Tears stung my eyes, “No, Alan, I’m a fool and an idiot. I’ve made some terrible decisions in my life.”
He took one more step toward me, “And you are wondering if I am one of those terrible decisions, aren’t you?”
I nodded, “I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong anymore.”
Alan’s eyes swept the room. A trail of boxes led down the hall. I could still smell the marker I used to label them.
“So,” he said quietly, “you are leaving Mike?”
“Yes. I thought I’d head back to mom and dad’s place for a while. Try to sort things out… untangle the mess I’ve made.”
Alan nodded, “You can’t take all the responsibility for that, Laura. We both made that mess. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I loved every minute of it.”
I wiped my eyes on my sweatshirt sleeve, leaving inky mascara stains, “Alan, you should go.”
He looked around, “Is Mike here? Because I’m not afraid of him being here. I’ll tell him what I’m just about to tell you.”
I straightened, “Oh really? And what would that be?”
His eyes bored into mine, “That I love you. That I’m taking you away with me. That I need to have you with me, every day for the rest of my life.”
“What?” It’s funny how much I wanted those words. How could I hate hearing them?
Alan closed the gap between us, taking me into his arms, “You heard me. I want you. And I’m not leaving without you and the kids.”
I tried to push away, and not just because his clothes were wet, “Bullshit! None of this is real!”
“I know you think that what happened on vacation was just a fantasy… a sex-drenched fairy tale. But it was real. All of it. And I’m here now to prove it.” His lips closed on mine. The tension of the previous weeks dissolved and I realized as he kissed me, that it was real. He loved me! He wanted me!
“Alan, I…” I began but he silenced me with another kiss.
After a few smoldering moments, he pulled back, “Do you doubt me or my intentions?”
I shook my head, “No. I don’t think I ever did.” The realization hit me. I had trusted him since the first day I saw him. Holy shit.
“Then why did we wait so long?” Alan closed the distance again, kissing me roughly as his hands explored my body. His need was evident from the hardness pressing against me. If I didn’t do something, he would take me right there on the floor.
“Alan,” I came up for air, “you left New York… for me?”
He smiled and it shook me to the core, “Baby, I left the day of the opening night of my new play.” He frowned in mock concern, “Gee, I hope it all goes well without me.”
My heart exploded. I actually felt the kaglitch in my rib cage. This man had left his work, his passion, to be with me. And not just me, but my kids also came first. And it felt so fucking fantastic that I threw him to the floor to show him how much.
Alan’s hands ripped open my blouse, sending buttons scattering in all directions. I tore his sweater off, and tossing my bra aside, pressed my breasts against his chest. He moaned and I melted, kissing his lips, neck and chest.
For two hours we rolled around on the floor, coming again and again until I realized the kids would be home from school soon. After I threw on a sweatshirt and Alan retrieved the missing buttons, we waited in the living room for Jenny and Ben. I knew that things would change. Of course, there would be roadblocks. But I knew where I was going and what I was doing. For once in my life, I knew.
Epilogue
A warm, arid breeze stirred my robe as I sat on my new patio with a cup of coffee. Alan had taken the kids to school and my first class wasn’t for another week. Santa Fe was beyond gorgeous. The house was small but perfect. The girls happily shared a room decorated in Disney princess motif and the boys had their Pirates of the Caribbean den. The new school was not so difficult an adjustment as each kid had three siblings there.
All of the pieces had fallen into place. I took another sip of my coffee. It was too hot for coffee – but I still felt like tormenting myself a little. I would have made such a good martyr.
We didn’t wait for the ink to dry on the divorce papers before moving. As predicted, our families thought we had lost our minds and more than a few of my friends had stopped talking to me. Hello! Martyr!
Both Susan and Mike gave up custody of the kids, but insisted on having them for holidays, spring break and two weeks in the summer. Alan and I agreed to pay for the kids to fly out for a weekend every other month. Of course, both Mike and Susan included the vacation in their settlements. That proved to be expensive. I smiled, thinking of having a receipt for hot sex slipped under the door of the hotel room. Whatever it cost, it was worth it.
Even my friend came through with a part-time teaching job. Everything seemed easy. For the past month, our lives had been simple. We had taken only our clothes and personal possessions with us. It had been fun to buy new furniture for the new house with the kids. In the distance I heard the front door close. Alan was home. Home. My home. Our home.
His lips brushed my neck and he sat beside me, picking up the coffee he had left behind. He pointed to my laptop, “Finally finishing your thesis?”
I looked at him carefully, “Yes and no. I’ve changed the subject.”
His eyes widened with amusement, “Really?”
“I’ve decided to focus on something else. The adultery in literature theme doesn’t interest me anymore.”
Alan laughed, “Wow. And you had so much first-hand experience with that. Are you throwing it all away on something dull?”
I arched my right eyebrow, “I’ve decided on sex in literature instead.”
Alan rose and held out his hand, “Come with me.”
“Why?”
He didn’t wait for me to give my hand as he took it into his, “Well, you have a lot of research to do and we only have six and a half hours until the kids get out of school.”
Now, why didn’t I think of that? I took his hand and followed him into the house.
In the end, I guess my fairytale came true. Out of the corner of my mind, I thought I saw Anna back away from that train, and Hester tearing off her scarlet “A.” In my imagination, they became lesbian lovers and spent their honeymoon at Disney World.
About the Author
Leslie Langtry is the author of the Bombays Greatest Hits series:
‘Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy
Guns Will Keep Us Together
Stand By Your Hitman
I Shot You Babe
Paradise By The Rifle Sights
Leslie loves puppies and cake (but she will not share her cake with puppies) and thinks praying mantids make everything better. She lives with her family and assorted animals in the Midwest, where she is currently working on her next book.
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