Chapter 54
'Blondie?' Caitlin heard Will's soft voice call out.
She opened one eye, squinting at the soft light and noticing the sun was just starting to come up over the horizon. It took her a moment to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, specifically why she was sleeping on the hide-a-bed in the family room instead of her own bed and why Will Allenby was standing before her, looking dishevelled and sexy as all hell.
'What time is it?' she asked, rubbing her eyes.
'It's six thirty' he murmured. 'Move over.'
Caitlin did as he asked, scooting over to make room for him on the bed.
'I just wanted a few minutes alone with you before all hell breaks loose around here' Will whispered.
His arms were instantly around her, his warm body up against hers and his lips… well, they were looking for somewhere to land and they moved impatiently from her neck to behind her ear where they lingered, his breathing almost instantly growing intense.
Caitlin shivered, feeling his warm breath on her neck and she let her arms reach around him as he pulled her in tightly against him.
'I don't think Mr. C would approve of us curling up together in bed' Caitlin reminded him.
'Well, Mr. C isn't here right now and what he doesn't know won't hurt him… just this once' he replied as he leaned in to place a probing kiss on her lips.
She was all for bending the rules if it meant cozying up in bed with Will Allenby.
'How did you sleep?' she asked when he finally came up for air.
'As well as one can sleep on an air mattress' he replied. 'And for a twenty-year-old, Liam snores like an old man… must be genetic. You?'
'I kept reminding myself you were upstairs and wishing you'd come down here and join me' she confessed with a coy smile.
He smiled. 'Well, I'm here now' he whispered, his lips returning to hers.
His hands began to roam and Caitlin pulled away; she'd just begun to make headway with Liam and she didn't want to blow it by having him come downstairs and find them together. After all, Liam was the one who'd put his neck out on the line and asked his dad if Will could stay; they both needed Liam in their corner if they wanted this arrangement to work.
'Will…' she began, half-heartedly as she pulled away.
'Uh, huh' he replied, pulling her closer.
'I don't think this is a good idea' she murmured, trying to get a good look at his eyes.
He scoffed; deep down he knew she was right but it didn't mean he had to like it. 'I miss you, Blondie' he moaned.
'We'll… we'll find some time to be together but if we want Sara and Mr. C to let you stay here, we have to behave. Or at least, discuss this with them before we… do anything they wouldn't approve of.'
Will let himself fall on his back, pulling Caitlin along with him but resisting the call of her luscious mouth.
'Fine' he said with resignation. 'How about we just lie here and hold each other for a minute then?'
Caitlin nodded. 'That sounds good.'
There was silence in the quiet house; Raffie got up to lap at his water bowl before returning to his original spot at their feet and letting himself fall with a loud thud.
'Have you thought again about reaching out to your dad?' Caitlin asked as she mindlessly drew circles on Will's chest.
'No… he needs time to cool off' Will replied. 'But I don't think he'll ever come around to my way of thinking. My mom texted me, though. She's pretty upset but she hasn't managed to make any headway with him.'
'Will, are you sure? I mean, are you ready to give up a relationship with your father for good… for this?'
Will scoffed. 'I told you. I feel like I've finally seen the light. The more I think about a career in medicine, the more excited I get - and believe me, I haven't been this excited about school in two years. This is the right thing for me and if my dad can't see that, then I need to find a way to make it happen without his support.'
There was silence in the house, except for the heavy breathing of the dog who snoozed nearby.
'It won't be easy to go it alone, you know' she reminded him.
'I've already applied for a student loan and if I can pick up a few more shifts at the store, I can scrounge enough to get a small place, maybe a room in a boardinghouse nearby…'
Silence resumed. Obviously, emotions were still raw and there wasn't much more to say on the topic.
'So, how was the party last night?' Will asked, forcing his mind away from the painful subject.
Caitlin laughed. 'Elizabeth had hired some strippers to do the food service' she began as Will chuckled.
'Really?'
'And Sara got smashed' she added.
'No way!' Will replied with a giggle.
'I swear, you should have seen her, tucking dollar bills down the strippers' g-strings and practically putting her face up in their crotch' she said with a grimace.
'Do you think that's cause for divorce?' Will asked with a chuckle.
Caitlin smiled. 'Naw, knowing Mr. C, he'd forgive her anything; he'll probably just think it's funny. What happened with you guys?'
'Liam did his thing and Mr. Burke tried his best to embarrass Mr. Caffrey. It was fun, good food, lots of laughs. Everybody had a good time. Oh, and I found out Mr. and Mrs. Caffrey did the nasty at Mrs. Caffrey's office.'
'What?' Caitlin shouted a little too loudly.
There was a small creaking noise above their heads and she sat up in a panic. 'Did you hear that?' she asked as Will sprung to his feet and readjusted his clothes.
Caitlin abruptly resumed her previous position, pretending to snooze under the blankets and Will moved to the kitchen, searching the cupboards on a bogus hunt for coffee. Their little interlude had been rudely interrupted and they'd reacted just in time considering Emily was suddenly standing there between the kitchen and family room, glancing from Will and back to Caitlin, apparently none the wiser.
'Good morning' she called out. 'Is there any coffee?'
WCWCWC
'It's 6:53' Neal announced as he lay on his back, gazing up at his new pocket watch.
There was a meek grumbling sound from Sara's side of the bed as she turned away and placed a pillow over her head, not quite ready to face the new day.
Like a kid with a new toy, Neal had tucked his anniversary present under his pillow after admiring it for a good long while before falling asleep. Once they'd finally extricated themselves from the warm, comfy bathtub, they had made their way to the bed - well, actually, Neal had hobbled over to the bed; now, that he'd 'fessed up about his little mishap, there was no reason for pretence. Sara had used the ice from the champagne bucket to ice his nuts, providing welcome relief as they curled up in bed with their glasses of makeshift champagne.
Sara had gotten the munchies and dove into the delicious chocolate covered strawberries, feeding small bites to Neal as they compared notes about their respective parties. For the second time that night, he'd been outdone; Sara had pulled off an impressive nine correct answers to his seven and hence, had won a lavish, likely overpriced, dinner at his expense in an upscale Paris restaurant.
The large king size bed was luxuriously comfortable and the bedding very high end - not a surprise really, but certainly something to be enjoyed. The couple had settled in for a nice long cuddle and Sara had reached over and placed a beautifully wrapped gift right in front of Neal's eyes. The gift wasn't totally unexpected, considering his watch had got wonky as of late, but he hadn't anticipated such an elaborate timepiece, simple yet elegant - just what he hadn't known he wanted. The casing was gorgeous with just the right amount of embellishment - masculine yet ornate in a classic sort of way.
Neal turned the watch over and squinted to read the inscription, his fingers lingering on the raised lettering. Without his reading glasses, he couldn't make it out but he'd memorized it, repeating it several times as he'd drifted off to sleep.
'I love you every minute of every day, Sara' it read, followed by the date of their anniversary.
He murmured it under his breath before noting the time once again.
'Babe… 6:58!' he exclaimed, still admiring the new watch.
She opened an eye, peeking over at him and noticing that look of childlike excitement on his face. 'Great! I've created a monster' she moaned.
'I love it' he murmured, not even looking at her. 'Especially this little window here for night and day… see the sun's coming up' he added, pointing as Sara grunted.
'I'm glad you got one that closes up like this' he continued, undaunted.
Sara let her eyes flutter shut again. 'It's called a full hunter —' she began as he frowned.
'I know what it's called' he replied, annoyed that she would have such little faith in his knowledge of the history and types of pocket watches.
'I stol—' he stopped, immediately correcting himself. 'I had one back in the day - came from some French duke, the Duke of Brissac, I think' he said, eyes still admiring the timepiece.
Sara chuckled. 'So, do you think they'll be waiting at the airport in Paris to arrest you?'
'No. I… acquired it in Switzerland, the guy had been vacationing there' he explained as Sara rolled her eyes, once again aware of her lingering hangover '…and it was over thirty-five years ago, so I think I'm good.'
'How's your head feeling this morning?' he asked, noticing the frown on her face.
'Ugh… What about the crown jewels?' she asked, pointing to his sleep pants.
'Better. Thanks for last night, heat and ice were just what I needed' he said, taking the watch and placing it on the bedside table.
He turned to face her and she let out a sigh, one of those sighs of perfect contentment.
'Happy wedding day, Repo' Neal murmured as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
She smiled back at him, taken by the look of pure adoration on his face. 'Happy wedding day, Caffrey' she repeated languidly.
'The weather's perfect' Neal said as he pointed towards the window. 'See… I told you there was nothing to worry about.'
Sara laughed. 'Yes, you did, oh wise husband' she replied, leaning in to kiss him deeply. 'You're always right… I don't know why I ever doubt you.'
The words were spoken with such sincerity, Neal couldn't tell if she was humouring him or not but frankly, he didn't care and he let his hand linger down her leg and he reached around to squeeze her buttocks, noticing she wasn't wearing any underwear.
'What time is your appointment?' Neal asked, his voice growing rough.
It was obvious his mind had wandered to the prospect of a little romance before they headed out and from the look on her face, Sara seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
'Nine…' she replied, her hand lingering up his chest. 'What time is Peter picking you up?'
'Nine thirty…' he murmured, still gazing at her longingly.
Their lips met briefly. 'What are we going to do with our last couple of hours in this room' Neal sighed.
'I don't know…' Sara replied naughtily.
Neal let out a soft moan and laced his arms more tightly around his wife. He scooted closer, his hips thrusting forward against Sara's body.
'Are you sure little Georgie and his sidekicks are up for it?' she teased.
Neal scoffed. 'You know I hate it when you call him that' he complained as Sara laughed.
'Sorry…' Sara said with a mischievous grin.
'Right, you look really contrite' Neal said with mock annoyance. 'Lucky for you, I'm prepared to take the high road.'
He thrusted forward once more and let out a groan, a perplexing mix of pain and pleasure.
'What about your…' Neal began, referring to her new accessory.
He knew Sara was nervous about putting any pressure on her pacemaker - probably an irrational fear but nonetheless, something she needed to work through, at least until she got comfortable with it. He, on the other hand, would need to tread gently if he didn't want to exacerbate the lingering strain on his groin.
Sara reached down and pulled his sleep pants down delicately as he smiled back, obviously on board with her… intentions.
'Scoot up' she suggested as Neal slipped up the bed and sat up against the headboard in the quiet room. Sara grinned and climbed up onto his lap gingerly, mindful of his injury.
'How about like this?' she murmured, her voice breathless as she came into contact with his nether regions and let out a loud sigh.
Neal bit his bottom lip as she grazed his family jewels and she wasn't sure whether his reaction was pain or pleasure. When she attempted to pull away, he brought his hands to her hips and pulled her in, adjusting her position slightly and exhaling loudly - question answered.
'It's just a little tender' he admitted, batting his eyelashes like a debutante. 'Be gentle with me' he teased, running his hands up and down her buttocks languidly.
Their lips met, the sound of their breathing growing louder and Neal's hands began to move on her body, deftly pushing up, then removing the pretty silk nightie she's slipped on the night before.
He threw it off the bed without as much as a second thought and he gently ran his fingers over her breastbone where the protrusion remained obvious to the naked eye.
'Does that hurt, baby?' he asked tenderly, his lips moving to gently to kiss that spot just above her left breast.
'Noooo' she moaned as she threaded her hands through Neal's hair and began brushing up against him more forcefully.
Neal's eyes returned to look at her face, noticing her eyes half lidded as she let out a groan and arched back, enjoying the delightful pressure in all the right places.
'What about you? Does this hurt?' she asked, hoping to hell she wouldn't have to stop the movement of her hips against her husband's body.
Neal moaned, the pleasure definitely eclipsing any lingering pain.
'No. Feels good' he breathed his hands cupping her breasts and his mouth returning to explore her taut nipples.
They were both damaged and broken and yet, in that moment they found a way to make it work, their discomfort and pain forgotten as they found pleasure and release in each other's arms.
WCWCWC
'Where's Sara?' Peter asked as he stepped into the hotel suite and began to poke around, as always, inquisitive.
'She had an appointment to have her make-up done in the salon downstairs' Neal responded, managing to refrain from adding the words 'you snoop' - words that were nonetheless right on the tip of his tongue.
Peter nodded and began to walk around the room, spying the remnants from the night before: the rose petals littering the suite, the empty bottle in the champagne bucket, half eaten strawberries on the bedside table and… what looked to be some very messy sheets on the oversized bed.
'So… how were things when you got back?' Peter asked, curious. 'Was Sara all right?'
Neal knew Peter well enough to know that his question was code for did you guys get it on?
'We managed…' Neal replied cryptically as he finished collecting his things. 'How's El feeling this morning?'
'She's fine, I dropped her off at your place at 8:00 and the caterers were already driving up' Peter said, picking up the pocket watch on the bedside table and examining it.
'What's this?' he asked as he turned it over and noticed the inscription.
Neal got a very smug look on his face. 'Sara's wedding gift' he replied with a grin.
'Nice!' Peter said. 'So, did she like the ring?'
'She loved it' Neal said as he stuffed the last of his clothing in his suitcase.
There was a soft knock on the door and Neal walked across the room, thrilled to find his beautiful daughter, his grandson and his sister-in-law, standing on the other side. Emily's arms were loaded up with a couple of garment bags and the two women peeked past Neal to look inside the suite.
'Hi Daddy' Hope said with a wide smile.
'Hey!' Neal called out, thrilled to see them. 'How are you?'
He kissed his daughter hello and Hope looked over his shoulder, noticing her uncle Peter lurking behind.
'Hi Uncle Peter!' she called out, stepping into the room.
Neal gave Emily a kiss on the cheek and he relieved her of the garment bags, placing them on the nearby couch as Peter gave his goddaughter a kiss hello.
'Welcome back to New York, Emily' Neal said.
Neal's eyes were instantly drawn to his sleeping grandson and he looked longingly at his daughter, silently telegraphing his desire to hold him.
'Would you like to hold him for a minute, Dad?' Hope asked as he nodded enthusiastically.
He hadn't seen his grandson since their visit to Brooklyn on Friday and he happily took him from Hope's arms, gently cradling him against his chest.
'Hello, little man' he whispered as he brought his lips to his forehead and deposited a tender kiss.
Emily and Hope exchanged furtive glances; Hope had just won a friendly wager, having predicted that her dad would ask to hold the baby within thirty seconds of their arrival - Emily had bet against it, predicting he would hold back for at least a minute. Hope winked knowingly at her aunt; there was a venti caramel brulée crème Frappuccino coming her way.
'Hi Peter' Emily called out, looking away from her niece. 'So, did you guys survive last night all right?'
Peter grinned. 'From what I saw when I got home, things were a lot rowdier at your party than they were at ours.'
Emily chuckled. 'So how was Sara feeling this morning?' Emily asked, turning to look at her brother-in-law.
'She felt great when she got up' Neal said with an insidious smile, the fleeting image of his wife writhing up against Georgie and his sidekicks flashing in his mind.
Neal's eyes returned to the sleeping infant. 'How's he been sleeping?' he asked, without turning his gaze away.
'Great… during the day' Hope replied with a sigh. 'He seems to be turned around and he's more awake overnight.'
'That's normal' Neal said. 'You'll see, it'll just take a few days for him to get into a routine.'
Peter coughed nervously; he loved Hope and he already loved little Jacob but he wasn't as comfortable around newborns as his ex-CI. He suddenly became aware that time was ticking away; El would kill him if he didn't get Neal to the wedding on time.
'Neal' he interrupted. 'We really should get going. Liam's meeting us over at my place in an hour.'
'Right, right' Neal muttered, kissing his grandson again. 'Bye bye, baby boy. See you later' he cooed as he reluctantly handed him back to his mom.
'Bye, sweet pea' he added, kissing the top of Hope's head. 'Try to keep Mom from getting too uptight. I ordered some champagne for you guys to be delivered in about an hour.'
He grabbed for his suitcase and added. 'But don't let her overdo it… even if she's nervous.'
'Don't worry Dad' Hope said. 'We'll get her there in one piece. Right, Aunt Emily?'
Emily gave him a salute. 'We've got this, Neal. You go get ready.'
Neal gave one last longing look around the suite; it had been a wonderful two days, lounging around and enjoying themselves in the lap of luxury.
'All right' he said as he followed Peter out.
WCWCWC
Although everything was running perfectly on schedule, Elizabeth Burke couldn't help but fret. It was her job as event planner to anticipate any last minute problems and to avoid any potential complications and, if anything, she took her responsibilities very seriously.
She walked through the Caffreys' backyard for the umpteenth time, finding little issues to resolve, moving things one way only to change them back to the way they'd been on her next run through. She was followed by Caitlin who was taking notes of all those little scheduling details Elizabeth was terrified of forgetting. Luckily, this time around, El wasn't in the wedding party, giving her the freedom to concentrate on all those little things that might - and would undoubtedly - go wrong.
The most unpredictable issue had been the weather and in that, they had been blessed. There was no precipitation in the forecast for the next few days and that, in and of itself, was a huge relief considering ninety percent of the planned activities were happening outdoors. Her second worry, which was just as unnerving as the first, was Mozzie - he was a loose cannon and despite their run through on the previous Thursday, there was no way of knowing if he would stick to the script or go rogue. Or not show up at all… she thought, as she let out a huge gasp.
'What's wrong?' Caitlin asked.
'Nothing, nothing' Elizabeth replied, absent-minded. 'Oh, and I need somebody to check the popcorn machine at around 7:30 just before we start the movie for the kids and make sure it's ready to go.'
'Got it' Caitlin replied as she jotted down the information.
'Mrs. Burke!' she heard, coming from the house where Will stood in the doorway. 'The candy guy is here.'
'Okay Will. Tell him to come out here' she directed as she sighed, that familiar knot in her stomach clenching tightly.
If she wasn't a total wreck it usually meant that she was doing something wrong; years of experience had taught her that when she agonized, she always hosted a very successful event.
She gave silent thanks for that knot in her stomach and turned to greet the candy man.
WCWCWC
Sara sat in the chair at the salon, staring back at herself in the mirror. She hadn't planned on doing anything special with her hair but Sandy had convinced her to wear it in a soft chignon and she'd added a perfectly matched hairpiece at the nape of her neck held by a beautiful bridal comb. She looked spectacular and she sighed as she studied herself in the mirror. The make-up was flawless, drawing out the green in her eyes and she began to feel a flutter in her stomach at the thought of standing with Neal in front of their friends and family, reciting their wedding vows to one another.
'Sandy, this is… it's so much more than what I imagined. I look…'
'Radiant!' Sandy declared, as she fiddled with some last minute adjustments to the comb.
'I don't know how to thank you… for everything.'
'It's my job' the young woman said with a smile.
'No, I mean… for everything' Sara said with emphasis. 'What you confided in me the other day… well, it meant a lot to me. I've been really self-conscious about this…'
She fiddled with touching her scar as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
'Mrs. Caffrey, you are an amazing woman. I want you to stand before everyone today with the knowledge that nothing has changed, you are still the same incredible woman you were before your surgery.'
Sara swallowed, feeling emotions rising in her chest. 'Thank you, Sandy. You're pretty incredible yourself' she said, getting to her feet.
The two women hugged, careful not to muss her make-up or hair and Sara laughed nervously as she prepared to leave.
Sandy, the hair stylist gave her a thumbs up and watched the bride leave with a relieved look on her face. Her job was complete.
WCWCWC
'Look at you!' Neal said as he stepped into the guest room of the Burke house to find his son standing there checking himself out in the full length mirror.
'Hey Dad!' Liam replied with a warm smile.
'You look amazing, buddy. Wait until Cody gets a look at you!'
'It feels… weird but it looks good' Liam admitted as he fiddled with his tie.
'Here, let me do that' Neal said, standing to face his son.
Neal was a couple of inches shorter than Liam, just the perfect height to adjust his tie and fiddle with his pocket square so it was just so. He adjusted the tie clip, admiring it and glancing down at the cufflinks which were peeking out from his suit sleeves.
'Those look great' he commented.
'I love them, Dad. Thanks again for getting them for me' Liam said, touching his shirt cuffs nervously.
Neal smiled and reached over to grab Liam's boutonnière from the dresser. He began to fasten it to his lapel when a thought struck him.
'Maybe the next time I do this will be for your wedding day' he said, searching his son's eyes.
'I suppose… not quite there yet, though' Liam replied.
'That's okay. Everything in its own time' Neal commented. 'You know, Liam, I'm really proud of you. Proud of the man you've become…'
'Oh no, you don't' Liam said, seeing the emotion in his dad's eyes.
'Hey! It's my wedding day. I get to say and do whatever I want' Neal reminded him. 'And it's important for me that you know just how proud I am… I know it's not an easy road… being a gay man and I… well, I think you're handling yourself with grace and dignity and I couldn't be prouder of you.'
Liam shrugged; he hated having attention drawn to himself but, that being said, his dad's approval had always been important to him and he couldn't deny that the words Neal was speaking meant a lot to him.
'I had a couple of great models, you and Mom… you're amazing parents and I never felt for one minute that you didn't love me or support me in everything I did' he said, his voice slightly unsteady.
Neal's eyes filled with tears and the next thing he knew, the two men were hugging, careful not to mess up their fragile orchid boutonnières.
'I love you, son' Neal murmured in his ear as the hug lingered.
'Love you too, Dad' came the response as they pulled away and looked at each other, Neal wiping a tear from his cheek.
'Guys!' came Peter's unmistakeable voice from downstairs. 'It's time to get going!'
TBC
