Marissa plans her surprise

"I guess so." Ryan commented.

Marissa looked at him trying to gauge just what effect her words had had on him but she couldn't read him at all. "I'm sorry. I know that I should never have said anything … but at the time … I just …" she shrugged. She felt like she had let him down ... in more ways than one. Would he now be regretting having married her? Would he think that he couldn't confide in her because she couldn't keep anything to herself? Marissa started to panic. Why wouldn't he say anything? She looked at him but he was looking straight ahead and out of the window of the room … seemingly staring into space. How could she know what was going through his mind? She couldn't take it anymore. "Ryan?"

He jumped at her request and then turned to look at her.

"Can you forgive me?" she asked.

He could see the worry and doubt in her eyes. She was scared. "There's nothing to forgive." He shrugged. "Maybe I wish that you hadn't revealed it to them and maybe I wish that we'd never tried to keep it a secret in the first place. I just don't know."

"So you don't regret marrying me?" Marissa asked.

Ryan looked at her astonished. "Never. Maybe I don't always make the best choices but I know that one was the right one." He smiled and then shrugged.…"I guess that if we'd been honest about it all in the first place and you'd introduced me as your husband then maybe things would have turned out differently. I don't know. What I do know is that we have to stop constantly worrying what the other one is going to think. Don't ever doubt me or my love for you. Nothing will ever change that. We can work through anything as long as we do it together." He said and bent to kiss her sweetly.

Marissa returned the kiss chastely at first and then with passion, her tongue slipping inside his mouth. She knew this was the start of a new beginning for them. There were no more secrets. A huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She'd told him. He knew it all and he still loved her. She pushed him back on to the bed and moved on top of him … Her need for him blanking out everything else.

Ryan ran his hands over her body … the lust she'd awoken clearly evident in his eyes. He moved his hand between her legs and gently played with her until Marissa could take no more. She needed him inside her and so she rolled over and pulled him on top of her …. As he thrust into her she moaned with pleasure. She knew that she would never have enough of this … of him. Ryan moved within her over and over while his hands made love to the rest of her body until she cried out in ecstasy and then he let himself go and collapsed into her arms. It was quite sometime later before Marissa thought to say. "So you don't mind that everyone now knows?"

Ryan grimaced. He really didn't want to talk about it anymore. He was just enjoying the aftermath of making love with his wife. But he knew that he needed to answer. He rolled off her and pulled her in with his arm to rest her head on his shoulder and answered. "Part of me is happy that is all out in the open … but … I'm sorry about the problems that it is causing between me and the Cohen's. I owe them my life. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if they hadn't taken me in and somehow I feel like I have betrayed them in the worst possible way by not including them in the most important thing that's ever happened to me. If you had heard the disappointment in Seth and Sandy's voices … and I can't imagine that Kirsten would have been any better … probably worse. I guess maybe it wasn't such a great idea."

Marissa felt guilty that she had caused all this. "So … you are having second thoughts?"

Ryan shook his head. "No. Not about marrying you. Don't ever think that." He said and pulled her closer to him. "But I know that I've hurt them and I just don't know how I am going to make it better."

Marissa tried to think of something that she could do that could help to patch things up. "Maybe if I say that it was all my idea? That you wanted to wait but that I pushed you into it."

Ryan smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I don't need you to lie for me. If anybody did any pushing it was me. I was the impatient one."

"Well it doesn't really matter now. I was happy to go along with it as well so we are both to blame." Marissa said.

"I refuse to think of our marriage as a mistake that someone needs to be blamed for. We love each other and we got married and they are just going to have to understand and deal with it." Ryan said firmly and then softened as he thought about his family back home. "Eventually."

"So does this mean that we don't have to go back just yet? We've still got 2 weeks left before we were supposed to return. If Annabel is coping then couldn't we stay a bit longer? Whatever we have to face with the Cohen's isn't going to change much in 2 weeks." Marissa suggested.

Ryan shrugged. "I guess so. Maybe it would be best if I left them for a little while to cool down and get over the shock."

"Good. Because I have a little surprise planned for you."

"A surprise?" Ryan pulled back. "What?"

"I can't tell you … otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise." Marissa replied.

"What happened to open and honest?" Ryan asked.

"That doesn't include good surprises." Marissa assured him.

Ryan thought for a moment. "Do I need clothes?" Ryan asked a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Yes you will." Marissa laughed.

Ryan looked crestfallen.

"But not for all the time." She teased and he brightened up. "But it's not going to happen right now. I have to make a few phone calls to set it all up. Why don't you go and rustle up something for us to eat and leave me alone to make my calls." She said pushing Ryan off the bed and towards the door.

Ryan rather liked the idea of having a little time to himself. He could call Dan and tell him that he intended to reveal what was going on with Julie to Marissa. He knew that there was no way that he would be able to go to sleep that night until he had cleared everything up with her. He wanted a clean slate. "Okay. But this better be worth it." He said as he pulled on some boxers and a t-shirt. "What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"Surprise me." Marissa replied and then looked at Ryan who glanced over at her. There eyes connected and the sparks flew. She laughed, breaking the moment. "No … not that … that can be dessert. I really need food. The cup of coffee this morning seems a long time ago."

Ryan smiled. "How about one of my famous omelettes?"

"Mmmm. Sounds good."

"Okay. But you owe me." Ryan said as he moved to the door of the bedroom.

"Put it on my bill." Marissa suggested.

Ryan hesitated. "You do know that without a job you won't be able to pay this bill off?"

Marissa smiled. "So what happens then?"

"Well I'll have to charge you interest of course." He replied a sparkle in his eye.

"I'm interested to hear about this interest." Marissa replied.

"I assure you that I'm interested too. And I'll be back to collect." He said as he smiled and left the room.

---

Marissa quickly called James and he assured her that he would call her back as soon as he checked everything out. She got out of bed and pulled on one of Ryan's t-shirts and then moved to the bathroom to brush her hair. She looked in the mirror and smiled. It seemed that their activities had turned it in to a wanton mess ... and the rest of her matched. Her lips were full and pouty …. no doubt from the passion of their kisses … her cheeks were rosy and she had a post-coital glow that made it obvious that she had been well and truly shagged. She smiled. What was it about Ryan that made her want to stay this way forever? She hoped that she would look this way a lot more often … now that they had everything out in the open between them. She looked down at her toes and couldn't help but think of the phrase barefoot and pregnant. The idea was starting to appeal to her more and more. She wasn't quite ready to tell Ryan about it just yet. But as the walls fell between them and they got closer and closer the thought of having his child growing inside her was becoming more and more appealing. Sure she wanted to go back and go to college but couldn't she do that while she was pregnant? She needed to talk to him about it but she knew that he would love the idea. She would only need to say the word.

She heard her phone ringing and thinking that it was James calling back she quickly moved to answer it but when she got to it, she looked at the caller id and stopped dead. It was the last person she expected. What should she do? If she ignored it … would they get the message and stop calling or would they just call back again? Why were they calling anyhow? And what would Ryan say if he knew? Her mind was in complete turmoil as she tried to decide. The phone continued to ring and she knew that she had to make a decision but what? If she answered … what should she say? She thought about calling Ryan and getting him to take it but she knew that was the coward's way out. Her hand hesitated for a moment longer and then before she had time to think again she quickly answered. "Hello?"

There was silence at the other end for a moment and then she heard a voice say. "Marissa?"