Until the Stars Fall From the Sky

by Mary Crawford

  “Mornin’ Pip,” I murmur in her ear as I kiss her earlobe.

  She stretches languidly as she says in a husky, sleep-roughened voice, “Mmm, I was having the most incredible dream.” She pops an eye open as she recoils from me and hisses, “Jeff! Get away from me. I’m gross. I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet.”

  I kiss the end of her nose. “Well, fine. Have it your way and go beautify yourself,” I tease, “I’ll meet you back here in 10 minutes. Just to be clear though, under no circumstances do I find you gross.” To make my point, I plant a kiss on her lips as I help her sit up.

  She shakes her head as she replies, “You’re incorrigible. To think I once thought you were a Boy Scout. A Boy Scout would never misbehave in such a manner.”

  I chuckle as I lightly nip at her shoulder as I growl, “Pip, you have no idea how capable I am of misbehaving around you. Now, scoot before I forget my good intentions and make good my threat to not let you out of bed all day.”

  “PC, your inner caveman is showing,” she responds. “But never fear, I will return shortly.”

  “I’m counting on it,” I reply, as I watch her leave the room.

  After I do a little freshening of my own in the basement, I make myself some coffee and brew some tea for Kiera. I toast a few English muffins and butter them. I grab the little plastic honey bear and find a small decorative tray. I spot the bouquet my mom brought over last night and fish out a red tulip and lay it across the tray. I smile at my mom’s thoughtfulness. Even before knowing the full extent of my plans, she knew my intentions. I find Kiera’s Post-it notes and I’m delighted to find some with golden retriever puppies. I write her a short note.

  As I carry the tray back to our room, I snag my backpack. I settle on the bed with my coffee. I decide against Secured Transactions and Banking Law on a Saturday morning, electing Administrative Law even though I’m sure the reading for my Human Rights Law class would keep me much more engaged. I dig through my backpack for a highlighter and try to get down to the business of concentrating. It’s exceptionally hard to do though, because I can hear the water running and all I can envision is helping her get very, very clean. The intoxicating smell of her soap lingers in the air, teasing my senses. I sigh as I open my casebook. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time I face this dilemma. For at least this moment, studying wins.

  By the time Kiera emerges from the bathroom, I’m caught up in the nuances of the case law and not even looking in her direction. Suddenly, she is at my shoulder wrapped in a towel, peering at my book with its complex highlighting. “I bet you need me to find something else to do,” she speculates.

  “Not, at all, Pip,” I contend, “I just need a second to finish this case and we’re back in business. I brought you a bite to eat.”

  Kiera gasps when she sees the breakfast tray. “Oh wow!” She picks up the note card and reads it with some hesitation.

  In honor of our newfound love.

  Your blissfully happy PC

  Her eyes mist over as she reads it. You’re so sweet. This is so much better than the last Post-It note I got from you.”

  I flush with embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that last one. I don’t know where my head was that day. I clearly lost my mind to think that we’d be better apart,” I explain.

  Kiera examines the delicate red bloom and traces the soft petals with her fingertips as she remarks, “I’m going to take a not-so-wild guess and assume that there is a hidden meaning why you’ve chosen this flower.”

  I quirk my mouth up in a sloppy grin as I reply, “Great! You’re already starting to ‘talk’ in the second language of the Whitakers. Most people don’t even notice this stuff.”

  Kiera giggles at my response. “Well, I’m glad I’ll fit in. But you still didn’t answer my question. What do red tulips mean?” she asks again.

  “The red tulips are my open declaration of love to you, my Pip.” I explain. “I will love you always.”

  Kiera grabs the cords on my sweatshirt, pulls me close, and rewards me with a deep plundering kiss. I shiver and groan with pleasure. “Mmm, Pip, maybe I don’t have to study this very second,” I murmur, quickly losing focus.

  “No, you need to study. I’m just going to sit here quietly and eat my breakfast while you read, before I find any more trouble,” she responds primly.

  “Oh Pip, don’t let the pencil box and highlighters fool you, my inner caveman isn’t far away and we’ll find plenty of trouble soon enough. In the meantime I picked up a couple of books on parenting if you want to cram with me,” I tease with a grin.

  Kiera’s face lights up as she exclaims, “That’s a great idea because I feel like what I don’t know, far outweighs what I do.”

  I hand her a parenting handbook and a spare highlighter and settle back into studying. For about twenty minutes, the only sounds in the room are the sound of pages turning, occasional squeak of highlighters and beverages being sipped. It occurs to me that this may be the last time it will be this quiet around here for a really long time. Secretly, I hope, it never gets truly quiet in our household again. I know that Kiera has cautioned against getting attached, but it’s far too late for me. Those girls own my heart and there has to be some way for us to work it all out.

  I finish the case I’m reading and replace the notecard I am using as a bookmark–as if the four colors of highlighting isn’t enough of a visual clue. I glance over at Kiera, and she has a wrinkle of concentration between her brows and she’s gnawing on her bottom lip. I reach out and stroke it with the pad of my thumb as I gently tease, “What’s wrong Pip? I’m the only one that get’s to nibble on that.”

  “Did you know that you’re not supposed to introduce solid foods now until six months — and for some foods like peanuts, strawberries and honey — they tell you to wait even longer?” she explains, raking her hands through her hair. “I remember my grandmother telling my dad that my mom was feeding me cereal at three weeks to help me sleep through the night. I don’t know how I’m going to figure it all out. There’s so much to know.”

  I gather her into an embrace and kiss her tenderly as I reply, “Clearly, it’s time for a study break. We are never going to have all the answers. I think that comes with being a parent. When we don’t know, we call in the experts, trust our guts, and pray. On some days, we may do a combination of all three, but we’ll get the job done because we love those girls and we won’t accept less for them.”

  Kiera smiles up at me through misty eyes, her lashes spiked with tears as she says, “Well, I’m going to put my worries in my back pocket for now, because I promised you my undivided attention.”

  “Pip, I think you have it a bit backward, because it was me that promised to make up for my boorish behavior last night,” I reply as I lay her back on the bed. “Hmm, I don’t see any pockets here,” I tease as I unwind her strategically placed towel.

  Kiera grins as she unzips my sweatshirt and pulls it down over my arms; she begins kissing my kanji. “Nope, no pockets. What are you going to do now, Mr. Boy Scout?” she asks with a grin.

  I growl a little before I kiss her deeply, savoring the hint of honey and orange tea on her lips and the scent of her soap as I delve my tongue into the sweet recesses of her mouth. As I pull away, I suck lightly on her bottom lip that she had been worrying moments before. “If you’re not going to treat these lips properly, I might have to do it for you,” I murmur.

  Kiera moans and runs her hand down my rib cage and over my hip as she responds, “Okay that sounds good to me. You watch out for my body and I’ll be in charge of yours. Deal?”

  I don’t know if she meant that to sound as erotic as it does, but my body reacts immediately growing instantly hard at the thought. “Oh, Pip, you have a lifelong deal,” I breathe, as I kiss the hollow of her neck. I trace the delicate line of her brow and jaw with my fingers and then follow the path with a trail of feather light kisses. When, I get close to her mouth, Kiera clutches me tighter and captures my
lips with hers, and runs her fingers through my hair. She gives a purr of contentment and it’s all I can do to control myself. A look or a shiver from Kiera elicits a primal response in me that makes me want to beat my chest and shout “mine” at the same time that I want to conquer kingdoms and slay dragons.

  I tenderly kiss the three freckles behind her ear stopping to whisper words of love after each kiss. I can feel her pulse quicken and I breathe in the intoxicating mix of her spicy perfume and the light sheen of sweat forming on her temple. I brush her hair aside, letting it glide through my fingers like silk and move down to the sensitive area where her graceful neck meets her shoulder. I give her a playful nip. She shudders and bucks her hips as she gasps. I smile at her reaction and kiss away any residual sting.

  “More please,” she pleads in a low moan, rolling her hips and grabbing my hips to pull them closer. Thank God, I had the foresight to put on some old workout shorts before I made breakfast because had I been naked, I’m not sure that I could have withstood the temptation. Even so, my hips slam into hers as we desperately try to find the rhythm only our souls can hear. I groan as I murmur, “Pip, you and I are made for each other. We fit together perfectly. I can’t wait until we belong to each other forever.”

  Kiera kisses me deeply and then nips my bottom lip as she softly says in a husky voice, “PC, I couldn’t agree more. Though, I’m really hoping you’re planning to distract me to the point where I’m incapable of conscious thought.”

  Well, that’s a challenge I’m more than happy to rise to in more ways than one. “Let me see what I can do about that, my sexy Pip,” I reply as I kiss her stroking her tongue with mine then sucking rhythmically while I massage her scalp with my fingers. I anchor my fists in her hair while I tilt her chin up so that I can kiss the underside of her jaw and the hollow of her neck. Her heart is racing and her chest is heaving. We both are breathing as if we’ve run a marathon. I notice that my hands are trembling and I’m not sure if it’s from nerves, adrenaline or desire. I suspect it’s a weird combination of all three. I want this to be amazing for her.

  Kiera moans and arches her back, bringing my head back into the game. Her beautiful summer peach nipples are tight with desire and I draw one into my mouth while lightly massaging the other with the pads of my fingers. Kiera’s breath catches and her respiration increases. Her face flushes and a fine sheen of sweat breaks out on her upper lip. Her hips are twitching. “Jeff! I can’t believe this is happening…” she moans.

  “It’s okay, Pip,” I whisper as I switch breasts, “Let go, I’ve got you.”

  As I take her nipple further in my mouth and increase the pressure, suddenly she gasps and moans. I feel all of her muscles stiffen and then jerk with violent quakes. I can smell the unmistakable scent of desire in the air and I can hear her heart pound under my ear. She is drawing deep breaths as if she has just swum a 5,000-meter race.

  She is right. It’s a very sensual experience to watch your partner reach climax. That’s not to say there aren’t some very cold showers on the agenda for me today if I want to be able to focus on anything else. I have some big plans today, but this was a spectacular way to get started.

  I roll us over so that I can sit up against the headboard. I gather her up on my lap and kiss her tenderly, trying to convey what there simply aren’t words for in one uncomplicated gesture. She fits into my chest as naturally as a puzzle piece. She snuggles into place and sighs in contentment.

  “Thank you, Pip, that was beautiful,” I whisper running my fingers through her hair and massaging her neck.

  She has a look of wonder on her face as she comments, “People tried to explain to me that ‘The Big O’ would be different when I was in love,” she gave a small shrug, “I didn’t believe it; because body mechanics should mean a physical reaction would be the same no matter what the stimuli.”

  I chuckle at her reasoning because it’s entirely consistent with my approach to problem solving too. “Well, Pip, I think there’s more to it than body mechanics — ” I reply.

  Kiers gives me a little shove as she answers playfully, “Oh hush! I know that now. It’s not as if I had a lot of control groups. It’s been you or B.O.B, and you are exponentially better.”

  I smirk and wipe the sweat off of my forehead as I quip, “Whew, you’ll never know how relieved I am to hear my ranking. I’d hate to come in second to a couple of Duracell AA’s.”

  “No, seriously, I thought there was something wrong with me because all of my friends were raving about all of their screaming orgasms and I felt stupid admitting that although mine were a nice release of tension they were nothing to write home about,” she confesses, a blush tinting her breasts a delightful shade of pink. “Come to think about it, I have no earthly idea why I’m even telling you any of this.”

  “Pip, I share things with you that I’ve never told another soul. Hell, before you came into my life I didn’t even acknowledge that I even have feelings and I certainly didn’t talk about them to anyone. I played the role of someone that was happy and emotionally connected, but I was neither of those things. You’ve given me the freedom and support to be the real Jeff. The one that you still love — even if sometimes I am a butterfly.”

  Tears well up in Kiera’s eyes, “Jeff, my PC, that’s why I love you,” she explains, “you care enough to be distressed that you acted like a butterfly, but you’re not delusional enough to make empty promises that it won’t ever happen again. You are professional and insightful, yet you can be fanciful enough to weave magic ribbons into a little girl’s hair to help her vanquish some very real boogeymen.”

  “I love all of my girls.” I reply with a slight shrug. “Loving all of you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done and a few ribbons weren’t such a big deal.” Out of habit, I start braiding Pip’s hair as she leans against my chest. Reluctantly, I sit up and check the time on my phone. “Speaking of the girls, we better get moving.”

  “I think Mindy would argue with your characterization.” Kiera grabs my duffle bag from beside the bed, fishes out a large Willamette Law t-shirt and pulls it over her head. On her, it looks like a dress, but she still looks phenomenal.

  Abruptly, we hear pounding on the door and Denny’s voice. “Are you kids planning to come to breakfast or should we just shove food under the door?”

  Even though Denny can’t see us, Kiera blushes like a fire engine as she replies, “We’ll be right out. We’ve just been studying.”

  Denny laughs outloud as he quips, “I’ll be darned. I would’ve thought that with all the advances in technology, they’d be calling it something new by now. I used those lines when I was a kid.”

  ~*~

  As I’m driving Kiera’s freshly detailed van away from the curb at the hospital, Mindy is bouncing up and down in her car seat, I catch her eye in the rear view mirror as I ask, “Are you still buckled in like a NASCAR driver, Mindy Mouse?”

  “Uh huh, Becca too, but she kicked her blankie off,” she answers, taking in her surroundings. “How’s come there’s a TB in the car?”

  Kiera chortles as she says, “Because your Papa thought you girls needed spoiling. After I figure out how to use it, you can watch movies on it when we go on road trips. Isn’t it cool?”

  Mindy whoops and claps her hands. “Does this mean I can watch Princess Movies while the car is moving and I don’t have to be bored?” she clarifies.

  “That’s right,” I confirm.

  “I’m going to live in the van,” Mindy states firmly, “this is way nicer than where I used to live.”

  I nod as I reply, “I agree. It’s really nice, but you might not want to make up your mind just yet. Miss Kiera made a very cool place for you to live. I think we should go out and have hamburgers and milkshakes first though. What do you say?”

  Mindy vibrates with enthusiasm as she practically shouts, “Yes, please. I want a root beer float!”

  “A&W it is then,” I respond as I glance over at Kiera and I notice that she
has an eyebrow quirked at me and a smirk on her face.

  I shrug my shoulders in question and she whispers, “You couldn’t even wait until we got home to get her all loaded up with sugar, could you?”

  I flush and chuckle as I answer, “I do believe I’m going to have to be prudent and plead guilty as charged. Be honest, can you really resist that face?”

  Kiera just grins and rolls her eyes as she grabs my hand and interlaces our fingers.

  After I unload the kids from the car and get Becca situated in the front carrier on Kiera’s lap, I pull Mindy aside as I whisper in her ear, “Are you ready, Princess? It’s show time.”

  Mindy looks stunned for a second, but soon a huge grin crosses her face. “For reals? Do you gots everything?” she asks. “She’s gonna say yes, ‘cause I saw her kissin’ you and holdin’ your hand,” she assures me.

  I smile at my unlikely cheerleader, “Yeah, Mindy Mouse, I think I’m all prepared. There is no way she can turn down that beautiful card,” I remark. “I love the flowers and butterflies on the front. They are amazing. Thank you so much for making it for me.”

  As we sit down at the table, I wonder if Kiera even realizes that she’s already dressing us alike. After my shower this morning, she tossed me a pale yellow polo shirt, she is wearing a white sundress with yellow and black poppies and the girls are in matching yellow cotton dresses. Becca has a floppy hat and a duck binkie. Today, we look like a modern twist on the Norman Rockwell family. I can’t help but feel content and satisfied about that. Thank God for pedal boats.

  I spot the Girlfriend Posse in the corner. At a table not far away, Ty is chatting with Kiera’s dad. I have to do a double take because Ty isn’t wearing a cowboy hat and Denny is wearing a bandana on his head instead of his customary racing hat. What really blows my mind is seeing my mom in a beat up fishing hat, happily munching on a fry and laughing at something Denny said. I try to compose my face so that I don’t give anything away as I look back at Kiera and the girls.