When Tess frowned, Aubrey explained further. “It’s not likely that we’ll locate a couple or a pair of siblings, a parent and child…whatever…where one is compatible with Jim and the other’s compatible with me.”
Tess nodded. “So, Jim gives a kidney to person A whose brother gives a kidney to person B whose wife gives a kidney to C whose husband gives a kidney to you.”
“You got it.”
“It’ll happen, Aubrey. I know it will.”
Aubrey smiled and leaned over to give her friend a one armed hug. She’d enjoy her life as long as she could and keep praying for a miracle in the meantime.
****
“Are you sure there’s a restaurant back here?” Aubrey asked as Jim turned onto a dark, bumpy dirt road.
“It’s not a restaurant per se. It’s winery but they do a Valentine’s Day dinner. I’ve heard that both the food and the wine are incredible.”
“So, you’ve never been?”
“No. I wanted our first Valentine’s Day together to be someplace new for both of us.”
“That’s so sweet.”
He parked in a dirt parking lot.
“Wait,” he told her when she reached for the door. “We’re doing this right.”
She sat bemused while he walked around the front of the car and opened her door. He took her hand and helped her from the SUV.
The midnight blue dress she wore fluttered around her calves. She’d curled her hair and left it loose to spill down her back. The tiny sapphire earrings and matching stone on a thin gold chain were the only jewelry she wore.
Jim placed one hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her up a few steps and into the winery.
“Welcome to Woods and Waters,” a man said. “Are you here for dinner?”
Jim nodded. “We have reservations. Tanner.”
Their name was marked off and they were shown to the dining room, a large, semi-rustic room, with scattered tables and a small stage near the front. The waitress showed them to their table. Jim pulled out Aubrey’s chair and waited for her to sit before pulling out his own chair.
They talked about inconsequential things while the waitress served their hors d'oeuvres and sparkling white wine. When the waitress left Jim picked up his glass. “To you and to our future.”
She clinked her glass against his and offered a shaky smile. She took a small sip and the bright flavor of the wine burst across her tongue. If sunshine had a flavor, this was it.
She was still savoring the taste when she noticed the small jeweler’s box Jim held in his hand.
An engagement ring? Her heart gave a leap, then plunged. How could she say ‘yes’ to a marriage proposal knowing she had only a few months to live?
“I really wanted to give you a kidney,” he said.
Aubrey saw the pain on his face and in his eyes, and knew he meant every word.
“I know this is a poor substitute,” he continued, pushing the small, velvet box across the table.
She picked it up carefully, closing her eyes for a moment to hold back tears.
“Open it.”
She opened the lid slowly, afraid to look inside. The little box creaked. Nestled inside was a delicate gold chain, she lifted it up. A gold filigree heart dangled from the chain.
Her lower lip quivered, her chest hurt. She had finally found the man of her dreams—the one she could spend the rest of her life with—and it was too late. Her life would soon be over.
Chapter Fourteen
Jim unlocked the door to her apartment before handing the keys back.
They’d had three glasses of wine with the meal. She’d finished each of the three but Jim drank only half of each glass, pointing out they had a long drive back to Lawton.
Aubrey had made her plans for this night days before. The wine helped to bolster her courage, as did the gold heart she now wore.
Jim followed her into the apartment. She turned on the light.
“I have something for you,” she said, her cheeks growing warm. “Wait for me on the couch. Okay?”
He nodded, stealing a kiss before she glided out of his reach.
Aubrey flipped on the bedroom light then closed the door behind her. She stripped off black flats, the midnight blue dress, black slip and hose. Wearing only her bra and panties she opened the top drawer of her dresser and pulled out the teddy she’d bought a few days earlier. It was made of red satin, trimmed in black lace.
She’d never before bought lingerie for the sole purpose of seducing a man. She stripped off her underclothes and stepped into the teddy. The legs were cut high, the neckline plunged. She tugged at it but it shifted back the moment she let go, the black lace barely covering the aureole. A quick dab of her favorite perfume between her breasts to bolster her courage and she was ready.
She turned on the small lamp on her dresser and flipped off the overhead light before she opened the door.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she said, barely able to get her voice above a whisper.
Jim rose to his feet, wonderment crossing his face. He moved across the floor, coming to a stop in front of her. His hands rested on her waist while he kissed her, then slid to her bottom, cupping her rear as he pulled her closer. His erection pressed against her belly, triggering a release of moisture between her thighs.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I bought the teddy to wear for you. I wanted to seduce you, but I don’t really know how.”
He grinned. “Baby, I have to disagree. You definitely know how to seduce a man.”
He stroked her hair with one hand while the other remained on her bottom. “Although I’m happy to know seducing men isn’t something you have a lot of experience with.”
Aubrey looped her hands around his neck and began moving backward with small steps, leading him into the bedroom. When they were near the foot of the bed she slid her hands to his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt. The backs of her fingers brushed the hair on his chest. She was surprised to find it so soft.
He kissed the side of her neck then gave it a little nip, quickly soothing the spot with the tip of his tongue.
She shivered, fighting the urge to stop what she was doing and let him take over.
Her fingers trembled as they pushed the shirt from his shoulders. He let go of her long enough to let the shirt fall to the floor.
Aubrey’s fingers explored his chest and his flat stomach. His skin was warm and vibrant, his body harder than she had expected.
Her fingers moved to the buckle on his belt, fumbling it open.
Jim caught her up in his arms. She threw her arms around his neck, holding on as he carried her to the bed, lowering her onto the comforter. When he straightened, standing next to the bed, he toed off his shoes and unbuttoned his slacks.
Aubrey started to slide one of the teddy’s straps off her shoulder.
“Don’t.” His eyes burned into hers. “I want to undress you.”
He climbed onto the bed and straddled her hips. Instinct and desire made her arch her back and press against him. The backs of his fingers brushed both nipples and she moaned. He leaned forward to press a warm kiss against the swell of one breast.
“I’m going to mark you,” he said.
She wasn’t certain at first what he meant, then she felt the suction against her flesh and nearly laughed. He was giving her a hickey!
She knew she was wet as she tried to rock against him. He chuckled.
“We’re going to take our time, baby.” His fingers locked with hers, pinning her hands against the bed near her shoulders, causing her back to arch, pressing her breast firmly against his mouth.
Her body ached. The top of the teddy had slipped just an inch, enough to bring the stiff lace into contact with nipples that were swollen and sensitive. She wanted his mouth on them desperately.
“Jim,” she whispered, prepared to beg for relief.
He lowered his torso until it pressed against her chest, the pressure sending lit
tle zings of pleasure to the sweet spot between her legs.
His lips brushed hers. “Don’t talk.”
“But—”
He sampled her lower lip and she let out a groan of pleasure as nerves lit a path from her lips down.
Every time she opened her mouth to beg for some release he countered her with a kiss. She needed him inside her. Her muscles clenched in anticipation.
He nuzzled the lace above her breast until the nipple popped free.
Finally! His mouth tugged at it. The sweet pressure was almost painful.
“Now, Jim. Please.”
He took his time, untangling their fingers so she could reach for him, sliding the delicate straps down her arms until they caught at her elbow. She lowered her arms, allowing him to slide the straps free.
He kissed her belly, beginning a new round of torture.
“I can’t keep this up,” he said at last. Rolling off her, yanking the teddy off and tossing it on the floor. He peeled off his slacks faster than she could have imagined.
She opened her legs, welcoming him.
“Birth control?” he asked, kneeling between her spread thighs, his penis erect and engorged, moisture beading the tip.
“Amenorrhea,” she gasped.
“What?”
“Can’t get pregnant,” she panted, not about to take the time to explain why she no longer menstruated.
Jim slid in deep with a single thrust. Her body cried out in protest, muscles that hadn’t been used in a long time stretched almost painfully.
She thought he’d give her a moment to adjust to him but apparently the slow foreplay had tormented him as much as it had her. He started moving immediately, setting a rhythm her body quickly learned.
Aubrey closed her eyes concentrating on each thrust, the friction of his thighs rubbing against hers. She drank in his scent; cologne and male musk. She absorbed the harsh sound of his breathing, promising herself that she would always remember how this moment felt.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper. With her head thrown back she cried out his name as her world exploded with sensations far too intense for her body to contain.
****
“That was a long conversation,” his father said as Jim slipped the cell phone into his pocket.
“That was one of the editors from Heartland Travel.
James set his coffee cup on the table with a soft click. “Isn’t that the fancy, over-sized magazine you admire so much?”
“I don’t know that I would have described it that way, but yeah. I’ve been submitting my work to them off and on for years.”
He poured a cup of coffee and sat down across from his father. “They want me to go up next week for an interview.”
“And just what would it mean if they hired you?”
“More money for one thing. Heartland Travel pays well. The magazine is published six times a year. Right now I’d be starting with two or three layouts a year. That would mean national recognition for my work.”
“And you’d be gone a lot?”
“For weeks at a time. Look, Dad, I know you miss Mom, but you’ll be able to manage just fine while I’m gone. That’s if I get the job. Your friends from church will look after you ’til I get back.”
“What about Aubrey? I thought the two of you had something pretty special going?”
“We do.” In the two weeks since Valentine’s Day he’d spent the night with Aubrey more often than not. She’d explained to him that one of the side effects of renal failure had been amenorrhea, meaning she no longer had her period. On the plus side—they didn’t have to worry about birth control. On the other hand it served as a reminder that she was very sick and their future together might be a short one.
“She can go with me.”
“You’re forgetting a couple of things. For one, she has a business to run. I doubt she can afford to close for weeks at a time.”
“She makes most of her sales online.”
“And what about her dialysis?”
“There are a lot of dialysis centers out there, Dad. I’m sure we can arrange for her to go to one.”
His father snorted. “Spoken like a man who’s never been sick a day in his life. Wasn’t she in the hospital not too long ago? What if there’s a problem? She might be more comfortable if her own doctor is close at hand.”
Jim took a swallow of coffee. He hadn’t thought about that. And the traveling would be hard on her, long hours in a car. He knew from the trip they’d made to Jefferson that long rides made her feet swell. It was even more of a challenge to manage her sodium intake.
“She’s a special girl,” his father said. “I’m not suggesting you give up your dream, I’m just pointing out that you don’t want to lose her. The Beths and Aubreys of the world don’t come along very often.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Where’s your dad?” Aubrey asked as Jim started for the bedroom.
“I don’t know, but the house feels empty.” He walked into his bedroom, picked his wallet up from the dresser and slipped it into his pocket. A slip of paper, propped against one of the cameras on his dresser, caught his eye.
He jumped when something slipped around his waist.
“Scaredy cat,” Aubrey teased.
He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. “If it weren’t for the fact that my father would definitely see it as disrespectful to him, I’d stretch you out on my bed and take full advantage of you.”
Her hands fluttered across his chest, down to his stomach. “We could head back to my place, where I could take full advantage of you.”
He trapped her against him with one arm, reaching out with the other to pluck the note from the dresser.
“Dad went to one of the casinos with some friends of his.” He didn’t bother to paraphrase the rest of the note, but apparently Aubrey had read it along with him.
“What does he mean ‘The editor from Heartland Travel called and wants to sweeten the deal?’”
Jim released a breath. “I was offered a job doing some shots for Heartland Travel.”
“That’s wonderful.”
He shook his head. “I turned it down.”
“Why would you do that?”
“My dad’s getting up in years. I thought I should—”
“No.” Her head moved slowly from side-to-side. “You told me you were looking for something like this. And your dad’s not even seventy, and he’s in good health.”
Jim shrugged, pretending the offer was no big deal. “I just decided I’d rather stick close to home.”
“You told me you’d rather not have to earn your living taking pictures of weddings and casino events. You told me you like to travel. You like taking pictures of places.”
He cupped his hands over her shoulders. “Aubrey, I thought about taking the job. At first I thought you could close the shop now and then, since most of your orders are online, anyway. I had visions of us driving all over the area, seeing new sites, meeting new people.”
He saw hope light up her face, then watched it die.
“But?”
“I remembered when we went to Jefferson. I enjoyed the time I spent with you, but I realize the trip was exhausting for you. And then there’s dialysis. What happens if you end up in the hospital again? And most important of all—what happens if you get the call that there’s a kidney on its way to you and we’re too far away to get to it in time?”
She shook her head again, the motion causing the tears shimmering in her eyes to spill over, rolling down her cheeks.
“Take the job,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “I don’t want to be the reason you let your dream pass you by. If I only have a few months to live I don’t want to spend them feeling guilty because you’re with me instead of pursuing something you’ve spent years working for.”
His hands cupped her face. “You mean more to me.”
“The time I’ve spent with you has been the happiest of my life.
But we knew our relationship wouldn’t be a long one. When you remember me—” She cleared her throat. “When you remember me, I want the memories to make you smile. I want you to remember me with fondness, not resentment.”
She pulled away from him and ran for the door.
“Aubrey!” He chased after her.
Between his longer legs and the shortness of breath she suffered from because of the renal problems, he caught up with her before she could tug the door open. He tried to pull her into his arms but she pushed his hands away.
“Jim, please. I need to be alone right now. I need time to think.”
“I’ll drive you home.”
“I can call a cab.”
“Aubrey, don’t do this. I’ll take you home. When you’ve had a chance to calm down you’ll realize that you’re overreacting.”
“I’m not overreacting, Jim.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened her spine. “I’ve known all along that I was being selfish. I knew it was wrong to go into a relationship with you when I’m so sick. I told myself that I deserved a chance to fall in love. I didn’t really think about the impact my selfishness could have on you. I kept telling myself that the feelings would be mostly one-sided. I’d love you, but you would just be fond of me. If I died it wouldn’t hurt you that much. Then you said you loved me and I knew it would hurt you. I should have ended things then but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And now you’re turning down a job I know you want to take. I can’t do this to you. Please, just let me walk out that door and out of your life.”
“I’ll take you home.”
“Tess doesn’t live far from here. I’ll call her.”
She tugged the door open. He started to reach for her but the pain in her eyes stopped him. With a heart that grew more shredded by the minute, he watched her go.
Chapter Sixteen
Jim watched his father ease himself onto the little bench.
“Happy Birthday, sweetheart,” his father said as Jim placed the three red roses and baby’s breath in the stone vase.
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