re my family, my life, my love…. My home.”
Jake set their coffee cups on the porch railing and pulled Emma around to his front. Touching completely, he leaned down and captured her mouth in a soul searing kiss. Soft and gentle, sweeping his tongue into her mouth, catching her moan with his. Emma raised up on her toes and met his tongue stroke for stroke. They slowly separated, his heated eyes noticing her kiss swollen mouth. Emma’s eyes opened to see his piercing blue ones staring deeply into hers and her smile shined on his world.
“Think grandma will keep the kids later on?” he asked huskily, adjusting the crotch of his pants. Laughing, Emma assured him that she thought his mother would love to watch the kids for a while. Right then, Ritchie’s shrill voice could be heard, calling for his dad. Smiling, Jake gave one more quick kiss to Emma’s lips.
“Love you babe. Love those kids. Love this home,” he said as he gathered their coffee cups.
“Love you too, honey,” Emma said tucking herself back under her husband’s embrace.
Arms around each other, they turned to walk back inside to their waiting family. Back inside… to Emma’s home.
The End
The Fairfield Series continues with Laurie and Rob’s story. Here is the beginning of their story.
Laurie’s Time
Book Two of the Fairfield Series
Prologue
Laurie (age five)
Laurie’s mother watched her play on the swings in the city park. Laurie’s long brown hair would fly out behind her only to sweep back into her face with every movement of the swing. Higher and higher she would go, her giggles catching on the breeze as her mother looked over at her five year old daughter. Sarah leaned back, letting the spring sun warm her face, smiling at her Laurie’s obvious happiness. Laurie had certainly not been a planned child, but Sarah loved her fiercely, as a lioness watches over its cub.
“Mommy, mommy!” Laurie called as she came running over. Sarah gathered her precious child in her arms.
“I love you, baby girl,” Sarah whispered in her ear.
“Will you love me forever?” Laurie asked as she looked into her mother’s beautiful face.
Kissing Laurie’s forehead, hugging her tightly, she replied, “I will love you forever.”
Sarah sat with Laurie napping in her lap. Sarah’s mind took a trip down memory lane to Laurie’s father. Sarah had just turned sixteen years old and one of her best friends convinced her to go to out one evening when her parents and sister were out of town. While Sarah had never been one to take chances, she felt the need to break out of the constant good girl image that everyone had of her. They went out that evening and managed to slip into a crowded bar across town where no one would know them.
Swaying to the music, Sarah was completely unaware of the effect she had on the men around. A petite brunette, with long shiny waves down her back, she had curves in all the places that makes a man sit up and take notice. Her beautiful face, with minimal makeup, made her look almost fairylike; the type of woman that would also make a man want to protect. Dressed simply a light blue sundress that was not designed to be sultry at all, surrounded by other women dressed for sex, she was one of the most beautiful women in the bar. And Brock Sinclair noticed.
Brock was a young soldier, between tours in Desert Storm, in town visiting with some of his Army buddies. They decided to hit up one of the neighborhood bars for a night of drinking and hooking up. Brock, who had a busty redhead sitting on his lap nuzzling his ear, had been drinking steadily ever since they arrived at the bar. Knowing he was going to get lucky with … well, he didn’t know her name but with the tits on the redhead, he didn’t care what her name was. A few more beers and then he planned on taking the redhead back to the hotel he was staying in a banging her until the sounds of artilary no longer rattled in his dreams.
Sarah and her friend had just entered the bar and Brock had noticed the natural beauty the moment she walked in. Suddenly, the idea of the screwing the fake titted redhead, wasn’t as appealing as the vision standing near the bar looking nervou
s. A strange sense of protectiveness washed over Brock and he instinctively knew she was not old enough to be in the bar. Looking around, he realized that he was not the only man noticing the beauty.
“Wouldn’t mind tapping that ass tonight,” said the buddy next to him.
Growling in answer, Brock stood up, effectively dumping the redhead in his lap, saying, “Here, you need a piece of ass? I’m sure this one will do. She won’t care which soldier she fucks.” And true to his prediction, the redhead stood up grumpily at first, then turned to his buddy and began nuzzling his ear.
Brock walked over to his princess…. his princess? Where did that thought come from? Shaking his slightly inebriated head, he continued over to Sarah.
Sarah felt a presence behind her and she slowly turned around. Looking up, she stared into the grey eyes of the most handsome man she had ever seen. Tall and slender, he had dark brown hair cut in a short military style and a face that would have filled every one of her teenage dreams.
They talked for several hours and then Brock took her back to his hotel room. Sarah knew she shouldn’t go with him, but she trusted him and found that she wanted him more than anything she had ever wanted. Brock never asked her how old she was making the assumption that she was at least eighteen. As the evening progressed into the wee hours of the morning, they kissed and fondled until they were both so engulfed in lust, they gave in to their desires. Jake was slow and caring, although not realizing that she was a virgin until it was too late. They fell asleep in each other arms, Brock dreaming of his fairy princess and Sarah with her handsome prince.
Sarah woke early to the knocking on the door. She slipped out of the bed and opened the hotel door, having put on Brock’s Army t-shirt first. Recognizing one of his buddies at the door, she told him that Brock was still asleep. The buddy just looked her over and told her to hit the road. Looking confused, Sarah just stood there immobile.
Emma's Home (The Fairfield Series) Page 19
