Chapter 40 – Nearly Midnight

"Mor', luv," I said to her, but she kept clinging to me. "Sweetheart… it's nearly midnight." I tried to pry her hands away but it was no use.

She drew away a little. "Just a minute more, Al Large." Then she burrowed her face deeper into the hollow of my neck, as she tightened her grip.

Dad cleared his throat behind me. I turned my head to glance at him and he was pointing to his wrist watch, so I reached up and took her arms from around my neck. "Morwenna, please."

She peered at me with a rueful grin. "This must be the first time you pushed me away."

"Tradition, my lovers," Dad chuckled at us. "Bad luck for the bride to see the groom and vice versa on the wedding day. Now… three minutes."

"Come on now girl, you'll have the rest of your lives together, so you must come inside now," her mum hissed from the open door.

Her dad suddenly appeared behind Tara. "Morwenna, please…"

Mor' kissed me deeply, then as our lips parted, she whispered, "I love you, Al Large."

Now I was the one who wanted to keep ahold of her. "And I love you."

Her eyes shone brilliantly in the light of the house lamp. "Tomorrow then…"

"Uh, yeah, tomorrow," I managed to mutter as her mum and dad drew Morwenna into the house and then they closed the door in my face.

I sighed.

"That's that, then," Dad said to my back. "You okay, boy?"

I wiped my face as I turned to face Dad. "Yeah."

Dad was smiling but his eyes looked wet. "My little boy, my Al… well, shift it then. Off to the pub with the two of us."

Saturday – tomorrow – I'd be getting married to the woman I loved.

Dad put his arm around my shoulders. "It's gonna be a lovely day, son, tomorrow."

Men don't cry, right? But of course, we do. So, the Large boys, father and son, slowly walked sniffling down the street to the pub and our solitary beds.

000

"That was quite the scene at the restaurant," I murmured.

In our bed next to me, Martin sighed heavily. "Yes."

I reached over to pat my husband's shoulder. "Another job well done."

Once more he sighed at me.

"Mar-tin, now don't be annoyed."

"That woman…"

"Clair Davey," I told him. He was so terrible with names.

"Is she fit to run your school, given that she missed so many obvious signs of her daughter's illness."

I rolled to my left side to see him better. "It's not my school, and she will do just fine. And you did say that Molly will recover."

Martin turned his head to stare at me. "Ought to."

"What's that look supposed to mean?"

He blinked. "Nothing."

"Nothing? Out with it." I didn't want to go to sleep on a sore note.

Martin rolled his body so we were face to face. "Louisa, that's what I can never… understand… about you."

"Oh? And just what's that supposed to mean?"

He took a deep breath. "Good; you always see the good in people… and I…" he shrugged.

"Don't see it," I answered for him.

He wrinkled his nose. "Right." He stared at me for a few seconds but then he said, "Those two youngsters, do they know what they are doing?"

"They're hardly babies, Martin."

He slid an arm under me and then laid the other across my hip. "But still..."

I touched his hair then put my hand on the back of his neck. "Thank you."

"For?"

I scooted closer to push myself against him – full body contact – and I felt the immediate reaction; like lightning his us both. "All this, and James, and the new baby." And even Buddy, I thought.

He turned away to switch off his reading lamp so our bedroom was plunged into dimness, only lit by the nightlight in the hall outside. "Nearly midnight," he said with a yawn, but now his left hand began to stroke my lower back with a slow even motion.

"Al and Morwenna's wedding day is tomorrow," I murmured to him. "How time flies…" The baby fluttered and I almost giggled as I felt those motions. Too early to tell it was knee, foot, or head I was feeling down there.

I saw Martin's eyes shine in the dimness. "Time… yes, a lot of time has gone. Ahm, I love you Louisa," he whispered and then he began kissing me, starting with my ear, then my neck, and then my cheek, and finally landing on my lips, which were very ready to kiss him back.

000

'Love shook my heart, like the wind on the mountain, troubling the oak trees.' - Sappho