A/N:
OK, you guys. I give up. I guess it's time to be a little nice to Rick. He's been thru a lot these last couple of chapters. I hope you all will forgive me and Evy for being so heartless.
AJ Mackey! You have COMPLETELY messed me up!!! Rick and Evy weren't going to 'come together' in the physical sense until the end of P2P, but my golly!!! Your last review has got me thinking they may not be able to wait another 9 months!!! You tickled me when you wondered how Evy could sleep thru all that. Just remember she's pg and little Alex is zapping all her strength. And what energy he doesn't take, all that crying and self pity does.
Marcher, because of AJ Mackey's review, Rick's libido/ego may get the chance to 'serve a few aces of their own' sooner than I had originally expected. LOL
So, I hope you all enjoy and are happy with the conclusion of this chapter. Happy reading...
The next morning, Evelyn woke up frustrated. Frustrated that all she had to hold on to during the night was her dreams. And that was hardly fulfilling. If she were talking to Rick, she would give him a piece of her mind. How dare he ignite her passions and leave her alone in bed. It did not matter that she was not talking to him. He should have known, he should have read her mind and known. Known that she wanted him, wanted him more than anything.
Not only was she frustrated but Evelyn was also hurt that Rick had abandoned her. Again, it did not matter that she had spurned his every attempt to apologize. All that mattered was that she needed him last night and he was not there.
Not only was she frustrated and hurt but Evelyn was also ashamed of herself. She had been so willing to give herself to him all because he looked at her with an undeniable craving in his eyes. She was angry with herself because she was so weak for him.
Nothing had changed between them. He was still the man who had gone seeking another. She was still the woman who no longer trusted him. So why was she so willing to surrender to him? Why had she wished with all her heart that he would come and satisfy them both?
Evelyn did not know why. But as she hovered over the toilet, expelling her dinner from the night before, her pride decided Rick would pay for what he did to her last night, for what he did not do to her last night and for the torment he put her through.
After she got up from the bathroom floor, Evelyn washed out her mouth then her face and went back to her bedroom. Her room had become her haven to pout, feel sorry for herself and cry. Things she decided she needed to do before going downstairs. Things she was becoming quite proficient in.
*********************
The morning after his valiant attempt to woo Evelyn out of sleep and into lovemaking, Rick was awakened by a noise. His legionnaire instincts still very prevalent, Rick shot up into a sitting position on the couch and looked around. Then he heard it again and realized that the sound came from the kitchen. It was the cabinet door being slammed. He threw his legs over onto the floor and got up and walked sleepily into the kitchen.
There she was stomping around the kitchen preparing her breakfast. Rick stood at the door watching at her. The silk robe she wore was clinging to her body and his body began to warm up as he thought of the night before.
Evelyn knew he was standing there watching her and her heart began to pound. Her pride be accursed. She loved him and she was weakening in her decision to make him pay for what he had done to the night before. Just knowing that he was standing there watching her crushed Evelyn's pride and she prayed that he would say something, anything. The moment he opened his mouth, she would turn and run into his arms. She waited and waited and waited for him to say something. Then she prayed and prayed and prayed that he would.
The seconds passed by painstakingly slow as she waited and he watched. Rick fought with himself again but this time his ego won and against the will of his heart, he turned and walked away.
When Evelyn could not stand the waiting any longer, she turned to the doorway, only to see it empty. Her heart sank and two big teardrops rushed to the edge of her eyelids and cascaded over and down her cheeks.
Evelyn felt completely despondent as she sadly gazed at the vacant doorway. She felt as if she was losing Rick and every bit of the fault lay at her door. She was foolish, foolish, foolish for saying she wanted a divorce. Condemnation and panic assaulted Evelyn with a vengeance as she thought about the damage she had done.
Maybe she deserved to be an old spinster. Maybe she was getting her comeuppance for treating him so badly for the past weeks. Maybe a naïve, bookworm librarian like her did not deserve an experienced, gun-fighting adventurer like him.
Rick felt utterly dejected as he climbed the stairs. He felt as if he was losing Evelyn and every bit of the blame lay at his door. He was stupid, stupid, stupid for getting drunk. And heaven only knew what he was thinking when he went to that whorehouse. Guilt and fear assaulted Rick with a vengeance as he thought about what he had done and the damage he had caused.
Maybe he deserved to be alone again. Maybe he was about to pay for all the hell he raised in the past. Maybe a hard, corrupt devil like him did not deserve a soft, innocent angel like her.
*********************
For the next three days, the mood in the house got even more somber. Evelyn spent most of her time at the museum and Rick spent most of his time under the hood of his new car. Though they lived under the same roof, they had not seen each other since the morning after Rick walked in on Evelyn's bath. They both did everything they could to avoid each other. And both felt as if they were slowly dying inside.
In the private recesses of their minds, Rick and Evelyn thought of life apart from one another. They saw less and less hope of finding their way back to each other. And though it was painful, they both could not help but think about the ugly truth that they might not have a life together anymore.
Losing hope of reconciliation caused Evelyn even more tears. And even Rick, battle hardened Rick, had more moments than he would admit where there were tears in his eyes. The couple was miserable, broken-hearted and extremely unhappy. But neither seemed to have the fortitude to confront the other and save their young marriage.
*********************
It was Sunday morning and Rick had gone into town and Evelyn was sitting in the polar reading. She looked up in surprise when Jonathan walked in and called her name.
"Evy?" he said as he walked over to the couch and sat down next to her.
"Jonathan, what are you doing up so early?" she asked her brother.
"It's not THAT early. It's nearly noon" he said.
"It's early for you. Especially on a Sunday morning."
"You got a minute?"
"Sure" she said as she closed her book.
"I need to talk to you" he said and Evelyn could hear the worry in his voice.
"Is everything OK Jonathan?" she asked, thinking he had gotten into some kind of trouble
"Not really."
"What is it Jonathan?" Evelyn said, her worry beginning to rise.
Jonathan paused, wondering if his decision to intervene on Rick's behave had been wise. Then he thought of Evelyn and how sad he knew she was and all the tears he heard her crying.
"Evy..." he began.
"Yes" she answered anxiously.
"I need to talk to you."
"You've already told me that. What is it Jonathan" she said nervously as she thought the worst.
"You're being selfish Evy..." he said without preamble.
"What?" Evelyn was taken by surprise. This conversation was about Jonathan not her.
"You're being selfish Evy" he said again. "Don't you think it's about time you forgave O'Connell?"
"Jonathan" Evelyn said with as much patience and calm as she could muster. "I don't want to talk about him. And besides that" she said as nicely as she could. "It's none of your business."
"Yes, well that may be true but..."
"But what?" she interrupted Jonathan. "I said I don't want to discuss him" she said tightly as she felt her temper rising.
"Well, I'm sorry Evy, but we're going to discuss him."
"NO we are not!" Evelyn said defensively. If she talked about Rick she knew she would cry and she did not want to cry in front of Jonathan.
"Yes we are" Jonathan said stubbornly, surprising Evelyn.
"Oh no we are not!" Evelyn frowned at him in an attempt to intimidate him.
"Oh yes we are" Jonathan shot back. "AND we are going to discussing you're acting like a spoiled brat" he said firmly.
Evelyn gasped. She was in a state of shock. Jonathan. Her brother Jonathan was asserting his will above hers. They were going to discuss Rick. And he had insulted her. She was acting like a spoiled brat. Evelyn's only option was to get up and walk out on him. After giving him a look of defiance, Evelyn stood to her feet.
"Evelyn Louise Carnahan" Jonathan said as he stood up with her. "Sit! Now!" he demanded in his most forceful voice and prayed that she would heed his command.
Evelyn looked at Jonathan with total surprise. He had spoken to her like that only once before in her life. It that was not too long after their parents had died and Evelyn had retreated into herself. She was not eating and all she did was stay in her room. Jonathan came to her and demanded that she eat so that she could remain healthy and he told her in no uncertain terms that she would not stay cooped up in her room forever. He made her leave the room and slowly she began to live her life again.
Jonathan mentally let out a sigh of relief as he watched the look of defiance on Evelyn's face slowly turn to a look of resignation.
"Now" he said in a softer tone after she, then he sat back down. "Why won't you give him a chance to explain?"
"You don't know what he did Jonathan" Evelyn said in a pitiful voice as she began to cry.
"He told me."
"He told you?!" Evelyn looked at Jonathan and felt embarrassed that he knew that her husband had gone after another woman.
"Yes and I think you should forgive him..."
"Forgive him?!" Evelyn cried. "Jonathan how could you say such a thing when you know what he did?" she said, feeling like her own brother was turning on her.
"He really didn't do anything Evy. Not really"
"You call seeing another woman not 'doing anything'?!"
"Evy, he wasn't 'seeing another woman'. Not in the carnal sense of the word anyway."
"I can't believe you're taking his side. How can you take his side in this?" she cried.
"I'm not taking his side..."
"Yes you are" Evelyn cried, feeling betrayed.
"No I'm not. I love you Evy. I'm on your side and I want to see you happy. But you're miserable..."
"Because of him!" her pride asserted.
"Because of you Evy" Jonathan said.
"Me?" Evelyn said dejectedly. She could admit to herself that she had played a part, a small part in the rift between her and Rick but for Jonathan to say she was the cause of her misery was just too much to take.
"Yes, you Evy. O'Connell loves you. He's tried to get you to talk to him but all you do is ignore him. He tells you he loves you, he tries all he knows to try to make things up to you and all you do is give him the silent treatment. He made one tiny mistake Evy. Why can't you forgive him?"
"You call what he did a 'tiny mistake'?" she asked, not believing all of what he had just said.
"Evy, most men, practically all men would have..." Jonathan said, feeling very uncomfortable discussing sex with his sister. "Would have... you know, most men would have, uh" he said trying to find the right words. "Committed the act with the woman."
"And I'm suppose to be grateful that he didn't?!"
"Let me finish Evy. These same men swear they love their wives. Well, I have to give O'Connell credit because he stopped short. And you know why? Because he loves you. I know... I know he shouldn't have gone there in the first place, but haven't we all done things we shouldn't have? Especially me. And you always forgive me."
"But he betrayed me Jonathan" Evelyn bemoaned pathetically.
"No he didn't Evy. He chose NOT to betray you. He was tempted yes. But, as the old hymn says 'Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin.'" Jonathan said. "He loves you Evy and that's why he walked away from the woman. Most men don't walk away from willing women, even if they do love their wives. He walked away from her and on top of that he told you the truth about it. Don't you think life would have been easier for him if he would have lied to you?"
"He couldn't lie about it because I caught him red handed!"
"Trust me Evy. Men can come up with some pretty believable lies when they're caught in a pinch."
"But..."
"No buts Evy. You need to go and talk to him. Listen to him and work things out."
"How am I suppose to forgive him Jonathan?"
"Do you love O'Connell?" Jonathan asked the question he already knew the answer to.
"Yes" Evelyn said without hesitation as she wiped her tears.
"That's how you'll forgive him. And remember" he said as pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Blessed are they that forgive..."
Jonathan squeezed Evelyn tight before getting up and leaving her alone in the polar.
*********************
Do you love O'Connell? Yes. Rick was sure he had heard right. She did still love him. Rick felt as if he had been rejuvenated. She still loved him. He was sure that was what he heard through the open polar window.
He had been walking past the window when he heard his name and stopped. He listened intently as Jonathan asked 'Do you love O'Connell?' His heart pounded in his ears as he waited for her answer. Yes. He barely heard it but he was sure he heard a 'yes'.
His ego, still badly bruised from the past several days, wanted to be cautious. That was the only thing that kept him from running inside the house and confronting the wife that still loved him. He wanted to take it slow because he did not want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed if the 'yes' he heard was only wishful hearing. Rick turned from the window and headed back to his car. He needed to think of how to approach Evelyn and he needed to prepare himself for the worse.
An hour later, Rick walked into the house and looked in the polar but found it empty. At the growl of his stomach, he decided to go to the kitchen and fix himself a sandwich. When he got to the doorway, he saw Evelyn standing at the sink looking out window.
Evelyn had been mulling over Jonathan's words for the last hour. Her own brother, her only brother had turned on her and sided with Rick. She had tried to convince herself of that but her heart knew it was a lie. Her heart knew Jonathan was right.
As Rick watched her, his heart struggled against his ego.
'There she is' his heart smiled.
'Maybe it's not such a good idea to talk to her now' his ego frowned.
'It's as good a time as any'
'What if you heard wrong'
'I heard right'
'How can you be sure?'
'I just know'
'What are you going to say?'
'I don't know'
'Maybe we should wait'
'Why?'
'So you can think about what you will say'
'I don't think. I just feel'
'Well I need to think about what you will say'
'And you will mess things up with all your logic'
'At least we won't look like a fool when you open your mouth and nothing comes out because you didn't let me think about what you would say'
'Let me handle this'
'You sure?'
'I'm sure'
With his heart made up, Rick walked into the kitchen. Evelyn was in such deep thought that she did not hear him approach and jump when she heard his voice.
"Hey" he said in a soft voice as he walked up behind Evelyn. "I, uh I..." he started.
'I knew we should have thought about this!' his ego said.
"I need to talk to you" Rick said as he moved from behind her to stand beside her.
Rick's hopes were lifted higher when she did not turn and walk away from him. Maybe his heart had heard that 'yes'. Rick then turned, leaned against the sink, his back facing the window, and looked at Evelyn's profile.
"Evy, you know how I feel" his heart began. "I love you more than anything. You know that. I feel like I'm losing you and that's something I'd cut off my right arm to keep from happening. I don't wanna lose you. I don't want to go back to life the way it was before I met you. Just tell me what I gotta do to make it up to you and I'll do it."
Evelyn remained silent but Rick's heart refused to give up this time.
"If you need time, I understand. I'll give you all the time you need as long as we can work things out. I'm desperate Evy. Desperate to get back what we had. The last two weeks have been the worst weeks I've had to go though my whole life. Even worse... than when I was a kid.. and my Pa... left me at the orphanage" his voice cracked, exposing the well of emotion that was inside of him.
When Evelyn again remained silent, Rick became more determined. He would not give up on her this time. All he wanted, all he needed was for her to say something, anything. So without another thought he grabbed one arm then the other and began to pull her in front of him. With a firm but gentle hold, Rick pulled her into his chest. His gaze was tender as he put his finger under her chin and lifted her head and looked into her eyes.
"I love you Evy. You know that. You mean everything to me and my life isn't worth much without you" he said. "What I need more than anything right now is to hear you say you love me."
As Rick waited to hear the words, he saw the conflict in her eyes. It was as if she was fighting against saying the words. A bit of desperation and doubt crept in.
"Tell me Evy" he begged. "Tell me if you still love me."
When she did not answer immediately, Rick, desperate to get a reaction of some sort from her, lowered his head. His mouth touched hers and he used his lips to open hers. He invaded her warm mouth with his tongue and felt as if he were in heaven. All his frustration, all his desperation, all his love was in that one kiss as the intensity increased and he hungrily devoured the inside of her mouth. He pulled Evelyn even closer and held Evelyn even tighter as his tongue possessively took hold of hers and mated passionately with it.
Evelyn could not resist him. She did not want too. Yes! Yes! Yes! She loved him. She just could not seem to find her tongue to tell him. And right now, her tongue was otherwise occupied. Evelyn began to yield to his kiss the moment his lips touched hers. And his love. How could she stand against it any longer? She went soft in his arms and moved her hands up his chest. Just as her fingers were about to snake around to the back of his neck, he pulled away from her. Evelyn was left breathless as she slowly opened her eyes and saw the set of blues that were staring back at her.
"Tell me Evy. Say it" he demanded. "Tell me you love me."
"I love you" she whispered as her tears started.
OK, you guys. I give up. I guess it's time to be a little nice to Rick. He's been thru a lot these last couple of chapters. I hope you all will forgive me and Evy for being so heartless.
AJ Mackey! You have COMPLETELY messed me up!!! Rick and Evy weren't going to 'come together' in the physical sense until the end of P2P, but my golly!!! Your last review has got me thinking they may not be able to wait another 9 months!!! You tickled me when you wondered how Evy could sleep thru all that. Just remember she's pg and little Alex is zapping all her strength. And what energy he doesn't take, all that crying and self pity does.
Marcher, because of AJ Mackey's review, Rick's libido/ego may get the chance to 'serve a few aces of their own' sooner than I had originally expected. LOL
So, I hope you all enjoy and are happy with the conclusion of this chapter. Happy reading...
The next morning, Evelyn woke up frustrated. Frustrated that all she had to hold on to during the night was her dreams. And that was hardly fulfilling. If she were talking to Rick, she would give him a piece of her mind. How dare he ignite her passions and leave her alone in bed. It did not matter that she was not talking to him. He should have known, he should have read her mind and known. Known that she wanted him, wanted him more than anything.
Not only was she frustrated but Evelyn was also hurt that Rick had abandoned her. Again, it did not matter that she had spurned his every attempt to apologize. All that mattered was that she needed him last night and he was not there.
Not only was she frustrated and hurt but Evelyn was also ashamed of herself. She had been so willing to give herself to him all because he looked at her with an undeniable craving in his eyes. She was angry with herself because she was so weak for him.
Nothing had changed between them. He was still the man who had gone seeking another. She was still the woman who no longer trusted him. So why was she so willing to surrender to him? Why had she wished with all her heart that he would come and satisfy them both?
Evelyn did not know why. But as she hovered over the toilet, expelling her dinner from the night before, her pride decided Rick would pay for what he did to her last night, for what he did not do to her last night and for the torment he put her through.
After she got up from the bathroom floor, Evelyn washed out her mouth then her face and went back to her bedroom. Her room had become her haven to pout, feel sorry for herself and cry. Things she decided she needed to do before going downstairs. Things she was becoming quite proficient in.
*********************
The morning after his valiant attempt to woo Evelyn out of sleep and into lovemaking, Rick was awakened by a noise. His legionnaire instincts still very prevalent, Rick shot up into a sitting position on the couch and looked around. Then he heard it again and realized that the sound came from the kitchen. It was the cabinet door being slammed. He threw his legs over onto the floor and got up and walked sleepily into the kitchen.
There she was stomping around the kitchen preparing her breakfast. Rick stood at the door watching at her. The silk robe she wore was clinging to her body and his body began to warm up as he thought of the night before.
Evelyn knew he was standing there watching her and her heart began to pound. Her pride be accursed. She loved him and she was weakening in her decision to make him pay for what he had done to the night before. Just knowing that he was standing there watching her crushed Evelyn's pride and she prayed that he would say something, anything. The moment he opened his mouth, she would turn and run into his arms. She waited and waited and waited for him to say something. Then she prayed and prayed and prayed that he would.
The seconds passed by painstakingly slow as she waited and he watched. Rick fought with himself again but this time his ego won and against the will of his heart, he turned and walked away.
When Evelyn could not stand the waiting any longer, she turned to the doorway, only to see it empty. Her heart sank and two big teardrops rushed to the edge of her eyelids and cascaded over and down her cheeks.
Evelyn felt completely despondent as she sadly gazed at the vacant doorway. She felt as if she was losing Rick and every bit of the fault lay at her door. She was foolish, foolish, foolish for saying she wanted a divorce. Condemnation and panic assaulted Evelyn with a vengeance as she thought about the damage she had done.
Maybe she deserved to be an old spinster. Maybe she was getting her comeuppance for treating him so badly for the past weeks. Maybe a naïve, bookworm librarian like her did not deserve an experienced, gun-fighting adventurer like him.
Rick felt utterly dejected as he climbed the stairs. He felt as if he was losing Evelyn and every bit of the blame lay at his door. He was stupid, stupid, stupid for getting drunk. And heaven only knew what he was thinking when he went to that whorehouse. Guilt and fear assaulted Rick with a vengeance as he thought about what he had done and the damage he had caused.
Maybe he deserved to be alone again. Maybe he was about to pay for all the hell he raised in the past. Maybe a hard, corrupt devil like him did not deserve a soft, innocent angel like her.
*********************
For the next three days, the mood in the house got even more somber. Evelyn spent most of her time at the museum and Rick spent most of his time under the hood of his new car. Though they lived under the same roof, they had not seen each other since the morning after Rick walked in on Evelyn's bath. They both did everything they could to avoid each other. And both felt as if they were slowly dying inside.
In the private recesses of their minds, Rick and Evelyn thought of life apart from one another. They saw less and less hope of finding their way back to each other. And though it was painful, they both could not help but think about the ugly truth that they might not have a life together anymore.
Losing hope of reconciliation caused Evelyn even more tears. And even Rick, battle hardened Rick, had more moments than he would admit where there were tears in his eyes. The couple was miserable, broken-hearted and extremely unhappy. But neither seemed to have the fortitude to confront the other and save their young marriage.
*********************
It was Sunday morning and Rick had gone into town and Evelyn was sitting in the polar reading. She looked up in surprise when Jonathan walked in and called her name.
"Evy?" he said as he walked over to the couch and sat down next to her.
"Jonathan, what are you doing up so early?" she asked her brother.
"It's not THAT early. It's nearly noon" he said.
"It's early for you. Especially on a Sunday morning."
"You got a minute?"
"Sure" she said as she closed her book.
"I need to talk to you" he said and Evelyn could hear the worry in his voice.
"Is everything OK Jonathan?" she asked, thinking he had gotten into some kind of trouble
"Not really."
"What is it Jonathan?" Evelyn said, her worry beginning to rise.
Jonathan paused, wondering if his decision to intervene on Rick's behave had been wise. Then he thought of Evelyn and how sad he knew she was and all the tears he heard her crying.
"Evy..." he began.
"Yes" she answered anxiously.
"I need to talk to you."
"You've already told me that. What is it Jonathan" she said nervously as she thought the worst.
"You're being selfish Evy..." he said without preamble.
"What?" Evelyn was taken by surprise. This conversation was about Jonathan not her.
"You're being selfish Evy" he said again. "Don't you think it's about time you forgave O'Connell?"
"Jonathan" Evelyn said with as much patience and calm as she could muster. "I don't want to talk about him. And besides that" she said as nicely as she could. "It's none of your business."
"Yes, well that may be true but..."
"But what?" she interrupted Jonathan. "I said I don't want to discuss him" she said tightly as she felt her temper rising.
"Well, I'm sorry Evy, but we're going to discuss him."
"NO we are not!" Evelyn said defensively. If she talked about Rick she knew she would cry and she did not want to cry in front of Jonathan.
"Yes we are" Jonathan said stubbornly, surprising Evelyn.
"Oh no we are not!" Evelyn frowned at him in an attempt to intimidate him.
"Oh yes we are" Jonathan shot back. "AND we are going to discussing you're acting like a spoiled brat" he said firmly.
Evelyn gasped. She was in a state of shock. Jonathan. Her brother Jonathan was asserting his will above hers. They were going to discuss Rick. And he had insulted her. She was acting like a spoiled brat. Evelyn's only option was to get up and walk out on him. After giving him a look of defiance, Evelyn stood to her feet.
"Evelyn Louise Carnahan" Jonathan said as he stood up with her. "Sit! Now!" he demanded in his most forceful voice and prayed that she would heed his command.
Evelyn looked at Jonathan with total surprise. He had spoken to her like that only once before in her life. It that was not too long after their parents had died and Evelyn had retreated into herself. She was not eating and all she did was stay in her room. Jonathan came to her and demanded that she eat so that she could remain healthy and he told her in no uncertain terms that she would not stay cooped up in her room forever. He made her leave the room and slowly she began to live her life again.
Jonathan mentally let out a sigh of relief as he watched the look of defiance on Evelyn's face slowly turn to a look of resignation.
"Now" he said in a softer tone after she, then he sat back down. "Why won't you give him a chance to explain?"
"You don't know what he did Jonathan" Evelyn said in a pitiful voice as she began to cry.
"He told me."
"He told you?!" Evelyn looked at Jonathan and felt embarrassed that he knew that her husband had gone after another woman.
"Yes and I think you should forgive him..."
"Forgive him?!" Evelyn cried. "Jonathan how could you say such a thing when you know what he did?" she said, feeling like her own brother was turning on her.
"He really didn't do anything Evy. Not really"
"You call seeing another woman not 'doing anything'?!"
"Evy, he wasn't 'seeing another woman'. Not in the carnal sense of the word anyway."
"I can't believe you're taking his side. How can you take his side in this?" she cried.
"I'm not taking his side..."
"Yes you are" Evelyn cried, feeling betrayed.
"No I'm not. I love you Evy. I'm on your side and I want to see you happy. But you're miserable..."
"Because of him!" her pride asserted.
"Because of you Evy" Jonathan said.
"Me?" Evelyn said dejectedly. She could admit to herself that she had played a part, a small part in the rift between her and Rick but for Jonathan to say she was the cause of her misery was just too much to take.
"Yes, you Evy. O'Connell loves you. He's tried to get you to talk to him but all you do is ignore him. He tells you he loves you, he tries all he knows to try to make things up to you and all you do is give him the silent treatment. He made one tiny mistake Evy. Why can't you forgive him?"
"You call what he did a 'tiny mistake'?" she asked, not believing all of what he had just said.
"Evy, most men, practically all men would have..." Jonathan said, feeling very uncomfortable discussing sex with his sister. "Would have... you know, most men would have, uh" he said trying to find the right words. "Committed the act with the woman."
"And I'm suppose to be grateful that he didn't?!"
"Let me finish Evy. These same men swear they love their wives. Well, I have to give O'Connell credit because he stopped short. And you know why? Because he loves you. I know... I know he shouldn't have gone there in the first place, but haven't we all done things we shouldn't have? Especially me. And you always forgive me."
"But he betrayed me Jonathan" Evelyn bemoaned pathetically.
"No he didn't Evy. He chose NOT to betray you. He was tempted yes. But, as the old hymn says 'Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin.'" Jonathan said. "He loves you Evy and that's why he walked away from the woman. Most men don't walk away from willing women, even if they do love their wives. He walked away from her and on top of that he told you the truth about it. Don't you think life would have been easier for him if he would have lied to you?"
"He couldn't lie about it because I caught him red handed!"
"Trust me Evy. Men can come up with some pretty believable lies when they're caught in a pinch."
"But..."
"No buts Evy. You need to go and talk to him. Listen to him and work things out."
"How am I suppose to forgive him Jonathan?"
"Do you love O'Connell?" Jonathan asked the question he already knew the answer to.
"Yes" Evelyn said without hesitation as she wiped her tears.
"That's how you'll forgive him. And remember" he said as pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Blessed are they that forgive..."
Jonathan squeezed Evelyn tight before getting up and leaving her alone in the polar.
*********************
Do you love O'Connell? Yes. Rick was sure he had heard right. She did still love him. Rick felt as if he had been rejuvenated. She still loved him. He was sure that was what he heard through the open polar window.
He had been walking past the window when he heard his name and stopped. He listened intently as Jonathan asked 'Do you love O'Connell?' His heart pounded in his ears as he waited for her answer. Yes. He barely heard it but he was sure he heard a 'yes'.
His ego, still badly bruised from the past several days, wanted to be cautious. That was the only thing that kept him from running inside the house and confronting the wife that still loved him. He wanted to take it slow because he did not want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed if the 'yes' he heard was only wishful hearing. Rick turned from the window and headed back to his car. He needed to think of how to approach Evelyn and he needed to prepare himself for the worse.
An hour later, Rick walked into the house and looked in the polar but found it empty. At the growl of his stomach, he decided to go to the kitchen and fix himself a sandwich. When he got to the doorway, he saw Evelyn standing at the sink looking out window.
Evelyn had been mulling over Jonathan's words for the last hour. Her own brother, her only brother had turned on her and sided with Rick. She had tried to convince herself of that but her heart knew it was a lie. Her heart knew Jonathan was right.
As Rick watched her, his heart struggled against his ego.
'There she is' his heart smiled.
'Maybe it's not such a good idea to talk to her now' his ego frowned.
'It's as good a time as any'
'What if you heard wrong'
'I heard right'
'How can you be sure?'
'I just know'
'What are you going to say?'
'I don't know'
'Maybe we should wait'
'Why?'
'So you can think about what you will say'
'I don't think. I just feel'
'Well I need to think about what you will say'
'And you will mess things up with all your logic'
'At least we won't look like a fool when you open your mouth and nothing comes out because you didn't let me think about what you would say'
'Let me handle this'
'You sure?'
'I'm sure'
With his heart made up, Rick walked into the kitchen. Evelyn was in such deep thought that she did not hear him approach and jump when she heard his voice.
"Hey" he said in a soft voice as he walked up behind Evelyn. "I, uh I..." he started.
'I knew we should have thought about this!' his ego said.
"I need to talk to you" Rick said as he moved from behind her to stand beside her.
Rick's hopes were lifted higher when she did not turn and walk away from him. Maybe his heart had heard that 'yes'. Rick then turned, leaned against the sink, his back facing the window, and looked at Evelyn's profile.
"Evy, you know how I feel" his heart began. "I love you more than anything. You know that. I feel like I'm losing you and that's something I'd cut off my right arm to keep from happening. I don't wanna lose you. I don't want to go back to life the way it was before I met you. Just tell me what I gotta do to make it up to you and I'll do it."
Evelyn remained silent but Rick's heart refused to give up this time.
"If you need time, I understand. I'll give you all the time you need as long as we can work things out. I'm desperate Evy. Desperate to get back what we had. The last two weeks have been the worst weeks I've had to go though my whole life. Even worse... than when I was a kid.. and my Pa... left me at the orphanage" his voice cracked, exposing the well of emotion that was inside of him.
When Evelyn again remained silent, Rick became more determined. He would not give up on her this time. All he wanted, all he needed was for her to say something, anything. So without another thought he grabbed one arm then the other and began to pull her in front of him. With a firm but gentle hold, Rick pulled her into his chest. His gaze was tender as he put his finger under her chin and lifted her head and looked into her eyes.
"I love you Evy. You know that. You mean everything to me and my life isn't worth much without you" he said. "What I need more than anything right now is to hear you say you love me."
As Rick waited to hear the words, he saw the conflict in her eyes. It was as if she was fighting against saying the words. A bit of desperation and doubt crept in.
"Tell me Evy" he begged. "Tell me if you still love me."
When she did not answer immediately, Rick, desperate to get a reaction of some sort from her, lowered his head. His mouth touched hers and he used his lips to open hers. He invaded her warm mouth with his tongue and felt as if he were in heaven. All his frustration, all his desperation, all his love was in that one kiss as the intensity increased and he hungrily devoured the inside of her mouth. He pulled Evelyn even closer and held Evelyn even tighter as his tongue possessively took hold of hers and mated passionately with it.
Evelyn could not resist him. She did not want too. Yes! Yes! Yes! She loved him. She just could not seem to find her tongue to tell him. And right now, her tongue was otherwise occupied. Evelyn began to yield to his kiss the moment his lips touched hers. And his love. How could she stand against it any longer? She went soft in his arms and moved her hands up his chest. Just as her fingers were about to snake around to the back of his neck, he pulled away from her. Evelyn was left breathless as she slowly opened her eyes and saw the set of blues that were staring back at her.
"Tell me Evy. Say it" he demanded. "Tell me you love me."
"I love you" she whispered as her tears started.