by Lulu Pratt
Chapter 47
BLAKE
The sun shines in my eyes as I blink myself awake. It takes me a second to realize where I am. I’m certainly not in my own bedroom. I look to my side and smile when I see Carrie, laying there, sleeping peacefully.
Yesterday was amazing. Not just the sex, either. But the fact that we made up. The fact that we have both told each other how we feel. There are no more secrets, no more hiding. From here on out, it will be smooth sailing.
As I lay in bed watching Carrie sleep, I suddenly realize that it was only lunch time the previous day that the two of us made up. That means that we slept for eighteen hours. I was tired from the previous night, having been up the whole time thinking about Carrie. Clearly, she had been in the same boat.
My stomach lets off a roar, as if deciding to remind me that it exists and needs sustenance. I am sure that Carrie will be the same. In fact, as she is with child, there is every chance that she will be absolutely famished when she wakes.
I smile to myself as I come up with an idea.
Very slowly, I slide out of bed. And as quietly as I can, I cross the room, open the door, and exit, leaving Carrie to sleep.
I make my way downstairs. It’s a Sunday, so the chefs aren’t in the house. I’m glad of that. This will give me an excuse to surprise Carrie all on my own.
I’m actually a pretty good cook and used to love doing it back when I was young and broke. But as I’m always busy now and I have the money, I have someone do it for me. But not today.
I am going to make Carrie breakfast, a delicious gesture to show her how much she means to me.
***
I’ve been going at it for about forty-five minutes. I’m making her a traditional English breakfast, with a few surprises. These include muffins, a fruit platter and smoked salmon with rye bread. Breakfast will be ready in less than a minute. I don’t relish the idea of having to wake up Carrie, but hopefully, she forgives me when she sees what is waiting.
“Hey, handsome,” Carrie says from the doorway. I look up and smile when I see her. Talk about perfect timing. The two of us really are simpatico. “What have you got for me?”
“Just a little of this and that,” I say.
“Hopefully, more of this than that.” She leans around me and plucks a muffin off the tray.
“Hey!” I laugh. “Don’t disturb the chef. It will be ready in one minute. Go make yourself comfortable, and I’ll bring it out.”
She kisses me on the cheek and skips from the kitchen, laughing the whole way.
True to my word, the meal is ready a minute later. I carry it out, all balanced on a large tray and serve it up to the eagerly waiting Carrie. Once she has hers, I serve my own plate and take a seat opposite her.
“So, what now?” She asks as she bites into a piece of salmon.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “It’s a Sunday and it’s like seven, so we have all day to do whatever.”
“No, you misunderstand me. I don’t mean today. I mean, from now on. Where do we go from here?” She smiles at me.
“Oh, the big life questions?”
“Exactly.”
I smile at the question. I love that she is thinking of the big picture. That she sees herself as being with me, after the baby.
“Well, first, I think we need to concentrate on the baby. After that, I’m open to suggestions. Oh, and we definitely need to look into breaking your lease and ditching that apartment you call a home.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, if you live here, there’s really no need to have that place. It’s just money wasted. I suppose we could use it as a summer home, but I think we can do a little better than that.”
“You want me to move in here? Permanently?” There is clear disbelief on her face.
“Oh, sorry, did I not mention that? Of course, I do. Only if you want to, though.”
She looks at me, and I can see her mind working to come up with a witty response. But she isn’t able. Instead, she suddenly throws down her fork, leaps from her chair, runs around the table, and throws herself on my lap.
“So, I take that as I yes?” I laugh.
“If that’s how you choose to read it,” she says, shrugging. “I just needed a place to sit.”
I kiss her as I laugh, and she kisses me, also laughing. It’s a perfect Sunday morning, and I am really getting into being in love.
Chapter 48
CARRIE
The sun is shining on my face, and I have to blink myself awake. It takes a few seconds for me to realize where I am, but then I feel him, underneath me. It’s Blake’s breathing that woke me, not the sun. I’m sitting on his lap and his rhythmic breath, up and down, up and down, rocked me awake.
After we ate breakfast, the two of us made love again. It was deep and passionate, like the day before. And as we did, I rode him from the front so I could look him in the eyes the entire time. We never once broke eye contact, and as we came, we did it together.
But after that, we both felt a little worn out, hence the nap. Now, as I sit in Blake’s lap, I never want to move. The only thing that is making me even consider it is the idea that this is now my home and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.
Very slowly, I climb from his lap, making sure not to wake him. Once up, I walk around the house, taking it all in. I have walked through this house a hundred times before, but never like this. It used to always be as a stranger, knowing that one day, I would have to go home. This time, though, I see the house in a whole new light.
I look over the walls and floor. I look at the decorations, the paintings and wall hangings he has. Some I like. Some I don’t. The entire house is in need of a makeover to change it from a bachelor pad to a family home. As soon as possible, too.
It’s as this thought hits me that I suddenly get an interesting idea. I bite my lip as I ponder it, wondering if it’s too early or not. A part of me knows that I should wait, at least a few days, but another part wants to start straight away.
Making up my mind, I hurry across the house to Blake. A little too excited now, I shake him awake.
“What?” He asks as he sits up, wiping his eyes. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
I don’t respond. Instead, I look down at him with a wicked smile.
***
“Are you sure you want to do this today?” He asks me, glancing away from the road for a second and looking into my eyes.
“I want to do this last week,” I say back. “So really, I’m running terribly late.”
The two of us are on our way to my old apartment so I can get the rest of my things and leave that life behind.
When he asked me to move in with him, or told me that I was, I could not believe it. A part of me still can’t. Maybe that’s why I’m so excited to get started on the move right away? When you want to start spending the rest of your life with someone, you want that to start as soon as possible.
“Okay, but my Aston Martin can only take so much.”
“Then we’ll just throw out whatever doesn’t fit,” I say quickly.
“Really?”
“I don’t think I can emphasize how serious I am being.”
He smiles and nods, keeping his eyes on the road. I reach across the car and stroke his face. As I do, he takes my hand, and kisses it. He is mine, and I am his.
***
“So, all of this, we’re throwing out?” He asks.
Piled in the middle of my apartment are stacks and stacks of my old things. There are clothes I never wear anymore, cutlery, crockery and other kitchen utensils I don’t need, and other bits and pieces I uncovered that I had forgotten I even owned. Essentially, it is all disposable.
“All of it,” I say.
I’ve already packed the car full of everything else that I need, and honestly, there isn’t that much of it. Most of the stuff that I do own and want is already at his, our, house. The rest is a remnant from a past life that I am eager to forget.
“Or option three. We can call someone to come and throw it out for us?” I suggest, trying not to laugh.
“Well, it’s not as fun, but it’s definitely more efficient.”
“Come on.” I walk across the apartment and scoop up a small box on the floor. “Let’s go.”
“Goodbye, apartment,” Blake says as he walks to the front door. “You won’t be missed.”
He walks out first, and I follow him. As I turn to close the door behind myself, I pause and look back into the small apartment that I once called my home. It’s funny, but I used to not mind this place, apart from how small it was. It was never impressive or grand, but it was my home, and for that, I loved it.
But now that I look at it, I see it for what it is. Cold, small and run down. Not the kind of place that anyone should have to live in. But I smile to myself when this realization hits me. The fact that although I once lived here, I no longer do. It’s a representation of my old life, of the person I used to be.
“Are you coming?” I hear Blake call from the car.
I take one final look inside the apartment, shaking my head as I close and lock the door. That part of my life is over. I walk down the sidewalk, seeing my man leaning against the car. He smiles and waves, and I smile and wave back. He is my new life, and I can’t wait for it to begin.
Epilogue
Six Years Later
CARRIE
“Are you doing okay?” Blake asks as he drives. He isn’t looking at me, but straight ahead at the road.
“Yeah, I’m fine. No. Better than that. I’m doing great.” There is a quiver in my voice, and even I don’t believe the words I am saying.
“Ah, I wasn’t asking you,” he says, smirking. “I was asking Ben.”
He glances into the back seat where our son, Ben, sits. Ben is five years old and, in my opinion at least, gets more gorgeous every single day. Like his father, he has all dark features, and his breath-taking blue eyes. I just know that when he grows up, he is going to rival his father in the looks department, too. But he has my smile.
“Oh, right,” I say, and I shake my head. “Of course. How are you doing back there, hon?” I lean back to look at him. “Everything is fine?”
“Yes, Mommy,” he says, and he giggles. “I’m excited!” He looks it, too.
I’m a nervous wreck and have been all morning. Well, I have been all week really. It’s Ben’s first day of kindergarten, and Blake and I are taking him there together. I try to tell myself that this is all part of the process and is actually a good thing, but I’m still having a hard time coping.
I just can’t believe how quickly time passes. It seems like only yesterday that I was at that reunion. That I dropped those glasses, and Blake bent down to help me clean up. I still remember looking into his deep-set eyes and getting lost in them. I still remember how nervous I felt when I saw him, and how I couldn’t believe it when he asked me out.
It all felt like a dream. And to be honest, sometimes as I lay awake at night and watch him sleep, I pinch myself, just in case.
“And you, too?” Blake asks. He reaches across the car, takes my hand, and kisses it as he always does when he wants to make sure I am doing okay. “You’re fine?”
“Yes,” I say. This time, I sound more convincing. “Of course, I am.” I glance in the rearview mirror, catching Ben’s eyes. He giggles and I smile. I still can’t believe how lucky I am.
As the doctor predicted, Ben came into this world on the fourteenth of February. I always believed that Blake and I were meant to be together, and everything that has happened since we first met has only confirmed this. Not only did we conceive Ben in our first week of trying, but the date he was born on was the most romantic day of the year. Even the birthing process was easy and as simple as it could have been.
Blake and I are perfect for each other in every single way.
The kindergarten is the best one in the area. Blake was insistent on that. We both had pretty average childhoods, and as a result, we are both dedicated to ensuring our son has the best of everything. That starts with education.
As I take my son’s hand and lead him through the parking lot to the main building, I work to hold back the tears. My only relief comes from the fact that as I look around the school, I see a gaggle of other mothers wearing the same expression that I know to be plastered across my face. It’s a hard day for all of us.
“I think it’s this way,” Blake says, half to himself, as we stroll through the building. It’s a beautiful school, and I have to work to not gape as we make our way to where we think the classroom is.
Everything looks to be brand new. The walls are all brightly painted, and the grounds are freshly mowed with blooming bushes. Even the teachers who stroll the hallways are dressed impeccably. If it wasn’t for the life I have been living the last six years with Blake, I would feel very much out of my element.
“This is it,” Blake says as he guides us into a small classroom.
It must be the place. There are dozens of other parents all standing around nervously. Not the kids. The kids all look excited at the prospect of going to school and making new friends.
“Can I go over there?” Ben asks as he tries to let go of my hand. I don’t even realize how hard I am gripping it.
“Oh, of course,” I say. I let go of his hand, and he instantly crosses the room to talk to a boy.
I nearly break down in tears again as I watch him. He is so outgoing, just like his father and I am so proud to watch Ben make friends as easily as he does. The boy he approaches looks nervous at first, but a few kind words from my son and the two are suddenly laughing and running around together.
“Okay, everyone,” a lady standing by the front of the room calls out. I guess her to be the teacher. “I’m afraid, parents, that it is time for you to go. Rest assured that your children are in good hands and will all be in one piece at the end of the day.”
“Come on,” Blake takes my hand, going to lead me out of the room with the other parents.
“Just a sec. Let me say bye.”
A small pair of arms wrap around my legs. I look down and smile to see Ben giving me a hug. I ruffle his hair and bend down. I wrap my arms around him and give him a big, motherly kiss on the cheek. To my delight, he doesn’t cringe or try to avoid it.
The tears are now flowing thick and fast down my cheeks, and I don’t even care.
Blake takes my hands again and pulls me from my son. He smiles at me and kisses me on the cheek. Although he isn’t crying, I can see the red in his eyes.
Blake was the one who wanted to have a child in the first place. The day we found out we were going to be parents, I can still remember how happy I was. I can still remember how happy Blake was. I have never seen him so full of joy. Even on our wedding day, I don’t think he was on the same level of happiness as that day.
He is a great father, too, and I have never, not once, regretted the decision I made. I often think about the day he asked me to have his child and what my life would be like if I had said no. Whenever I do think about it, a cold shudder runs down my body, and I quickly push the thought to the back of my mind.
The ride home is a somber experience. It’s the first day in five years that I haven’t spent with Ben. Since the day he was born, I have spent nearly every waking moment with him, and the fact that I am about to arrive home to an empty house makes my heart hurt.
“Hey,” Blake says as he navigates the car. “He’s going to be fine. You saw him. Like his mother, he’s just too easy to love.”
“I think you mean like his father, he gets along with everyone,” I counter.
“Hmm, remember that day I asked the doctor about the possibility of our son being some sort of super child?”
“I do.” I laugh, thinking back to the moment.
“I honestly think
that between the two of us, we have managed to create one. The little guy is perfect in every way. How could he be any better? Tell me that?” He beams with pride.
“You’re right,” I say, and I smile. “He is perfect in every way.”
***
Indeed, the house feels empty as Blake and I walk through the door. It’s so big and open and without life. I am used to hearing the Ben’s giggling, and his little footsteps running through the house as I chase him, or as he hides from me. At this time, he is usually watching his favorite cartoon, which means that his laughter would usually be filling the house.
“It will get easier,” Blake says, noting my face. He always reads me so well and giving me a great sense of security. It lets me just be me, which causes me to want to be open with him — in all ways possible
“I know,” I say. “It might take a day or two, is all.”
Blake smiles at me. He walks through the house and into the living room. As he does, he unbuttons his shirt and removes it. “Hey, at least we have the house to ourselves.”
He turns to face me, wearing nothing more than a pair of black chinos. To his credit, fatherhood hasn’t affected him physically one iota. He is still just as intimidating and physically sexy as the day I met him. No… he’s even hotter. I know what he’s capable of, which gives him an edge I never knew existed before.
Dark tattoos trace his broad shoulders and run up his thick arms. His stomach is tight, and his chest is firm. He is a fine specimen, if I have ever seen one, and he is all mine. There isn’t anything I won’t do for him.
“That is a positive,” I agree. I walk to him, eyeing him with hunger. “But what can we possibly do with such an empty house?”
“That’s a good question.” I reach for him, and as I do, his hands wrap around my waist. I’m wearing a tight black dress that hugs my body, cut off at the knees and is suddenly feeling very, very tight and restrictive. “Any suggestions, Blake?”
