Chapter 10

Martin woke up, with a feeling of utter bliss. He felt Louisa still lying beside him and memories of last night flooded his thoughts. How would he be able to function again normally after what he and Louisa experienced last night? Will she ever look at him the same way, could he ever look at her the same way? Well, he didn't really want to. He loved what happened last night and the fact that they both stayed there on the handmade bed till this morning. But nature was calling, and very reluctantly, he loosened himself from his lovely wife. He tiptoed upstairs, took a long shower, and got dressed. When he looked at the clock it said 07:53. He went to check on James, who, amazingly was also still asleep. Sometimes he is his mother's child, he thought, occasionally enjoying a nice lay in.

Being their final morning in this beautiful little cottage, he wants to enjoy their last couple of hours just being together. He planned to make breakfast as he went downstairs, but when he looked at where Louisa laid, he was forced to stop and stare! Louisa was stretched out on the "bed", the duvet wrapped around her waist only, lying on her back, with her arms stretched above her head. Her hair was spread across the pillow. But what caught his eyes was her beautiful breast lying in all bareness, inviting him to touch and caress. Flashbacks of the night before filled his head. He could only stare for moments, thanking the heavens above that that masterpiece of a women was his, to have and to hold until eternity. All he had to do was love her, and ensure that she knew that she is his world and that he would do anything for her. He could manage that, right?

He forced himself to stop staring as his groin was acting up again. He forcefully had to pull himself away. He started breakfast but realised quickly that making breakfast very silently was impossible. Apparently every single thing he touched made the loudest noise he could imagine.

"Martin…?"

"I am sorry, I really tried to be as quiet as possible, a nearly impossible task it seems. I wanted to surprise you with a lovely breakfast and…." Martin walked to the living room, whilst talking but could not get out another word. He was just staring at her beauty and was lost for words. His mouth was literally hanging open and he seemed startled.

"What's wrong Martin?" She was still lying, uncovered at the top, she had no idea at the view that Martin have of her.

"You are… breathtakingly beautiful, how do you not know that? You cannot just lie there like that and think that nothing will be wrong! Me standing here fully dressed while you lie there in all your glory, that's was wrong! "

Louisa threw her head back, and laughed! She stood up and looked for her night dress as she said" Good Lord, Martin, Now if that is not the most romantic compliment given to any woman on the face of this earth, I -

But she could not finish her sentence, as Martin was by her side in a flash; he picked her up and pushed her against the wall next to the steps, quite hard. He started kissing her feverishly, holding her so tight that she started to feel breathless. Excitement filled her whole body. This is definitely something out of the ordinary for Martin. She knew he was losing control; and it was fantastic, she did not want him to stop. She started to kiss back just as hard and urgently as he did. She wrapped her one leg around his hip, biting his bottom lip. He was …fierce with his kissing, touching, rubbing. Just when they both felt the rush and desire build up to something that could not be stopped, James let a scream out from the second floor!

Martin was shocked back to reality. He let go of Louisa so quickly that she nearly fell. When she found her balance she looked up at Martin and he looked…horrified! Why?

"O Dear ….James Henry, your timing needs some work. Sorry Martin, I guess it's time for his breakfast. We were quite lucky for him to have slept so late this morning. "Louisa searched for her nighty, found it lying under some pillows and quickly pulled it over her head, while she headed upstairs, leaving Martin standing alone in the living room, frozen.

A minute later Louisa and James came down, James all smiles. Martin was still standing at the exact same spot, he did not move and inch.

"Martin, what's wrong?"

Louisa's voice dragged him back to reality.

"Louisa!" He sounded …different.

"I am so sorry, Louisa, will you be able to forgive me? I don't know how that happened, I would never forgive myself if -

"Martin Stop! What are you talking about? Why are you apologizing?"

"I am really sorry. I don't know what came over me. I …hope I did not hurt you too much. I ..I…..lost control, God, that's embarrassing! How could I let that happen? I can promise it will never happen again!" His voice were pleading, his eyes were full of regret. He was terrified!

"Martin? Is this about a couple of minutes ago? When my husband took me into his arms and kissed the crap out of me, made my knees weak? When he showed me that he still got the hots for me? Are you apologizing for finally showing me that you also have passion and desire, like any normal person on this planet? I longed to see that side of you since the day I met you."

"Yes…but…it was wrong…I should not have pushed you so hard. I could have hurt you. I am a lot bigger than you and I did not even give you a chance to stop me."

"Oh Martin, Believe me, if I did not want it, you would have heard me loud and clear. There are many ways to kill a cat. I have learned over the years how to protect myself, don't you worry! But please don't apologize. I was pleasantly surprised, really. I found it exhilarating and different. I certainly hope it willhappen again. Not something I expected from you, But, I loved it. You were finally able to just let go. It was fantastic to see that side of you. You have so much raw emotions…it was…good."

He did not seem convinced, his eyes looked troubled. "So you are fine? I did not hurt you, did not offend you?"

"No, you did not. I am really flattered that I was able to make you lose control!" She shot him a wicket smile and turned towards the kitchen with James squirming in her arms. "I can only imagine what could have happened if James did not wake up. Something to look forward to though, right?"

"Hmm…Let me finish… breakfast." Martin was still feeling a bit odd. The feelings Louisa provoked in him earlier, were unusual and unknown. He needed time to sort it out.

They went outside and enjoyed their last breakfast at the cottage.

Louisa broke the silence that were creeping up on them for too long, like old times. "Martin, I like to say thank you for a wonderful weekend. James and I both enjoyed it a lot. It was very relaxing, revealing and…euphoric, if that is the right word. You showed me the side of you that I longed to see for a long time, I knew it was there, you just needed to….trust me enough and learn to relax and enjoy life."

Just then James also let out a scream and a giggle as if to say he also agrees.

"I know that Portwenn and his residents are winding you up daily, but you have to learn that it's their way of showing they care. If they don't talk about you, it means that you are of no interest to them, irrelevant, but by the way you are always on their tongues, it meant that you matter a lot. Like I told Peter Cronk years ago, you gotta let them tease you….The way you opened up to me, Martin, meant the world to me. It feels like HUGE Walls were broken down, and that we can finally look forward to our life together. You finally trusted me enough to share your most inner thoughts and secrets. Even your deepest desires came forward. That was … priceless. I will never take that for granted as I know how long it took you to talk about it and to trust me. Thank you for that as well. All and all, this was the most amazing weekends of my life. I was taken to none familiar lows and extreme highs. And you, you made that possible Martin, you are exceptional."

"The pleasure was all mine. Thank you… for coming with me this weekend. You and James made it…unforgettable."

"I enjoyed every minute. Can we maybe take one final family stroll to the beach before we come to pack and head back? "

"Fine"

"Just fine? You have no other words in your magnificent vocabulary than Fine?"

"Brilliant…yes I think...it will be Brilliant, better?"

"Yes, my dear Husband, better!"

Martin quickly went upstairs to get James' jacket and also his video camera, this might be his last chance in recording.

They walked to the beach and walked in silence, a happy little family. They did not walk far, when Louisa suggested that they settle on the beach as she found some buckets at the cottage. She said that they could build a sand castle. Louisa and James was sitting on the ground while Louisa attempted to build as many "castle walls" as she could before James would smash them down. Martin saw that she and James were so busy with their game, that they did not pay any attention to him. He took out his video camera and placed it on the stroller in such a way that it was perfectly aimed at them, without them noticing. He then went to sit just behind James, looking at Louisa, who was clearly having a great time with their son. He could see the playfulness and love on her whole face! And he saw the same emotions spread across James' face. In fact, he saw so mush of Louisa in James, that it was taking his breath away. He was astounded by them. They were HIS, both of them. Louisa was bound to him by the ring glowing on her left ring finger, and by the way they shared their bodies. James was bound to him by blood. Irreversible. And he simply loved the thought that for ever, they would be his. He was indeed a very lucky man. And he was surprised at how long it took him to actually realised how privileged he was! He hoped to never forget it again. He would work hard to ensure that this, right in front of him, would always belong to him. He would not survive it if this would to change again in any way.

"Look James, Daddy is daydreaming again! Come on Martin, let's take James to play a little in the shallow water." And with that she scooped up the little boy and ran towards the water. She let him stand with his feet in the shallow water. He was beaming with pleasure as the cold water rushed across his tiny feet. Martin stood close to the camera and rectified it to the new angle. Then he walked to them and stood nearby to watch the two playing about in the shallow water. After a while they were both exhausted. Martin quickly walked back to the stroller, and put away his camera before Louisa saw it. Louisa handed a soaking wet baby boy to Martin.

"Here, you take him for a while"

"Good heavens, Louisa, you and James are drenched! Why did you not bring a towel if you had a swim in mind?"

Louisa had a quick flashback to the previous day, an image of a handsome South African Teacher popped up in her head. She wondered what he was doing today. But quickly shuffled that thought out of her head.

"O, I did not think we would be getting wet today, just a spur of the moment thing, I guess. Did not know he would enjoy it that mush" she lied. "Let's go back to dry this little man, we don't want him to catch a cold or something."

Martin took James' jacket and put it on and also wrapped him in a blanket that was in the stroller and carried him all the way back from the beach while Louisa pushed the empty stroller.

When they arrived back, Martin took James to the bathroom and ran a warm bath. After a quick bath, he dressed James for their trip home. He put James in his playpen with some blocks and balls.

Martin joined Louisa who was sitting of one of the couches in the living room. They still had a while before they could start packing.

"This is a lovely house. This house and the backyard were good?" Martin was working his way up towards opening up the conversation to his second surprise or project.

"Yes, it was indeed. James enjoyed it outside, too bad our place back home do not have a backyard like this"

Martin got up, and went to the fetch something. When he returned with a folder in his hands Louisa looked at him with question marks all over her face?

"Louisa, I think it's time for our family to start living like one, with a proper house. Not one where the whole village constantly barge in and claim their space. I think it's vital for us moving forward to be able to break away at the end of the day, and have our own little piece of serenity. "

Before he continued, he cleared his throat…a sure sign of nervousness.

"I wanted to surprise you by buying you and James a house. And even start looking for the perfect one. But then I realised that if we were to buy a house, it should be both of our decision. I know I've buggered up previous big steps due to the fact that I wanted to spare you the stress of it all, like the Christening of James, so I know you don't…hm…appreciate the gesture the way I see it, therefor I think it would be best if you and me work on this project together? "

Louisa was simply…speechless. Where did this come from? Who is this person sitting next to her? He showed so many wonderful "trademarks" this weekend, it's a bit overwhelming!

"Wow, Martin you have me speechless, and I must just say that's nearly impossible to do, as you would well know by now! I don't even know …?

"Is this not the right thing Louisa? Is this not something you want? "

"NO, Martin. It's….uhm…perfect! I cannot think of anything else in the whole world that I would like to do more than search for the perfect house with you. That will be the best project ever. Now show me what you have in that folder of yours"

"Right. Obviously I had a few preferences when considering buying a house. I am looking for a 3 bedroom house at least. Big enough living room, big kitchen, an extra room to be used as a study and then also a nice back yard so that James can have a place to play safely. The basics. You might have some ideas of your own. Here are six houses that the local realtor gave me that is currently up for sale. We don't have to buy straight away, we can wait if you want, but I think it's really a step we should consider soon. James is getting bigger and we'll need a bigger space.

"Martin! You are…on a roll here. You sure "go for it" when you have something in mind, yeah? I am astonished. But, yes, I think this is a great idea. But before we can even think of buying, we have the matter of finance to sort out, don't we. I want us to be equal partners in this. I still have White Rose Cottage and you have the surgery. I will definitely sell my property in order to contribute to the cost of our new house. Luckily the cottage was paid up last year, so I don't owe anything on it anymore. I will also be able to do a monthly contribution for assisting in paying of the house debt. It might not be as substantial as we might need, but hopefully we can sort it out. I am sure with the money from White Rose Cottage as deposit, the monthly back payments will be less. Obviously you would want to keep the surgery as that is where you'll keep working, right?

"Yes, but I," he swallowed hard, "..I…sort of…have other plans."

"Wot, wha do ya mean?"

Martin can see that whatever he has to say next might not be acceptable to Louisa, as she IS a strong independent woman, she won't take it lightly. But it's what he wants to do, in fact, what he needs to do.

"I already have the money to be able to buy a house, any house you want"

"No Martin, I won't allow you to pay for our house, it don't matter if you already have the money or not. It won't be right. I need to also contribute to this or else I will simply not go through with it, am I making myself clear?" with that she stood up, tilt her head to one side, hands on her hips and her lip are being severely punished by her teeth.

"Louisa, calm down, sit down and don't work yourself up for nothing. I need you to please, listen to my reason. Please?" He was looking up from the couch, his eyes pleading.

She sat down and took a big breath. "Ok, I am sorry Martin. I will listen, I promise you that much."

"When I was working in the past, I had nothing to spend my money on. Yes, I bought the Kensington flat, and I bought myself a car when I needed to, but apart from that, I barely used any money. I never travelled much, I preferred to work, I did not care for expensive things, except from the occasional suit I bought and a couple of paintings. I simply bought what I needed, and it had to be good quality so that it would last for a lifetime. I invested most of my money. When my father came to Portwenn and demanded money for his part of Joan's farm, I sold my Kensington flat as it was the quickest way to get him what he needed. But I still have a lot of money from the investments and that will be more than enough to buy a house, and even fix it up and refurnish it, just the way we want it."

"Oh?" she did not look convinced yet. In fact, she seemed annoyed. This would be harder than he thought.

"White Rose Cottage means a lot to me, Louisa. It is where I first proposed, where we first made love, and James was conceived. It's where our lives together started. I don't want you to sell it. I think it would be good to keep it for the long run. One day you can leave it to James, and he will always have a little place of his own in Portwenn, whether he would like to stay there or not, it could be his. I do appreciate the fact that you are willing to contribute, but… I ...really …uhm…need…to buy you and our son a house for us to start our life as a family. This is a gift, to you for giving me so many chances and… you are not allowed to say NO to a gift…"

Louisa was still biting her lip, but there were also tears in her eyes.

"I…..I did not know you felt that way…about White Rose Cottage… and about buying a house. I am sorry about earlier. I should have known you would have a valid explanation, you always do, I just never give you proper time to speak your mind, do I? That's been one of our mayor problems, hasn't it? Me always attacking you, bombarding you with questions, which mostly you did not understand straight away, and then quickly leave, before you have time to respond or think about it. That is a big problem on my side, and I am only realising the impact of it all now…Jeez, Martin, I am sorry. This is like a massive eye opener for me. And what you said about keeping White Rose Cottage, for James, that's bloody marvellous! You are … I have no words…you are fantastic! You just made me the happiest woman in all of England – again.

And with that Louisa fell into Martins lap and kissed him tenderly.

"So, it's a yes?" Martin was sometimes still unsure about what Louisa was trying to say, when she did not answer questions with a definite yes or no answer.

"Yes, Martin, it's a definite yes. I cannot wait to start "shopping" for our perfect house. Now, let's see what you have collected so far!

For the next half hour or so, they were in deep discussions about the 6 house samples Martin got from the Realtor. This house did not have these requirements, and that house did not have those requirements. They both settled on a house they each liked. They decided to go have a look at it, when their back home and would then decide which of the two is best.

"I guess it's time for us to pack?" Martin took Louisa's hand and pulled her into his embrace. He lightly kissed her lips.

They got up and started to pack their things and soon the Lexus was filled again to the max. They stood at the back of the cottage, Martin holding James in his one arm and Louisa nestled under his arm. They stood there; just taking in the view and closeness of their little family. Louisa turned and looked at Martin, as if to study him. After a while, Martin felt quite uneasy about it.

"Why are you looking at me like that? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I am just trying to copy and file this version of you, Martin. You look extremely relaxed, at ease and extremely handsome. I never want to forget the way you look right now. Are you…happy Martin?"

"Yes, very. You?"

"Ecstatic! I feel a lot has changed these past couple of days. We can face the world head on, can't we Martin. I feel refreshed and relaxed. But mostly I feel that we – me and you - have a lot more confidence in each other and that is a feeling I would not want to change for all the money in the world. I feel that there will still be lots of changes to come, definitely some rows, but I am positive about them. What do you think, hm?"

"I enjoyed this weekend a lot. There were changes and I believe some changes in the future are inevitable, but we…can face it. You are my world, my life. I love you and our son endlessly.

"I love you too Martin."

And with that they turned around and got into the car, ready for whatever the future throws at them.

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