Many thanks to all the reviewers for their thoughts, tips, and words of encouragement. It's always nice to hear from the readers out there.
{After all, I can hear you breathing :}
….. ... ... ... ...
Jessica double locked the door and turned to Seth. "I don't know where to start from here… Other than, let's have a cup of tea."
"Tea!" exclaimed Seth. "Whiskey would be more like it after what we've been through!"
"I believe that's contraindicated with your new medications, doctor Hazlitt," smiled Jessica.
"Hrumph," huffed Seth. "I'm feeling fine now; guess I should behave though. Yes," he sighed, "you're right."
"What did I hear you say?! I'm right! Could you say that a little louder into the microphone?" Jessica's grin widened and her eyes twinkled as she looked at Seth. His own mouth stretched into a smile as he came about to face her. They both started snickering, then giggling, and then laughing hard as their pent up nerves from the last several hours started to unwind with a vengance.
Gasping, leaning on each other, teary eyed from their chuckles, and holding their sides, Jessica and Seth finally caught their collective breath and dried their faces.
Jessica straightened and, laying her right hand gently on Seth's left cheek, she looked directly into his eyes. "Oh, it feels so good to laugh. I never thought I would again after seeing that gun fired at your head. Oh Seth! You stepped in front of the gun. What were you thinking?!" she exclaimed with a touch of terror in her voice.
In a moment of excruciating clarity Jessica suddenly glimpsed what her life would be like without Seth…
Without him knocking twice before entering her kitchen and joining her for breakfast.
Without him there to cook their special dinners together.
Without him next to her at the civic affairs that would be so dull without his witty asides.
Without their fishing trips. Without their chess games. Without their travels together.
Without having him to confide in, to walk with arm in arm, to banter with, to sit with quietly, to hug, to talk with over coffee, to laugh with…
She fought against the lump forming in her throat and managed to continue, "And then, with you in the ER bed and I realized that…" She took a deep breath and went on, "I'd never told you just how very deeply I care for you, how much you mean to me, how scared I was to even think of losing you."
Jessica's voice hushed to a whisper while her eyes grew moist. She knew that she was babbling but couldn't stop herself.
"How I couldn't imagine my life without you. How much I… love you…"
Silent all the while Jessica was talking, Seth turned his head to the left and kissed Jessica's palm. Then he gazed into her eyes intently for a heartbeat and suddenly stepped in close to her, and putting one arm around her waist while sliding the other around her shoulders, pulled her tightly to him and covered her mouth with his. Their lips had never met before and a shiver of electricity surprised them both as it tingled through their bodies.
Ages of longing; of yearning for this kind of closeness became evident as Seth enfolded her. Jessica quickly got over her initial shock and wrapped her arms around him as if holding on for dear life. Her lips softened, then parted, and she kissed him back with a startling awareness that this was what she had been missing, needing, wanting, for years.
Seth.
An eternity of minutes later they came up for breath without either of them releasing their embrace of the other. "Oh, Jess," Seth murmured into her ear, "I had to step in front of that gun. If something had… happened to you I wouldn't want to go on anyway."
He drew back slightly to look into her blue eyes. "I've waited so long for you to give me any kind of a sign that you care for me more than just as a friend - even a best friend. I love you so. I've loved you for a such a very long time. I don't want this moment to end."
"Seth," Jessica whispered as she brought her hand over to caress his cheek again. "I love you more than I know how to tell you. I've… I've been so afraid of betraying the past that I've resisted seeing what was right in front of me in the present," she admitted. "And I worried so about ruining our friendship that I've avoided letting anything flourish between us. I've been such a coward. But with everything we've just been through… I'm just not afraid any more."
Settling both arms back around his neck Jessica inhaled slowly, and looking straight into his warm hazel eyes said, "Seth, I love you with my whole heart. I don't want to be apart from you. Will you be my husband and take me for your wife? Seth, will you please marry me?"
Seth's eyes grew wide and he gasped slightly, then he pulled Jessica back to him and brought his lips to hers again. The kiss deepened and Jessica moaned into Seth's mouth as she slid further into his arms. They tightened their embrace and they stayed that way for a long, long time, letting all of their repressed feelings finally dance in the joy of their enjoined lips and their arms entwined around each other's bodies.
The bliss of being completely lost in each other.
Finally, the kiss broke and shining golden emerald eyes looked into twinkling cobalt blues. Seth breathed, "That was a 'yes' in case you couldn't tell. I will happily be your husband and take you as my wife! Yes, let's get married! Jess, I don't want to spend another minute without you. Elope with me!" Seth insisted with a grin that lit up his whole face.
The joy in Jessica's face was reflected in her smile. "I think that's a wonderful idea!" she enthusiastically agreed as Seth gently cuddled her close again and softly kissed her cheek after she put her head on his shoulder.
Jessica continued, "But there's a waiting period in New York and Las Vegas is far and rather impersonal. There's no waiting period in Maine. Let's just pack up and go home. We'll need a license and some witnesses, though and it's such short notice. How about Mort and Adele?"
"A-yuh, they'd do just fine. That way we can hit Mort up to have the City Clerk do the prep work for the license. Then we can just sashay in and sign for it. Let's see if we can get ahold of Grady and Susan too and see if they and their families can make it. I'll see about my sister and I'll contact Reverend Robbins, and see if he's available. Are you going to call your brothers and sisters?"
"Since we're so short on time I think I'll just call Marshall and ask him to contact everyone else. I also need to call my publisher and beg a delay for my book. Although, at this point I don't care about any of that. I just want to be with you."
"Woman," Seth said, taking possession of her mouth again.
"As wonderful as this is," Jessica sighed after they came up for air, "it's getting late and I think we'd better get on the phone if we want to get this done. You can use the house line and I'll use my mobile."
Seth reluctantly released her. "Spoil sport!" he exclaimed. "I want a rain check for later."
With a glint in her eye Jessica told him, "You've got it!"
"Oooooh, promises, promises," he chuckled.
... ... ... ... ...
Two hours later, after a quick bite of dinner and several phone calls each, Jessica and Seth sat nestled together on the couch. "Well, we've gotten quite a lot accomplished!" noted Jessica. "I can't believe my publisher is letting us use the corporate jet as a wedding present to pick everyone up here in New York and fly them directly to Portland and then back again. His only condition is that he be invited to the reception. So, I guess we'll be having a reception in the next month or so."
"That's a jim-dandy idea! Then we can invite everyone else so's no one gets a sore head. Phyllis Grant at the Cabot Cove Travel Agency rented out the entire Hill House B & B for our kin and arranged for rental cars at the Portland airport. So everyone has a room and a way to get around."
"You know Jess, I'm amazed it was all so… easy. I also expected everyone to be more surprised than they were," continued Seth. "All I kept hearing was, 'Well, it's about time!' It was right kind of Mort and Adele to also make arrangements for the lot of us afterwards at the Dockside Restaurant."
"It certainly was," agreed Jessica, "it's gone very smoothly. The only fly in the ointment I'm worried about is having a ton of reporters showing up and making a riot of things."
"Well, I told Mort and Phyllis to keep it hush - hush so we could avoid it leaking out to the paparazzi, but you know how the grapevine works at home. Half the town will know about this by breakfast tomorrow and the rest by lunch, but no one will squeak a word of it to anyone from Away. Although, this is probably going to be the best attended elopement ever..."
A huge yawn stopped Seth from saying more.
"Oh, Seth! With all you've been through you must be exhausted. You need to rest."
"We need to rest, my dear. Excuse me, but your lovely eyes are half closed," yawned Seth again. "I hate to shoo you off, but since we're sitting on my bed I think we'd both better move so I can make it up."
He stood and extended his hand to help Jessica up. She took it, rose, and smiled at him. "Seth Hazlitt, I am not letting go of you! Not now, not ever. Whatever tomorrow may bring I want to wake up to it in your arms. Now, let's go to bed."
Seth gazed in wonder at her a moment before bringing her hand to his lips. "What a delightful idea! But considering the day we've had sleep's about all I could manage tonight. I hope that's all right."
"Ahhh, yes," Jessica grinned while blushing. "I guess becoming lovers is something we have to look forward to. But I'd like to be awake for it and that's not going to happen tonight! Let's just get some rest."
After a quick brushing of her teeth and a change into plum colored silk jammies Jessica was tucked into bed reading while Seth had his turn in the bathroom. As she turned the page she noticed the glint off of the ring Frank had placed on her finger all those years ago. Jessica stared at it for a long moment before she took it off with a slight smile, and giving it a small kiss, got up and tucked the ring into her jewelry case before getting back into bed.
In the bathroom, Seth was washing his face when he saw the ring his Ruth had given him on their wedding day reflected in the mirror. With the aid of a little soap it came off of his finger. He carefully rinsed and dried it before holding it to his heart for a moment prior to placing it into his toiletries bag. He blinked away the mist in his eyes before leaving the bathroom.
Seth came into the bedroom wearing light blue cotton pj's and stopped when he looked at Jessica. She put down her book and glanced up at him. They both stared at each other for an awkward moment before Seth tilted his head slightly to the side and asked with a small smile, "So, do you sleep on the right side or the left?"
Jessica laughed, "I like the right, and you, being left handed, probably prefer the left side. Am I correct?"
"As long as it's next to you I don't care," smiled Seth as he came across the floor, lifted the sheet's edge and lying down, turned to Jessica with outstretched arms. She scooted towards him and rolled over as he brought her in close with a tight hug.
Jessica's mouth found Seth's. "Mmmmm, I certainly could get used to this," she breathed with a sigh of contentment when their lips parted. She was entranced by the warmth of his body pressed so close to hers and the spicy aroma of his cologne.
"That's a darned good thing Woman, because you're going to have a lifetime of it," Seth murmured in a husky voice into Jessica's ear. He was intoxicated by the heady scent of her and the soft feel of her hip and back under his hands through the thin silk of her clothes.
Jessica pulled back to beam a smile into Seth's face and… yawned. They both dissolved into giggles, and cuddling comfortably together, said mirthful 'good nights' and fell asleep.
... ... ... ... ...
Jessica woke before dawn the next morning wrapped snugly in Seth's arms and wondered at how serene and safe she felt despite the happenings of the last 24 hours. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of waking up every morning in his arms and nestled a little closer to him. Closing her eyes, she drifted back to sleep.
Seth felt Jessica's body snuggle more into his and thought, I'm sleeping with an angel in my arms and I'm not dreaming. He gently tightened his arms around her and fell back to sleep with a smile upon his face.
A while later Jessica's stretching brought them both awake. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean to wake you," she murmured as she snuggled back against him. "My, but you're nice and warm. I guess I won't be cold this winter."
"Jessica! Is that all I'm good for to you? A walking furnace?" chuckled Seth with feigned astonishment.
"Mmmm, I consider it a bonus," she replied with a smile as she drew back slightly to look up at him. "Although I might feel differently about things on a hot August night!"
He smiled widely at her retort. "You know, Seth," Jessica remarked while lightly tracing his jawline with delicate fingertips and then outlining his lips, "you have a beautiful mouth; such full and sensual lips…" She inhaled sharply as he kissed her fingers.
"I'm glad you like them, my dear. I take them with me everywhere. Perhaps I can give you a demonstration of their usefulness," he grinned as he lowered his mouth and captured hers in a soft, sweet, lingering kiss.
They were still pressed closely together when the kiss finally broke. "I love you so," breathed Seth.
"That sounds so wonderful. Please say it again," whispered Jessica.
"Gladly. I love you Jessica," repeated Seth while looking deeply into her eyes.
"I love you too, Seth, so very much," Jessica replied as she brought her mouth back to his.
After the kiss ended they nestled comfortably together for a while. Eventually Jessica sighed, "We really should get up sometime today."
"Darn, I suppose you're right," agreed Seth while stretching. "Though it's too bad all these snap, crackle, and popping noises I'm hearing aren't being made by cereal!"
Jessica's shoulders shook slightly as she laughed. "And good morning to you, too," with that, she soundly kissed him.
He joined in her laughter and reaching over to gently trace the outline of her cheek, kissed her back. "Good morning, dearest Jess. You know, we really could just stay here all day."
Jessica beamed at him. Her face just aglow.
"You're so beautiful," Seth murmured. "Do you approve of that idea or are you always this happy so early in the morning?" he grinned as he got caught up in Jessica's infectious smile.
"I'm always grateful for the start of a new day, but especially this one," she replied. "Oh Seth, this is the beginning of our very own Happily Ever After."
"Well then," Seth said as he winked at Jessica, "I guess we'd better get up and get this Fairy Tale moving towards home!"
