Chapter Fourteen
Taking a card from the doctor's receptionist, Alison smiled. The card was her reminder to come back in two weeks. She was thinking that Rafe would need to get some help at the gym because he absolutely had to be here for the next appointment. Next time she'd have a sonogram done, so they could see for themselves the little angel she carried.
She was so caught up in that image that she barely heard the woman behind the desk say, "Will your husband be joining you for your next appointment?"
"I'm sorry?" she said absentmindedly.
"Your husband. Will he be coming with you next time?"
Alison couldn't believe one word would shock her so. "Yes. He wouldn't miss it." She said with a weak smile as she walked out the door.
As she walked along the waterfront and back to the gym, her mind was racing. She loved Rafe. He loved her. Tears filled her eyes. This was so terribly wrong.
She ran into the gym and was stopped briefly by a steady stream of people. A class was just letting out. She saw Rafe on the other side of the room and as if he could sense she was there he looked up and grinned. His face fell as he saw the look in her eyes and he crossed the room in seconds. Abby looked on from behind the counter as she handed change to a customer.
Rafe took Alison's hand and began leading her toward the stairs to their apartment. As he did he looked over her head to catch Abby's eye as he said, "Can you?"
"Go." She replied, knowing exactly what he was asking. "I'll be here."
Once upstairs, Rafe opened the door, shut it behind them quickly, and pulled Alison into his arms. He was scared to half death. He knew she had just been to the doctor. It must be some sort of bad news. He should have closed the gym and gone with her, he thought, furious with himself.
But since she was home, not in the hospital, he was fairly certain both she and the baby were all right. He needed to hear her say it though He held her tight and kissed her hair as he whispered, "Angel? Are you OK?"
Her was voice tight as she fought back her tears, "No. I'm not OK."
He swallowed the lump that had lodged in his throat since he saw how she looked when she first walked in. His voice was so low she could barely hear. He pulled away to look at her as he asked, "It's not the baby."
She saw then how scared she'd made him. She brought her hand to his face. "No, no I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine, the baby's fine. No, Rafe. It's us." Alison said simply as she looked in his eyes, tears spilling from them now.
He heaved a sigh of relief, but it was quickly followed by panic.
"Us?" he asked "What about us?"
"What are we doing?"
He didn't know what she was actually talking about, but he knew that she was upset. Was she angry that he hadn't been able to get away today and go to the doctor? Her hormones were starting to make her act a bit wacky lately. She cried at the drop of a hat. Two days ago she was hysterical because he'd eaten the last cookie in the box.
Even after the baby was born he was sure he'd never make that mistake again.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
She gently pushed him back and wiped her eyes. She started to pace back and forth. So she was worried about something, Rafe now knew. If he waited a second she'd begin to talk, if not to him, then to herself.
"I can't believe it took what that woman said to make me realize this." Alison began.
Confused again Rafe asked, "What woman?"
"At the doctor's office." Alison sniffled.
"OK." Hoping he'd get it soon. "What did she make you realize?"
"We did this all wrong."
"What?"
"This! It's so stupid. What's the matter with us? I love you."
He was happy to hear the "I love you" but what was stupid and more importantly, what did she think was the matter with them? He thought things were going pretty great - better than great - they were fantastic. He didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Rafe said the only thing he could to respond to that question, "I love you too."
She stood facing him, a hand resting on her stomach, which was just starting to grow a bit. She tapped her fingers against it as she spoke. "Then why?"
"Alison..." Rafe decided that he just had to give up and ask her point blank. "Angel, I'm sorry, I'm trying, but I have no idea what you're talking about. Why what?"
"Why aren't you my husband?" she cried.
He looked at her, dumbfounded.
He said without even thinking, since it was truly how he felt, "What are you talking about? I am."
"No. Not really." She rubbed the tears away from her face. "Where's your ring?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your ring - Rafe. Check your left hand, you're not wearing one."
He knew now what she meant. She had expected them to be married by now. God help him, he was in for a lifetime of such conversations. She could never just say something. She always made him work to figure out whatever it was she wanted him to know.
He walked over to her and took her hands in his, "Alison."
"What?" She said, looking up at him sadly.
"Will you marry me?" he grinned as he brought her hands to his lips and kissed them gently.
She couldn't help smiling a bit as she looked at him, but she was completely serious. "Yes - of course I will. Rafe. Seriously. It's like we just forgot; like we think it's not important anymore."
"You know that's not true. It's the most important thing in the world."
"So - then - why aren't we?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Yes." She said, her stubborn streak showing again. He thought with a certain amount of dread of how that challenging that stubbornness would be when attached to a two year old. He had a hard enough time reasoning with Alison. Then again, if the kid were stubborn it would be half his fault.
"Well, OK, first of all - there are some things that got in the way." He started not wanting to name names.
"I know that. Stop. You know what I mean. We're about to start our family. When I check into the hospital what are they going to say - does your "boyfriend" want to come in for the delivery?" Alison sighed. "Rafe - really. All we ever wanted was to get married and have a family. What are we waiting for - for the next evil thing to come upon us and ruin it? Are we waiting until it gains enough strength to be able to come between us again? I think that was part of the problem. Joshua thought he could marry me because we weren't married yet. Now that he's gone, we're still not and now we have a baby on the way."
Just the mere thought of her in danger like she'd just been was horrible enough before. It suddenly dawned on him that she had been carrying their child during the time that she was being held captive by that lunatic. Even though she was safe now it was enough to make him come out of his skin. He took her into his arms again and held her tight. "NO. Alison, it's just - Well. I promised you the wedding you always dreamed of."
"Yes, you did and you gave it to me." She leaned back to look at him.
"Well, almost." He said his voice laced with sadness. He started to continue, "And you know, things like that take time to plan."
"No, not that wedding, Rafe." Alison cut him off gently as she ran her hands up his arms. He had amazing arms, she thought with a smile. "The one we had, with just us. In the barn."
He smiled back at her. She would say that. "Alison, you don't want a big church wedding anymore?"
"It's not that I don't want it Rafe - I just don't need it. I only need you - and someone to make it official of course." She leaned in and kissed him softly. "That's it. That's all I need." She looked at him then, telling him with her eyes it would always be true.
"You're sure?" He asked, not wanting her to be disappointed with a ceremony that was far from fancy. He had wanted that type of wedding once, but now - he didn't really care. He had thought that she still did. He never wanted her to regret that they hadn't had the type of wedding she really wanted. It didn't matter to him. Rafe would marry her anytime, anywhere. He'd wanted to since practically the moment they met.
Alison looked into his eyes and said, "Yes, Rafe. I'm completely sure. Before we officially become parents, I just think we should be officially married. I think we should both have the same name before we give one to our son or daughter, don't you?"
"I do." Rafe said with a grin.
"You know, you say that really well. Have you been practicing?" She giggled.
"A little." He answered as he leaned in to kiss her.
"So - we're really getting married?" she asked her eyes shining.
"Yes. We're really getting married. How's tomorrow? Are you busy at all?"
"Rafe, I can't be your wife fast enough to make me happy but I think we need a little bit of time. We have to make at least a few plans."
"Then how about 2 weeks?" He kissed her again, this time lingering over it a bit.
"2 weeks." She agreed, her voice becoming dreamy at the thought.
She grinned at him as he pulled away. "Do you have any idea how much I love you, Rafe Kovich? I'm the luckiest girl in the world. In two weeks, all our dreams will finally come true."
Alison gave him a look as she moved closer to place a kiss on the side of his neck. "I think that's something to celebrate - don't you?"
Rafe couldn't focus. Between the words she had just spoken and what she was busy doing at the moment, he wasn't sure he knew what to say. He decided on a simple, "Yes."
Apparently that was the right answer, because Alison began to walk forward while still in his arms, causing Rafe to take a few steps back. Her lips moved to place kisses under his chin and across to the other side of his neck as she did. The back of his knees hit the edge of the bed and she shoved him slightly causing him to sit down.
Rafe looked up at her and saw that her eyes were getting cloudy. These hormones had their downside, she cried nearly every hour and still got sick from time to time. But if this were a side benefit - he would not complain. That was his last coherent thought before Alison leaned down and took his face in her hands. She kissed him again and again, changing the angle of her mouth over his with each kiss.
Without really knowing how it happened, Rafe realized he was now flat on his back, and Alison was - literally - all over him. Her hands were everywhere, pulling the hem of his t-shirt out of the waistband of his jeans, moving underneath and up his chest as she eased it over his head. She tossed it aside and moved away slightly as her hands went to the front of her own shirt, unbuttoning each button slowly, keeping her eyes on his. Where did this come from? He thought, a bit confused. She leaned down again and kissed him once more, her tongue sweeping past his lips and gently teasing his. Rafe decided right then he didn't care. He was just going to relax and enjoy it.
Rafe sat up and pulled her to him, his hands slipping the shirt off her shoulders, peeling away each layer of her clothing until he felt nothing but the silk of her skin. He felt her hands begin to help rid him of his own as he did. His hands moved to her hair, smoothing it away from her face, then down her shoulders, skimming her sides, his fingers gently passing over her slightly rounded belly.
He turned her in his arms and onto her back as his lips moved to her neck, traveling down to her shoulder and then across to the other side. Alison could feel his breath on her skin as he moved lower still, his mouth teasing her senseless every step of the way. He gently placed a kiss just below her belly button and tears once again filled her eyes as she ran her hands through his hair. Alison couldn't believe that after all this time, she was still constantly overwhelmed by the love she felt for him.
Her eyes closed as she felt him repeat his journey, traveling upward until his mouth was on hers once again. She sighed and whispered his name.
They'd seemed to have everything mixed up anyway. Who said they'd have to wait till after the wedding for the honeymoon?
Taking a card from the doctor's receptionist, Alison smiled. The card was her reminder to come back in two weeks. She was thinking that Rafe would need to get some help at the gym because he absolutely had to be here for the next appointment. Next time she'd have a sonogram done, so they could see for themselves the little angel she carried.
She was so caught up in that image that she barely heard the woman behind the desk say, "Will your husband be joining you for your next appointment?"
"I'm sorry?" she said absentmindedly.
"Your husband. Will he be coming with you next time?"
Alison couldn't believe one word would shock her so. "Yes. He wouldn't miss it." She said with a weak smile as she walked out the door.
As she walked along the waterfront and back to the gym, her mind was racing. She loved Rafe. He loved her. Tears filled her eyes. This was so terribly wrong.
She ran into the gym and was stopped briefly by a steady stream of people. A class was just letting out. She saw Rafe on the other side of the room and as if he could sense she was there he looked up and grinned. His face fell as he saw the look in her eyes and he crossed the room in seconds. Abby looked on from behind the counter as she handed change to a customer.
Rafe took Alison's hand and began leading her toward the stairs to their apartment. As he did he looked over her head to catch Abby's eye as he said, "Can you?"
"Go." She replied, knowing exactly what he was asking. "I'll be here."
Once upstairs, Rafe opened the door, shut it behind them quickly, and pulled Alison into his arms. He was scared to half death. He knew she had just been to the doctor. It must be some sort of bad news. He should have closed the gym and gone with her, he thought, furious with himself.
But since she was home, not in the hospital, he was fairly certain both she and the baby were all right. He needed to hear her say it though He held her tight and kissed her hair as he whispered, "Angel? Are you OK?"
Her was voice tight as she fought back her tears, "No. I'm not OK."
He swallowed the lump that had lodged in his throat since he saw how she looked when she first walked in. His voice was so low she could barely hear. He pulled away to look at her as he asked, "It's not the baby."
She saw then how scared she'd made him. She brought her hand to his face. "No, no I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine, the baby's fine. No, Rafe. It's us." Alison said simply as she looked in his eyes, tears spilling from them now.
He heaved a sigh of relief, but it was quickly followed by panic.
"Us?" he asked "What about us?"
"What are we doing?"
He didn't know what she was actually talking about, but he knew that she was upset. Was she angry that he hadn't been able to get away today and go to the doctor? Her hormones were starting to make her act a bit wacky lately. She cried at the drop of a hat. Two days ago she was hysterical because he'd eaten the last cookie in the box.
Even after the baby was born he was sure he'd never make that mistake again.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
She gently pushed him back and wiped her eyes. She started to pace back and forth. So she was worried about something, Rafe now knew. If he waited a second she'd begin to talk, if not to him, then to herself.
"I can't believe it took what that woman said to make me realize this." Alison began.
Confused again Rafe asked, "What woman?"
"At the doctor's office." Alison sniffled.
"OK." Hoping he'd get it soon. "What did she make you realize?"
"We did this all wrong."
"What?"
"This! It's so stupid. What's the matter with us? I love you."
He was happy to hear the "I love you" but what was stupid and more importantly, what did she think was the matter with them? He thought things were going pretty great - better than great - they were fantastic. He didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Rafe said the only thing he could to respond to that question, "I love you too."
She stood facing him, a hand resting on her stomach, which was just starting to grow a bit. She tapped her fingers against it as she spoke. "Then why?"
"Alison..." Rafe decided that he just had to give up and ask her point blank. "Angel, I'm sorry, I'm trying, but I have no idea what you're talking about. Why what?"
"Why aren't you my husband?" she cried.
He looked at her, dumbfounded.
He said without even thinking, since it was truly how he felt, "What are you talking about? I am."
"No. Not really." She rubbed the tears away from her face. "Where's your ring?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your ring - Rafe. Check your left hand, you're not wearing one."
He knew now what she meant. She had expected them to be married by now. God help him, he was in for a lifetime of such conversations. She could never just say something. She always made him work to figure out whatever it was she wanted him to know.
He walked over to her and took her hands in his, "Alison."
"What?" She said, looking up at him sadly.
"Will you marry me?" he grinned as he brought her hands to his lips and kissed them gently.
She couldn't help smiling a bit as she looked at him, but she was completely serious. "Yes - of course I will. Rafe. Seriously. It's like we just forgot; like we think it's not important anymore."
"You know that's not true. It's the most important thing in the world."
"So - then - why aren't we?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Yes." She said, her stubborn streak showing again. He thought with a certain amount of dread of how that challenging that stubbornness would be when attached to a two year old. He had a hard enough time reasoning with Alison. Then again, if the kid were stubborn it would be half his fault.
"Well, OK, first of all - there are some things that got in the way." He started not wanting to name names.
"I know that. Stop. You know what I mean. We're about to start our family. When I check into the hospital what are they going to say - does your "boyfriend" want to come in for the delivery?" Alison sighed. "Rafe - really. All we ever wanted was to get married and have a family. What are we waiting for - for the next evil thing to come upon us and ruin it? Are we waiting until it gains enough strength to be able to come between us again? I think that was part of the problem. Joshua thought he could marry me because we weren't married yet. Now that he's gone, we're still not and now we have a baby on the way."
Just the mere thought of her in danger like she'd just been was horrible enough before. It suddenly dawned on him that she had been carrying their child during the time that she was being held captive by that lunatic. Even though she was safe now it was enough to make him come out of his skin. He took her into his arms again and held her tight. "NO. Alison, it's just - Well. I promised you the wedding you always dreamed of."
"Yes, you did and you gave it to me." She leaned back to look at him.
"Well, almost." He said his voice laced with sadness. He started to continue, "And you know, things like that take time to plan."
"No, not that wedding, Rafe." Alison cut him off gently as she ran her hands up his arms. He had amazing arms, she thought with a smile. "The one we had, with just us. In the barn."
He smiled back at her. She would say that. "Alison, you don't want a big church wedding anymore?"
"It's not that I don't want it Rafe - I just don't need it. I only need you - and someone to make it official of course." She leaned in and kissed him softly. "That's it. That's all I need." She looked at him then, telling him with her eyes it would always be true.
"You're sure?" He asked, not wanting her to be disappointed with a ceremony that was far from fancy. He had wanted that type of wedding once, but now - he didn't really care. He had thought that she still did. He never wanted her to regret that they hadn't had the type of wedding she really wanted. It didn't matter to him. Rafe would marry her anytime, anywhere. He'd wanted to since practically the moment they met.
Alison looked into his eyes and said, "Yes, Rafe. I'm completely sure. Before we officially become parents, I just think we should be officially married. I think we should both have the same name before we give one to our son or daughter, don't you?"
"I do." Rafe said with a grin.
"You know, you say that really well. Have you been practicing?" She giggled.
"A little." He answered as he leaned in to kiss her.
"So - we're really getting married?" she asked her eyes shining.
"Yes. We're really getting married. How's tomorrow? Are you busy at all?"
"Rafe, I can't be your wife fast enough to make me happy but I think we need a little bit of time. We have to make at least a few plans."
"Then how about 2 weeks?" He kissed her again, this time lingering over it a bit.
"2 weeks." She agreed, her voice becoming dreamy at the thought.
She grinned at him as he pulled away. "Do you have any idea how much I love you, Rafe Kovich? I'm the luckiest girl in the world. In two weeks, all our dreams will finally come true."
Alison gave him a look as she moved closer to place a kiss on the side of his neck. "I think that's something to celebrate - don't you?"
Rafe couldn't focus. Between the words she had just spoken and what she was busy doing at the moment, he wasn't sure he knew what to say. He decided on a simple, "Yes."
Apparently that was the right answer, because Alison began to walk forward while still in his arms, causing Rafe to take a few steps back. Her lips moved to place kisses under his chin and across to the other side of his neck as she did. The back of his knees hit the edge of the bed and she shoved him slightly causing him to sit down.
Rafe looked up at her and saw that her eyes were getting cloudy. These hormones had their downside, she cried nearly every hour and still got sick from time to time. But if this were a side benefit - he would not complain. That was his last coherent thought before Alison leaned down and took his face in her hands. She kissed him again and again, changing the angle of her mouth over his with each kiss.
Without really knowing how it happened, Rafe realized he was now flat on his back, and Alison was - literally - all over him. Her hands were everywhere, pulling the hem of his t-shirt out of the waistband of his jeans, moving underneath and up his chest as she eased it over his head. She tossed it aside and moved away slightly as her hands went to the front of her own shirt, unbuttoning each button slowly, keeping her eyes on his. Where did this come from? He thought, a bit confused. She leaned down again and kissed him once more, her tongue sweeping past his lips and gently teasing his. Rafe decided right then he didn't care. He was just going to relax and enjoy it.
Rafe sat up and pulled her to him, his hands slipping the shirt off her shoulders, peeling away each layer of her clothing until he felt nothing but the silk of her skin. He felt her hands begin to help rid him of his own as he did. His hands moved to her hair, smoothing it away from her face, then down her shoulders, skimming her sides, his fingers gently passing over her slightly rounded belly.
He turned her in his arms and onto her back as his lips moved to her neck, traveling down to her shoulder and then across to the other side. Alison could feel his breath on her skin as he moved lower still, his mouth teasing her senseless every step of the way. He gently placed a kiss just below her belly button and tears once again filled her eyes as she ran her hands through his hair. Alison couldn't believe that after all this time, she was still constantly overwhelmed by the love she felt for him.
Her eyes closed as she felt him repeat his journey, traveling upward until his mouth was on hers once again. She sighed and whispered his name.
They'd seemed to have everything mixed up anyway. Who said they'd have to wait till after the wedding for the honeymoon?