Second Chances (108 page)

Despite having only three days of classes before heading out on their excursion, the days seemed to drag on endlessly.  To make time pass more quickly, Sarah strived to fill each waking minute with some meaningful task.  The evening before she was to leave, she dropped Chloe off at Brian’s place.

“To what do I owe this surprise?”  He asked, wrapping his arms around her as she waltzed through the door.

“I need a favor,” she began with a giggle.

He raised his eyebrows.  “Really?”

She nodded and grinned.  “I’ll make it worth your while.”  She punctuated her promise with a warm kiss on his lips.

He pulled her closer.  “Well in that case, anything for you, my love.” 

In response to his term of endearment, flames licked at Sarah‘s womb and her heart raced.  It took her a moment to collect herself enough to continue their conversation.  “Will you entertain Chloe while I shop?”  She watched his face for a reaction.  He still held her close, but said nothing. 
I’ll be shopping at Vicki’s, so after tomorrow we won’t have any more secrets.
  She was taunting him now.

“Promise,” he moaned into her ear.

With all my heart,
she responded. 

He gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her nose then she bounded back out the door.

For a moment he wondered what he had done.  As much as he wanted to see her strutting around the hotel tomorrow night in sexy lingerie, his urge to protect her should be stronger.  He berated himself for thinking with his manhood when he should have been listening to his heart and head.  All day he had felt the darkness closing.  He knew it was only a matter of time, yet he still felt incapable of protecting her from this unseen force that seemed to be lurking everywhere at once.  Brian knew that he would be distracted until she came home to him.

Ummm.  It felt great just to think those words.  Sooner or later, he would make a home with Sarah.  They would be a real family.

Almost on cue, Chloe exited the bathroom wearing her pajamas.  “Mom said you’d tuck me in,” she said, carrying a book.

Brian smiled warmly at her.  “So I guess you’re staying over tonight?”  He reached out and took the book from her outstretched hands.

“Yup.  Mom said you’d like that.  I asked if we could and she said it’d be okay.”  She cocked her head to the side, unsure of how to read Brian’s face.  “Is it okay?”

He hugged Chloe close for a moment.  “It’s always okay.  You are both always welcome here.”  He stood up and carried the dainty little girl into his office.  He set her down just inside the doorway.  “Well, what do you think?  I wanted to surprise your mother.”

Chloe squealed.  “Ohhh, Brian!  Is this for me?”  She glanced around the room that had once been a masculine office.  A new computer cabinet held all of his equipment and could be closed off so that it resembled an armoire.  But Chloe was fixated on the canopy bed covered in gauzy pastels and a fairy bedspread.

“Well, I’d feel pretty silly sleeping in it,” he replied, pleased with her reaction.

Chloe rushed over and pulled back the covers to reveal crisp lavender sheets.  She eagerly climbed in and pulled the covers up to her chin.  “Thank you,” she whispered as she sank into the pillows.

“You’re welcome, princess,” he murmured, kissing her forehead.  “I knew you’d rather sleep here than the living room.”

“Oh, yes,” she sighed, rolling over and closing her eyes.

Brian closed the door as he left the room.  Well, one critic was pleased.  He just had to work on his biggest opponent.  He worried how Sarah might respond.  He feared she would pull back, scared of moving too quickly.  Brian felt as though he had been waiting his entire life for this.  He only knew one direction to move in their relationship, and he was urging her forward as fast as he could.

Jamie smiled as Sarah plopped back down in the car.  “He doesn’t say much, does he?”  She mused.  “And yet at the same time, it was as though you two said so much with so few words.”

Sarah laughed as she rested her head against the seat.  “Yes, we do communicate very well.”

Feeling the need to change the subject, Jamie asked, “So, do you have any idea what you are looking for?”

Nodding Sarah replied, “I think so.  I want a matching thong and bra set and something sweet yet sexy for bedtime.”

Giving an approving smile, Jamie said, “I think we can work with that.”

The shopping was light and easy.  They had been going out on these excursions for so many years that they were practically professionals.  They didn’t dally when they were on a mission.  And this time was no exception.  The initial integral step of Operation First Time commenced at nineteen hundred hours.  By twenty hours thirty minutes they planned to be back in the car, rushing toward the mill. 

Victoria’s Secret welcomed them with the soft scents of the Angel Collection.  They waved off the young woman who was so eager to spray them with the latest fragrance and opted instead to move right into the serious lingerie.  After a mere twenty minutes of deliberation, they settled on a sexy little black underwire teddy that could be worn beneath her clothing all day so that they could disrobe and commence with the romance without needing a moment to change and interrupt the flow of the mood.

And after another twenty minutes of consideration Sarah, unable to decide between the three sets of thongs and bras, purchased all three in a rare and monumental splurge.  They marched out of the mall, part one of the operation completed with more than a modicum of success, and sped back to the mill.

“Would you like to come in?”  Sarah asked, playing the role of the hostess.

Jamie shook her head, a mixture of amazement and admiration.  “I can’t believe how you’ve changed these last few weeks,” she said proudly.  “My little girl is a woman.”

“Stop,” Sarah said, blushing.

“No, I mean it.  I’ve never seen you so happy.  You’re a whole new person.  You give me hope.”  She wore a grim smile on her face as she tried to hide her sadness.

“Explain,” she demanded.

Jamie expelled her breath leisurely, for more dramatic effect.  “Well, I have never wanted to be in a relationship before.  All those around me were unhappily wed.”

“Not your parents,” Sarah protested.

“Oh, yes,” she argued, “especially my parents.  They put up a great front for company, but it nearly kills them.  You should’ve seen them after these dinners and parties.  Whew.”  She shook her head sadly.  “Well, I just knew I never wanted that.  I saw you marry Josh.  I saw how your life was.  I decided to focus on a career.  I was never going to settle or settle down for that matter.”

“And now?”

“Well.  I don’t know.  I might, unless the fates conspire against me.  You remember what Brenda said.”  Jamie shrugged her shoulders and looked at her lap.

Sarah reached out and grabbed Jamie’s hand.  “We can change our destiny,” she said quietly.  “Every choice we make every minute of every day alters our path in unforeseen ways.  Have hope.  Have faith.  And believe in the dreams you have for yourself.”  She looked at Jamie with teary eyes.  “Hug,” she commanded.  “I have to go in now.”

The two embraced warmly.  Sarah stepped confidently from the car, clutching her pink striped bag to her.  She radiated happiness.  It warmed Jamie’s heart just to watch her walk away with such confidence.

Evan carried his own Victoria’s Secret bag.  He had watched from a bench just outside the window as the two women made quick work of the store.  Only Evan hadn’t stopped at lingerie.  He purchased perfume, body lotion, and everything imaginable.

“This is one lucky lady,” the sales lady remarked as she gently packed his purchases into the largest bag the store offered.  “I hope she appreciates you.”  She batted her eyelashes at Evan. 

He smirked in response.  He was used to unwanted female attention.  And he knew how to use it to his advantage.  Hadn’t he managed to finesse the sales woman into giving him the size information he needed about Sarah?  He had convinced her that he was surprising his girlfriend who had just left and she was more than happy to provide assistance.  She even offered to model some of the items if it would help his decision. 

Evan had declined.  He only had eyes for Sarah, he told the woman honestly.  So now he was free to leave the store looking like the most romantic, adoring boyfriend in the history of the world.  That is precisely the role he hoped to earn, but in the meantime he would be careful not to leave a paper trail.

Brian playfully reached for the bag as Sarah glided through the door.  “Not on your life,” she laughed, while jokingly slapping his hand away.  “You can wait just one more night, can’t you?”  She looked up at him with soulful eyes.

Anything for you, my love,
his heart whispered.

Her breath caught in her throat as he pulled her into his arms.  She closed her eyes as she sank into his strong chest. 
He loves me
.  The thought was both terrifying and exhilarating.  She inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of him. 
That’s how it should be, right?  We should be in love before we ever make love?
  The words were a rhetorical question, meant only for her, but Brian knew her every thought.

Yes, Sarah.
  He couldn’t help but answer her, just as he couldn’t help loving her.  He placed her bag gently on the coffee table and led her to the office.  She gasped at the room he had created for Chloe, kissed her sleeping daughter and returned to his arms.  Together they strolled to his bedroom and fell into a blissful, restful sleep.