A/N I peek out from my hiding place…..
Hi all! Okay, I didn't make you wait to long…here is the last chapter of Save the Last Dance.
I know…we can go on forever…but I feel this is a good stopping point. Doesn't mean that it couldn't have a sequel… But not for awhile.
So, please let me know what you think of how we have said goodbye to Save the Last Dance.
***0***
Chapter 20 - Save the Last Dance
Beep…Beep…Beep…
What is that infernal sound? God, make it stop. It's giving me a headache.
"Eric…I think she's coming round." I hear someone say.
I feel a soft touch on the side of my face. "Love? Can you open those beautiful eyes for me?" I hear him ask.
I try to comply. There isn't anything I would want more than to look at him. Oh, and to have that noise go away. I try to open my eyes, but the light is really bright and I immediately close them again.
"Dim the lights," I hear a woman say.
"Okay, Love. Try again. Pam dimmed the light so that should be better." I hear that beautiful voice say.
I do as he asks and it is darker so I can keep my eyes open. I look directly at my Eric. He looks so tired and his beard is coming in. Not that I don't think that's sexy, but well, he's smiling but his eyes tell me a different story.
I try to move my arm, but it won't budge. When I try to talk, I can't.
"They weren't sure how long you would be out. You have a feeding tube." Eric says. Probably in response to the look on my face.
"I'll get a nurse." I hear someone say from behind Eric.
I've no idea where I am or what was going on. Then I remember. Victor, Elizabeth, gunfire, lights, darkness. I go to sit up but Eric holds me in place.
"Rest, Love." Eric says and kisses my hand. "You're safe now."
The door opens and a woman comes in and moves over to the side of the bed. "Sookie, I'm Dr. Claudine Brigant. I was on call when you were brought it. We are going to get that tube out. It's going to feel a little funny." She nods and Eric moves away as someone else comes up close to me.
She wasn't kidding, the tube hurt coming out. I don't know why they would put people through that.
"Okay, your throat's going to be sore. But that is understandable." She looks around the room and then back to me. "Sookie do you know where you are?" She asks.
I look around the room. I see Eric, Pam, Amelia and Jason all on one side. The room is white and the bed has railings.
"H..Hospital?" I ask her. My voice sounds horse and it really does hurt to talk.
She nods. "Do you remember what happened?" She asks.
The other person has moved away and Eric has moved in beside me and takes my hand in his. I smile at him and then turn back to the doctor. "Vi…Victor." I say.
The doctor nods and turns to Eric. "I will let the officers know that she's awake so they can talk to her. But I want her to rest a little while longer before they come storming in."
"That's very kind of you, Dr. Brigant." I hear Amelia say.
She nods and turns back to me. "I will let you visit with your family and then I want to check you over, okay?" She asks.
I nod and she goes to turn and walk out.
I look at Eric. "Ho…how long?" I ask and try to swallow. Pam has gotten me a cup of water with a bendi-straw. I smile and take a sip.
"How long what, Sookie? How long were you out?" Jason asks.
I nod to him.
" 12 hours," he says.
"Wh…what?" I ask.
"You have been unconscious for 12 hours." Eric says. I can her the fatigue in his voice.
"Wh…why?" I ask and take another sip of water.
"Elizabeth said you hit your head on the coffee table." Amelia answers me.
I hit my head? Yeah, I don't remember that. I remember feeling something on my arm, but no, not hitting my head.
"Wha…what happened?" I ask them.
"Sookie, why don't we wait for the doctor?" Jason asks.
I shake my head but it hurt so I stopped. "No, pl…please tell me."
Eric sighs. "We will tell you what we know." He says.
He begins by telling me what happened at Bill's parent's house and how Elizabeth had convinced Victor to take him along. I was wondering how that had happened. Anyway, he then tells me about how her ankle device set off the alarm and how they traced them to the hotel.
"The..the next thing we knew, they were calling for ambulances and medics." Eric stops. I see the unshed tears in his eyes. He must have been crazed waiting to find out.
"We don't know what happened in the room. Only what Elizabeth said." Pam interjects. "William showed up just before everything went to Hell."
I nod for someone to continue. "They wouldn't let me up, Sookie." Eric says. "They would…"
"Hey…" I say softly. "It's okay. He was crazed, Eric. You could have gotten hurt." Speaking of hurt. "Wh….what's wrong with me?" I ask.
"You have a sprained wrist and a really bad bump on your head. The doctor says you have a concussion and they will want you to be careful for a while. A bullet grazed your arm but they fixed that." He says to me kissing the bandage and then looking back at me with those sad, sad eyes I touch the side of his face and smile at him. He gives me a small smile but it doesn't meet his eyes. I want it so to meet his eyes.
"The doctor thought you may be out for a while," Jason said. "I told them you would come around sooner rather than later. But no one wanted to listen to me."
I smile over Eric's shoulder. "You knew, huh?" I ask.
He nods. "Yeah, nothing keeps our Sook down."
I turn and look at everyone in turn. They all look so tired.
"El…Elizabeth?" I ask.
"She's going to be fine. She broke her arm when Victor knocked her to the floor. Once they got her in and had her patched up, she insisted on going home. The media followed us all here from the hotel and she wanted out of here."
Media, yeah, I guess I can understand that. But for right now, I'll put that in the box that says I'll think on that later. So Scarlet O'Hara of me, now isn't it?
I didn't want to ask the last question. But I really needed to know. The man is as crazy as a loon. Probably as mentally unstable as Hadley. Perhaps not. Perhaps he's just that evil. But the thought of what could have happen sends a chill down my spine. For my own sanity, I need to know.
As if Eric could read my mind he nods. "He got shot when the mobile team moved in." He says.
"What?" I ask.
"They were outside the room, next door and on the balcony. When they heard the shot fired, the rushed the room. Evidently, they had been using a heat sensor to find him. They came in guns blaring." He says.
Jason huffs from the other side of the room.
"What, they shouldn't have done that?" I ask.
Jason and everyone else shakes their head.
"Sookie, they knew approximately where you and Elizabeth was. But they came in like some mortal combat game. How did they know that they weren't going to hit you or Compton's mother. Hell, they could have come in and hit each other. Ana and Frank are pissed. Lafayette is furious. The mobile commander isn't saying anything right now. But it's still early. I think they still have cops at the hotel trying to sort everything out."
"So…so he's in custody?" I ask.
Everyone looks at one another and not at me. They're keeping something from me.
"What?" I ask.
He sighs. "Sookie, Victor, Remy or whatever his name is, he's….he's dead."
"But…but you said…." He nods. "Yeah, he was alive when they brought him in. I heard one of the medics say that he took one in the leg. He was screaming and telling everyone to let him go. I guess they had to sedate him cause he was trying to get up off the gurney and get to you. He kept saying that he needed to leave. But he wasn't going anywhere." Eric says.
"Okay…" I say softly. "So he was alive when they brought him in. What happened?" I ask.
"They took him into the ER to get him fixed up. He was up in surgery before we got there." Jason says. "Eric rode in the ambulance with you. Amelia, Pam, Abby and Edwin came straight here. I had to get Crystal calm and left her with Tara and JB. Sam and Lafayette came over just behind the ambulance." He says.
I feel bad that Crystal was so upset. She really didn't need to deal with all of this.
"They got the bullet out and set his leg. They made sure he was moved upstairs for recovery before they moved you. They didn't even want you all on the same floor. I heard Ana instruct the security that she wanted him guarded at all times. But, well," He shrugs.
"Eric, tell me what happen?" I ask him.
He sighs. "Love, they aren't really sure. Not an hour after they got him in his room, they found him dead in his room."
"What?" I ask.
He nods. "The guard swears he just went to the bathroom. But the security camera to the hall way has been tampered with and all the machines in the room were turned off. Someone smothered him with a pillow. They say that Victor never woke up." He says.
I shake my head. "And the guard what, went to the bathroom?" Sounds like a pretty lame excuse to me.
He nods again. "That's what he said. But they haven't been able to find the guard to have him answer more questions. He didn't even clock out. He just left. The police are looking for him. But in reality, they don't think they're going to be able to find him."
I shake my head again. "I don't understand. What was going on with Victor? Is Hadley involved? I mean, the dude is a lawyer. Regardless of his name, he's passed the bar. What was he involved with and what did it have to do with Bill? Why would anyone want to kill Victor?" I ask.
"He…he was the guy that Bill was trying to use as a bargaining chip with the DA and the Feds, Sook." Jason answers. "He was the connection to the drug ring."
"I…I don't understand." I say to them.
"Bill thought that he could sell out Victor to help him get the better sentence. Victor evidently needed the money to pay off some guy. According to Bill, Victor is the one that sent Lorena in as you. But the DA isn't buying it. Bill had no real proof that Victor was involved with anything. He had no names of buyers, no money trail and really nothing else. They checked Victor's place and they couldn't find a thing. When Ana found out that this information was the hold out, I swear she would have shot Bill herself if he was in the room."
"So what, Bill was just going to point his finger at Victor and say, He's a bad drug guy so let me go?" I say with a little sarcasm in my voice.
Amelia laughs. "Yeah that's pretty much what Ana said."
"Bill only knew his name was Paulie." Eric says. "Ana said that if she knew he had so little information, she would have locked him up over a week ago. She is hopping mad. I'm telling you. I don't want to be Bill Compton right now. Hell, I never want to be him. But that's besides the point."
"How do you know what Bill knew?" I ask him tilting my head to the side.
He smirks at me. "When William showed up at the hotel, he immediately went to tell the DA what Bill had told him.
"Why would William throw his son under the bus like that?" I ask.
"He was worried about Elizabeth and basically forced him to come clean." Eric says. "He was tired of the games and when Victor took Elizabeth, he knew the chances were very bleak." He says and moves a little closer to me. "I could have lost you." He says softly. So softly that no one else heard him.
I place my good hand on the back of his head as he leans his down to touch my forehead.
"It won't ever get that close again." He says to me.
I nod. "I know."
We stay like that for a few minutes. Just needing that connection between us. The rest of the room fades away as I find comfort and give comfort in my man's arms.
Eric leans back and kisses my forehead again and sits back in the chair next to me.
"What's going to happen now?" I ask them all.
He shakes his head. "I don't know." He says softly. "I'm just glad that you are back with us."
"Yeah, Sook, you gave us all a fright and a half." Jason said. "Crystal has been beside herself and don't get me started on Laf. He's threatening to sue everyone from the police to the Comptons for this."
I shake my head. "Victor was crazy." I say. "There is nothing anyone could do. I think this has been building for a real long time."
"How can you be so calm, Sookie?" Pam asks. "The evil bastard had you at gun point."
I nod. "I'm not calm. I just saw his eyes. This wasn't something that happened overnight. The kind of evil he had inside of him didn't just pop up overnight. That took years to develop. He had no regard, none for either mine or Elizabeth's life. We were just a means to an end."
"Sookie, if something had…" Amelia starts. I put up my free hand.
"Please, let's not go there." I say and turn back to Jason. "So, why does Laf want to get litigation happy? The Comptons have no connection to Victor."
"Yeah, but if they had gotten their son to tell the DA everything he knew, maybe they could have stopped him." Jason says.
I couldn't have argued with that. The logic was semi sound. But like I said, I got a feeling that the wake left by Victor Madden was large. They may never really find out exactly what he was involved with or who his form of evil rested on. I do know that they will probably never find Jocelyn Hampton. Not to mention the other people that he and Hadley have probably killed.
"Have…Have the ..they find out who he was?" I ask.
Eric shakes his head. "They are assuming that he's this Remy Savoy guy. At least that is what they think. The DA's office can't prove it. They don't even know where this guy was from. Ana says that they are looking into it. But they keep hitting walls. Their hoping that if or when Hadley gets better, she can tell them more."
I felt horrible. I hadn't even asked about her.
"I know what you're thinking and you need to stop." Eric says.
I look at him. "Sookie, you have been unconscious after a very traumatic experience. You just woke up. Give yourself a break, my love. You need to rest and heal. Trust everyone else to do what they need to do. You're safe now."
I smile at him and then think of one more thing. "We…need to get out of here." I say softly.
He kisses my forehead. "My darling Sookie, you aren't going anywhere until the doctor says so."
I shake my head. It hurts less than it did when I open my eyes. "No, we have a Gala to attend tonight."
"Sookie I don't…" I put my hand up again. "Find the doctor. Get me cleared to go. I'll talk to the officers and do what they want me to do. But Eric," I say and look at him. "We need to go that Gala. We need to show our support and we are launching the project. I'm not about to sit back and let someone else do for me. This is mine. No, this is our project. I'm the one responsible for the Foundation until Jason can be more involved with it. It was my name that was going to be used without my permission to gain Bill support. I want the world to see me. I'm Sookie Stackhouse, damn it. I stand on my own two feet.
He smiles at me. "Okay, love," he says and stands. Before he moves, he leans down and kisses me again. "But I hope you let me carry you from time to time. I happen to like having you in my arms."
I smile at him. "I'm going to hold you to that."
He kisses me one more time before he heads out the door.
***0***
EPOV
"Sookie, are you sure?" I ask her from behind the closed bedroom door. We hadn't been able to go back to the hotel. I don't think Sookie would have wanted to anyway. Not that we would be allowed to anyway; it being a crime scene and all. Hell, if I never stepped foot into that room again, it would have been too soon. It was hard enough trying to get our luggage. But, after some harsh words from Lafayette, the Lieutenant in charge obliged us and had the luggage brought down to me in the lobby.
After the doctor and the officers left Sookie, my parents insisted that we stay at their apartment. My father all but picked my Sookie up and carried her out of the hospital himself. I think he was just as shaken by the whole thing as I was.
Sookie told me it was up to me. I thought about for a few moments. But my father pulled me aside and told me that he wouldn't be able to sleep knowing we weren't with him. In fact, he insisted we all stay with him. There wasn't enough room for all of us, but my father fixed that. He called the manager of the building and found two other units available in the building, fully furnished. He bought them, cash outright and had the keys delivered to him in all of a half hour.
Man sure knows how to work a deal, that's for sure.
Everyone tried to convince Sookie that it wasn't a good idea for her to go to the event. But she wouldn't hear of it. She was going, whether we liked it or not. Stubborn Sookie is going to give me gray hairs.
"We'll be out in a minute." Pam said through the closed door.
I had been banished from our room hours ago.
Once we got Sookie to the apartment, it was well past noon. We did get her to lie down for an hour to rest. My father made her promise that if she felt any kind of fatigue, one of us would bring her back. Yeah, my father was worried about Sookie. If you told me a week ago that my father would take an interest in either mine or Pam's life, I would have laughed in your face. But now, yeah, now, he seems to be singing another tune. I'll leave final judgment for now. I'm sorry, I don't trust him or this leaf he seems to have turned. I really hope I'm wrong, but I can't let my guard down. I've got someone else in my life now that he can hurt and I'll be damned if he hurts my Sookie.
"Eric," Jason says from the couch. Crystal was still downstairs and had left us with the girls. I smiled down at their sleeping forms dressed in pink frilly dresses. Crystal was still not ready to leave the girls with anyone. Since everyone they trusted was going to the Gala, Crystal decided to bring them. If they got fussy, they could always leave.
I turn to him. "You think this is wise? I mean, you saw her. She was out cold. What if something really was damaged in her fall?"
I had thought about that about twenty times since leaving the hospital.
I crooked an eyebrow at him. "You going to tell your sister that she can't go?"
He shakes his head. "Oh, hell no. You may not know it yet, but my sister is as stubborn as a mule. She's also as tough as nails. Let me tell you this, if she puts her mind to something nobody is going to stop her. Hell, she would eat us all for breakfast if we tried to stop her from going tonight." He stops for a moment. "Well, now she would." He stands and comes over to me. "I can't tell you how happy I am that she found you. That woman in there," he points to the bedroom, "is my sister. I love her with all that I am. I think if you didn't come around, this whole thing could have turned out a lot differently." He says softly. "I hate to think what would have happen to her if she…" He chokes up. "Just…just please man, keep her safe."
"With all that I am, Jason. I promise you." I say touching his shoulder.
He sighs. "Sorry," he looks over to the girls. "It…it was just way too close, ya know."
I nod. Yeah, I know. Boy do I know.
***0***
SPOV
"Sookie, you sure you are okay?" Pam asks me.
I smile. "I'm sure. If I get tired, I can always have Eric bring me back."
"I'm really not sure you should be going." Amelia says. "No one will be upset if you miss this, you know."
I nod. "Yeah, I know." I say. "But if I don't go, I'm letting them win."
"Who win, honey?" Amelia asks.
"All of them. I'm letting Bill win. I'm letting his parents and even Victor will win." I turn to look at them both. "I'm not letting them beat me. If I have to, I'll go, stay for the announcement of the new project and leave. But I'm walking in there, on my own two feet." I look at both of them.
They look at each other and then back to me. "Okay," Pam says.
"I'll stop nagging." Amelia says.
I smile at both of them. "I love that you are nagging me. I love that you care so much about me. But I need to do this. I need to do this for me." I say to them.
I kiss both of their cheeks and start walking to the door. "Come on. We are going to be late." I say and pull the door open.
I smile when I look up to see Eric. God, he looks so damn good in a suit. Why did I want to go to this thing? Well, maybe we can send everyone along and…
Sookie, man up. Gala now, sex later.
"Sookie," he says and moves toward me. "You're a vision."
I smile at him. "You don't look too bad yourself."
"Shall we go?" He asks, offering me his arm.
I take it. "We shall."
***0***
EPOV
I can't help keep looking over at Sookie. She seems to be okay but she has to be getting tired. I mean, we've been here for hours. Hell, I'm tired.
Crystal and Jason left right after the announcement of our project with the Foundation. She and Jennifer stood for photos and even my father and mother came on stage for a few. The press tried to ask questions, but Niall informed them that there would be a press conference closer to the start date of the project to answer any questions. We were still months away from starting and there was a lot to do.
I caught my father and Niall speaking after the announcement. It seemed that Edwin wanted to be more involved with the Foundation. Evidently, he had several associates and friends on the board and thought with his connections in the business, he could be of some help. I saw my mother smile at the conversation. If he wanted to get involved with this, then they may be staying longer in Shreveport. I know my mother hates traveling. Okay, she hates traveling as much as they do. I think she wants to stay put for a while. Considering Pam and Amelia have to start planning their wedding, it would be nice for her to be involved.
I turn to see Sookie talking to a few political figures. I walk over to them as I hear the conversation.
"You are okay, yes?" I hear one ask.
She smiles. "Thank you, Senator Edgington," she says. "I'm going to be just fine."
He shakes his head. "And to think, we were actually thinking of backing that scoundrel. Just disgraceful. I hope he gets what he deserves, dear."
Evidently, the rumors have been circulating. We promised the police and Frank that we would neither confirm or deny any rumors until they could issue a statement tomorrow morning.
However, I think the Stackhouse endorsement as well as the governors of Jennifer Cater spoke louder than any confirmation. The people here who knew of such things, knew what that meant. They didn't need a statement to tell them.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," I say as I come up next to Sookie. "May I steal this lovely lady away? I understand that the band will be performing the last song of the evening."
Sookie looks at me with such loving eyes. I swear, if I didn't control myself, I would be going all caveman on her and running for the nearest closet to have my way with her.
"Of course, dear boy," Edgington says. "I heard about the competition. My daughter was there, you know. She covers those kinds of things for the local media. She said you two danced like angels." He claps. "Well, go, please, dance with this lovely lady. We all want to enjoy the show."
I nod to him and lead Sookie to the floor.
The music comes up and she laughs. "Fitting don't you think?" She asks.
The Michael Buble's song, Save the Last Dance starts up and I start to move Sookie around the room.
I have no idea how many people joined us. I really only had eyes for my Sookie. She laughed and smiled as I spun her around.
When the song came to a close, I pull her close to me and kiss her.
I can see her blush building as the spectators start to applaud.
"Save all your last dances for me, Ms. Stackhouse." I smirk at her.
She smiles. "You better believe it."
***0***
A month later….
I had been home for a little over a month and everyone is still fussing over me like I was really hurt. Okay, I was hurt. But things could have been so much worse. The doctor wouldn't have let me leave if I wasn't okay. They made me come back the day after the Gala just to check me out. When I passed their screening, I had to promise to make an appointment with a doctor here as soon as I was home. Eric was on the phone with Jason finding me the best doctor in Shreveport. He has taken me twice since we got home and both times the doctor informed him that I was recovering nicely. Even the word of a professional wasn't swaying my man. He wants a second opinion. I swear if I didn't love this man so much, he would have gotten on my nerves by now. But I do love him and he's only worried because he loves me so much.
I had to talk to the police one more time before I left and they made their statement. Evidently, they really just wanted to hear what I had to say and to corroborate Elizabeth's story. I didn't have much more information than she did. But I did basically tell them the same thing which made them all very happy. The statement was made and they really haven't bothered me since.
After this whole ordeal, Bill really didn't have a leg to stand on at this point. I mean, his ace in the hole was, well, dead. Can't really barter with a dead suspect, now can you.
As far as anyone would tell me, someone got into his room or the guard did it himself. I guess someone thought that Victor Madden was a loose end that needed to be tied up. The DA's office had basically told Bill to deal or they were going to court the next week. He made the deal.
As quiet as they tried to make the whole situation, it didn't stop the media storm from descending. With all the commotion at the hotel, nothing, not even the connections that William Compton had made over the years, could keep this quiet or his family out of the line of fire. The news of the disaster at the hotel hit the airways faster than a blink. When I say it hit, I mean it all hit and fast. First it started with the shootout. Speculations ran the gambit when it was known that Elizabeth Compton was involved. When the statement was made by the police, the situation just exploded. Bill and his family were buried. Nothing was left out. Not his problems with the finance committee, his theft and even his connection to a presumed serial killer, Victor Madden. There was also speculation that there were further wrong doings in the Compton and Compton firm. The entire firm is currently under investigation. Lorena was mentioned but only in connection with Victor Madden and Bill's campaign. Since Lorena is not listed anywhere, they couldn't find her. I will secretly always respect Ana for keeping my cousin away from the vultures.
The police still had one thing they couldn't figure out. They had no idea how Victor found out where Lorena or rather Hadley had been at the hospital. She was under an assumed name and nothing was documented with the name Lorena. They suspected that there was an informant in the DA's office. There are several detectives, a paralegal and an attorney currently under review. We will wait and see how far Victor Madden's hand reached. I'm thinking pretty far.
Bill was scared after the death of Victor and demanded that something be done to keep him safe. I'm not sure what the DA discussed with him or what the Feds were willing to do. According to the press, his incarceration is classified. That's fine with me. I really don't care where he is as long as it's away from me.
The investigator that Amelia had hired finally came through on some information about our mysterious paparazzi. It wasn't good news. Evidently, Debbie Pelt had been paid to spy on us by none other than Elizabeth Compton. When word got out, I thought Alcide would have an aneurism. I wasn't there for the big reveal. But I was told that if Debbie knew what was good for her, she would never set foot in northern Louisiana again. It took Alcide a week to come see me. When he did, he couldn't stop apologizing. I finally had to threaten throwing him in the lake to have him stop. None of this was his fault and I knew it. He hasn't started dating anyone new. I think he's a little gun shy. Amelia, Pam and I have been thinking of trying to find someone to set him up with. There is a new girl who is working for Sam. Her name is Maria Star. She is really pretty and is trying to save money to open a mystical shop in Shreveport. I think she may be a good match for Alcide. We'll have to see what we can do about that.
The only thing Debbie could do was to come clean regarding her involvement with Elizabeth. She made an announcement on her blog and then posted a statement on one of the sites she had sold the pictures to. From there, it went viral. This started another media storm and a push to know everything there was to know about the Comptons. Mr. and Mrs. Compton have decided to lay low for a while. I think if they could have, they would have disappeared to the country or maybe an island until things cooled down. But with the investigation, they can't leave the state.
The police recovered most of the money that Bill stole. I was glad but was more concerned with the money that was taken from the Foundation. Whatever, they couldn't locate, the plea agreement demanded that the balance be taken from Bill's trust fund. I heard that it killed him to agree to that. I guess he thought he would have that money when he got out. Yeah, not so much. I guess buying votes cost. If he's lucky, the money that is left will buy him a bus ticket and that's it.
The plea agreement sentenced Bill to twenty five years. I was there for the sentencing. The whole family went. Mr. & Mrs. Compton were the only people on Bill's side of the aisle. They looked over to us a few times but Bill never even turned his head. He was told that he would be serving his sentence in an undisclosed federal facility. A standing restraining order has been issued for the next fifty years. Bill will not be able to come within a hundred feet of me or anyone in my family. If he does, he will go back to jail, case closed. I guess he got the hint. I've not heard from him.
Eric has been buzzing around all day. I had to get a chapter done, so he offered to do some errands and then have dinner ready for me when I was done. I thought it wonderful idea. One, he's so sweet. Two, no one has left me alone and I could really use the alone time. Three, well thinking of Eric cooking for me was well, yeah, sexy as hell.
I had been working for about three hours when I felt him at my back.
"Hey," I say with a smile as I feel his strong arms around me.
"Hey yourself." He says and kisses my neck.
I let out a moan and he snickers. "You ready to eat?" He asks me.
I nod. "Give me five minutes."
He kisses me softly and smiles. "Hurry up."
I quickly finish what I'm doing and send the file off. Knowing I'll probably not get back to it tonight. Yeah, if you had my blonde Adonis waiting for you, would you want to continue working? Yeah, don't think so.
I clean up and head out to find said Adonis.
Walking into the family room, I look around. He isn't here. Then a light catches my eye from the back yard.
I walk over and push the slider open. Walking out, I see the scene a little more clearly. There standing in the Gazebo that Jason built for his wedding, is my beautiful man complete in shirt and tie. Surrounding him is everyone we hold dear. I look from one to the other and they are all smiling at me. Pam and Amelia are in each other's arms. Lafayette and Sam are seated in one of the two seat chairs. Abby and Edwin are holding the twins and Alcide is standing with Tara and JB.
I look around the Gazebo. Little white lights have been strung from the rafters and is causing little twinkles on the lake behind me. I smile thinking that the lights look like fairy's wings. I'll need to do this for the girls when they get a little older. I know they'll love it.
Eric is standing dead center of the Gazebo. "What's all this?" I ask as I climb the steps to meet him.
He pulls me close to him and kisses me as thoroughly as I think he is capable of.
I smile when he releases me from the kiss. "Wow, I think I'm going to stay away from you for the day more often if this is the way you are."
I giggle and he smiles but he has a seriousness to his face that I don't always see.
"What?" I ask.
"I love you." He says in a low husky voice that does very nice things to part of me.
"I love you too." I say with a smile.
"I…I wanted to wait…" He says in a huff.
"Wait, wait for wh…" I begin to ask him. But before I can finish the thought, Eric is bending down in front of me.
My hand instantly goes to my mouth and tears fill my eyes.
"So…Sookie," he says taking my hands. "You are the most important person in my life. You complete me in ways I never thought possible. Sookie, please, I want to spend the rest of our lives, loving, taking care of each other and dancing. Please Sookie, with our family as witnesses, say you'll be my last dance. Say you'll marry me."
I look to see him pull out a small black box. He opens it and I gasp. It isn't big or flashy. In fact, it looks like it would go with the rings Gran left me.
"I…I had this fashioned after the rings," he says.
I smile and look at him. He looks worried. Then I remember that I haven't answered him. I laugh and start nodding.
"Sookie," Jason says. "You need to answer him!" Crystal slaps him. "Owe, babe." He says.
"Mind yourself. This is the most important moment of her life." She says.
"Sorry," I hear him mumble. Everyone else just chuckles.
"Sookie, will you?" Eric asks again.
I nod.
"Yes?" He asks.
"Yes…oh yes!" I say.
Before I can say stop, Eric is up and has me in his arms, spinning me in circles.
He stops and puts me down. Taking the ring out of the box, he slips it onto my finger.
"I love you," I say softly.
He smiles. "Dance with me." He says.
I take his hand in mine and we dance to the sound of the crickets and lunar moths. We dance to the song of the wind and the rustle of the leaves.
He may have had dance partners before he met me. But he saved the last dance for me.
I think I'm okay with that.