Chapter 4
Twenty four hours later the happy couple were once again enjoying a cup of tea in the peace and quiet of their bedroom.
As they lay discussing their plans for the day and the possibility of a short break to the Lake District, their thoughts moved onto how nice it was to wake up in the house on their own for the first time since the wedding.
William had gone back to Oxford and Angus' parents had taken both he and Lawrence away for the Easter holiday to a theme park. Caroline was extremely grateful as that wasn't her cup of tea and the idea of zip wiring or abseiling was the equivalent of hell on earth; not her idea of a holiday at all.
So it was during this period of calm and contentment that Kate broached the one subject she thought remained a test of Caroline's love and commitment. It had rarely been mentioned between them in the eight months since her change of heart about asking Greg to help her conceive, on that fateful birthday weekend away.
Her determination to have a baby had not waned but she appreciated the 'sleeping with Greg' way of conception would have been utterly disrespectful and hurtful to Caroline. The long and the short of it all was that the lack of support shown by Caroline towards the idea of a baby, indeed, the way in she had done her best to persuade Kate to change her mind, had been the straw that broke the camel's back. Since their reconciliation, while Kate realised that having a baby was still very much part of her hopes for their future, they had agreed to wait until after the wedding before discussing it rationally.
"Caroline?" Kate spoke softly as she lay snuggled with her crotch against Caroline's buttocks, resisting the impulse to begin pumping.
Caroline responded slowly as she shifted her focus from the urge which always threatened to ignite as such times.
"Hmm yes darling" she responded sexily, just the merest touch from the bronze skinned woman set her heart racing, let alone the feel of Kate's soft pubic hair against one of the most sensitive parts of her body.
"Did Beverley tell you about her cousin's good news?" Kate just about managed to ask, glancing down, transfixed by the creamy white buttocks.
"Yes. Yes, she did. It's strange that you should mention that. I asked Beverley to find out the name of the clinic and she messaged me the details just yesterday evening. You were on the phone to your mum at the time, then you had a bath and we came up to bed, one thing leading to another as you know, and I forgot to tell you. The clinic's in Manchester. I Googled it and found out that they have one of the highest success rates in the country, especially with what some would describe as high risk cases."
Caroline was surprised to find herself becoming animated as she spoke, knowing Kate not only had her four miscarriages counting against her but, at 42, her age too. After reading the testimonials from the women who were told they little or no chance of success, she had dared to allow her hopes to build on Kate's behalf.
Kate shifted her gaze from the temptation that lay against her groin, to the side of her wife's face. She was pleased that Caroline couldn't see the faint look of surprise which resulted from hearing such a positive response. It was a far cry from the guffaw she received at school when she first told the woman lying in front of her about her wish to be a mum.
Kate knew that today might be the day when she had to start learning to live with the realisation that being a mum would not be part of her future. Being married to the woman of her dreams would have to be compensation enough, if motherhood was not going to happen.
"What did you think about what you read?" Kate asked.
Little did Caroline know that there wasn't a web page or paper the dark haired woman hadn't read about donor insemination and high risk pregnancies. Part of Kate's attention to her heath and diet was formed by the knowledge that these were influential factors in getting pregnant.
"It was interesting and I was surprised at how little I knew considering my background in science."
"Why would you know these things? You didn't need to know about such interventions, it came naturally and easily for you."
Caroline sensed that there was a hint of something negative in that statement. Maybe hurt, sarcasm or envy. She made a conscious decision not to respond accordingly but carried on.
"Yes, it's true I was all about Chemistry. Biology and Physics took a back seat."
Caroline deliberately began to shift her hips in order to diffuse the slight tension which threatened to creep between them.
Kate felt the movement and responded in kind, by gently pressing herself even closer into the soft cushioning of Caroline's buttocks. While not intentional, she knew that her previous response could have been interpreted as antagonistic and there was a need to reverse back down that road.
Kate ran her hands around her wife's torso, up to her breasts, while making more obvious thrusting motions with her pelvis. She spent some minutes revelling in the response which came from her wife, knowing full well that this was one of Caroline's favourite positions.
Wordlessly she continued her movement while gently re-positioning them both until she lay face down on the back of a prostrate Caroline. Her thrusting became more forceful and deliberate. Caroline bucked her hips off the bed as much as she was able, allowing Kate's right hand to gain access to her silky wet clitoris, which was screaming out for attention.
Caroline shuddered as Kate's fingers began their soft caresses, in time to the bucking of their hips. The touches became more forceful, faster and more deliberate.
"Oh yes, yes. Yes there. Oh God. Gosh Kate. I love this. It's so ..."
Her words were interrupted by the ringing of the house phone, which she tried to ignore. Kate's movements had not skipped a beat; she was much more able than Caroline to focus on the moment. But even Kate was thrown off kilter when Caroline's mobile began to ring almost as soon as the land-line had stopped and she slowed almost to halt until that ringing stopped too.
They were just on the point of again being lost in the moment when a loud banging began.
"Dear God in Heaven. I don't believe this. It's like making love in the middle of a bloody high street. Who's banging on the sodding door like there's a major disaster happening in the garden?" Kate was not one to mince her words where sex was concerned, particularly when interrupted in full flow.
Caroline too was nothing short of frustrated. Their sex life was varied and frequent but she could still not get enough of Kate's ministrations and her clit throbbed with unfulfilled longing. She felt that her life depended on them finishing what had been so very nearly brought to fruition.
While they lay waiting for the banging to stop, an uneasy feeling began to develop in Caroline's mind. Her phone rang again while the banging continued, confirming her suspicion that the person at the door was also the caller. Bloody John. She dreaded Kate's reaction if their lack of response did not drive him away soon.
Her hopes were answered and silence soon reigned, but the level of their previous intimacy was not so easily reignited. Kate also suspected that it was John and frustration showed in her body language. She tutted as she rolled her eyes and left the bed. Without looking at Caroline she went into the en-suite and slammed the door.
Caroline checked the missed call I.D. as Kate took a shower.
"Sod it." Caroline spoke out loud. She had so wanted to be wrong. In vain.
As Kate returned, she found Caroline standing thoughtfully, her phone still in her hand. With an exasperated look, the blonde held the phone up to show John's smarmy, smiling face.
"Damn it Caroline. That waste of space is beyond a joke. He has got to get the message. The boys are not here. He knows that. He doesn't live here any more. WE own this house. I can't think of anyone else who would disturb folk on their honeymoon. This is our time. I don't care what mini disaster has befallen him. I don't care what woes the world has seen fit to throw his way. Don't you dare call him back."
At that moment a text message came in:
'Left parcel on doorstep. From Gillian. Where are you.'
Caroline read the text, noticing that he didn't use a question mark, one of her pet hates. She threw the phone down towards the bed, missed by a mile and after a slide across the carpet, it hit the wardrobe with a bang.
"I am so sorry, Kate. He's insufferable. I can understand your anger. Sorry, I'll reply now and that will be it, I promise."
She picked her phone up, relieved that it was still in one piece. Her text was unambiguous:
'DO NOT ever turn up on our doorstep uninvited again. DO NOT ever phone or text me unless it is an emergency to do with the boys. My whereabouts are absolutely none of your business. Now fuck off!'
She reached out her hand to Kate and showed her the text as she pressed send.
"If that doesn't work I will personally castrate him and feed his bits to next door's cat. Mind you, the cat needs feeding up and John hardly has enough to do the necessary."
Laughter, always the best medicine, did the trick and they giggled as they hugged.
Their intention was to have a leisurely lunch in town before meeting with the bank to arrange their new accounts. As they opened the front door to go out, they found the present from Gillian on the doorstep and Caroline put it in the hallway to open later.
It was during the meal that the subject of the baby came up again, at Caroline's instigation. Her intention was to show Kate that she was fully behind the baby plan.
"When I was reading about the fertility clinic it crossed my mind that we ought to have a bank account just for the baby. That could cover the cost of the treatment and then become an account for his or her future. I will ask the bank to transfer my Cash ISA over. There's nearly £15,000 in there which will be a good start."
Kate considered the proposal but, to her wife's surprise, her response was not positive.
"You did, did you? Start as you mean to go on?" There was a firmness in Kate's voice which spoke louder than her words.
"Kate? What? I wanted you to know that I am supportive about having a baby."
"Spending money is not the way I want you to do that, Caroline. That's not the type of support I need or want. I need someone who will walk this road with me. It'll not be an easy journey. There'll be obstacles and we may not get there. What you'll have to spend will not be money but time and encouragement."
"I know that Kate, and I will. But I want you to know that I intend to provide for you and the baby."
"That's not how we should do this. That will only lead to problems in the future. I know that you earn far more than me but we really must make sure that this does not lead to one of us – you – being the dominant partner in our relationship. With you already making a decision about setting up an account, without discussing it with me, you've already taken that role."
Caroline realised that she had a lot to learn about her wife. This new Kate was a match in more ways than one. With the sharing of vows it was almost as if Kate had come into her own and, truth be told, Caroline was rather enamoured with the change. She also realised that she had a lot more to learn about herself. When married to John she was patently aware that she had grown rather tired of the disparity between them and she was stimulated by Kate's challenging attitude. She put her hands in the air as a sign of surrender.
"You are so right. I am so sorry. God, I'm such a pillock. I didn't think through what your perception of my actions might be. Hell, scrap that. I didn't think it through at all."
The blonde was not the only one of the couple to be surprised at the change in her wife. While Caroline had been rather short-sighted in her proposal about the baby account, her easy acknowledgement of that error was a far cry from the headmistress who had always found it hard to leave that persona at the school gates.
They spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying their meal and decided to leave baby talk for another time. This was their first outing as Mrs and Mrs and Caroline gazed proudly into the eyes of the gorgeous woman sitting opposite her. While walking back to the Jeep hand in hand, they both quietly appreciated how far they had come in such a short space of time.