Evangeline knocked on John's door as she slowly pushed it open. She was met with the warm blue eyes and loving smile of John McBain. He was behind his desk working on what she would guess was just routine paperwork for the bar. Half the time, she was convinced that he was just back here lost in thought.
"Ms. Williamson, what brings you here?" John didn't have to look at his watch to know it was too early for her to be here. It was probably noon or just after. Of course, he didn't mind her skipping work to be with him.
She smiled at him devilishly as she closed the door behind her. She pealed off her light trench coat to reveal a form fitting red lace dress with a plunging neckline that left very little to the imagination. It was too revealing for school, so she'd had her coat on for the entire morning. The seductive look John was giving her gave her a warm rush all over. "I just came to see if I could take you out for a birthday lunch."
John definitely had an appetite, but not for food. He didn't want to rush her as if he had no self control. Instead, he took in her full appearance. The dress was not quite like anything he'd ever seen Eva or Evangeline ever wear. The short length showcased her long well-toned legs that he loved to touch.
When desire got the best of him, he rose from his chair and walked around his desk. His hand brushed her backside as he went to the door instead of to her. The lock that he was going to adjust was already latched. "You know it's dangerous to tempt me like this." He walked behind her and put his hands on her hips.
"What makes you think I'm here to tempt you?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she turned to look at him over her shoulder. She could her his steady controlled breathing. He was right where she wanted him.
"Silly me. I have no clue where I'd get such a wild idea." He pulled her back to him so that her body was pressed against his. "I think there's a turkey sandwich up in my apartment. We can split it if you'd like." That was the best excuse he had to get her up to his room. Eva was more comfortable in the bedroom since their first encounter, but she still wasn't up for public performances or things that she considered kinky. It was just this morning that they tried something that he enjoyed immensely. When she told him this morning that he could have anything from her that he wanted for his birthday, he jokingly asked for oral sex. She was more than happy to oblige him. The memory from this morning and her in his office in that dress were testing all of his patience.
"McBain, I think you are losing your touch." She turned in his arms and kissed him lightly on the lips. "A beautiful woman is in your office in what you could barely call a dress and all you can think about is a sandwich?" She nipped and kissed at his ear teasing him.
He moaned as her arms went around him. "If you don't stop, I'm going to bend you over that desk and show you want I'm really thinking about." He put his hands in his stop himself from pushing things further.
"Promises, promises. I think you should just show me what you're talking about already." Evangeline pulled him into a steamy kiss and stole away his resistance.
That little bit of encouragement was all he needed. Through all of his romantic efforts, she was able to hold onto all of the loud, pleasurable moans that were pent up inside of her. With a very practiced effort he drove them both to the point of absolute bliss.
John leaned back against the arm of the sofa in his office with Evangeline draped over him. "Pretty good birthday so far." He stroked her shoulder as he tried to catch his breath. There wasn't one inch of her body that wasn't burned into his memory. It wasn't as if that mattered. She was his now, and he had no plans to let her go.
"We haven't even gotten to the good part yet." She pushed off of him and moved to kiss him. "Are you needed here, or can we go be alone somewhere?"
"I'm all yours." John smiled as she climbed off of him. She moved through the office collecting their clothes before bringing his to him. "Thank you for all of this." He stood to pull on his pants. It wasn't just the sex that he enjoyed. All he wanted was to be with her today, and she'd reached out to him in her own special way.
"It's the least I can do for the man I love." Evangeline stepped into the adjoining bathroom to freshen up. Getting her dress back on was a little bit of a pain, but she managed. When she emerged from the bathroom, John was fully dressed and sitting on the edge of his desk. He was smiling and looked to be lost in thought.
"Am I boring you?" She walked over to him and stood between his legs.
"Hardly." He pulled her into a hug. "I hope you know how much I love you, more and more every day."
Those were words she would never grow tired of hearing. "Come on. Let's get out of here." She took his hand and pulled him along. Instead of going through the back exit, she steered him toward the main bar area. She stepped through the doorway first to alert the crowd.
When John stepped into the bar, he was met with the raucous sound of cheers, laughter, and birthday wishes. The discomfort of having so many eyes on him hid the blush in his cheeks from his earlier encounter with Evangeline. He listened patiently as the crowd of regulars sang their version of happy birthday to him. Just when he thought the moment was over, Perry appeared with a cake that was littered with candles.
"Happy birthday boss man! Come blow them out." He slid the cake onto the bar top so that John could reach it.
The joyous smiles of Eva and his friends overrode his desire to complain. It took several tries, but he finally extinguished the candles to every one's delight. "Thanks to all of you for celebrating with me. I'm guessing this was your doing?" He looked over to Perry. "Gunner, right?"
Perry slid the cake over to one of the waitresses so that she could start serving up the cake. "Gunner told me you hate surprises, and after Christmas I wasn't going to step out of line. It was actually your girl's idea. I didn't think she was going to be able to pull it off, though. She went back there more than half an hour ago to grab you. What the hell took so long?"
Evangeline just shrugged and walked over to John with his piece of cake. "Gotta keep your energy up." She passed him the sugary treat and licked the icing off her fingers.
"You'd better get two pieces then." He winked at her and held a bite out for her to eat.
"Okay, this is a little much for me." Perry complained at their sweet banter. They were now lost in their own world. "I'm just going to be over here then…"
"Happy Birthday, John. I hope this wasn't too much." She declined the cake that he offered. "Are you ready for your next surprise?" Evangeline had so much to tell him. It was hard to contain her own excitement, so she wanted to get him alone now.
"Lead the way." John set his cake down on the bar and allowed himself to be led away. They didn't stay to mingle. John shook a few hands and exchanged pleasantries on the way to the door. They took John's car because he liked to drive. A catchy tune came on the radio and Evangeline started to sing along. John pressed her to continue since he didn't get to hear her sing as often since she left the bar. Her soulful serenade lasted the entire car ride back to her place.
When they arrived, Evangeline ushered him to the guest room with instructions to shower and change into one of his nicer suites. The last time he wore a suit was not a pleasant experience. He started to object, but he didn't want to ruin her surprise. He urged her to shower with her, offering a counter to her plan. She dismissed him with a kiss and hurried off to her bedroom.
An hour later, he was sitting on the sofa and waiting for her emergence. He should have known she was going to take considerably longer to get all dressed up than he did. If he had thought it out, he would have lounged around in his underwear for a lot longer.
The time alone was beneficial. The more he thought about the surprise that she had for him, the more he thought about the surprise that he had for her. Thoughtful planning and consideration were all put aside. In his mind, it wasn't about the plan; it was about the timing. His heart was telling him that now was the time. His heart had been guiding him this whole time and hadn't steered him wrong, so he chose to take a leap of faith.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." Evangeline stepped into the living room with her clutch purse and wrap in hand.
John turned and was met with a vision of beauty. He stood but was rooted to the spot. Eva was wearing a blue halter gown complemented by the pearl earrings and necklace that he'd given her for Christmas. "You look stunning." Any doubt that may have been in his mind was now gone. This was the woman that he would love for the rest of his life.
"You don't look bad yourself." She walked over to him and kissed him sweetly. She tried not to leave her lipstick on his lips.
"So, I'm guessing we're on a pretty tight schedule." John looked down at his watch. It was just before 4. There wasn't anywhere in town that would require such nice attire, so he figured they were going on a road trip. If they left now, they were guaranteed to beat the rush hour traffic.
"Today, we are on John McBain time. It is your day." She thought that she could keep his hands off of her until after the festivities, but if he wanted her now she would not resist him.
John took her hand nervously in his. He wanted this moment to be special, but he didn't want to over think it. "Evangeline, I love you."
"I love you, John." Evangeline searched his eyes for meaning. Saying 'I love you' was commonplace, but he was staring at her in a way that he'd never done so before.
"I'm not sure I can describe how happy I am when I'm with you. You're the first person I think of when I wake up. You're the last person I think of before bed each night. I've never been really certain about a lot of things, but I am certain about one thing." John dropped to one knee with her hand in his. "You're the woman that I want to build my dreams around. The woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."
Evangeline was almost stunned to silence as tears threatened to fall. "John, please, wait." She snatched her hand from his. The crestfallen look on his face broke her heart. She couldn't bear to see his pain and looked away.
John tried to swallow the lump in his throat with no luck. He fingered the ring in his pocket and cursed his own bad luck. This was their perfect moment and she hadn't even let him get the words out of his mouth. He swiped at his hair only because he needed to do something with his hands.
"We need to talk." She turned to face him.
He rose from his kneeling position to sit on the sofa. "Apparently, so." His hands were squeezed into tight fists. Anger was an easier emotion to deal with than disappointment. It quickly bubbled to the surface threatening to spill harsh words from his mouth.
Evangeline went to him and took one of his hands in hers. The white knuckled fist mirrored his tightly clenched jaw. He was angry. She knew that much. "John, I love you."
He laughed bitterly. The smart retort died in his throat. It had been her MO to lash out when hurt, but she was past that now. He couldn't very well lower himself to using the same behavior and expect things to turn out well. "Just not the forever kind of love, right?" He tried to pull his hand way gently, but she held it firm.
"John, I can't answer that." He scoffed and she paused. "I can't…yet. Not until you know the truth." Evangeline stretched awkwardly and grabbed a tissue so that she wouldn't mess up her make up.
"The truth, huh? Does that mean there's a lie somewhere?" His hand felt nice in hers. It always had. The softness of her touch calmed him slightly.
"Lie is such an ugly word." Evangeline didn't want to categorize it that way. John wasn't completely innocent in this situation, so she had to choose her words carefully.
John rolled his eyes. He never was one for big, fancy words. "Just calling it like I see it." Simple and direct was always what he believed in, but he'd struggled with that in the past. Direct meant knowing what he was feeling and actually expressing it. That involved far too much introspection for his taste.
"I'm talking about a secret. A lie is a direct and intentional deception. A secret does not always require deception. Sometimes it's just concealing the truth." Evangeline urged him to look at her and he did. The blue eyes that had been filled with so much hope were clouded with disappointment.
He waited for more of an explanation. All of this filler was just prolonging what he believed was an inevitable end. The end to their happiness. The end to his hopes. The end to his dreams.
"I talked to my mother. She told me everything." She watched as his face changed from angry to frustrated.
"Why," John questioned, but it wasn't for her to answer. Months had passed and neither Layla nor Lisa had said a word. The anxiety that he felt over the issued had finally faded, but he knew now that he'd let his guard down too easily.
"One of my old nurses called me out of the blue. She said that it took her a little bit of doing, but she finally tracked me down. I think she just wanted to check on me." Evangeline felt his hand relax in hers. The anger was subsiding so that was a good sign. "She asked about a blue-eyed visitor and if we were happy together."
John blew out a breath. If he had been more careful, he could have prevented this. As soon as Layla told him about the nurse, he should have tracked her down. His version of the truth would have been enough to keep her away and stop her meddling.
"She was being so cryptic about it. I thought she was talking about Todd. I was upset, so I called my mom. She told me the truth. She told me it was you." The question was there, and it hung between them. "You were there the whole time? Why didn't you say anything?"
John shook his head. If the truth was out there, he was going to set the record straight in case Lisa left anything out. "Not the whole time. Less in the beginning and not at all in the very end. After a couple of months passed and you didn't wake up, I just made it a point to stop in and see you every couple of weekends. Cris was there and so was Todd." John frowned for a moment. Eva hadn't every referred to him by name before, but she just had a moment ago. "There were at each other's throats and me being there only would have made things worse. I stopped in at night. It was always quiet. Just us."
Evangeline smiled as his recollection. It was just like john to choose the least dramatic way to be with her. He knew it was pointless to engage Cris and Todd over who cared for her more. Lisa had told her what she had to accept as truth, but she knew there was more to the story than even Lisa knew. "But something happened?"
He shifted and resisted the urge to pull off his jacket and loosen his tie. Tonight could still be saved. They were talking and she hadn't just ended things immediately. "You know, on tv when someone wakes up from a coma it's always sudden, like their eyes just pop open and everything is back to normal. I don't have to tell you how much of a crock that is."
The memories of her long road to recovery played in her mind. "You are damn right about that." Evangeline scooted closer to him. There was still so much that needed to be said. This hadn't been her plan, but this would have to do.
"Well, one night when I dropped by the nurse let it slip that your vitals were improving. She didn't make any promises, but she said it could be perceived as encouraging. I just held on to that hope. Then everything happened suddenly. One night, you woke up. You were there looking right at me. They had you hooked up to all of those machines and you started to panic. I went to get a doctor and when I came back you were out again." John put his hand across the back of the sofa. He reached across his body used his free hand to pull her in even closer.
"When they told your mom that you woke up, they had to tell her that they didn't see it personally, but a visitor did. She figured out it was me. Next time I came to visit, I was informed of the new very strict visitor rules, 'No John McBain.' I was pissed, but I knew then that you would be alright. Just figured we'd catch up when you came back to Llanview. Months passed and even thought I kept checking in with Layla your prognosis never changed." John leaned in closer to her. It was her interruption that put him in a foul mood, but nothing could comfort him like she could.
"Then when I finally did come back," Evangeline's voice trailed off at the end. They both remembered how that played out, so there was no need to get into it again. "John, you shouldn't have." Evangeline hated that he suffered because of someone else's misguided love for her. "You were there for me all along, and I turned around and destroyed you because I thought you didn't care. You didn't deserve that. No one did."
Suffering had always been his penance. Time after time he'd let her down, and when she finally needed him he wasn't there. Taking her anger was something that he owed her. Losing the job hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to what she lost. "There was no other way. I couldn't get close enough to you in Llanview. Then after you were gone, I wasn't in any state to go looking for you. When I found you here, I finally learned the truth behind your motives. You weren't in any state to hear that kind of truth. I was worried about what you'd do to your family if you knew. Your family loves you. Everything got all screwed up, but I don't think that your mom had any clue of what was going to happen."
Evangeline smiled at him sadly. The one time she took him home, the family acted shamelessly. Instead of welcoming him, they showed open disdain for him and questioned their relationship. After their relationship ended, they all wanted to tell Evangeline 'I told you so.' She shut them down quickly even though she'd already moved on with Cristian at that point. John was a fine man with a painful past that made it hard to express himself. "Well, it's all out in the open now."
John recalled her positive mood from a short while ago. "When did you talk to your mom?" He toyed with the long tendrils of hair that hung past her shoulders.
"A few weeks ago. The same day of the snowstorm after we had that fight. Once I knew the truth, I was just so scared that any wrong move would be the last straw. You had already put up with so much. I didn't want to drive you away." The next bit of truth would change everything. Ready or not. It was time to deal with all of it.
John remembered that was the same day that she'd clung to him so desperately, afraid that he was going to leave and not come back. It took some convincing to get her to believe him and now it all made sense. John nodded that he understood. He also remembered that she was still calling Lisa mom. They were even on the phone when he came to bed last night. Holding on to that information was the right call. "I'm just glad that things turned out okay. It's all in the past now. If you've forgiven your mom, I can do the same." Forgiveness would only be ceremonial. It was Lisa's meddling that brought them together, but it was also her meddling that pushed them further apart. He would not forget that.
"So, is that the only reason that you stopped me before or, is unless there's something else you we need to talk about?" John could see the apprehensive look on her face. Something was still on her mind. He hid the truth from her only because it was in her best interest.
Evangeline chewed on her lip nervously. John knew her too well now. "There is." Evangeline danced around the right words in her head. There really wasn't a right approach. "A couple of days after that something important happened to me. I was at work and I totally freaked out. Before I even knew what was going on, I was on the phone and trying to place a last-minute flower order for Nora's birthday. I kept thinking how I'm such a terrible friend to have forgotten."
John tried to hide his surprise, but it didn't work was well as he planned. He could feel the smile on his face. This was the first time that he knew of when she'd recalled a memory and remembered it. Recently, he'd come home to her asleep in bed with the TV turned on to some random law program. She was starting to take more interest in the law, but he didn't want to make her nervous by making a big deal out of this. "That's amazing."
"Well, yeah. I thought so, but you don't seem more surprised." Evangeline expected a more dramatic reaction even from John. This was the long-awaited moment that her family had been praying for. Then again, John wasn't much like anyone in his family. He and Eva had started to build a life together. Regaining old memories might have been a threat to what they had. She had stopped his proposal.
John traced his finger along the beads of her pearl necklace. "You didn't remember then either, but you had a memory on Christmas when I gave you these pearls. As far as I know, that was the first memory you recovered. I was excited at first, but then you acted like you'd never even said that you had the memory. I was afraid to push, so I just let it go."
"Wow, I don't remember that at all." The human psyche was such a mysterious thing. She had to wonder if she'd had any earlier memories that she didn't recall either.
"So, have you had any other memories?" John would support her as much as she would allow. Everything about their lives was probably about to change. She was right to stop his proposal.
Evangeline smiled brightly, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "I don't remember what he was wearing, but I remember the talkative guy that sat next to us when you took me to my first football game. I remember tossing your football into the river. You took me home later and we made love. I also remember dates at Rodi's and drinks at the Palace. Making out like teenagers in the back row at the Thalia. Being nervous at my first ballet recital. Sitting in my daddy's lap as he read the Sunday. The taste of my mom's pumpkin. The smell of the soap in my grandmother's bathroom."
This was the really important truth. She hadn't just recovered one memory. She was back. Evangeline Williamson was back. She was the same woman that she was an hour ago, but now she was so much more. He pulled her to him kissing her hard. Her nightmare was finally over and for that he would be eternally grateful. "Welcome back." He spoke between kisses.
Evangeline regrettably ended his barrage of kisses. There were still a few things they needed to sett. "I'm glad to be back, John. I really am. As far as I know, I've recovered all of my memories. Once I had one, the others slowly started to fall into place. I didn't want to say anything to anyone because I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up." It was John's love that brought her back, so she was happy to share her good news with him first. His patient approach to her recover was what she needed all along.
"Guess all that's left is for you to get your life back to normal." His words changed the tone of their conversation. Up until now they had been completely in love without a care in the world. Now Evangeline, the overachiever, was back in the mix. For better or for worse, their lives would have to change.
The happy celebration about her recovery was unfortunately short lived. She wished things had gone as planned. He wasn't supposed to be sad on his birthday. "The old normal will not be the new normal. Frankly, I'm not even sure what the new normal will be. Professionally, I'm going to finish out the school year, but I'm not going to accept the tenured position. I'm not sure exactly what happens after that. I want to go back to practicing law." She watched as John shifted back to cop mode. His face was neutral as he processed the information. Right now, she was just a suspect making her confession. This retreat had been how he'd protected his heart for so long.
The professional part of her life in the past dictated the pace of her personal life. They were a pair of workaholics that somehow made it work in the past. John didn't want to go back to that insanely busy life and he didn't want her to return to hers either. Things were so much easier when they worked jobs that didn't require them to remain on call.
"I think that my personal life is much more important than my career. I might have had that mixed up before. I gave up so much of myself chasing someone else's dream. Life is way too short for that. I'm just going to focus on what I want for now." Her own dreams had been pushed aside as she pushed towards accomplishing the dreams of her parents and family. This short hiatus away from that life had given her clarity that was priceless.
"And what is it that you want, Evangeline?" The old John would have just faded into the background to allow her to find herself. The new John was more confident in himself, his love for her, and their love for each other. No man could bring her happiness like he could. They belonged together.
"I think the better question is what you want. I already told you what I want." Evangeline climbed into his lap. The dress was restrictive, but she didn't have to worry about it getting wrinkled. They probably weren't going out tonight. "I want a life with you, John. Things didn't work before because you were still getting over Caitlyn, and I just wasn't ready to admit that I didn't want to be the next rising star of the Democratic party. We're both different people now. We've changed for the better. I think we're ready to take on the world."
John was finally able to breathe again. She was completely Evangeline again and she still loved. He was tempted to lure her in with sweet words that were completely out of the norm for him, but there was so much to lose. If he said the wrong thing now, it really might end them.
He stroked her thigh and smiled at the happy life that he envisioned for them. There was no way they could get there without an honest discussion. "I think so too. Though it does feel like cheating a little. Things have been so good between us and part of that's because we don't have those high stress jobs. Lots of things went wrong between us before, but we both got so involved with our cases that it was hard for it not to bleed over into our personal lives."
Evangeline opened her mouth to speak then paused. John was being honest, just as he had been for the last several months. They already discussed their complicated past, but now she had the full context and could react appropriately. "We both made adjustments then and we can make adjustments now. Our biggest problem before was someone who shall not be named."
The name popped into his head immediately. He'd only thought about her recently as Jill grew more desperate to grab his attention. It hadn't been a compliment to either woman. "The problem was that I loved you and I loved her. I just didn't understand that there was a difference." He could feel Evangeline tensing in his arms. Hopefully, she remembered how he didn't try to paint their past with him being the good guy. He was honest before, but he could be even more honest with her now.
"I loved her like a friend, and I wanted to take care of her. There was no way I could tell you that because I couldn't say that I loved you. I didn't want to. You made me want to move on and finally put Caitlyn's memory to rest. I wasn't ready for that. In love for me meant the whole nine yards, marriage and kids. You were very clear that you didn't want to get married, and I couldn't even being to ask you about kids." John could tell his truth wasn't making her feel comfortable. It still sounded like was blaming her for not being open in the past.
"I was immature then too." Evangeline conceded. "I was just better at hiding it than you. I was afraid of marriage because I thought that I would lose myself. Dennis was supposed to be the guy. My family loved him. My friends loved him. He was everything my parents told me to look for in a partner. We loved each other, but he wasn't looking for a strong woman that rivaled him. He wanted a strong woman at his side that knew her place. I knew if we stayed together that I would disappear in his shadow." Evangeline hated talking about the past with Dennis. It was a hard realization that she'd been chasing after the wrong man for so many years. They could have been the next power couple, but she was the only one who'd be making the big sacrifices; her own ambitions taking a back seat to his.
"You're definitely not going to get lost in my shadow." John joked at his own expense. He wasn't ambitious like Dennis. He was happy with life outside the fast lane. "Maybe I'm scared that I'll get lost in yours or that I'll be holding you back." Clay Williamson's words from years ago echoed in his head. "Your recovery still isn't over yet. You just now have all of the facts to start deciding on how you want to live the rest of your life. I love you and I just want to be totally selfish. I don't want to go back to 80-90-hour work weeks, and I don't want you to go back to it either. I worked my contacts at the bureau, and I can take an office position almost anywhere in the country. Being in the field on assignment was always such a rush, but I was putting so much on the line. That kind of risk isn't worth it for me, not when I want a family."
Evangeline would probably never use the words John McBain and selfish in the same sentence. His selfish honesty was refreshing. She put her hands on either side of his head behind the sofa. "These are the kinds of adjustments that I was talking about. Selfish is if you let me dive headfirst back into that crazy hectic schedule and complain later when it was bothering you all along. I can practice law in almost any capacity and be satisfied. Maybe someday I'll want to run for public office, but that's so far away. Right now, I want to focus on learning how to be a great wife and mother."
John wrapped both of his arms around her and bumped his head into hers. "Then why the hell did you stop me from proposing?"
She slapped at his chest and pulled away from him. "Because we needed to have this conversation first. I needed you to know that I love you and I plan to put us first in all things. My career is important to me, but not as important as the life I want with you."
Her sentiment was a holdover from their conversation weeks ago. It fears had been completely unfounded. She wanted all the same things that he wanted. "Same goes for me." John smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. This was on track to be his best birthday yet. "So, are you going to let me do this right?" He wiped the lipstick from his lips then squeezed her gently.
Evangeline smiled wide. She hopped out of his lap and went to grab her purse. She could hear John groaning but didn't care. The purse was barely big enough for her cellphone and makeup compact. She checked her makeup and was pleasantly surprised that she still looked decent.
"You look beautiful." John stood and took her by the hand. He walked her over to the fireplace since the previous spot was tainted. He kissed her softly before getting down on one knee. "I love you, Evangeline. You are the woman I want to be with, yesterday, today, tomorrow. Will you marry me?" John smiled up at her. They were both giddy with excitement over things to come. He pulled out a ring box to reveal the princess cut engagement ring.
Evangeline held out her left hand and allowed him to slide the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. She brought her hand to her face and marveled at his good taste. She couldn't have picked out a better ring for herself.
John watched her for a moment, but then moments turned into longer seconds that turned into a minute. He cleared his throat to get her attention. It was no fair to tease him when she'd practically rejected him before.
Instead of responding, Evangeline got down on one knee as well. The real reason she grabbed her purse was to retrieve her own 'ring.' "Your love healed me when nothing else could. You are the man of my dreams. I want to spend all of my life with. Will you marry me?"
"No fair, I asked you first." John watched as she grabbed his wrist and tied a white piece of yarn around it like he had done to her years earlier. Her thoughtfulness brought a tear to his eye. He'd only wished he'd thought of it.
"Yes, John. I will marry you." She put her hand on his chest to stop him from leaning in to kiss her.
"Yes, Evangeline. I will marry you." He moved her hand away and pulled her in for the kiss that he'd been waiting for. They didn't overwhelm each other with their desires. This kiss was the one that would seal their fates.
John stood and helped her up with him. The thought of making love to her in front of the fireplace was tempting, but he wanted the soft, warm cushion of the bed. He took her by the hand and led her back to the master bedroom. The bright rays of the sun illuminated the bed thought they didn't need any help finding it.
His hand went to the back of her dress and rested on the zipper. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to miss that almost virginal, Eva, but I'm glad to have my little sex kitten back." John nipped at her lip playfully and laughed. Their amazing sex life was about to get so much better and he couldn't wait.
"John," Evangeline slapped at his arm playfully. Of course, he would say something ridiculous to ruin the mood. She spun him around and pushed him down on the bed. She had to hike up her dress a bit so that she could climb on top of him. "Well you'd better enjoy her while you can. I want to get married right away so to that I can have your baby for Christmas."
They spent the rest of the day making love and planning for their future. The small details didn't matter anymore because they were happily in love. Life had already presented them with serious challenges that had pulled them apart and pushed them together. They were stronger for it. Nothing would ever get in the way of their happiness again.
Thanks for reading my story. I hope it was enjoyable. Special thanks to Magensby for all the encouraging reviews. You make it worth while.