Chapter 8

The next morning Karen awoke to find Jack and Grace talking on the loveseat in her room. She pretended to be asleep, and listened for a moment while they talked. They had obviously not been talking about her, at least at that moment they were not talking about her, but instead they were talking about some guy Jack had hooked up with at a gay bar the night before.

Karen rolled her eyes, not liking that the conversation was not about her. "Doesn't anybody care about me?" She asked in a poutful, self-absorbed way. Springing up in her bed, she brought the sheets up and around herself so it made it look like she was peeking out of a tent. Grace and Jack immediately turned to find their friend wide awake.

They smiled at one another and then jumped up, racing for the bed. Both climbed on either side of Karen and the trio fell backwards on to the soft luscious pillows at the head of the bed.

"You're finally up. I thought you were going to sleep until twelve." Grace joked, turning to face Karen.

"Oh, honey, I could if I wanted to." Karen grinned. She looked at her Jackie and smiled. "Hey, Jackie. I haven't seen you around for awhile." She smiled at him.

"I know. G invited me over this morning. She thought we could spend a day in bed watching Lifetime, getting manicures, you know, doing all that girlie stuff us girls love to do." Jack grinned.

"That sounds like fun!" Karen exclaimed as Jack bounced up.

"I know." Jack clapped his hands together. "I'll find the remote." He smiled and then began his search for the television remote.

Karen turned to Grace and smiled. "I know about what you did yesterday."

"Wha-how?" Grace frowned. How was it that Karen seemed to know everything?

"I had Driver follow you." Karen shrugged.

"I never saw a limo behind me." Grace tried to remember if she had seen any one suspicious, but she couldn't recollect anything other than being let down by Nathan. She hoped Karen didn't know about that.

"Oh, no, honey. I made him ride a bike."

"But he's like eighty years old!" Grace exclaimed.

Karen frowned. "So?"

Grace searched for a way to defend Driver, but nothing came so she just decided to drop it. "Never mind."

"Well anyway, honey, I don't mind that you went, but could you just let it be. I mean I don't even know if I want to get back together with him. I mean, I miss him, I do, it's just…well...there has to be somebody else out there. He was too young anyway." Karen was lying, Grace could tell, but she let it slide. Karen wanted him back. She missed him more than she could even begin to express, if she could express…but she wouldn't admit it.

Grace just nodded as Jack jumped back in to the bed. "Found it!" He grinned, flipping on the television, surfing through the channels until he found Lifetime. The three of them laid, watching some movie about a woman who was beat by her husband and then escaped to Florida where she took on a new identity and met a new man. The three were so entranced by the movie; they didn't notice the figure standing in the doorway of Karen's room.

Nathan had gone home unsure, uncertain of where he stood on anything. He sat down on his couch, hid mind swimming in all the thoughts that were rolling around in his head. He kept turning the situation over and over and he began to notice that he was sitting in silence, in half darkness; for the hallway light was on and the dimming sun pushed its way through the blinds in his living room. He was alone. Completely alone.

He didn't have to be alone, he realized. There was someone else out there, someone waiting for him to go to her. It had been she who had pushed him away, but now he realized, with the help of Grace's perspective, that the women he loved, loved so desperately that he wouldn't give any other woman a second glance, was waiting for him. She was waiting for him to come to her, and take her back.

Of course he had failed her, but it had been the first time. He knew what he needed to do this time. He needed to be there for her, be there like Grace had been there. He knew Grace had helped her through this, and now he needed to be her saving grace.

He needed Karen Walker as much as she needed him.

The following events came from this sudden realization. He could never love another. As long as he lived. He had to be with Karen.

And the next day when he stepped in to the Walker penthouse, he was not the least bit nervous.

The form in the doorway advanced inwards, Karen noticed. Her attention quickly went to the person standing in her room.

"What is it Rosie? Can't you see we're watching a movie?" Karen demanded, taking Jack and Grace's attention away from the television.

"There's someone here who wants to see you, privately." Rosario barked.

Karen frowned, looking from Jack to Grace. Grace shrugged and then nodded for her to go. Karen, unsure, pulled herself from the bed and followed Rosario to the penthouse's sitting room. Rosario opened the door to allow Karen to enter, and then gently closed it behind her.

Karen froze upon seeing Nathan, who had been pacing the room. She wasn't sure if she was happy, sad, relieved, angry…she just couldn't tell. But she knew she wanted to run up to him and grab him to her, kiss him like there was no tomorrow. But she stayed frozen, waiting to hear what Mr. Kingsley had to say.

Nathan had stopped his pacing once Karen had entered and his eyes had fallen on her beautiful face. He had forgotten just how beautiful Karen was. Just seeing her sent a shiver down his spine.

Nathan stepped forward. Unable to stop himself from touching her, feeling her skin beneath his fingers, he reached out and stroked the side of her face. Her eyes fluttered closed, remembering the feeling of his hands roaming over her body. She waited for a kiss, but the kiss never came. Instead she heard him clear his throat, drop his hand. She had lost contact with him, but her eyes remained closed. She half expected that when she opened them he would be gone, however she could not have been more wrong.

"I'm sorry." She heard him say, his voice hardly above a whisper. "I should have been there for you and I wasn't. I know. But…" Her eyes began to slowly come open, but she didn't see Nathan standing in front of her. She didn't see Nathan standing anywhere in the room. However she did see him down on one knee right in front of her.

Karen's heart practically stopped, skipped a beat. She couldn't breath. Was this really happening?

"But Karen, I want you more than anything. You're constantly on my mind and if I ever lost you, well I would be nothing. My life would mean nothing. I need you. And I want to love you like no other man has ever loved you. I want to care for you. I'll get better, I promise. I know I was the worst boyfriend, to just walk out on you when you needed me the most. But now I want to always be here for you. Karen, will you marry me?" With that he opened the jewelry case he had produced from his pocket to reveal the most gorgeous diamond Karen had ever seen in her life.

A hand immediately went to her lips, she was completely shocked. "Oh my God." She finally exclaimed, a smile forming at her lips. "Yes, yes of course I'll marry you." She smiled and he pulled the ring from it's velvet lined case and slipped it on her finger, just as Jack and Grace came bursting through the sitting room's doors.

"Karen's getting married!" Jack exclaimed, jumping up and down. Both had been listening at the door, obviously. Karen just smiled at them. Grace joined Jack in his celebratory dance and they watched as Karen and Nathan met lips for one of the longest kisses they had ever witnessed in their lives.

Jack leaned over to Grace and whispered, "I've been on dates shorter than this kiss."

"Me, too." Grace and Jack began to watch in awe at the lip locked couple in front of them.

Grace was just glad to see Karen happy again. She knew she had influenced this in more ways than one and she felt very pleased with herself. Yet, there was still something bugging her.

TBC...even though i don't have chapter 9 written I thought I would give you the already written chapter 8 that I have been withholding from you. I don't know when chapter 9 will be ready, but if it's any consolation, it is half written, okay maybe 1/4 of the way written. Just give me lots of reviews and I'll see what I can do. Lol