Danny looked over at Steve in the driver's seat as they sat in the truck waiting in line at the lumberyard to pick up a load of plywood. He stared straight ahead out the windshield but didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular, his mind however seemed to be a million miles away.
"So how's it been going with the new counselor they assigned you?" Danny asked him.
Steve shrugged slightly, "It's not Emily. I like Mark…it's just not the same."
Danny shifted in his seat to see him better, "You're doing ok though right? I mean that was a huge blow to your recovery."
Steve looked over at him. "I'm doing fine."
Danny hoped that was true. He'd been worried about him since the funeral. It was hard on everyone who attended, which was a couple of hundred people, but the only one that he was focused on during the sad ordeal was Steve. Anna was with them which he felt was a blessing, but he still worried that this would be a set back for him. Emily had been more than just a counselor, she had been one of the few people in his life that he relied on for strength, even though they had only known each other a short time, she had made breakthroughs into his emotional thinking where no one else had even come close.
It didn't sound like this Mark guy had the same influence over him, hoping that Anna could maybe pick up where Emily had left off. He wasn't even above doing some of his own counseling if need be, such as at the moment. Why not, he thought, they weren't going anywhere sitting in line waiting to pick up wood.
A Hurricane was headed toward Oahu and everyone and their brother were in line to get wood to board up their windows. He and Steve were actually lucky, they knew of the impending storm before the media let out the word, so their needed quantity was a guarantee, were as the line behind them stretched out for a almost a mile.
"How's Anna doing?"
Steve glanced over at him. "Fine."
"Have you seen her since the funeral?"
"She lives next door to me and the funeral was six days ago, of course I've seen her since then." He put the truck in gear and moved forward a car length, and then put it back in park.
"What does she think about Mark? Do you talk to her about stuff like that?"
Steve looked over at him again only this time his expression was a cross between confused and irritated. "Do I talk to her about what stuff?"
"You know, the stuff you talk to Mark about. The stuff you used to talk about with Emily."
"What are you getting at Danny?"
"Nothing! I'm just asking a question? I want to make sure you're covered is all."
"I'm covered?" he asked irritably "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Am I on the verge of a relapse? Is that what you're asking?"
"No! Of course not…" he raised one eyebrow in question. "Are you?"
"Jesus Danny! Did I do something or say something to give you that impression, or are you just the Gestapo watching my every move for a slip up?"
"Calm down!" Danny blasted back. "Don't get your panties all in a bunch. What's wrong with me being a little concerned?" he pointed to his chest, "I'm not allowed to be a little concerned about you? Or are you going to tell me to go fuck myself?"
Steve glared at him for even bringing that up.
"All right bad choice of words, I apologize for that. But I was just asking a question."
"What is it with all of these questions anyway?"
"I told you, I'm concerned. After what you went through in rehab and now Emily, it just has me a little worried."
"Then just say that, don't sneak around the subject by trying to pull answers out of me. Just say, 'hey Steve I'm a little concerned, how are things going with ya?'"
Danny busted out laughing, "Are you serious with that?"
"Yes, I am."
"I have to beat around the bush because your stock answer is always, 'Fine. Fine. I'm fine. I'm Steve, I'm just fine.'"
"Oh will you get off it. You exaggerate so much."
"Oh, I exaggerate?"
"Yes you exaggerate."
"Ok," Danny said firmly, looking him dead on. "Tell me why you kept those pills in the house, because I don't get it?"
Steve's hands slid off the steering wheel into his lap as he stared down at them. He knew what Danny was so concerned about now and also knew he owed him an explanation not an excuse. "Its hard to explain Danny. I knew they were there and I wanted them there. They kept me strong. I felt like they kept me in line." He looked over at him. "But I was wrong. The first sign of weakness and I went running to them. Emily knew it would happen too. When she found out I had them she was pretty mad. That's why I was going to see her that day. She wanted them."
Danny listened closely to what he had to say; glad that Steve had given him the true reasoning and not one that was half ass. "I can see you doing that. I can see you wanting to test yourself too. You love that. You love challenging yourself, but sometimes it not a challenge worth taking. I agree with Emily, but I understand why you did it. There isn't anymore is there?"
Steve shook his head. "No. I gave them all to Anna. She flushed them."
He nodded, believing him. "Good. Speaking of Anna. How has the 'friendship'," he used his fingers as quotations, "thing going?"
Steve couldn't help himself, he grinned over at him, giving him the standard smart-ass reply. "Fine. Fine. Everything's just fine."
"Keep it up," Danny warned, "and you can put these boards up on your windows by yourself."
"I don't need you for my house. I can do those. I need you to help me with Anna's house. She has those second story windows that I can't do alone."
Danny shifted in his seat, "We're doing Anna's windows too?"
"Yes of course. There's a Hurricane coming Danny and she has windows that face the ocean, what do you think, she and Eric are going to do it, or better yet would you like to sit in the front yard and have a beer and watch she and Jenny do it? You've lived in Hawaii long enough to know you help out your neighbor."
Danny busted up laughing again, only this time it was deep and from the gut.
"What's so funny?"
"You man," he replied, holding his gut, "you're going to honestly sit there and tell me you are doing this to be neighborly?"
"Yes!"
He laughed again. "Please! The only reason you are doing this is to get in with her good graces so you might be able to get back in her bed. Tell me I'm wrong?"
Steve went to object and then stopped, rethinking his wording.
"Tell me I'm wrong?" Danny asked again, grinning over at him.
"Ok," Steve caved, "I wouldn't say you are entirely wrong but you are way off by comparison to my choice of why I'm doing it."
"Yea, like maybe ninety nine to one," Danny chuckled.
"Come on Danny, you know why I'm doing it," Steve said to him, moving up in line again.
Danny reached over and playfully smacked him on the shoulder. "I know, I'm just yanking your chain."
"You're the one that's going to be the cause of my relapse," Steve joked.
Danny leaned forward looking out the windshield at the sky, "Don't blame me for your one imperfection."
"Why do you keep looking at the sky like it's about to turn into the Wizard of Oz?"
"A hurricane is coming. Aren't you just a little bit nervous about that?"
"It's a hundred and fifty miles off the coast and it's only a category one. It hasn't been upgraded."
"Yet," he declared nervously, "It hasn't been upgraded yet."
"You grew up in Jersey. Didn't you ever experience hurricanes?"
Danny sat back as they moved up again, only one car behind the leader now. "Yes, but living on the mainland at least you had the choice to go somewhere else…inland. Being on an island kind of makes that choice obsolete."
"The winds are only about seventy-five miles per hour and besides that, where you live you'll barely feel it. It's coming from the South East and moving North West. It's predicted to hit down by Waimanalo Beach and Kailua, you'll be protected from the Kualoa Mountains." He blew out a breath, "On the other hand Anna's house and my house…" he was cut short by the employee who came to his window. "We'll take twelve sheets," Steve said to him, handing him his credit card.
"Only twelve?" Danny asked. "That won't cover all your windows and Anna's too."
"I'm only getting enough for the ocean side. I don't want to be greedy; there won't be enough to go around. The other windows should be fine."
"That's neighborly of you."
Steve signed the receipt and handed the copy back to him as they loaded the bed of his truck and closed the tailgate, hitting it twice to let him know he was done.
Steve came out of the garage wearing an old pair of Levis and a dark blue tank top. He had a work belt around his waist that contained a hammer, two boxes of nails and a measuring tape. He carried a stepladder in one hand and his jig saw in the other one.
Danny slid the particleboards out of the truck onto the ground as Steve walked toward him, teasing him on his appearance. "You look like an episode of Home Improvement."
Steve held up the saw and made the signature Tim Taylor gorilla grunt. He set down the items and reached in his back pocket, taking out an extra pair of gloves, tossing them to Danny. "You about done unloading that yet girlfriend," he grinned, slipping on a pair himself, "because that storm is moving faster than you are."
"Keep it up," Danny warned, "and you'll be swinging from the roof when I nail your ass to the house instead of the boards."
Steve laughed and bent over picking the tools back up, "Grab a couple of those pieces of wood and we'll do Anna's house first."
Anna heard the saw first and then heard the pounding on the side of the house. She knew it was Steve and Danny not only because Steve had already told her he was going to board up her windows from the oncoming storm, but also because she could hear them laughing, which made her smile too. The two of them together sometimes were funnier than a comedy act, she thought amusingly.
She came up the stairs with a basket of folded clothes and two cold beers on top. She went by Jenny's room first seeing that it was already boarded up and then came into hers next. She set the basket down on the bed and took the two bottles going to her window and sliding it open, seeing the ladder positioned below it and the two of them cutting a piece of wood. She slipped the screen off and leaned out with the drinks.
"Did someone order a beer at this job site?"
They both looked up but it was Danny's hand that went up first. "Me!" he replied grinning.
Steve just smiled up at her, picking up the cut piece of board and going up the ladder with it.
She enjoyed the view as he climbed up, watching his muscles flex as he lifted the board and set it on the small shelf of the ladder. A light breeze blew in the window bringing with it his masculine scent that reminded her of times when their love making would get overly heated. The sweat on his body was just as intoxicating now as it was then.
"Hi," she smiled, kneeling down on the floor, "thirsty?" It suddenly dawned on her that maybe he wasn't allowed alcohol after being in rehab. She bit her bottom lip, hoping she hadn't made a grave error by offering it to him. "I'm sorry Steve. I wasn't thinking. You probably aren't supposed to have this, are you?"
"I'm not an alcoholic, Anna," he smiled, assuring it was ok. "I can have a beer." He could sense her uneasiness over the mistake and tried to lighten the moment by teasing her a little.
He leaned in and whispered to her. "Remember the last time we met at this window? I was climbing out."
"Yes, I remember." Anna blushed, knowing she would never forget that morning as long as she lived. "You jumped out is more like it."
He wished he could lean in and kiss her like he had that day. She looked even more beautiful now than she did then, only because he loved her more now. She was flawless in his eyes, absolutely flawless.
He took the beers from her and dropped them down to Danny one by one.
"Would it offend you," Anna teased him back, "if I got a chair and just sat out in the yard and just watched you climb up and down this ladder and nail boards into the wall."
"You like to watch me work hard, huh," he grinned.
"I find it quite pleasing to the eye to watch you work hard."
It was her turn to see him blush slightly over the compliment.
Just the thought of her seeing him in that way was better than any compliment anyone could have bestowed upon him at that second. He was positively thrilled over it.
"Mr. McGarrett," Anna continued, enjoying his embarrassment, "I don't think I've ever seen you blush before." His boyish charm was oozing with sex appeal, wishing she could pull him through the window and run her hands over that body that had strength and stamina that could leave her sedated for hours.
Steve smiled at her, "I'd love to stand here all day and enjoy this stunning view, but there's a big storm coming."
Anna held his gaze for a few seconds longer; a sly smile leisurely emerged on her moistened lips. "Yes, there certainly is a storm coming. I can feel the electricity in the air. Can you feel it Steve? To be quite honest," she purred, "I'm looking forward to it. How about you?"
Her voice was as smooth and slick as the line that screamed with sexual innuendos, hitting him with everything she physically had to offer as she stood up and slowly walked out of the room. She could feel his eyes upon her, making her feel warm all over just like he used to.
His mind instantly recalled two very specific times sexually, in which he literally felt he might black out from the pleasure of being with her. He felt the ladder shake from the tremor that rippled through him. His right foot stumbled off the step as he gripped the edge of the windowsill, barely catching himself before he fell. He mumbled something incoherent as he continued to stare at the space she had just vacated, eager and more than willing to hold this position for days if he had to until she would appear again.
"Hey," Danny yelled from down below, completely innocent of the conversation that had taken place. "Hey!" he said again when Steve didn't move.
He hesitantly looked down at him.
"Are you going to hang that or what?"
Steve ignored him and focused back on the spot where Anna had left the room, feeling a slight pain of disappointment over her absence. He felt the ladder shake again and knew it was Danny this time, stirring him out of his fantasy. "Ok! Ok," he said, lifting up the board and giving one more quick and hopeful glance inside the room before he covered the window up. He could feel a bead of sweat slide down the side of his face, but it wasn't from the physical labor, it was from the mental one that Anna had him working hard on.
She stood just outside the bedroom door leaning back against the wall, smiling and blushing. She couldn't believe she had just said that to him, not knowing what had come over her, maybe it was the storm in the air, she thought and then laughed because she knew damn well it was because he looked so incredibly sexy standing there on that ladder, looking at her the way he was. He had often compelled her to step outside of her shell; she shouldn't have been so surprised, it just hadn't happened in a while. But when all was said and done she couldn't have been more pleased over his reaction or the way they had been progressing over the past week since his semi breakdown that she walked him through. They weren't quite back to where they had once been but it felt good where it was going so far. He played around with her, but she still could feel that hesitation from him, almost as if he were still unworthy of the relationship. She hoped that wasn't it, because she felt none of the anger she had. She also didn't want to rush him; they had all the time in the world.
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"No!" Steve said adamantly. "No way. You go to Danny's with the kids and I'll stay her and watch the houses."
"It's ridiculous," Anna replied, "and not to mention dangerous for you to stay here alone during that storm."
"It's only a category one," Steve laughed, "I've been through rain storms in the jungle that were worst than what's coming here. I'll be fine."
Anna crossed her arms, "Then I'm staying too."
"No you're not. You're going to Danny's."
"I don't understand why you are staying behind?"
Steve looked at Danny for help.
"Yea, why are you staying?" Danny asked, finding himself beginning to agree with Anna.
"Because it's my Dad's house and I'm not leaving it behind to get trashed if something happens, not to mention it's sad to say but there are low life's that come out during times like this and ransack people's homes who evacuate. I'm not going to take that chance."
Anna hadn't thought of that. "Ok. I'm staying too then."
"No," Danny volunteered, "I'll stay with him."
"No," Anna objected. "I think a man should be with the kids. I think it will make them feel more secure. I know Jenny will feel better with you there rather than me."
Danny raised his hands in defeat, "She's got a good point there."
"Anna," Steve whined, "just please listen to me."
"We're going to need flashlights incase the lights go out," she said, ignoring him. "I have a couple in the garage that I bought Eric, and a lantern too."
"You might want to start stocking up on ice in an ice chest too," Danny suggested. "I remember my Mom doing that before a big storm."
"Good thinking Danny," Anna replied, "I can keep it in garbage bags in the freezer."
"Stop right now," Steve butted in, giving Danny the stink eye for encouraging her.
"Don't say it," Anna replied firmly. "I'm staying. We can either ride out this storm together or you can do it at your house and I can do it at mine, but you are not doing it alone."
He forwent the rest of his plea because he knew by the stubborn look on her face that she wasn't going to budge anymore than he had planned to. He'd let her win this one.
He wasn't so concerned for her safety as much as he was being alone with her for what could be a couple of days if things got messy outside. They had been getting along well but he'd kept his distance for reasons that he couldn't quite put a finger on at the moment, but he just felt the need to keep her at arms length. It was times like this that he missed Emily the most. She could put a reason behind his madness; there was no doubt in his mind about that. He was beginning to think he was mad for keeping his distance because there wasn't a minute in his day that went by that Anna wasn't with him. He thought about her constantly.
"Ok," Steve said calmly. "I guess it's a date."
Anna liked the sound of that. Some quiet time with him was another reason she was pushing for it.
Jenny pulled her Little Mermaid suitcase behind her by the handle while Eric had his backpack full of the things he needed.
"Do you think Gracie will let me sleep in her room with her?" Jenny asked Danny, hopeful as they walked to his car.
"Are you kidding? She has a spot made up for you already." He reached over and gently shoved Eric. "You're stuck hanging with me dude."
Eric shrugged but smiled, pleased with that. He liked Danny almost as much as he liked Steve. Hanging out with him was like hanging out with your favorite uncle. "That's ok. We can watch scary movies. I downloaded a couple on Anna's laptop."
They stopped at the back of the Camaro as Danny put their stuff in the trunk.
"Listen up you two," Anna began her routine lecture, "I'm not going to tell you to behave because I know you will, but make sure you clean up after yourself and the same rules apply there as they do here, understood?"
Jenny and Eric looked at each other and then up at Danny and smiled, because they all three knew the rules changed at Danny's house, but Anna didn't have to know that.
"Ok." They both agreed.
Anna looked at Steve and rolled her eyes. "That was a waste of time wasn't it?"
"Pretty much," he grinned at her, knowing the rule game because it worked the same way when he had Gracie.
"All right," she sighed, "Just…have fun and be safe."
Jenny hugged Anna tightly, knowing a storm was coming but not feeling any fear over it. She was more excited about going and spending two days with Gracie. They had all played it down in she and Eric's presence so as not to scare them.
I love you," Jenny told her.
"I love you too, Jenny," she replied, never taking those words for granted.
Steve pulled Eric aside, putting a hand on his shoulder as he leaned over, face to face with him. "Hey, keep an eye on Jenny for me and help out Danny. There might be a chance the lights go out, but's that's normal during a storm like this. I have a two way radio here at the house and Danny has one the other one, if either of you want to talk to us you can."
Eric nodded his understanding.
Steve stood back up and patted his shoulder as a way of saying goodbye, but he was shocked when Eric put his arms around his waist and hugged him. "You keep an eye on Anna too, all right?" he said, but it more as an order than a request, looking up at him.
He put a hand on his head, more than pleased over the hug. "I will, I promise."
Jenny hugged him next, squeezing him tightly. "I love you too," she said to him for the first time, looking up at him for a response.
He felt his heart might melt out of his chest over the sweetest words he'd ever heard spoken from the purest soul he'd ever encountered. "I love you too, sweetheart."
Danny closed the passenger side door and grinned at Steve as he walked by him. "Have fun," he whispered, "don't forget about the storm coming." He didn't bother to look at the annoyed look on his partners face; he knew it was there. "You kids have fun and don't get in any trouble now." He winked at Anna before he got in the car.
They stood in the driveway as a breeze blew in from the back of the house, moving the trees above their head. It had been getting steadily windier as the hour passed.
Anna looked over at him, as they stood there alone. 'Now what?' she thought, feeling the awkwardness cut through the air, hating it. It had been the first time they had actually been alone since the day at his house. Once again she could see the apprehension all over him. He solidified it with his quick departure.
"I'm going to make sure everything is locked down behind my house."
"Do you want some help?"
"No," he replied just a little too quickly. "No, I got it. Weren't you going to get some ice chests filled or something?"
"Yes." She turned and walked toward her house, not knowing what she had done to him to make him want to be anywhere but next to her. She couldn't figure him out. The flirting at the window the day before was amusing, but now she realized he was safe on the other side, and Danny was there as a buffer.
"Anna," he called out.
She turned hoping she would hear a change of heart for her help.
"Just yell if you need anything, ok?"
She turned back around disappointed and started walking home. "Yep."
Steve watched her go, feeling that tug at his heart going in two directions, one was leaning toward her and the other was pulling him away.
'Talk to her, just talk to her.'
He could hear Emily's voice in his head just as clearly as if she were standing next to him. He should have listened to it, but instead he watched her go in the house and close the door.
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The wind whipped the bushes that lined Steve's backyard. The flowers were all but gone already, having been torn from their stems as the steady breeze grew into the hurricane that hit the island earlier than expected. It picked up strength and speed over the warm Pacific as it entered the warm, tropical waters. The boards that covered the windows and doors on Steve's house barely moved against the eighty-mile an hour gusts, having been properly secured.
Inside his darkened room he laid on the bed, sound asleep with a towel wrapped around his waist. His legs hung over the side. He was in the same position he had been two hours earlier when he decided to lay down for a just second and rest after taking a lukewarm shower to rinse off.
The air was humid do to the approaching storm and after coming off the roof from nailing down some loose shingles he was dripping with sweat. He closed his eyes and was thinking about Anna as he drifted off.
I strong gust swirled in and snapped a weak branch off the tree down by the water, sending it hurdling through the air as it landed on the roof with a thud, before being blown over and landing in the front yard and coming to rest against the fence.
Steve opened his eyes and felt a little disoriented at first in the dark. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon but the sun had disappeared and with the boards over the windows and French doors to his lanai, it was almost pitch black in his room.
He sat up hearing the wind and reached over turning on the light on the nightstand. He saw the time and bolted out of bed, holding the towel in place around his waist. "Shit!"
He came out of the bedroom and down the first two steps of the stairs and bent over seeing the wind in the front of the house whipping the trees back and forth. He jetted back up and quickly put on some shorts and a t-shirt.
Anna stood in the laundry room of her house with her hand over her pounding heart. She knew it was going to be a big storm but wasn't expecting anything like this. It had barely begun and she was already frightened. She had tried calling Steve several times only to get dropped calls, knowing the lines were either down, or bogged down by everyone using them at once. She had even contemplated running over to his house, but the wind was so strong that once she stepped outside she was almost blown over by a gust and was even more frightened of the debris that had already begun to gather.
She heard the front door open and then slam shut. The noise startled her at first thinking the house was coming apart, until she heard her name being called.
"Anna!" Steve yelled out.
She was relieved and furious with him all at the same time. She came out the laundry room and through the kitchen, meeting him in the hallway.
He knew she'd be safe, but it was her frightened expression that pained him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, putting his arms around her as she did the same, wrapping them around his chest.
"Where have you been," she shuttered, "I was so worried! I tried calling but the lines are already down and the wind…"
"I'm sorry. I fell asleep on the bed after taking a shower."
Anna leaned back looking at him, "You fell asleep?!" She stepped back, giving him a soft, yet firm punch in the arm. "How could you fall asleep?" she pointed toward nowhere in particular. "There is a hurricane out there! I was worried about you! I was about to call Danny!" She shoved him again; partly amused over his excuse because she was relieved he was safe and partly amused over the fact that he could sleep through a storm like this, beginning to think maybe she was over exaggerating her fear level.
He held his hands up. "It was hot and humid and I was tired. I just closed my eyes for a second."
Anna smiled, feeling her fear vanish now that he was there. "You are the only person I know that could sleep through a hurricane."
He was pleased over the quick change in her emotions. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," she nodded. "It wasn't supposed to get here for like another hour. The news said it gained strength over the Pacific."
"You should have the news on," he suggested over the silence in the house.
"Cables out," she replied. "I'm surprised the electricity is still on."
Another gust rattled the wood over the windows upstairs as Anna reversed that earlier step away from him back toward him now.
He put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "It's ok. We'll be fine," he said calmly, wishing now he would have been firmer with her about going to Danny's, but then again she felt pretty good where she was at the moment, leaning up against him for protection. He liked the idea that she was worried about him too, but even more so that she was at ease because of his presence.
"Has the water risen at all?" Anna asked.
"No, not too much. The surge is only supposed to be a couple of feet or so and mainly on the Windward side of the island. It shouldn't affect your house at all, and my house might get some water under the deck, but I don't think we have to worry about it. He heard another gust and looked up toward the ceiling at the upstairs. The wind was his concern. It was already rattling the boards on the windows and the strongest part hadn't even come yet.
Anna looked at his face, seeing it on him. "Are you worried about the wind?"
He smiled at her, "No."
"Liar," she sighed. "What did I tell you about lying to me Commander?"
He tilted his head, "Ok then, yes," he joked, "I'm worried about the wind lifting the house off its foundation and setting it on top of Koko Head. Is that what you want to hear?"
Anna rolled her eyes, knowing he was lying to her only to keep her fear at bay. That kind of lie she could tolerate. "Are you hungry? I can make you something while we still have electricity."
"I'm starving." He was glad she let it go. He had lied to her but there was no reason to get her all anxious and scared, especially since the way he had found her. He didn't consider it in the same category of the lies he promised her he would never tell again.
He felt that all to familiar stab of pain over his past actions, realizing where he was standing at the moment was the place where it had come full circle, looking down the hallway and seeing the spot where he had pinned her against the wall, squeezing her wrist until she dropped his pills.
It was hard to imagine and even harder to believe that it was actually him that did it. If anyone else had ever touched her like that he would have leveled them.
He looked back toward the kitchen at her. It was surreal to think about those moments now when he had fought her so hard just to be able to feel something that only existed through a pill, when she could do the same thing for him. How did he ever get to that place in his life? Over confidence, he thought? Arrogance perhaps? Or was he just weak and not at all the mentally strong person that he thought he was. The question that scared him the most was, could it happen again? His first reaction was no. Hell no! But he never saw the other one coming either.
He and Emily had talked about relapses and the significance of recognizing the dangerous scenarios that could put him in front of the line of fire. Arrogance was one of them. He remembered her telling him that he was an addict to Morphine and any other kind of pain medication, plain and simple, and not to ever think for one second that he could overcome the temptation of taking even one pill. He also recalled her terrifying words that detox was even more difficult to overcome a second time around because of the deep guilt that went with it, and for him that was like a death sentence. She also warned that if it happens once, it will more than likely repeat three maybe four times. It was those words that had pulled him out of the darkness on the day of her death. She had spoken to him as he stood at the kitchen sink with his glass of water in one hand and the pills in the other. He was right there, standing on that ledge ready to take the plunge when the glass suddenly shattered in his hand. He still had no rhyme or reason for it happening.
He turned his palm over, looking at the cut where Anna had removed the glass from his hand. It was healing well but it was also a scar that he looked upon now as not a reminder of his close relapse but of Emily's words telling him strength comes in numbers and by numbers she meant people.
He came in the kitchen and looked at Anna as she stood at the counter making him something to eat. This house had taken on so many characters for him over the years, but at this second even with a hurricane at the backdoor, he felt blessed for being there. He thought of his journal and all the things he had said to her on paper because he was too afraid to say to her face. He was given a second chance; she had given him a second chance. He had someone that loved him in spite of all his flaws and imperfections that he considered fatal in a relationship. Anna on the other hand embraced them. He never felt more like himself than he did when he was with her. She expected nothing more from him than the truth, nothing. If he loved her, and he did, then he had to trust her with those imperfections that he kept hidden.
He didn't know if the timing was right but felt compelled to tell her what he felt she needed to hear from him, an apology.
He stood next to her as she melted some butter in a pan to cook the cheese sandwiches that were sitting on the counter.
She smiled at him, "I thought grilled cheese and tomato soup would be the perfect storm food."
He didn't reply over her comment of the food, too pre occupied by his thoughts over her being there that day for him as he sat at the top of the stairs, literally too frightened to even move. Her coming into his house that day was nothing short of a miracle in his eyes.
"Anna," he said softly as she set one of the sandwiches in the pan.
"What?" she glanced up at him for just a second and then back at the pan, but in that split second she saw something and quickly looked back up at him again, seeing it more clearly as he stared her.
He took her left hand that he'd pinned against the wall and turned it over, gently gliding his fingers over the spot on her wrist. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it, looking across at her as he did so.
She heard nothing of the outside storm that blew havoc on the house, because on the inside her world suddenly became very calm and very surreal. She finally recognized the man standing in front of her as the one she had missed so much her heart would just ache for him. The one she would lie close to at night and feel his body wrapped around her, protecting her from everything.
"I'll never put my hands on you again out of anger," he said to her. "I'm sorry I hurt you that day. It'll follow me until the day I die."
He hadn't physically hurt her that day even though he thought he might have. She didn't want to take away from his apology by playing it down, because to her the mental anguish it put on her was just as devastating as the physical contact. "It scared me," she confessed to him, needing him to hear her and to know what it really had done to her. "I never thought I'd ever be afraid of you."
Those words were crushing to him and it showed, but he listened and let her say her peace.
Anna pushed the pan off the heat and turned, facing him straight on, seeing the anguish on him over what she had just said. "Listen to me. That's all I ever wanted was for you to listen to me and hear me, and now you have. I forgive you for that day because I know how sorry you are. How sorry you are for all of it. I know that now." She slowly pulled her hand away that he was holding. "I don't want to be friends anymore Steve."
Her words kept cutting deeper and deeper into his heart until she laid out her real agenda of what she wanted.
"We can't move on if you're going to let this thing that happened hang over your head. You're not that person anymore. You wouldn't be in my house right now if I thought there was even a slight chance that you could ever hurt me. I want to be more than friends with you. I want you back in my life. I want you back in my bed. I want you back."
He felt that euphoric rush sweep through him that only Anna could inspire. She somehow knew exactly what he needed to hear. It was why he had been holding back, it wasn't the need to forgive himself or even the need for Anna's forgiveness; it was the permission to move forward without fearing the past. He could leave it behind him; she was giving him that right. It was a freedom that he couldn't even express into words.
He missed her. He missed these quiet intimate moments when it was just the two of them. He missed the feel of her soft naked body next to him in bed. He missed the feel of her hands when she would lie on his shoulder and caress them over him. But mostly, he missed the intimacy that could make his heart want to jump out of his chest.
She gripped the handle of the oven as he leaned in to her. His eyes softened and she could see the blue in them as if they were changing color with his mood right before her. She closed her eyes and waited for it, feeling her body tremble just over the anticipation of a kiss from him.
Not one part of their bodies was touching until his lips touched hers. She rose up on her toes to get closer to him as they fell right back into that place where fate was waiting, pulling them back together.
Anna felt his hand slide behind her neck as he gently held her, taking his time with her, savoring this moment that he thought would never come again.
She followed his lead as he broke from her just long enough to get a look at her beautiful face before he kissed her again.
Her body pressed up against him as he felt her grab a handful of his shirt and pull him closer. It was one of her signature moves that used to drive him mad, as it did now, hoping it would be lifted over his head. It was her way of undressing him and initiating sex that was an innocent seduction, which could bring him to his knees. If she did it now, he thought, there wasn't going to be any hurricane strong enough to stop him from following through with her wish.
Anna could feel the humidity from the storm and mixed with the heat between them they both began to sweat. Her hand slid down from behind his neck and moved over his chest, slipping both her hands under his shirt and moving them up as the material gathered around her wrists. He broke free from her lips and lifted his arms while she removed the cumbersome piece of clothing, feeling dazed at the muscular sight of him before her. She missed this body so much.
He tossed the shirt aside and used that strength to lift her up, taking her out of the kitchen toward the hallway as she wrapped her legs around his waist and took free rein of his lips as she squeezed her legs together and kissed him again.
He moaned as if he were in agony and had to stop or he might collapse right there from the sheer pleasure of it. He pushed her up against the wall of the hallway, slowly sliding down it with her still attached to him, until he laid her out flat on the wood floor.
She lifted her arms over her head as he pulled her shirt up and over, tucking it under her head using it and his arm for her pillow, looking at her as he moved his hand down her body and over her soft breasts until he was at the tie of her shorts, pulling the bow apart.
She wanted him more now than she ever had. His hands on her body were warm and gentle making her impatient for the feel of him inside her once again, loving the sensation of that first few seconds that could take her breath away.
She reached down and helped the effort of removing hers and then his clothes.
She lay beneath him naked as he settled down on her in the same way, looking at each other and taking in the moment, each one experiencing their own little piece of heaven. The only storm they witnessed at the moment was the one brewing between them.
"I love you," Anna whispered to him as a tear slid out of the corner of her eye and dripped on his arm that she rested on.
He rested his cheek against her, whispering back to her. "You will never question those words again, Anna, ever." He faced her again, looking into her. "I love you too."
She put her arms around his neck and kissed him, using his body as leverage as she lifted her hips off the ground and caressed over him until they found that sweet spot and he slid into her.
She laid her head back and gasped over the feelings that erupted inside of her. It had never felt so good before as her body surrounded him, nurturing him.
He had to literally hold back from climaxing in the first ten seconds she felt so amazing, but he couldn't hold back from wanting to make her feel good either, pushing into her over and over as she cried out, saying his name in a way that only encouraged his motives, knowing what she liked as all his energy went into pleasing her.
She braced her hand on the wall as he kept the most incredible pace, neither one caring about the hard floor beneath them, they could have been lying on a bed of nails; nothing was going to break them apart.
Anna shuttered as he rose above her, staring down at her as his pace slowed. He looked beautiful as he made love to her.
"Kiss me, " she said to him in a low, sexy voice as her hands glided up his arms. "Kiss me, Steve."
He would never deny her anything.
She tasted so sweet; he swore he could live off her kisses alone. He felt her hands slide over his back and grip onto his hips as she took over the motion, pushing into him. A low growl escaped his throat as he moved with her until he couldn't take it anymore and broke from the kiss just to catch his breath.
He faced her again, his voice faint yet rough, feeling overcome by the amazing wave of emotions brought on by being inside of her again. "You feel so good."
She smiled as her hands moved over him slowly, capturing every detail of his sculptured body.
He slid his arm under her neck for comfort. "Are you ok?" he asked of the hard wood floor.
She wrapped her legs around him. "Don't stop," she said almost laughing. "Don't you dare stop!"
He smiled back at her, picking up the pace again as she held tightly on to him. "Did you miss me, Anna?"
"I did."
She gasped as he pushed deeper into her over that reply, repeating it for his benefit and for hers. "I missed you…so much." She felt all his muscles flex as he reacted enthusiastically to her words.
"Say it again," he demanded.
"I missed…" she moaned as he thrust even deeper, "so much!"
"Again," he begged.
She held tightly around his neck, looking up at him. "I love you."
Those three little words did it, spoken from her heart. He breathed in the air she used to say them and saw it all over her beautiful face as she looked at him. The love he felt for her catapulted him to the next level, slamming into him like bolt of lightening, hitting every nerve in his body as it raced though him.
Anna dug her nails in his back as he held her so close the friction between them could have lit a fire. She finished just seconds before him as the moment slowed and they were left with the aftermath of what would be come known in the future of their sex life as, 'the one'.
Her fingertips eased out of his skin and slowly began to caress over his back that convulsed over the slightest touch, his body still reeling over what she had done to him.
It wasn't until that moment that they both heard the wind howling outside as the storm reached its full potential.
Anna stood up, pulling her shorts on and tied them. She looked across at him and smiled as he did the same. She bent over and picked up her shirt but when she stood back up he put an arm around her waist and pulled her up close to him.
"I love you," he said to her.
"I love you too," she replied happily.
"I want you again," he added, kissing her neck
"Now," she giggled. "So soon?"
"Yes."
She leaned back and kissed him, not taking his request as anything but to heart.
The kiss was interrupted by the wind blowing something violently into the side of the house.
"Holy shit!" Steve said, instinctively pulling her behind him out of harms way.
"What was that?" Anna said, hiding behind him in the hallway as if the whole house might come down.
"I think we better start taking this storm seriously," he said to her. "You need to stop seducing me and let me do what I stayed behind to do."
"What?!" She moved around in front of him, seeing his teasing grin. "That's what I thought," she smiled. "Me seducing you," she snickered. "We both know who the culprit was so don't blame it on me."
Steve laughed, "Are you serious? It wasn't me. It was you and you know it."
Anna put a hand over her heart in shock. "Come on! You kissed me first."
He gave her a stern look, "You took my shirt off. You know that is the same as saying 'yes Steve, I want to have sex with you.'"
Anna opened her mouth to argue and then shut it, pursing her lips together to hold back from smiling. She knew damn well he was right on the money with that.
"See!" he pointed at her. "You know I'm right."
She ran her hand over his bare chest. "I couldn't help myself."
He went to kiss her again when the object against the house moved.
"Damn it," he said, going past her into the kitchen, "I need to see what that is."
Anna followed behind him seeing the wind whip the tree in the backyard that she had fallen out of and broke her arm. The small window above the sink as well as the back door was about the only openings in the house that weren't boarded up. "You are not going out there," she said in calm yet very firm voice.
Steve picked his shirt up off the floor. "I'll just be a minute."
Anna stood in front of the door. "I'm not joking. You are not going out there."
He slipped his shirt on ignoring her plea, taking it only as a term of endearment. "What did I do with my shoes?" He bent over, scanning the floor and then remembered he shuffled them off in the hallway with his clothes, smiling at her over the memory of it as he went by her. "Oh yea. They're in the hallway where you seduced me."
Anna watched him pick them up and then pull a chair out and sat down, slipping them on. He hadn't heard a word she'd said. No, she thought angrily. He just plain and simply hadn't listened to her. "You're not going out there in this," she said again.
He finished tying them and stood up, "I'll just be a minute. I promise."
Anna put a hand on his chest as he went to reach for the door. "Are you fucking kidding me," she roared. "After everything that just happened and everything we said and five minutes later you're back to the same ole shit!"
He was startled by her outburst, seeing now that she was serious. "What?"
"You're not listing to me! You're not going out there with stuff flying around!"
"Whatever is up against the house could do some serious damage," he tried to explain.
"It could do serious damage to you!"
"Anna," he chuckled. "I'll be…"
"Stop laughing," she shouted as tears began to form over her fear and frustration with him. "It's not funny! Who cares what is out there! It's just a fucking house. I can build a new one." She gulped in air as he stared at her in utter shock over her tantrum. "I can't build a new you," she cried. "I can't lose you again! Please…" she begged as she began to cry openly, "Please don't go out there, Steve. Please."
"Ok, ok," he replied quickly, surrendering to her without another word of going outside. He put his arms around her, "I won't. I'll stay inside." He was stunned over her fear, realizing what his absence from her life had really meant to her. It was a good feeling but it was also an eye opener. He needed to be more diligent in his actions from then on. "I'm sorry Anna. You're right. I'm sorry honey."
She held on to him tightly, feeling his hands stroking her back as if trying to calm her. She began to feel again that she might have over exaggerated but her fear of losing him again was real and it was scary. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have yelled…" she began when he took her by both arms and leaned her back so he could see her.
"Stop. Don't apologize, and don't let me get away with shit like that if you don't like it."
"I was just worried," she glanced at the window as the wind continued to howl outside. "I just got scared for you."
"Look at me Anna," he said to her.
As she did the lights finally went out. They both looked around the kitchen as the room darkened, barely able to see one another even though it was still late afternoon.
Steve didn't let this small set back stop him from what he wanted to say to her. "Hey," he got her attention once again. "I'm sorry. I need to start stepping back and seeing things from the other side, from your eyes. I'll try harder."
Those words were not what she was seeking from him at all. She didn't want him to feel like he had to watch his every move, and be afraid he might disappoint her.
"No, that's not the answer. I don't want you walking on egg shells around me," she cupped his face so he would hear her clearly. "You are important to me, to Jenny and to Eric. We love you, we love who you are. And you are the man that goes outside in the hurricane to protect the house," she put a hand on her chest, "but I'm the woman whose going to say enough when you put yourself in danger for a reason that I believe is unjust. It's who you are and this is who I am."
He was starting to get it now. "Sometimes I'm not going to hear you, or I'm not going to recognize it, like what just happened. How will I know?"
She smiled at him. "I'll tell you, loud and clear."
He liked that idea. It had already worked. "And I heard you, loud and clear. There was always one thing about you Anna that I knew from the beginning," he kissed her once quickly, "and that's when you're angry with me, I was going to know it." He kissed her again for that.
"I should have been more angry with you after the accident," she sighed. "It could have saved us a lot of trouble."
"But just think," he teased her, "then we never would have had that incredible make up sex on the floor in the hallway."
Anna blushed, biting her bottom lip. "I'll never be able to walk down that hallway again without thinking of that."
He couldn't have been happier with that reply, knowing he'd been able to replace her other memory in that hallway.
She looked up at him as the sound on the side house clattered again, reminding them that something was there.
He covered his ears, grinning at her. "I don't hear it."
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Anna lay next to him on a pile of blankets on the floor in the family room. He'd moved the couch so it was between them and the front door and window that had remained boarded up during the first part of the storm. When the eye came over he took that fifteen minutes and ran over to his house to check of the damage, pleased that it was nothing more than some debris in his yard and a few branches on his roof. The water was only up about three quarters of the way to his back porch, which also pleased him.
He'd also got a chance to see what had been hitting Anna's house. They were both shocked at the metal boat cover that had slammed into her air conditioner and was stuck, not having a clue as to where it had come from. The nearest dock was about two miles away.
He pulled it out and put it in his garage until after the storm.
He laid next to her now as the worst part of the hurricane raged outside. Neither one would be able to sleep with the wind blowing so hard, but neither one cared either, they were perfectly content being sealed up all alone. They acted as if they didn't have a care in the world as they made love, rested, talked and then made love again. The ritual played out over and over.
"Can I ask you something?" Anna said to him.
"You can ask me anything," Steve replied honestly.
She hesitated not sure if she wanted to know but was curious about his time in rehab. "What was detox like?"
"Cold," he replied, "sweaty, lonely, scary."
"Did you sleep a lot?"
"Sleep?" Steve huffed, "No. You don't sleep. If you sleep you have nightmares. Some of the worst nightmares you can possibly imagine."
Anna reached over and put a hand on his face. "I'm glad Emily was there with you."
He smiled slightly over that, recalling how she had sat next to him as he broke down and cried for the first time in years. He missed her, feeling privileged that he had known her. In that small time frame that they were together, she had ended up being one of the greatest influences on his life, for that he would always be grateful. "I never would have made it without her." He looked across at Anna, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Or you."
"I didn't do anything," she said regretfully, ashamed now that she never went and saw him.
"Yes you did. You were my main focus. It took me a long time before I could even talk about you to Emily. I was so afraid of the feelings that I harbored for you. It scared the hell out of me. But once I did…" he grinned, recalling sitting on the bench with Emily and just spilling his guts. "It was all uphill from there."
Anna beamed over that. "Do you remember the night you called here?"
Steve laughed, "Which one? I called you about three times, but I was too chicken to say anything. I was sure you would either hang up or lay into me. I didn't know which would be worse."
"I knew it was you that last time and when you finally did speak to me…" she felt that moment again, "I heard in your voice…" she paused, wanting to chose her words carefully so she wouldn't embarrass him.
"You heard what?"
"You were just…you sounded so different. I don't know."
"Its ok Anna. Tell me what you thought because I guarantee everything you heard I was feeling. Scared, desperate, weak, ashamed, humiliated. Is that what you heard?"
She nodded, "Yes, and it broke my heart that you were there all alone, but what I really think broke my heart, was that I couldn't be there with you. I realized after that call that I really did still love you."
"Thank you for standing by me Anna," he said sincerely.
"But I didn't stand by you," she said, feeling regret over that. "I left you there all alone."
"And it probably saved my life. I was on a downward spin and you caught me just before I crashed."
"I should have come and visited you that day with everyone. I feel so bad about that."
Steve sat up on his elbow, "Don't! I mean that Anna. Don't you dare feel an ounce of guilt over anything that happened. You made all the right decisions for me. I don't think I could have been that strong if it were me in that position, but I thank God every day that it was you. You gave me something to fight for. Detox, therapy," he shook his head. "None of that frightened me more than having to face spending the rest of my life without you. That scared me to death."
She could see the truth behind those words in his eyes. It was the first time they had really talked about anything so deep and intimate. He was like his old self again, only better she thought. "Thank you for sharing all of that with me."
He lay back down next to her. "No more secrets. No more hiding behind a wall that just keeps me from you. I won't do it, not anymore."
She felt her heart soar over those words, wondering if her love for him had any limits. She scooted closer to him, "I feel like I know you better already. I love you. Thank you for trusting me. I promise I'll never let you fall again."
He rolled her over on her back and kissed her for that. This place he was headed with her was even better than he could have imagined.
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Danny stood next to Steve in his backyard as they both surveyed the damage on his house.
The upstairs deck had pieces of wood missing from the railing, but that was just the beginning. The wood covering the French doors to his bedroom had been blown off from the wind, taking with it parts of the siding. This left the French doors to his bedroom exposed, and they didn't fare well. One was in his bedroom while the other barely hung by a miraculous screw that had withered the storm. The inside of his bedroom was a mess, filled with debris and soaked from the rain. Everything in there was basically a total loss.
Steve breathed in deep and let it out slowly.
"Well," Danny said, "look at the bright side. At least you got a place close by to crash."
Steve grinned, "That is a bright side and one I'm thankful for."
"I'm glad things are working out. I'm happy for you two. You deserve to be happy, both of you, but if you fuck this up again I swear I'll pull a Jersey and take a bat to ya."
Steve looked over at him, "That was very sincere, thank you and if I do mess this up, then please, swing away."
"Swing away?" Anna asked as she came walking up to them, "Are you talking about swinging away with a hammer, because I think it's going to need that, a lot!"
She stood next to Steve as he moved up behind her, putting both arms around her waist as all three of them stared at the mess.
"You should have come over and checked on it during the storm," Anna said and then grinned.
Steve squeezed her and growled like a bear as she laughed. "It was too dangerous remember?"
"And I prove my point," she replied, motioning to the mess. "I would much rather have that torn apart than you." she looked up over her shoulder at him as he kissed her cheek.
"Point taken."
"Well," Anna said as she walked away. "Look at the bright side. You still have a nice warm bed close by."
Danny and Steve looked at each other and laughed.
"That bright side just keeps getting brighter and brighter doesn't it," Danny chuckled. "Maybe you shouldn't fix it at all."
Steve crossed his arms watching her walk around the corner of the house. "I want back in, but not like this."
"Did you guys talk about marriage again at all?"
"No!" Steve replied adamantly and then shrugged as if a little disappointed over that. "I don't want to push it. Things are going well right now. We had some good talks over the last couple of days."
"That's the best reason to bring it up, if things are going well."
Steve sighed, "What if she says no, or says she wants to wait for a while? I don't know which answer would be worse."
Danny nodded, "True, you got a point there. I'll just shut up now."
Steve laughed, "That's a first."
They both started walking toward the back door.
"You know," Danny, replied, "you have an uncanny way of insulting me at the same time that you need my help."
"I apologize, because you're right, I do need your help. I need someone to stand over my shoulder and tell me I'm doing it wrong."
"See! And if you would have listened to me the other day when you put these up with nails instead of screws you wouldn't have this mess."
Steve moaned recalling him saying that. He looked back at him before going inside. "Shut up!"
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The new French doors on his bedroom lanai looked almost identical to the original ones that hung there before. He opened and closed them several times, making sure they were on level. After the fourth time he was satisfied, opening them up all the way.
He stepped out on the deck that was freshly painted, thanks to Eric. He'd been over every day after school since the storm, helping him. Their relationship was stronger now than it ever had been. There was a newfound trust that Eric saw in him that proved his worthiness. They talked while they worked about things that they never had before. Stopping once to sit on the lanai as the subject of their Fathers came up. It was a conversation that lasted almost an hour and ended with Steve's arm around him as Eric cried for his father. Steve let him know that it was ok and no matter how old he got it was still ok, confessing that he cried for his Dad sometimes too, missing him still. Things were different after that for the two of them, that unspoken bond was solid and the respect they had for each other renewed. Steve was pleased more than ever to fall back into the fatherly role for him.
The same went for Jenny. Even though her love for him never wavered through the whole ordeal, he worked harder at establishing a better relationship with her as well. He read to her at night before bed and told her stories about when he was young. He didn't understand it but she was fascinated over anything he could tell her, asking him every so often to "tell me a story of when you were little.' He never denied her one and even went as far as jotting down memories in his phone so when she did ask he had one ready for her. It made him feel special somehow that she wanted to know him in such detail.
Anna however…a smile erupted on his face just over the thought of her and his heart began to race. He went back inside the bedroom and began to work again because he knew if he started thinking about her in any kind of capacity then all hope would be lost of getting the rest of the drywall taped.
It didn't matter if he tried to divert his attention elsewhere, she was always with him. He couldn't even put into words of what it felt like to wake up at night and have her there next to him. Sometimes he would just lay and stare at her, soaking it in. It was moments like that when he felt most at peace.
"Steve," he suddenly heard Eric and Jenny both shouting to him from the backyard. "Steve!"
Their voices sounded panicked and he dropped the tools in his hands, going to the back deck, bracing his hands on the railing, looking down at them, "What's wrong?"
"It's Anna!" Eric said."
He felt his heart sink to his stomach.
"She's up in the tree," Jenny yelled up to him, "and she won't come down. We don't know what's wrong."
"She's crying," Eric added.
"What happened?" he asked them, trying to recall her mood the last time he saw her earlier that day. She had seemed happy.
"We don't know!" they both said simultaneously.
"I'm coming down," he said to them, bolting through the bedroom and down the stairs. His heart was doing flip flops both feeling the need to get to her and also a little frightened that maybe it was something he had done.
He came out the front door and ran across the yard following behind them as they all ran to the house and around the back. He passed them, seeing her in the tree, standing at the base of it looking up at her.
"Anna," he said calmly, trying to hide the panic that was rising up in him, "are you ok?"
She turned her head away not looking at him or speaking to him.
He didn't hesitate and climbed up, bracing himself in a spot next to her as she sat on a large branch.
"Anna, what's wrong," he asked again, his voice stressing his concern over her behavior. He reached up and moved her hair away from her face so he could see her. As he did, she turned in his direction and smiled at him, not showing any signs of sadness, on the contrary she was glowing.
Jenny and Eric both started giggling uncontrollably as they stood below looking up at them.
Steve looked from her to them and back at her, wildly confused. "Ok, what's going on?"
Anna took his hand and held it. "We all talked about it and decided this was the best place."
He shook his head, not getting the clarification he was hoping for from that reply. "Best place for what?"
She squeezed his hand. "We love you. We love you very, very much, and we want you to join our family."
He stared at her as the words floated around him still not clear on her intentions until she pulled out a gold wedding band, holding it in her hand.
She looked into his eyes that softened over his realization of her plan. Her voice was sincere when she spoke to him, "Will you marry us Steve?" She smiled brightly, "Well…to be specific, will you marry me?"
He was speechless, but even if he did have words he never would have got them out past his throat that closed up as a flood of emotions swept over him. It was the last question in the world her would have expected from her. He was there because he thought she was hurting, but all she really wanted was him. She wanted him for the rest of her life.
She couldn't have been more pleased with his expression. She held his gaze watching as he surrendered to the question that was put before him. She knew her answer before he even gave it. It showed in his eyes as they misted over. He looked beautiful the way he was looking at her. She didn't think she could ever love him more than she did at that moment.
"What did he say?" Jenny jumped up and down. "What did he say?"
"Well," Anna asked him, "what do you say?"
He slowly nodded, still overwhelmed by not only the question but by the enthusiasm from the kids as well. It was one of his proudest moments ever. He felt like he was floating on cloud nine. "Yes," he whispered, trying to find his voice, swallowing before he answered again more clearly. "Yes. Hell yes!" he laughed as he leaned in and kissed her.
They came down the tree and Jenny jumped up and down excitedly as he bumped fists with Eric. "You two should win an academy award for that performance to get me over here. You scared the heck out of me."
"We schooled you," Eric laughed.
Jenny hugged him around the waist tightly. "I'm so happy!"
He hugged her back. "Me too sweetheart."
He turned to Anna next, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him.
"Are you happy?" she asked him.
"It's all I ever wanted Anna. I'll take care of you. I'll take care of all of you."
She knew that without a doubt in her mind, kissing him for it.
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"What does it say? Jenny asked Eric.
They all stopped at the entrance before going inside.
"Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy," Eric recited the Disneyland plaque.
"It's the happiest place on earth," Anna announced as Eric and Jenny ran ahead into the park
Steve put his arm over her shoulder, "I'm sorry but I'd have to argue with Walt on that one." He whispered in her ear. "I can think of one other place that's much happier."
Anna rubbed her hand over her slightly swollen belly. "Here's proof of that," she giggled.
Steve put his hand over top of hers, feeling the baby that was due in four months. He couldn't have been happier. His life was nothing what he had planned, but was everything that he wanted.
He was blessed beyond words and never let himself forget it.
The End
THANKS again everyone for reading and for the nice reviews! I know my grammar isn't 100% but heck, it's only a FanFic.
On another note, I'm kind of stumped on another storyline. I usually have one in mind and even have it started before I finish the last one, but nothing really has jumped out at me.
If you have an idea for a plot, send me a Private Message and maybe it can jog my imagination to get moving. (please, no Catherine storylines. I loved her on the show but I cannot write her. Tried twice and deleted it).
Anyway, I hope to be back soon with something new. ALOHA!