Chapter 18 --- Making Love The Old Fashioned Way

It was after dark when Jake got home. He had eaten a microwave burrito for dinner. Before his marriage they had been haute cuisine, now they tasted like cardboard. The only light in the house came from his and Diane's bedroom, so he pulled his shirt off while walking down the hall and threw it at Diane as he walked through the door, catching Sarah full on the face.

"Nice one Jake!"

"I am so sorry Sarah!" Jake pleaded, "I didn't think… Where is Diane?" Concern colored his voice.

"She's on the deck waiting to talk to you."

Moving to look at his sleeping daughter, he softly asks, "Why?"

"Go Jake." Sarah says pointedly.

"Did I do or forget something?"

"Go to the deck Jake." She adds more softly, "Listen to you r wife."

As Jake heads to the door he's hit on the back of the head with his smelly shirt. "And put on a fresh shirt!" Sarah advised.

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With a fresh shirt and washed face, Jake approaches the back door, listening to the 'tick, tick, tick' of a pacing Diane's heels. Taking a deep breath he passed through the door and stood staring at his wife; with her hair pulled up, wearing his favorite little black dress – the one she wore at Kevin and Jen's wedding.

Noticing Jake staring at her she asks, "Jake please sit here." She indicates a chair separated from the others.

"Is everything alright?" He asks after taking his seat.

"Please," she pleads, "just listen"

He nods, worry etched on his moonlit face.

"Jake, I love you." Diane softly begins, raising a hand to stop his reply. "I need to say this. I think the world of you; husband, best friend, lover, protector, partner, clown, therapist…" She pulls the pins holding her hair up. "I need you to know that you make me happy…" Using her hands, she combs her hair out, giving a shake of her head to settle it around her shoulders. "… I feel more happiness and more love than I ever dreamed there existed…" Walking up to her husband she takes his hand and kisses it. "…Mostly, I want you to know that I appreciate you…" She sits on his lap, "… Do you know why I wore this dress?"

"It's my favorite?"

"Why is it your favorite?"

"It's the one you wore to Kevin and Jenny's wedding…"

"Keep going."

"…Our first dance, the first time I noticed you were prettier than Sarah. Your breath was minty. You killed me… …That's it isn't it?"

"You trusted me with your life. No one has ever had that much faith in me before, including myself."

"I still do."

"I know. That's why I wanted, without it being the popular euphemism, to make love to you tonight." She said laying her head on his shoulder.

"You are an amazing woman, Constance Diane Hughes Foley, consider the love made…" Wrapping his arms around her, neither notice the two sets of eyes spying on them.

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"I know little one that you are too young to understand or maybe to even see them, but anytime love is that evident you need to watch and not interrupt. Now, let's get you back to bed."

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"… and I am also happy." He is silenced with a deep kiss.

"Can we just sit here, enjoying the moonlight?"

"Ok, after one question."

Sitting up Diane looks at Jake.

"Marry me."

"What!?"

"Well, renew our vows. Just you, me and Nora Lee, in a cabin in Virginia."

"Jake…" He smiles at her hopefully. "… I accept." Handing him her engagement ring, she teasingly wiggles her fingers until he captures the right one and returns the ring to its rightful place; earning him another kiss.

Noticing Jake's gallant effort to stifle a yawn, Diane stands and strikes a pose. "Not sexy enough for you?"

"No… Yeah… What?" Jake jumbles his thoughts with eyes rounded in confusion.

Diane 'thinks' at Jake, "Just kidding buster."

"Sweetheart, you are too much!" He 'thinks' back. Leaning down for a kiss he is disappointed when she takes his hand, pulling him toward the house.

"Come on boy-toy, let's get you to bed." Answering the surprise and eager look on his face, she adds. "Easy boy. In a week I'm going to eat you alive, until then we're cuddle buddies."

"I can live with that."

Smiling at her husband, she takes his hand and leads him through the house. Jake stops her at their bedroom's doorway; looking at Sarah holding Nora Lee, gently rocking her.

Wrapping his arms around Diane, he pulls her back against him. They stand there watching their baby and friend. Jake lowers his head until his chin is resting on Diane's head and 'thinks' to her, "My real life beats any fantasy I ever had."

"How so?"

"My beautiful, sexy, desirable wife, who is dragging me to bed, is the most amazing woman on the planet. That's reality. In college I sometimes fantasized about coming home from work and finding Sarah rocking my child. So here I am seeing my fantasy come to life, but preferring my reality."

Diane leans back against Jake and giggles. "Go get your child." She 'thinks', "Sarah, thank you for your help."

"With this little sweetie, anytime."

"Jake, I'll be back in a minute."

"Ok Diane." He didn't mind a few minutes alone with Nora Lee. The little piece of himself holds him enthralled. When he hears laughter coming from Sarah's room he doesn't mind, he is with his girl.

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Laughing, Diane said "I can't believe you were spying on us!"

"It was her idea." Sarah replied between her own bits of laughter.

"Oh my, she's some three day old." Diane said when the laughter had died down.

"Makes me wish…" Sarah starts wistfully. "When do the grandparents arrive?"

"Jake's arrive Tuesday. My mom's not doing so well, so we'll probably go to Bar Harbor in a couple of weeks." She adds giving Sarah a hug, "You'll have your own baby someday and the wait will be worth it."

Returning the hug Sarah whispers,"Thanks."

"I should be thanking you for the idea to take my hair down while talking to Jake. It really got his attention. How did you know?"

"A little guess work based on observation."

"Go on." A curious Diane request.

"While I've been here I've noticed things about you two. Like the look of relief you give Jake over your pepperoni, anchovy and artichoke heart pizza. Or how you stop reading when he's in the room, and watch him over the book you're pretending to read."

"No wonder Skerrit wants you to work for him. But what about the hair?"

"When Jake first sees you he looks at your face. Then his eyes travel up, not down like most guys. And…"Sarah stops.

"Please go on."

"Well, of the women I know he's dated, you have the shortest hair."

"He does find excuses to touch it. I thought he just liked brushing it from my face."

"Don't forget the first thing he looks at."

"My face?"

"He smiles every time he sees it."

Diane turns and looks in the dresser's mirror; turning her head side to side, shaking her hair, lifting her chin. "You know, I think I'll keep the big spazz."

"Good idea."

"Can you keep a secret?"

Sarah moved closer, "Go on."

"On our anniversary, we're renewing our vows."

"How romantic!"

"We're renting a cabin and it'll just be the three of us." Diane sees Sarah counting on her fingers.

"Oh my… We've just got four months to find you the perfect dress!"

"I hadn't thought…" Diane starts with excitement growing in her eyes, "…It's got to be white."

"And beautiful."

"Something Jake hasn't seen."

"Flowing..."

"Soft..."

"Elegant..."

"Easy to carry..."

"Daring..."

"Stain resistant..."

"Low cut… What?"

"Nora Lee… What do you mean low cut?"

"White, low cut, with a flower wreath for your hair, total earth-goddess thing. Jake won't remember his own name." Sarah sees anger in Diane's eyes; anger and fear with tears welling up.

"Diane, I'm sorry. What's wrong?" Moving over and wrapping an arm around her friend.

"He lost his memory once."

"Really? I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"He didn't know his name. He didn't remember…" Diane chokes back a sob, "…me."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"You can't tell anyone."

"I promise. How did…"

Diane interrupts, "He came back to…" she adds softly, "…me."

Sarah stares at her friend for a long minute. "Now that is the most romantic thing I've ever heard. With no memory at all he still chose you. Sounds like one of those movies I like to cry at."

Giving her a soft smile, Diane sniffs and says, "I'm serious, you can't tell anyone."

"I promise, Diane. You realize, of course, that the next time you doubt that you deserve him, I'll have to hurt you."

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Next: Parents and Geldings

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