“
No.” She
smiled.
He kissed her slowly, wanting to take
his time savoring her exquisite body. Methodically, she unbuttoned
his shirt before sliding it off, letting it float to the floor. She
slowly moved her hands over his chest, as if discovering him for
the very first time. She traced over each ripple on his firm
stomach before slowly following the trail of dark hair past his
navel to his waist band. His body tensed at her soft touch and he
groaned softly, allowing her to free him from his jeans. A
mischievous grin played on his lips as she slid his pants the rest
of the way down with her foot, never breaking their heated gaze.
Katie had gone to bed in a long, cotton T-shirt that he slipped
over her head prior to stepping back to admire her
beauty.
“
I love you,” he said,
before guiding her onto the bed. He traced every inch of her body
with his hands, feeling her writhe beneath him, his own body
threatening to explode with each of her soft moans. She reached for
him, but he took her wrists and held them over her head, running
the back of his free hand down the inside of her left arm. Her
breasts were rising and falling with each deep breath she took, and
when he took one nipple in his mouth, she closed her eyes and
softly bit down on her bottom lip.
Katie was reeling from his expert
touch. Her body quivered beneath him as she moaned in undulated
pleasure. “Branson,” she pleaded. “Please!” As soon as he released
her arms, she pulled him down to her. She found his lips and
conveyed her ravenous desire for him with her mouth and
hands.
Branson fought with himself for
control of his desire as her soft hands roamed over him. The
intensity behind her desire-filled green eyes drove him wild and he
couldn’t wait any longer. He wrapped her in his arms as they made
love, holding her tightly to him while shockwave after shockwave
reverberated through their bodies.
Katie felt an overwhelming amount of
emotion rip through her, causing tears to spill over her lashes.
She couldn’t believe she was crying after experiencing something so
perfect and wonderful. With Branson’s fingers laced in hers, she
tried to turn her head to the side to wipe the tears on the pillow
before she was caught.
“
Hey,” he said, “What’s
wrong?”
The simple question opened the
floodgate and more tears spilled from her eyes. “I have no idea why
I’m crying. I’m just overwhelmed, I guess. I love you, Branson
William Stone.”
Branson looked into her moist eyes and
smiled. Her words made him feel good all over. He thought about
sitting at the table with Gram just an hour ago, and how bad it
felt thinking he and Katie were finished. Now, he held her in his
arms after the most intense lovemaking of his life. She was so
delicate beneath him and he felt a vast need to comfort and protect
her. “And I love you, Katie Rose Harrington.”
***
Thursday morning arrived unwelcomed,
and Katie frowned in sadness. “Call me when you get
there.”
“
I will.” Branson enfolded
Katie in his arms. “Have a great Christmas.”
“
Please, be careful.”
Katie’s Christmas present from him sparkled on her wrist. The tiny
diamonds were dazzling in the hint of sun peeking through the gray
clouds. It was beautiful and dainty. She’d told him how much she
loved it, and then giggling, proclaimed,
“A tennis bracelet from my tennis player!”
***
Christmas with Gram was
just as Katie imagined it would be. After a long talk, and deep,
heartfelt apology from Gram, they were able to enjoy the rest of
their time together. Gram got tickets for the
Nutcracker
ballet. The seats were
superb. They stayed up late each night, talking and
laughing.
“
Remember when we were
sitting in the airport talking about the French lady? You said
‘French is such a beautiful language’ and I agreed, but said my
favorite is Italian. And then the guy next to me lowered his
newspaper and chimed in, ‘I like Thousand Island.’”
Katie and Gram laughed until their vision was
blurred with tears.
“
Yes, we laughed so hard.
That poor man, trying to make conversation, and all we could do was
laugh ‘til we nearly wet ourselves.”
Katie recalled memory after memory
until their sides ached from laughing. “Okay, last one. Remember
when I was learning how to cook and begged you to let me make the
spaghetti sauce? I stirred too vigorously and spilled some onto the
stove. You walked over, looked at the mess, and took the spoon away
from me. I thought you were going to be so mad, but you slapped the
spoon on top of the sauce, making it splatter everywhere and
said—”
Gram broke in and finished, “If you
wanted to learn how to slop it out of the pan, all you had to do
was ask. I’ll show you how to properly slop!”
“
Jeez, we’ve had some
great times, haven’t we?” Katie wiped the tears of laughter from
her eyes and tried to catch her breath.
“
We sure have,
Katie-girl.” Gram stood. “I’ll make some tea, while you pick a
movie.”
Although Katie was enjoying her time
with Gram, her heart ached for Branson. She read his text after
slipping into bed that night.
Missing U terribly. Hope U R having a
good time with Gram. I love you green eyes! xoxo
Katie smiled and texted
back:
Gram & I are having a blast. I
love U!
Two weeks at home passed quickly. Gram
wanted to fill their last day together with fun memories. They
sipped cappuccino while shopping at the mall, and watched a little
boy trying to reach money in the fountain. He leaned and stretched
his arm until his face lit up with his success. He must have lost
his balance, because a second later he fell in. Once Katie saw that
he was okay, just angry and embarrassed from his escapade, she and
Gram laughed until they could hardly stand.
After picking up a few items for
Katie’s dorm, they lunched at Weathervane and enjoyed twin lobster
tails with a glass of Bordeaux. Gram asked, “How serious are things
with you and Branson?”
“
Very. Do you really want
to argue on our last day together, Gram?”
“
No, I’m not going to
interfere again. I just wanted to indulge in some girl-talk.” Gram
smiled.
“
All right,” Katie said,
cautiously. Her trust in Gram had diminished slightly, after
learning of the level of manipulation she tried to inflict on her
and Branson. “What do you want to know?”
“
I guess I just want to
know what your plans are after graduation.”
“
I really haven’t gotten
that far in my planning, but I assume I’ll come home and find a job
close by.” Katie sipped her wine and thought about the question a
bit further. “Oh, unless you were planning on me finding a place of
my own. I could find an apartment.”
“
No, no! Of course, you’re
welcome to live at home. It’s your home too, Katie, and it always
will be.”
“
It’s settled then.
Hopefully, I can find a job at York Hospital, but I’ll put in
resumes in the surrounding counties, too.”
After lunch, they baked
cookies for Katie to take back with her, packed up her stuff, and
got into their pajamas. Katie made popcorn while Gram poured two
cups of steaming wassail, then they settled in for the annual
tradition of watching
Gone with the
Wind.
Late that night, Katie slipped under
the soft, cool sheets and snuggled in before reading a text from
Branson:
Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.
xoxo
Katie swooned as she thought of
wrapping herself in his strong arms. It was late, and she was sure
he would already be asleep, but she sent a reply just in
case:
I can’t wait to see you!
xoxo
Twelve
Katie leaned against the counter,
trying to absorb Branson’s words.
“
I have to go to New
Hampshire. My father’s plans can’t be put on hold—they’ve already
bought airline tickets,” Branson said. “There’s no one else to run
the company.”
Katie was unsure of what
to do. She couldn’t bear the thought of being away from Branson,
but Gram was all alone and expected her to come home after
graduation. “What about
my
home and Gram?”
“
I
want to be your home, Katie. Just give it a try. You don’t
take your boards for another month—come with me until then. If you
want to go back to Maine after that, then I’ll respect your
decision and we’ll make it work somehow.”
Katie found an empty chair and sat
down. She was surrounded by boxes filled with their belongings,
ready to be moved out. Branson and Katie had found an apartment off
campus to share their last semester of school. Maggie had met
someone from Kennebunkport over the break and didn’t seem to mind
Katie’s absence in her life. Graduation came and went without
incident, forcing Katie to make some difficult decisions. Gram
always talked excitedly about Katie returning home and working at
the local hospital. She couldn’t wait to have her back to share
tea, conversation, and late-night giggling.
Branson squatted down in front of her.
“Why are you struggling with this decision? What are you afraid
of?”
She thought for a moment before
answering. “I’m worried about Gram being alone. I’m also worried
about losing myself. I’m worried about finding a job in a town I
know nothing about . . .” Katie rested her elbows on her knees and
lowered her head into her hands. The more she talked, the greater
her fear of the unknown grew.
“
Baby, I won’t let you
lose yourself, and you’ll have at least two months before you’re
licensed and ready to look for a job. I’ll get you acquainted with
the town before then.” He gave her knees a gentle squeeze. “Gram
will be just fine. She’s been without you for four years, with you
only visiting every now and then. You’ll be able to see her every
day if you want—it’s only a forty minute drive.”
“
True . . .”
“
Tell you what, why don’t
you give her a call and feel her out. She might surprise you.”
Branson knew what she would say, he had already talked to her about
his plan to ask Katie to move in with him. Although she was not
happy about the idea, Branson had finally convinced her.
“
All right,” Katie agreed,
and phoned Gram to tell her the plan. Surprisingly, Gram was
compliant and encouraged her to follow her heart.
“
I won’t be here forever,
Katie-girl. You’re a grown woman now. It’s right for you to move on
and find your life. I’m only a half hour, or so, away. When you’re
settled, I’ll come for a visit, okay?”
“
I’d love that! Thank you
for being so supportive. I love you so much, Gram.”
“
You won’t understand the
depth of love I have for you angel—until you have a daughter of
your own one day.”
The thought of a child made Katie
smile. She pictured a little girl with dark hair, Branson’s blue
eyes, and deep dimples. Once she had Gram’s blessing, she relaxed
and enjoyed the thought of finding a home to share with
Branson.
Branson grinned and kissed Katie hard
on the lips. “Let’s celebrate.” He found two plastic cups and half
bottle of wine in the fridge.
“
Will we always live this
lavishly, Mr. Stone?” Katie giggled.
“
Only the best for you,
Miss Harrington.” He laughed and raised his red Solo cup. “To
us.”
Katie tapped her cup against his and
felt the crisp white wine coat her throat. She had been working all
day and didn’t realize how thirsty she was. “Mmm, more
please.”
After finishing off the wine, they
packed the rest of the boxes and ordered Chinese takeout for
dinner.
Branson dipped his chopsticks into the
Chicken Lo Mein, and swirled them around as if searching for
treasure. “What do you think? Should we move into my parents’ home,
or find our own place?”
“
Your parents’ home is
amazing—great location, breathtaking view. I just don’t know if I
would ever feel like more than a visitor there. I want to cook you
meals, and run through the house naked if I want to. I’m not sure
I’ll feel comfortable doing that there.”
Branson laughed at the
thought and shook his head. “I can’t wait to see that. Well, at
least we’ll have a place to stay until we find a place of our own,
so you’ll have some time to make up your mind.” He took a bite and
thought of living in that house with Katie. It was much too big for
the two of them, but when they filled it with children it would be
perfect. He wasn’t sure they would ever find a place more perfect
to raise their family. The house was right on the lake, and he
envisioned someday teaching his son to water ski and fish.
I’ll have to put a wrought iron fence around the
pool until the kids are older.
Katie watched Branson’s face as he
seemed to be mulling something over. “What’s got you so deep in
thought?”
“
Honestly?” Branson
smiled, a little embarrassed.