by J. E. Taylor
He closed his eyes and sent out the command for CJ and Tommy to sit back down on the couch and then opened his eyes back up. “That will hold them for a few minutes.” He slipped off her and went to find some clean clothes.
* * * *
Jessica stretched then climbed out of the bed following the path of discarded clothing, putting each garment back on. “Chris?”
“Hmmm?” He stepped out from the closet, zipping up his jeans.
“Why did you take so long to ask?”
He pulled his sweater over his head then met her gaze. “You never mentioned marriage so I thought maybe it wasn’t really what you wanted.” He walked over to her and took her hands. “I got the rings after the boys were born but it took me this long to get up the nerve.”
Jessica put her hand on his cheek. “I would have said yes the day I made the decision to be with you. I thought you knew that.”
He shifted and dropped his eyes to the floor. “I never believed you really wanted to be with me.”
“Are you honestly that insecure?”
He nodded, meeting her gaze. “I’ve always been where you’re concerned. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and this will all be a dream.” He touched her face and kissed her gently. “We have to get downstairs before they destroy the family room.” He pulled away from her lips and led her out of the room.
Half way down the stairs, his words sunk in. “Rings?”
He smiled back at her. “I bought matching wedding bands.”
“Can I see them?”
“As soon as we get lunch for the kids.” He headed down the stairs. The pillows, throw blankets and cushions from the couch were strewn over the living room floor and the boys were sitting on the cushion-less couch looking up at them with guilty expressions.
Chris looked at the mess and then back at the kids.
“He started it.” Tommy pointed at CJ.
“Liar, you started it.” CJ glared at Tommy.
“It doesn’t matter who started it,” Chris said looking squarely at CJ. “What matters is that you clean it up. And Christopher James, you shouldn’t lie. That makes me angry.” His eyes bore into his son.
“Ha ha,” Tommy whispered.
“Thomas Patrick,” Chris said, his eyes switching targets. “That was not right either.”
Both Tommy and CJ hung their heads and started to pick up the pillow cushions and put them back on the couch.
Jessica stood on the stairs watching him handle the boys. Chris’s look of disapproval always put them in line. It was as powerful as his smile and he glanced over at her and winked, causing her to turn her head so the children wouldn’t see the smile that appeared on her face. She hurried into the kitchen and made them sandwiches and chocolate milk, putting it on the table while Chris supervised the cleanup effort.
When CJ and Tommy sat down at the table, Chris disappeared and returned a moment later with two small ring boxes. He opened them both and set them on the counter.
Matching platinum wedding bands adorned with diamonds stared out at her and she smiled. “I love them.”
“Yours is engraved.”
Jessica picked up the ring and read the inscription.
All my love always & forever, Ty.
A tidal wave of emotions slammed into her at seeing his real name and her eyes welled up with tears. “Ty,” she whispered, blinking the mist away and pressing her lips together, swallowing the lump in her throat. She hadn’t called him by that name since the day they sent Frank’s ghost back to hell.
“I was tempted to put something with the phrase ‘a million years’ on it, but I thought that would be in poor taste,” he said, cracking a smile.
She nodded and put the ring back in the box. “They’re beautiful.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes.
“I couldn’t bring myself to put Chris in the engraving. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all. It’s who I fell in love with.” She kissed him. “And I miss calling you by that name,” she said too softly for the boys to hear.
Chris wrapped his arms around her. “I miss hearing it.”
Chapter 5
“I’m going out for a while, is there anything you need me to pick up?” Chris said, grabbing his coat off the rack.
“I don’t think so.” She checked the refrigerator. “We’re all set.”
Chris grabbed his cell phone. “You two be good for your mother,” he said to the kids.
“We will,” they said in unison and he headed out the door.
Chris drove to the local mall and sat in the parking lot dialing his lawyer’s direct line. “Hi Sam, it’s been a while,” he said into the cell phone.
“It’s been too long, Chris, how are you?” Sam Trueman replied.
“I’m doing very well but I need a huge favor.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I need you to set up a wedding ceremony at city hall next Friday.”
“Who’s getting married?”
“I am. She said yes.” He leaned his head back against the seat.
“You’re finally going to make an honest woman of her. I’m glad to hear that. Do you want me to draw up a pre-nup?”
“Not necessary, Sam,” he said.
“Look, I know she’s the mother of your children but...”
“Sam, she doesn’t have a clue what I’m worth, she’s never asked. Besides, she’s been listed as my sole beneficiary from the time I sold Aris Industries and I don’t think marriage is going to change that.” He took a deep breath. “It’s not like she sought me out. I went after her.”
“I never understood why you went after her.”
Chris took a deep breath. He spun the same story over and over through the years, so it came easily this time. “She loved him and I needed to find out why, especially after everything he did to her. When we met, the connection was immediate and overwhelming. I never experienced that before and let’s face it; I had been with a lot of women before I met Jessica. None of them affected me the way she did.” He smiled; this part of the storyline was the easiest to explain because it was the truth. “The way she still does.”
“Are you sure about her? You sure she isn’t trying to trap you and get your money?”
“She never once mentioned marriage in all these years and that’s one of the reasons it took me so damn long to ask. We have two children, Sam, and she’s been more than patient with me.” He thought about their conversation this morning. “She’s the one I’ve been searching for all my life. She’s my soul mate.”
“Okay, I’ll set everything up on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Chris sat up straight in the car. He didn’t like ultimatums.
“That I can be there to see you get married,” Sam said.
Chris smiled and nodded. “Absolutely. You are the closest thing to family that I have, Sam, so it would mean a lot to me if you were there.”
“What time do you want me to set it up for?”
“How about two or three in the afternoon?”
“Consider it done. I’ll shoot for three unless you hear otherwise and I’ll see you on the steps of city hall a little before three.”
“Thanks. And one other thing...,” Chris said, explaining the remainder of the arrangements he wanted Sam to execute. He folded the phone and stepped out of the car, heading into the mall looking for a jewelry store.
He already had a wedding gift in mind and walked slowly up and down the displays looking for the exact match. He stopped in front of a cabinet with a platinum diamond eternity necklace and matching bracelet. “I’ll take these.” He tapped the glass looking up at the jeweler. “And I’d like to see your selection of diamond earrings.”
The jeweler looked at his worn jeans and scuffed leather jacket and raised his eyebrows. “Sir, this necklace alone is ninety-five thousand dollars.”
Chris nodded and glanced at the nametag gracing the man’s lapel. “I can read, Hal.”
After a couple of blinks and an apologetic smile, the jeweler placed a choice of platinum diamond earrings out for him to look at.
A quick glance and he settled on a set of 3/4 carat studs and then Hal rang up the purchase and took his credit card, swiping it in the machine. After he signed the receipt, Hal wrapped each box in ornate silver paper adorned with a white bow.
He smiled, walking to the car with the three pristine packages. He wanted her to sparkle when they walked down the red carpet at the premiere and he wanted everyone to know she belonged to him.
Chapter 6
Quiet met Chris at the door and he slipped inside to the bedroom, hiding the bag in his bureau before searching the rest of the house for his family. Computer clicks and animated sounds filtered out of the den and he swung the door open, smiling as the boys played on their computers. The pre-kindergarten software walked them through the letters of the alphabet and simple word recognition, CJ further along in the program than Tommy.
“Hi, hon,” Jessica said over her shoulder when he came up behind them.
Leaning over, he kissed her gently on the top of the head. “Everything is taken care of, even your dress.”
“What did you do?” she asked, although from the grin on his face, she knew. “You didn’t.”
Chris nodded. He ordered an exact replica of the white dress she wore on their first date. “Yes, I did. Was that too presumptuous of me?”
“No, not presumptuous at all. It’s a beautiful dress. Did you make sure all the kids were taken care of too?”
“No, should I?”
“Um, yes. The boys will need suits, same with Eric. I’m not sure if he has one at home or not. And I’m sure Emily would love something new. You can ask her on the way to the studio. And what about you?”
“Armani.” He smiled down at her. “I figured the black pinstripe with a white shirt. Do you want me to wear a tie?”
Jessica thought about it. “No, I like it better when you have the open collar.” Makes me hotter looking at your bare neck.
“Damn, girl, if I had known that I would have burned them all a long time ago.” He laughed, responding more to her thoughts than her words.
“Daddy said a bad word,” Tommy announced and Jessica stifled a laugh.
“Yes, Daddy said a bad word, so don’t you be repeating it,” Chris said.
Jessica looked at the clock. “Okay kids, time to wrap up. Karate class starts in an hour and I promised Emily we’d swing in.”
* * * *
They swung in to Emily’s house fifteen minutes later and everyone barged in creating chaos in their wake. Emily came out of the kitchen and doled out hugs to everyone before studying the rock on her mother’s left hand.
“It’s about time.” Emily looked up at Chris. “I was beginning to think you would never marry my mother.”
Chris felt the heat plume in his cheeks and shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he studied the pattern of the carpet. He finally met her gaze. “Do you want me to pick up a dress for you for the wedding?”
Emily raised her eyebrows and pointed at him, switching her gaze to her mother. “Is he serious?”
“My idea and trust me, he has great taste,” Jessica said.
“Well, okay.”
Chris sized her up. “You’re what, a size six?” He looked down at her feet. “With a size six and a half or seven shoe?”
Emily’s eyes widened. “Yes, size seven and that’s just creepy.”
“Sorry,” Chris had always been exceptional at sizing people up. He could have guessed her height and weight within an inch and a couple of pounds as well, but decided not to subject her to that sideshow trick of his. “What’s your favorite color?” he asked and gathered the boys up.
“Blue.”
Jessica and Chris exchanged a smile as the same conversation they had ten years before flashed through each of their minds.
“What color blue?” he asked holding eye contact with Jessica.
“Caribbean blue.”
“Hmm.” Chris broke her gaze and looked back at Emily. “I’ll figure something out for you. We have to get moving or we’re going to be late, Jess.”
“Do you want to come to Eric’s game with us this weekend?” Jessica asked.
Emily smiled. “Sorry, I have plans.”
“What’s his name?” Chris asked.
“Bill. He’s a new teacher at the high school.”
“When do I get to meet him?” Chris paused at the door, turning toward his soon-to-be stepdaughter.
Emily laughed until she realized he was serious. “You’re kidding, right?”
Chris grinned. “Yes and no. Someone has to keep an eye on you up here.”
Jessica grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the house, rolling her eyes at her daughter. “Sorry, Em. We will see you next week.”
Emily shook her head. She laughed and closed the door.
“I guess I freaked her out a bit.” Chris smiled over at Jessica and pulled the car out of the driveway.
“Ya think?” She laughed. “What would you do if she did bring him to meet you?”
He chuckled. “I’d ask him what his intentions are.” He looked sideways at her and grinned. “I’d make sure I made him real nervous. Anyone who hurts her will have to answer to me.”
“She’s not your daughter, Chris.”
Chris shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Emily and Eric are your kids, that’s close enough for me. Besides, I’ll be their stepfather soon enough.”
“You would love every second of terrorizing her boyfriends, wouldn’t you?” She smacked his leg lightly as they pulled up to the studio.
He grinned over at her. “I have to get my kicks somehow.”
“You really are twisted.”
He laughed aloud and got out of the car, holding the back door for the kids. They followed Jessica in and he grabbed the bags. He met the kids in the office and dressed them in their gis, changing in to his as well before he sent them into the karate studio to begin warming up.
Chris glanced at his watch. Ten minutes before the first students would arrive and he crossed to the front studio, leaning on the doorjamb to watch Jessica warm up.
“My wife,” he said and sighed. He still couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Not with his past and he wondered how long this paradise would last before his bubble burst.
He wandered back to the rear studio and found the boys wrestling on the floor.
Chris cleared his throat and both boys shot to their feet.
“He started it.” CJ pointed at Tommy.
Tommy looked at his feet and stood in ready position with his hands behind his back. “Sorry, Daddy.”
Chris looked between Tommy and CJ. “You both know better.”
“I know,” they said in unison.
“Well then you know what’s coming next, don’t you.” He stood with his arms crossed, looking down on them.
“Awe, Dad, do we have to?” CJ whined.
Chris nodded. “Twenty pushups.”
Both children mumbled and dropped, executing the pushups while Chris counted. Students began filtering in during the punishment and he nodded acknowledgement to each one. The boys completed their punishment just in time for the start of class.
Twice a week they held four hour-long classes in the studio, two before their dinner break and two after. The boys attended the karate classes before dinner and then they were sequestered in the office, amused by educational videos until they dozed on the plush couches and their parents gathered them up for home.
Chris walked in the office and smiled at the boys sprawled out and snoring on the furniture, the television droning on with one of their animated favorites. He took a second to just stare at his kids and the same dreamlike veil covered his eyes creating a mist he blinked away. Valentine’s Day always brought back his insecurities and this morning’s call from Tom didn’t help. With a sigh, he reached for the remote and click
ed Nemo off, switching to the local college basketball game and kicked back in the chair waiting for Jessica’s last dance class to end.
* * * *
After the last student left and Jessica straightened up the dance studio, closing the blinds and shutting off the lights, she pushed open the office door and sighed at the sight of him. Chris gave her a sideways glance, the dimple briefly appearing in his cheek before he returned his attention to the last thirty seconds of the game. He turned her on something fierce, sitting in his black gi with his feet still bare, the edges of his hair damp with sweat and the evidence of a good workout found in the color of his cheeks. Jessica inhaled to keep her overactive libido in check until they got home.
“You ready?” He flipped the television off and turned, smiling.
He knew what made her crazy and he played it up, sliding over and wrapping his arms around her. His lips grazed hers, salty and sweet at the same time and the trail of his tongue along the line of her neck sent shivers through her. His hands glided from her waist down her back until they cupped her ass, gripping and caressing.
“Stop,” she whispered without conviction.
Chris laughed softly, his breath tickling the nape of her neck. “I’ll never stop.” He kissed her again pulling her closer.
“We have to get the boys home.” She begrudgingly pushed him away.
Chris grabbed her arm as she went to walk away. “I’m serious.”
She looked at him with a confused expression.
“I’ll never stop loving you. Even a million years couldn’t make the way I feel fade away.” He let go of her and turned to gather up their children.
“Ty?” she said his name for the second time in five years.
Chris stopped and turned back to her. “As much as I like hearing you say that name, you can’t. Not here, not until we are home and alone in our bedroom, otherwise I’m gonna lose control.” He took a deep breath. “Because baby, you have no idea what hearing you say my name really does to me.”
“I bet I have an inkling.” Oh, she knew, she knew because saying his real name created an electrical current that filled the space between them, driving her into his arms and magnifying the heat to the point of flashover.