“Are you cold?” Fiona pressed closer into the circle of Meg’s arms.
“Not in your arms, I’m not.” Meg whispered through the lump in her throat, gazing deeply into Fiona’s shimmering eyes.
The emotion holding them was too powerful for words and she fell into Fiona’s beautiful eyes. Her heart belonged to Fiona and she wanted it to belong to her forever.
There were so many things Meg wanted to tell Fiona right then, but none of them would take form in her mouth. She simply stared at Fiona and drank her in, imprinting the picture before her in her mind forever; Fiona’s beautiful eyes like liquid energy, the way the stray hairs around Fiona’s face swayed gently in the breeze, and how the gold light shined through them, as if Fiona generated the vibrancy of the sunset from within herself. Meg knew she would never forget this moment.
Fiona must have sensed what was going on in her heart. Her face transformed into pure understanding. “I feel it, too.” Her warm lips pressed against Meg’s and she felt forever in their kiss.
71
Fiona awoke disoriented in a strange bed, a strange room, the warmth of a familiar hand on her back. Her skin beneath it tingled. She struggled to open her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Meg sat on the side of the bed gently rubbing her back. “I heard CJ come in and I want to go see him before he goes to sleep.”
“M’kay.” She was so sleepy. When they’d arrived home, there had been dinner with Meg’s parents. It had nearly killed Fiona to rein in the emotions and the aching need building within her since the moment on the cliff. When they’d finally found time to be alone, an incredible energy had flared between them in an unspoken demonstration of love, culminating in an emotional and physical union so intense it had depleted every iota of Fiona’s energy, after which she had fallen into a coma-like sleep. Through the mists of fatigue numbing her mind, she wondered at Meg’s ability to be awake, let alone lucid.
“Tell ‘im I can’t wait to meet ‘im t’morrow,” she mumbled, her head drooping as sleep tried to reclaim her.
“I will, baby. Go back to sleep. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Fiona snugged into the pillows and Meg smoothed the covers, gently kissing Fiona’s lips. Her body tried to respond to the contact, but she couldn’t manage to open her eyes. As she slipped into the soft velvet of sleep, she heard the door open and close quietly, then the sound of running feet. Meg’s muffled hoot joined a male voice. The sound of mingled laughter rose and then abruptly stopped at the sound of a shutting door. Fiona smiled a sleepy smile and wondered what it would be like to have a brother, before the inky grasp of unconsciousness descended upon her.
*****
The next morning, Fiona watched Meg move enshrouded in the steam swirling against the glass shower door. Fiona had never witnessed a sexier scene. The sight of wet flesh moving in and out of the mist seemed to activate her every nerve. Desire initiated a slow pulse deep within her core. She could almost taste the water on Meg’s shoulder, feel the slide of their skin as they moved together. Had they been home she’d have joined her, however she was slightly uncomfortable being so uninhibited in Meg’s parents’ home. Not that anyone had given any indication they were uncomfortable with their relationship. In fact, the opposite was true. Nevertheless, she wanted to be respectful while she was a guest in their home. The same feeling of respect compelled Fiona to get out of bed instead of sleeping in, and she had already showered and gotten dressed by the time Meg rolled out of bed, tired from her late night visit with her brother.
“I’m going to run downstairs and get a glass of juice; do you want me to bring you a cup of coffee?” Fiona’s voice was thick. She needed to get out of there if she was going to refrain from jumping Meg when she stepped out of the shower.
Meg popped her head out the glass door. “That would be phenomenal. I stayed up later than I should have.”
“Did you catch up with him and meet his friend?”
“His friend was already in bed. But CJ caught me up on all of his exploits and conquests of foreign women this summer. The jerk passed his bar and then went on a globe-trotting adventure. Must be nice!” Fiona couldn’t tell if it was admiration or disparagement she heard in Meg’s voice.
“Sounds like he’s got a hard life, your brother.” Fiona couldn’t wait to meet CJ. So far, Fiona hadn’t even seen a picture of him, and she was curious how closely he resembled Meg. Meg said they looked a lot alike, except he was blond, but she couldn’t imagine Meg’s feminine beauty in a man’s body. She watched Meg wash her hair and the ache between her legs surged. She turned to leave the bathroom. “I’ll be right back with your coffee.”
Fiona left the room and the scent of fresh coffee wafted up the stairs. She imagined herself a cartoon character being led by a thin stream of smell as her toes dragged behind her on the floor. She giggled to herself and hoped they had decaf.
Reese was alone, sitting at the kitchen island with a scone and an enormous cup of coffee. The newspaper was spread before her.
“My, aren’t you an early riser!” Reese said cheerily. “You missed CJ and his friend by a couple of minutes. He said he had Meg up until all hours last night. I didn’t expect either of you to be up for a little while yet.”
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting him.”
“You didn’t meet him last night? I assumed you joined the pajama party.” Reese made drinking coffee look like a sacred act with the steam from the cup swirling up and her seemingly reverent enjoyment of it.
“I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.” After they’d had sex, but she wasn’t going to mention that. “Besides, they needed time to catch up.”
“She probably told you they haven’t been on the best of terms the last few years.” Reese peered at her over the rim of her steaming vat of coffee.
“She mentioned something along those lines.”
“Well, I certainly hope all of it’s behind them now. It’s true what they say about boys taking much longer to mature than girls. At least it’s been true for my two offspring. Meg has hardly given us a squeak of trouble, while CJ, well… I’ll say we’ve had to chase him down more than a few times to save him from himself. But he says he’s grown up, and I want to believe him—for his sake and for all of ours.” Reese chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll like him. He’s a real charmer. Both my kids are.”
Fiona smiled to think how lucky Meg was to come from such a loving home. An unexpected pang of sadness flared within her.
Reese put her cup down. “Did I say something wrong, sweetie?”
Fiona smiled. “Not at all. I love how obviously you care about your kids. I was just remembering my own parents.”
“You must really miss them.” Sympathy flowed from across the counter. It was a good kind of sympathy. For once she didn’t feel like shrinking away.
“Yeah. I guess I always will.” She gave her a sad smile. “It makes me appreciate how your family has invited me to share in one of your special occasions.”
“From the way my daughter looks at you, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing you at a lot more of these.” Reese gave her a playful wink.
“I hope so.”
“You hope so, what?” Meg’s hair was damp and she wore the jeans Fiona liked the most on her. She wanted to take her back upstairs. God. She was acting sex-starved. Meg seemed to read her mind and cracked a sly smile. She whispered in her ear. “Where’s the coffee you promised? Is my mom talking your ear off?”
Meg’s voice tickled her ear and she squirmed, leaning into her.
“I was telling Fiona she has an open invitation to stay here any time she likes.” Reese took a sip of her coffee.
“I guess you’re stuck with me, then.” Meg wrapped her arms around her waist from the back, and kissed her on the cheek. She let go as quickly as she had swooped in and walked o
ver to a row of covered dishes. “Once the Jordan family collects you you’re family for life.”
Meg looked for her reaction as she casually lifted dish covers.
“A girl could do much worse, I suppose.” Fiona joked.
She and Meg filled their plates, and she even went back for seconds. She was ravenous and she finally understood why they said pregnant women ate for two. It didn’t help that the food was beyond awesome.
“So, what’s the plan for today, Mom?” Meg asked, as she finished her second cup of coffee.
Reese looked up from her paper with a childlike grin and bounced in her seat. She bubbled with excitement as she filled them in.
“Your dad thinks we have reservations at seven for a nice quiet dinner at the country club. The caterers will set everything up here while your dad is in the shower and I hired a valet service to keep all the cars out of sight. Knowing your dad always waits until the last minute to get ready, I told everyone we invited to show up at precisely six-fifteen while your dad is getting ready. They’ll congregate quietly in the family room, where CJ will help to keep them quiet. When we’re about to leave, I’ll ask your dad to get my bag from the family room. Then, ‘Surprise!’”
Fiona watched Meg eye her mom. “He’s going to flip out. You know he is.”
“That’s the point of it, honey.”
Meg had told Fiona about how much her father hated surprise parties, but both of them seemed excited for this one.
Meg stood up. “Well, I can’t stand the suspense. I think I’ll take Fiona out to see the glorious sights of Seattle. We’ll be back in plenty of time to get ready to ‘go out’.”
Fiona eyed the potatoes left in the dish, but got up and put her plate in the sink.
72
Several hours later, Meg drove up the driveway, holding Fiona’s hand in her lap, happy from their sightseeing adventures. She hoped for a lifetime of days like this. It had been perfect. The sun had shined brightly all day long, and the recent rains had made everything vibrant and crisp. Seattle had put on her best show for Fiona, and Meg couldn’t have asked for a better day. Yet a small nugget of disappointment sat quietly in her heart.
When they set out that morning, Meg’s primary goal had been to find the perfect backdrop against which to tell Fiona she loved her. She had taken Fiona to several of the most romantic spots she knew. Butterflies had mauled the inside of Meg’s stomach each time as she anticipated the moment in which she would stand before Fiona, gaze deeply into her beautiful eyes, and let the words spill out. She wouldn’t try to be poetic. She would be careful not to ramble on—something she knew she tended to do when she was nervous. She would simply tell Fiona she loved her, and then kiss her silly, showing her the content of her heart. The kiss would be easy. Hadn’t she been showing her all along—every time they made love, with every look, every touch, and every kiss? She saw it in Fiona’s eyes and felt it in her touch. Now she needed to give it voice.
But every time she had been about to say it, something would happen—a tourist asked her to snap a photo, a seagull swooped down and stole the churro right out of Fiona’s hand, a band of rowdy kids invaded the area—and the chances slipped away.
It wouldn’t be long, though. Meg could feel it swelling within her chest. The feeling was the purest thing she had ever known and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold it in very much longer. She wanted it to be special when the time came.
Meg parked the car under the portico and a young man in a jacket and tie came to the door to take the keys. Leave it to her mother to think of everything for the party. She gave him instructions to park the car in the garage with the family’s cars, and Meg and Fiona went into the house so they could get ready for the party.
73
“Mickey, can you check the family room to see if I left my bag in there?” Reese asked innocently as she bent to adjust the strap of her shoe. “It’s either there or in our room.”
Fiona and Meg stood next to her, presumably ready to go out to dinner. Fiona was impressed with Reese’s acting abilities. At least a hundred people stood quietly, mashed together in the family room as she sent him unsuspecting into their midst.
“Sure, honey,” he said, and headed toward the darkened room beyond the kitchen. Meg, Fiona, and Reese pressed in behind him. He looked over his shoulder. “I don’t need an escort, you guys.” He made a muscle. “Me big strong man. Dark no scare…”
A loud chorus of “Surprise!” nearly blew the foursome backward when Mickey flipped on the light.
Even with the knowledge of what was about to happen, Fiona was dumbstruck that all of the guests had fit into the living room and they had all been so quiet so as not to give the surprise away. She never heard so much as one sneeze or the clink of a key the whole time they had been upstairs getting ready, nor in the few minutes when they had stood in the kitchen waiting for Mickey to come down.
A rush of people came forward and surrounded the birthday boy who, against all predictions, smiled hugely. Fiona and Meg found themselves pushed gently aside by the throng of well-wishers, and Meg was relieved her father wasn’t upset by the surprise. On the contrary, he absolutely beamed with happiness.
“You must be Fiona!” an unfamiliar voice boomed from Fiona’s side. Fiona turned to face the man walking quickly toward her with his arms stretched out.
The man’s resemblance to Mickey was uncanny, except for a few extra pounds, he could have been his twin. She smiled and stepped into a beefy hug.
“You must be Uncle Arthur,” she said as he finally let her go.
“The one and only!” he said brightly. He lifted his shoulders with barely contained glee. “Meg already told you about me, huh? I hope she was kind. Did she also tell you about the first time she laid eyes on you? It was so cute. She spilled coffee all over the place. I think the hot liquid pouring over her fingers finally got her attention, but she didn’t even bat an eye. Her eyes were glued on you. She set the overflowing cup down on the counter and told me, “There’s my future wife, Arty.” Isn’t that right Meg?”
Two sets of eyes swiveled toward Meg. She opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, but nothing came out. She closed her mouth with a snap, turned a brilliant shade of red, and simply nodded her head. Fiona stifled a laugh over her lover’s distress.
“Welcome to the family, Fiona, dear. I expect to see you in Ithaca more often.” Then Uncle Arthur spotted Mickey, and excused himself to go congratulate the birthday boy.
“Did you really say that?” she asked, pressing in close to her blushing lover, pleased to see the red reignite across Meg’s face.
“I honestly don’t remember exactly what I said. I remember spilling the coffee, but I might as well have been alone, because all I saw was you.” Meg slipped her arm around her and kissed her sweetly. The look in her eyes made Fiona’s pulse race. Its intensity was off the charts.
She cleared her throat. “I like that story. We’ll have to tell the baby when she’s old enough to understand.” Fiona stepped closer and grabbed Meg’s hands, but she froze when it dawned on her what she’d said. There was the future again.
“Yes, we will.” Meg smiled at her. Fiona’s cold chill evaporated at the perfect response. Simple and sweet.
The two women gazed at each other while the rest of the room receded. They let their words sink in and Fiona wondered if it would be rude if they left the party. Just for a few minutes. Long enough for her to relieve some of the tension she was feeling. Good tension. Urgent tension.
Meg leaned forward, pulled by the tractor beams of Fiona’s gaze. She opened her mouth to speak, but a figure appeared behind Fiona, and the moment was gone.
Fiona turned to see what had stolen Meg’s attention. “What were you looking at?”
Meg swallowed her frustration and cleared her throat. “CJ. He was right behind you and then he suddenly turned
away. Come on. I want you to meet him. I think he went into the kitchen.” Meg grabbed Fiona’s hand. When they entered the kitchen, there were several people in the room, but CJ wasn’t in sight.
“I know he came in here,” Meg sighed.
“Are you looking for CJ? He and his friend were here a minute ago. He’s probably in the other room. Come here. You have to try the Swedish meatballs.” Reese gushed as she pulled them toward a line of chafing dishes.
The next two hours were a whirlwind of introductions and party festivities. The more people Fiona met, the more she adored Meg’s family. The gargoyle statue Meg gave to her father was a hit and Fiona lost track of how many times she gave out Tammy’s website information for people interested in seeing more of her bizarre art.
Throughout the evening, Meg looked for CJ to introduce them, but it seemed they just kept missing him. When they asked where he was when Mickey opened CJ’s present—a disappointing coffee table book of British barrister jokes—Mickey joked that his son was probably off canoodling with one of the pretty caterers. Meg seemed irritated at her brother, but Fiona figured she’d eventually meet him and shrugged it off to a house full of people, many of whom monopolized their time when they discovered Meg had finally brought home a girlfriend, which amused her.
The evening eventually wound down and Fiona was tired—in a good way. It was wonderful to get to know the people who had surrounded Meg through much of her life, but it was tiring trying to remember the names of so many new people
“I had a fantastic night, honey! Thank you!” Mickey turned to Reese when most of the guests had gone. “I’m sorry about the last time. I was a jerk.” His expression was so earnest; he looked like a little kid and Fiona recognized Meg in him. She fell a little more in love with Meg’s family because of it.
Without a Net Page 32
