God Said

Chapter 11

"HONEY! I'M HOME!" Kate was really starting to like saying that. It was meant as a joke but they had been doing a lot of kissing lately so maybe there was some truth to it.

Except he didn't answer so she went in search of him. Alexis was missing from her crib so that had her looking in the back yard except she found it empty as well.

Next came the garage where she found the Ferrari just sitting there. "So he didn't drive. But where are they?"

Eventually she took out a cold can of Diet Coke and went to her bedroom and stripped down and took a shower before putting on panties, shorts, bra, t-shirt and fuzzy socks and went looking to see if they had come home while she showered.

"Nothing." She didn't like this very much. It was part being all alone in a big house and part not knowing where they had gone.

Then a roaring noise got her attention and it sounded like it was out front. A quick look out the window showed that there was a car in the driveway and she watched as Rick got out. That had her running outside, barely remembering to close the door behind her.

"What's this?" It was big, it was red, and it had a white convertible top. She was pretty sure it was a Pontiac Firebird. Looking past Rick she saw white seats.

"It's a 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. LS1 V-8, WS6 handling Package, 305 horsepower with a 6-speed manual, 17 city and 26 highway." Rick actually like it. It wasn't a Ferrari and it certainly didn't drive like one. It was a little too big.

"Why?" They had a car. What did they need another one for?

"You made a comment that when you didn't have a class and could go on a date we couldn't take Alexis because the Ferrari only had two seats. Well, this one has four seats. ALEXIS!" That had Rick racing around the back of the car to get the passenger door open and shove the seat forward to reach Alexis, unstrap her, and pull her out.

"You took Alexis car shopping?" That didn't sound like a good plan to her. She still wanted to know why.

Rick defended his decision. "I had to make sure her car seat would fit."

Kate went around the front and didn't miss the big bump in the hood that looked like a big air intake to her. "He took you car shopping." Kate took her little hand in hers and thankfully she didn't look worse for wear.

Rick held out the keys. "It's yours."

Kate held out her hand automatically and took the keys. "MINE!" Kate looked from the car to him and then did it again.

"Now we can take Alexis when we go out on a date and you can drive. I got a convertible because this is California. All cars should be convertibles. Of course it's technically mine since I bought it. But it's your car. Drive it anywhere you wish. Preferably with me in front and Alexis in the back." Rick was sure his idea was genius.

"You…bought me…a car." As if the bicycle he had bought her hadn't been enough, now he had gone and bought her a car. A great big red and white car, no less.

Kate was all set to give him back the keys and tell him to take it back. "Date? Tell Kate you want to go on a date." Rick bounced Alexis to get her to say or do something.

Now she was trapped. He was using Alexis against her. She really did want to go out on a date and no, she didn't want to leave Alexis behind this time.

"How much did it cost?" If it was too much she would yell at him.

"Not important so long as you like it." Rick didn't want her to get angry at him over the cost.

Kate wasn't going to just let it go. She looked for a sticker but it only had two windows and she didn't see a sticker. "How much, Rick?

"Thirty-one thousand," he said quietly. He'd bought the one they had that had literally every option available. Even the sound system had this equalizer with these little levers you could slide up and down right in the console with the A/C controls just below that.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!" He had spent far too much money. If she was going to get a car she just needed a simple car to drive for their dates. Something like the Toyota Camry her aunt and uncle had. That was a nice car and more than big enough.

"You don't like it." Rick was hurt. He still thought it was a good idea. He could have spent twice that on a Mercedes or BMW but even he thought that was a bit extreme and Kate was sure to be angry if he had gotten one of those.

Kate watched him pout and then suddenly Alexis began to cry. She wasn't crying because of the car. She was crying mostly for two reasons. One was her diaper was a mess and she'd had enough of that. The other was Kate was yelling and she didn't like that.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Kate just knew she was crying because she had yelled. She even took Alexis out of Rick's arms and gave her kisses but she didn't stop crying. "I'll change your diaper." Kate went toward the front door leaving Rick standing there with hurt feelings.

He pulled the front seat back into place, picked up the diaper bag off the floor, and closed the door. A moment later he suddenly realized a couple of things.

Kate had kept the keys for one. Second she had taken Alexis so SHE could change her diaper. Now his smile was wide as he headed for the front door and went inside. It didn't take much to tell him that her diaper was a poopy one and Kate was still changing it.

So he retreated to the living room and waited. Eventually Kate joined him with Alexis who she kept, put on her back between her legs, and played with her.

"Your daddy is weird. Did you know that?" Kate asked Alexis who was now all smiles since the world was right for her again. Plus Kate was playing with her.

"So where are we going on this big date since I'm pretty sure you can't just take the car back." Once it was bought it had to be kept it or sell it to someone. "And why that car?"

"I could've spent twice as much on a Mercedes or BMW but I was pretty sure you would be really angry about that." Rick started with that.

"At least you got that right." She had to admit that if he had spent sixty thousand on a car meant for her so they could go out on date she would be furious with him.

"He's still weird, isn't he?" Kate cooed at Alexis since Alexis was in such a good mood.

"As for where. I have a couple of ideas. You only have one class tomorrow, correct?" He was hoping their first date since being here was tomorrow.

"Right with homework immediately after I'm betting." She hadn't had to pull an all-nighter yet but the year was still young.

The sound of the phone interrupted them. "I'll get it." Rick got up since Kate had Alexis.

"Hello?" Rick waited to hear who it was.

"Hi, Rick!" Johanna knew that voice. She and her husband had talked to him long enough by now.

"Johanna! Do you want Kate?" She was her daughter after all.

"Mom!?" Kate got up, brought Alexis with her, and took the phone from Rick. "Hi, Mom."

"How are things going, Katie?" Johanna asked her and was going to keep calling and asking this question.

"Pretty good, I guess," Kate replied.

"Katie?" She knew that tone she was getting.

Kate sighed. "Rick got stupid on me. He bought me a car."

"He bought you a car," Johanna repeated, thinking maybe she had heard wrong and this got Jim's attention.

"A Pontiac Firebird Trans Am no less." Kate rolled her eyes.

"And you blew up at him." Johanna knew her daughter.

"He bought thirty-one thousand dollars worth of car, Mom." Kate still couldn't believe it.

"Did he explain why?" Johanna questioned her. "Katie?" She was silent too long.

"The Ferrari only holds two people so Alexis can't come with us on a date," Kate admitted to her mother.

"Let me see if I get this straight. Rick beats you to San Francisco and rents a house that you two can share. He drove all night long with a baby because of you. Because he wanted to keep dating you and I'm betting you blew up at him for that, too.

"Now he's bought a car that will hold all three of you so you can go out on a date and I'm betting you blew up at him yet again. Didn't you?" Johanna asked her daughter.

Kate suddenly felt like shit. Her mother had just about everything right.

"Katie, you found someone special and he's doing all he can to keep seeing you. You could at least give the man a chance. How many of your other boyfriends would have even thought of any of this?" Johanna waited for an answer but she only gave her about two seconds. "NONE is the answer. So where's Alexis?"

"I have her." Kate even adjusted her hold on her to make she sure she kept her safe in her one arm.

"You have her? The Katie I know refused to babysit a single child and you have Alexis in your arms even now? What am I going to do with you, Katie?

"You drove us mad with some of your boyfriends and you finally find someone who's even more handsome than any of those. He makes far more money than any of them combined. He chased you all the way to Stanford. You're helping him take care of Alexis and you're complaining because he bought you a car.

"Do I have to fly out there and slap you silly? Or should I have Sophie do it for me?" Johanna was betting Sophie, based on the phone calls she'd had with her would do far more than slap her silly.

"No." Her mother had just dressed her down and she deserved it.

"Now suck it up. Go kiss the man and tell him you're sorry and that you want to go out on a date anywhere he wants to go," Johanna paused for a moment, "and Katie?"

"Yes, Mom?" Kate was still whispering.

"I'm still going to bend your ear and give you a piece of my mind when I see you again. You can make book on that. Now kiss Alexis, go kiss Rick, and tell him you want to go out on a date. Go get all dressed up and look better than you ever have and take Alexis with you every where you go.

"MOVE IT, KATIE!" Johanna hung up on her.

"Where did we go wrong, Jim? She's found someone that she should be fighting to keep and she's yelling at him. I need Jamie's number. Sophie needs to give her a call and yell at her." Johanna opened a drawer and searched for numbers. Why she wasn't more organized at home like she was at work suddenly hit her.

Jim stopped her by taking her hand. "She might be scared, Jo. All those boyfriends she scared the hell out of us with isn't Rick. Even she knows he's a keeper. She might be scared." To him this was her first real boyfriend.

"Remember how long it took me to ask you out on a date?" Jim queried.

"I thought you were never going to ask me. I had almost given up on you," Johanna admitted. She sighed and began thinking. "Maybe a gentle push instead of a slap to her stubborn head." She went back to searching.

"Jamie, is Sophie home?" Jo asked. "I have a job for her."

oO{}O{}Oo

"You've gotten awfully quiet," Rick noted now that Kate was back with him on the sofa and she still had Alexis.

"Mom gave me a piece of her mind. I probably deserved it. …So where are we going on this date?" She would try and finish her homework in record time.

Rick managed to open his mouth to give her a clue when the phone rang again. "I'll get it. It's probably Mom calling to remove my ass this time." Kate took Alexis with her again.

"Hello?" Kate said.

"Katie!" Sophie hadn't talked to her since before she had left.

"Sophie!" Kate's mood brightened instantly.

oO{}O{}Oo

Rick watched Kate come back with Alexis in her arms. She sat down next to him and leaned across to kiss him. "Some place very romantic where Alexis can come with us. I want to get all dressed up."

Sophie hadn't yelled at her like her mother had done. Instead she had scared the crap out of her. If she didn't do something to keep him, he was going to figure out she wasn't worth it. Dump her, move on, and find someone that was.

"I can do that." Rick needed a new search and new idea but he would find it. He didn't know what had changed her tune but he liked it. He even noticed that Kate never did relinquish Alexis for the rest of the day. She changed her diapers. She fed her and did everything she could to keep Alexis happy.

oO{}O{}Oo

It only dawned on Kate that she still didn't have a really nice dress. She still had that sundress but no shoes to go with it. So Kate peddled home after her class and dropped off her bike. She jumped into her car and went shopping. She either needed a new dress or she needed a pair of heels.

She was back eventually and noticed Rick at the table again pounding away at his typewriter. The sight of him made her smile as she went in search of Alexis. She picked her up and took her with her to her bedroom where she put her on the bed and then got to work on her homework.

She had found a really nice dress but couldn't afford it. Rick might be able to afford it but she didn't want him buying it for her so she was using her money for this date.

oO{}O{}Oo

Kate still had Alexis, though, she had to change her diaper and feed her followed by giving her a bath in preparation for a date. At the moment Kate was naked in front of Alexis who was paying some attention but it wasn't easy lying on her back on a bed.

Kate only left her to quickly apply some makeup and check on her hair. Coming back, she put on a thong, her very colorful sundress, and her only diamond bracelet and matching earrings. She even put on two rings. She picked up a different ring and sat on the bed after checking on Alexis who was awake and watching her.

Lifting her foot up, she put on a toe ring and flexed her toes to make sure it didn't hurt. Then she took her new heels out of the box and put those on. It was back to the bathroom to spray on a tiny touch of perfume between her breasts. She even jumped up and down for a moment to watch her breasts bounce. Sophie had said men liked that so she wanted to check that she did bounce.

"Okay, Alexis. Shit! Purse." She had to leave Alexis and go in search of a good purse and load it with things. "Okay, I'm back." Kate picked her up and held her close. "Let's go find Daddy." Kate didn't notice that she left out the word Your.

"WOW!" She found Rick waiting for her and holy shit did he look amazing in that suit! Sophie was right. She really needed to start paying attention to him and making sure all the other women knew he was taken and hers.

Kate walked up to him with a wide smile. "I need to dress Alexis. What have you got?" Right now all Alexis had was a diaper and that wasn't going to cut it.

oO{}O{}Oo

Rick was securing Alexis in her car seat after dropping her diaper bag in the other back seat as Kate got behind the wheel. "Baby carrier?" Kate queried.

"Shit!" That had him running back inside. He came back with a stroller to push Alexis around in. Kate managed to pop the trunk after having searched for the release. Rick put the stroller in the trunk and closed it.

"Right, then right again." Rick looked at his map since he was the navigator and Kate was driving her car.

oO{}O{}Oo

"Grocery store?" This wasn't her idea of a romantic date.

"Just wait here and keep the engine running to keep the A/C on. I'll be back." Rick got out and ran inside. He knew exactly what he wanted and worked as fast as he could.

Kate eventually saw him coming back out with two bags and jogging toward the car. He looked really cute wearing a suit and carrying shopping bags and running. She was still grinning as he got in and put the bags at his feet and then picked up his directions after buckling up.

"Go right," Rick told her.

However, as they drove Kate could smell some of what he had bought. He had bought chicken. She just didn't know what else he had gotten.

oO{}O{}Oo

Kate saw where they were going. "Golden Gate Park?" Rick handed over cash so she could pay to park and she handed over the ticket she was given for him to display on their dash.

Next came getting Alexis out of the car and into her stroller and the bags from the grocery store went into the space behind her.

After that Rick paid nine dollars for each of them. Alexis got in free since she was under four years old.

"So what's here?" Kate queried since she felt they were a little overdressed for this.

"Fifty-five acres of botanical gardens. Over nine thousand different plants. Lots of walkways and even grassy areas where we can sit and eat lunch at and even get away with some kissing while not being watched," Rick explained and began pushing Alexis, their food, and her diaper bag.

"Picnic in the park." Kate's smile got wider and walked next to him. "Kissing, huh?"

"Maybe lots of kissing." Rick arched his eyebrows a couple of times and Kate's smile got even wider.

They found out they weren't alone but they were almost alone. Apparently being here during a weekday during lunch wasn't that popular and the people they did see were closer to their parents' ages than theirs.

oO{}O{}Oo

Kate followed Rick off the trail, onto some grass, and then around behind some taller plants and even a couple of trees. Now she watched as Rick pulled out his two bags. One she found out contained something they could sit on. It wasn't a real blanket but it was better than grass. Also in that bag were large, red, plastic cups.

The next bag held the chicken in a hot bag, plastic containers with cut fruit, a container of buttered corn, plastic silverware, and… "Champagne?" Kate was surprised.

Now she was smiling again. This date location was looking up.