Posted by hummingbird on 3/6/2014, 12:03 pm VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
I know, I know...some of you aren't going to like this. But he was a loose end, and I just can't stand loose ends. So, even though I can't stand the SOB, I had to tie up the loose end. But, I promise he will never be seen again.
Long chapter today, but no chapter tomorrow. I think I'll be wrapping this story up next week.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I was going to see if Clara could babysit and surprise you with a night out, but now I just want to spend the rest of our day celebrating with Matthew. Is that okay, honey?” Bo asked Nora.
His beaming smile had still not worn off, and it was contagious. She couldn’t help but think of the words to an old James Taylor tune…
Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself because I love you...yes, I do!
“That would be perfect,” she answered him. “So, what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to go to the aquarium and see the fishies, right Buddy?” Bo answered kissing Matthew’s neck. Matthew giggled. “Then we’re going to try that little diner for dinner. Then we’re going to come home and play with this little guy until he’s worn out. And when he’s tucked in for the night, Daddy’s going to play with Mommy until she’s worn out! What do you think, Mommy?”
Nora laughed. “I can’t wait,” she said raising her eyebrows at him.
He pulled her to his side with his free arm and kissed her. “I am so happy. There is nothing in this world that could bring me down today.”
At that moment there was a knock on the door. They glanced out to see Sam standing there, a stuffed bear in his hands.
“Hold that thought,” she said quietly.
“Bo grimaced. “Do we really have to answer?”
She sighed. “We have nothing to fear now. After today, we’ll never have to see him again.” She looked at him. “Bo?”
“Okay,” he answered reluctantly.
Nora opened the door to him. “Sam,” she said.
Sam stepped in. “Hi Nora...Bo.” He seemed uncomfortable. “I assume you got the news.”
“Yes, we did, just today actually,” Nora answered.
“Well,” Sam continued, “I got the news yesterday.” He hesitated before continuing, “I gave this some thought before coming over here...I realize...I am probably the last person that you want to see today. I can understand that.”
They didn’t respond.
Sam went on, “But I just wanted to say congratulations to you both. I know Matthew will have a good life.” He stumbled on, “I brought this for him,” he said holding the bear. I was just wondering if I could...have a moment with him...just a little closure…?”
Nora looked at Bo leaving the decision with him.
After a few moments, Bo handed Matthew to Sam. Sam gave Bo a nod of appreciation.
Sam carried Matthew to the far side of the living room and spoke to him softly. Neither Bo nor Nora could hear the words he spoke to the child, but they saw Sam give him the bear and a brief hug before bringing him back to them. There was emotion in his eyes as Matthew reached for Bo.
“Thank you,” Sam said simply. Then he extended his hand to Bo.
Bo just looked at him for a few moments. Then he shifted Matthew to his other arm and extended his hand to Sam without a word or facial expression.
After the handshake, Sam turned and walked out of the door and out of their lives forever.
Bo was silent as he carried Matthew to the living room. Nora followed.
“You handled that very well,” she told him.
He shook his head. “Don’t give me any kudos,” he said. “I did what I had to do. I know Matthew isn’t old enough to understand what happened here, but...I am, and...I couldn’t let my son see that man being a bigger man than his Daddy.”
She went to him and took his face in her hands. With tears in her eyes she said, “You’re going to be the best daddy. Do you know that?”
“I’m going to try,” he said simply.
* * * * * * *
They had a wonderful time at the aquarium. Matthew loved seeing the fish and other sea creatures. Bo loved seeing it all through Matthew’s eyes. And Nora loved seeing Bo adopt his new role as ‘Daddy’. More than once he found her eyes upon him. When he asked what she was thinking, she just replied, “I can’t really describe the way I’m feeling...just know they are happy thoughts.” Knowing she was happy was enough for him.
They left the aquarium in the early evening to get dinner. As they approached their car, they noticed a young woman with a boy, about three-years-old, looking around the parking lot as if they were searching for something. The little boy’s eyes were red from crying.
Nora strapped Matthew into his carseat as Bo sparked up a conversation.
“Did you lose something?” he asked.
“Yes,” the mother began, we seem to have lost my son’s stuffed dog. We parked in this area earlier today, so we thought it may have fallen out of our car...we haven’t had any luck though.”
“Sorry to hear that,” said Bo. As he looked into the car, he noticed the stuffed bear Matthew had received from Sam sitting on the back seat. He pulled it out of the car.
“You know what?” Bo said to the little boy. “Today I found this bear. He doesn’t seem to have a home and...I just can’t keep him. I have too many animals at my house already...you wouldn’t want to take care of him, would you? He could keep you company until you find your puppy. Then maybe he and the puppy could be friends. He’s pretty cute. What do you say?”
The little boy took the bear and looked at him.
Bo squatted down to the boy’s level. “If you squeeze his paw right here, he plays music. Try it.”
The little boy squeezed the bear’s paw. When the music started playing, he smiled.
“Well, what do you think? Would you like to give him a home?” Bo asked.
The boy nodded his head.
Bo smiled. “I’m sure glad about that...I was worried about him. I know you’ll be a good friend to him.”
The boy’s mother said, “What do you say, Cody?”
“Thank you,” he said shyly.
The mother smiled and thanked Bo also.
“You’re welcome. Take good care of him, Cody.”
“Okay...bye” said Cody.
Bo slid into the driver’s seat of the car. Nora was looking at him.
“What?” he shrugged.
“You know perfectly well ‘what’,” she said grinning.
“I hope you don’t mind. I just didn’t want that reminder in our new lives.”
“No...you did the right thing. I don’t want it around either, and you seem to have made that little boy’s day.”
“It made my day too...helping Cody...and getting rid of that thing. Let’s go eat.”
* * * * * * *
Matthew squealed and peeked around the edge of the couch.
Bo peeked back. “I’m gonna get you, Matthew Buchanan!” More squeals as Matthew crawled as quickly as he could away from Daddy. Bo caught him gently and smothered him with tickles and kisses, blowing on his belly to make a funny noise that sent Matthew into gales of laughter.
Nora sat on the floor too just observing their fun and laughing at their antics.
Bo raised his head from Matthew’s belly. Matthew quickly rolled over and tried to make his getaway. Bo let him get away as he raised his eyes to Nora. He was on his hands and knees in jeans and an open shirt. His hair was a mess and his eyes were glowing. Their eyes met. She raised her brows at him and smiled.
“Hmmm…maybe I should get YOU,” he said to Nora. A laugh started to roll from her depths. She tried to get away from him; but, he was faster and pinned her down with tickles and kisses too.
“Noooo. Stop it!” she laughed as he ran his hand under her shirt and nuzzled her neck with his after five shadow. “Stop...”
He raised himself to his hands and knees above her. “You don’t want me to stop. You didn’t try very hard to get away…”
She grabbed his shirt front and pulled him back down. “No...I don’t want you to stop,” she whispered. I can’t wait to get you alone tonight…” She pulled him close and gave him an all-consuming kiss.
“Mmmm...that sounds very promising,” he whispered between kisses. “Okay...I have a plan…”
She giggled. “Don’t you always?”
“Yes, I do...and this is a good one, so listen…”
She continued to kiss him.
“Are you listening?”
“Mmhmm...but I could listen better if you would take your hand out of my shirt...that’s very distracting….” He moved his hand as she gave a breathy sigh.
“Better?” he asked.
“For the moment,” she replied smiling.
He shook his head, grinning. “Okay...here’s the plan. I take my shower. Then we bathe Matthew. Then you take your shower while I do Matthew’s bedtime routine. Then…” He raised his eyes at her.
“Then what?...” she teased.
“Agree to the plan and I’ll show you…”
She giggled. “Agreed,” she said with big eyes. “Now go get your shower.”
They started to get up. “Where is Matthew?” he asked. They had gotten so distracted that they had forgotten about him for the moment.
“Oh, Bo. It’s too quiet…”she said. They started looking. He wasn’t in the living room, and they didn’t see him in the kitchen. Nora headed down the hall checking the bathroom and bedrooms.
In a moment, Bo shouted from the kitchen, “Um...I found him, honey…” Bo pulled Matthew from where he was sitting under the table. They had missed him at first glance of the kitchen.
“Oh No!” she exclaimed when she saw him. He had lipstick smeared all over his face, arms, and clothing...some on the floor under the table too where he had apparently entertained himself by cleaning out her purse while they were preoccupied.
Nora observed the mess with mouth gaping open. Bo started laughing.
“Get the camera, honey. This is one of those moments we’ll laugh about later.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, dumbfounded.
“Positive,” Bo replied.
He found her camera in the mess scattered from her purse and took several photos. Then he asked, “Okay...do you want to clean up the baby or the kitchen?”
“I’ll do the kitchen since I have to do my purse anyway.”
“Alright then...let’s get in the tub, Buddy,” Bo said snatching up the baby.
* * * * * * *
Bo pulled Nora back to him and kissed her fervently.
“You’re insatiable tonight,” she whispered.
“Mmmm...told you I was going to wear you out.”
She laughed and ran her hands through his hair. “You kept your promise,” she said smiling.
“Good?” he asked eyebrows raised.
“Good?” she questioned back. “No...more like splendiferous.”
“That’s good,” he chuckled as her pulled her closer, “Splendiferous is what I was aiming for.”
She laid her head contentedly on his chest. “It’s funny, isn’t it, how life can change so quickly? I mean... just last night we didn’t know the results of those tests...and now we know ...and we can move on with our lives.”
He played with her hair as he listened. “What does that mean exactly...move on with our lives? What do you want, Red? You know I would do anything for you.”
She smiled and glanced up at him. “Is this where I should ask you to lasso the moon for me?”
“That only works in the movies,” he said kissing her lightly. “But I’d do it if I could.”
“You spoil me, you know.”
“I want to spoil you. I want to love you and spoil you and live with you and take care of you…not that I think you need me to take care of you...obviously you’re capable of taking care of yourself...but... I want to. I missed you so much in the months we were apart…” he smiled and shook his head, “You wouldn’t believe the things I missed.”
“Tell me,” she whispered. “Tell me what you missed.”
He looked into her eyes and thought for a moment. “I missed your eyes peering at me over your coffee mug in the morning. I missed the scent of your hair. I missed having our eyes meet in a room full of people and knowing you were mine. I missed having you to talk to in the evening. I missed holding you in my arms at night and the way you always rubbed your feet over mine.” I missed seeing that rosy hue around your mouth after we made love…”
She smiled. “From your ardent kisses with razor stubble,” she said with wide eyes. “My dad used to call that ‘kissy face’. He would tell me before a date, ‘Don’t you come home tonight with kissy face, young lady’...”
Bo laughed. “Good thing we weren’t living in Chicago when you and I were dating, huh?”
“For sure...why do you like that anyway?” she asked. “Is it like you’re marking your territory?”
“Yeah, kind of...I wouldn’t put it that way...but, it’s like...claiming you for my own, ya know? I still like it...your rosy glow after love-making.”
She kissed him. “That’s sweet.”
He grinned. “And...I hate to admit this, but...I even missed the cold water squishing between my toes from the bath mat after you took your shower…”
She laughed. “Noooo…you didn’t miss that. You always hated that.”
“I know, but... I missed it when it was gone.” He squeezed her tight.
She raised her head up from his chest and snuggled close. “I missed you too, you know. I missed this...just lying in your arms talking in bed. I missed your warm hugs when I was down. I missed watching you shave in the morning and helping you with your tie. I missed the smell of your cologne. I missed the way you always found my hand or a way to touch me when we were in a crowd. You always made me feel wanted. I missed your sweet, unexpected surprises. I missed finding your boxers in our bed! Do you know I found four pair one time when I removed the sheets to wash them? Four!"
They both laughed. “What can I say?” Bo exclaimed. “We had a healthy sex life!”
“Yes, we did,” she admitted. “Another thing that I missed, by the way,” she said quietly. “And... I missed...just the normalcy of everyday life with the one I loved.”
Bo looked at her thoughtfully. “Well, now you never have to miss those things again because I’m always going to be here...which takes me back to my original question. What do you want? The world is at our feet…we can do whatever we want...go wherever we want...what do you want, Red?”
She sat up, atop him, with the sheets tumbled about her. She thought for only a moment before saying quietly, “I want to go home.”
“Home? You mean to Llanview?” he asked.
“I mean ‘home’...to our house on Greenfield Drive.”
His face spread into a wide grin. “Really?”
“Really. We made some wonderful memories there...now with Matthew...we can make more. What do you think?”
“Oh, Red…” He pulled her down and rolled her beneath him kissing her mouth, face, neck. “I think I’m the happiest man alive. I love you so much. I can’t wait to take you home…”
Posted by Mary Ann on 3/7/2014, 9:51 am, in reply to "FF-Begin Again-Chapter 24" VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Sam - don't let the door hit you on the way out. And take your bear too! LOL
I'm glad that they're heading home to the barn. It's where they were always meant to be.
Re: FF-Begin Again-Chapter 24
Posted by rosie on 3/8/2014, 7:20 am, in reply to "FF-Begin Again-Chapter 24" VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
just wanted to take a minute and tell you how much I enjoy your writing and your stories....tho this story is winding down, I hope you will be inspired to write more. i read and re-read them! I know you miss them as much as we do. I bet I check here every morning a bunch of times till you post the next chapter...then I take a break, pour some fresh coffee, and enjoy....you never disappoint! Thanks again
Re: FF-Begin Again-Chapter 24
Posted by hummingbird on 3/10/2014, 11:43 am, in reply to "Re: FF-Begin Again-Chapter 24" VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV