A little while later, Brighton and Grace came home from school and in the front door. They took off their coats and put them away.
"Hey, Brighton? Could you come here for a minute?" Max asked. Craning his neck to see the children. Grace dropped her bag at the bottom of the stairs and ran to see Fran, and Brighton quietly set his book bag down and walked over to the living room.
"Hi, Fran! Hi daddy!" Grace said, happily hugging Fran, who let her sit next to her on the couch.
"Hello, sweetheart. Brighton- we have something to ask you."
"Yes?" Brighton gulped, wondering what it could possibly be.
"We were talking to Niles a while ago, and he said he talked to the people at the newspaper, and they said if we can get an engagement announcement and photo to them by Thursday morning that they can get it into this Sunday's paper. So- we want to ask if you would be willing to take a few pictures of us, maybe tomorrow morning before school? Niles suggested out on the terrace outside my office, that the light might be good enough there. Would you be willing to do something like that?"
"Well, yeah, sure. I could do that." He gave a soft smile and looked over at Fran, who smiled back at him.
"Niles should be back any minute, if he isn't in the kitchen already. He was going to run over to the camera store and grab some rolls of film for you- some black and white, too."
"Really? Okay, well, I better go pick a camera and get the tripod out and get everything ready then, make sure I know what I'm doing. You said before school?"
"Yes, is that alright with you?" Max asked him.
"Yeah, yeah that'll be fine. It shouldn't take too long, I wouldn't think. But yeah, okay. Maybe I can practice on a roll of color tonight. I'll go see if he's back yet. Gracie, do you want a snack?"
"Yes- I do! Wait for me!"
"Gracie, you should go get changed out of your uniform, too, okay?"
"Okay, I will. Is Maggie home yet?"
"Yep- she's upstairs, but knock first because she said she has to get an assignment finished for tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay!" Gracie ran ahead of Brighton and grabbed her bag, and Brighton picked up his own. They headed for the kitchen to see if Niles was back.
Fran was still smiling and Max grinned at her. She looked over at him and caught him looking at her.
"What?" She asked.
"You're very cute, you know? And I guess it just gets me every time one of the children runs to see you. Gracie is so attached to you, you know?"
"Well, I'm attached to her, too. I'm attached to all the kids. You know I love them like they were my own, don't you?"
"I do." They leaned in to each other for a kiss, and Max reached for her thigh.
"Mmmm…" Fran sighed, caressing his cheek. "You know, Max, I was thinking…"
"Mmm hmm?" He mumbled, still kissing her softly.
"I was thinking, maybe after dinner, that we sneak away… go to bed early…"
"Mmm? You thinking you might be sleepy after dinner?"
"Nope." Max looked at her and grinned, and she looked at him seductively, then caressed his cheek again and kissed him.
"That sounds nice, darling. But remember, we still have to get up a little early in the morning. For our photo session."
"That's why I was thinking it might be a good idea to go to bed early… so we have enough time together…"
"Mmmm, that sounds nice…" he kissed her again.
"You know we better be careful, someone's liable to walk in on us…"
"Mmmm hmmm…" he kissed her again, and she kissed him back.
"No, really, sweetie…"
"Argh," Max mumbled, pulling back from her slightly. He looked back over the couch, listening to see if anyone was coming. "How much longer until dinner?" He asked, looking back at Fran.
She laughed. "It won't be too long, baby. Here, finish your paper and I'll finish looking at these. Then we can go in the kitchen and see if Niles is getting things ready yet."
"Oh, alright. If you insist."
Fran and Max entered the kitchen holding hands and found Niles busily prepping the deli food they had gotten for dinner.
"Hello again! I hope you're hungry, because we'll have lots of food tonight."
"You know me, I'm always hungry! How much longer until dinner, Niles?" Fran asked.
"Probably about fifteen minutes. I just need to finish warming things up and get the table set. Can I get you anything to drink, or do you want to wait?"
"I can wait, how about you, Max?"
"I can wait a little bit. It's starting to smell really good in here! Oh, Niles, did you manage to get that film?"
"I sure did, gave it to Brighton not too long ago. I believe he was going to get a camera ready for the morning. Are you excited to get this announcement in the paper?"
Fran looked up at Max and cuddled him, smiling. "We sure are. I wasn't sure that we'd be able to get an announcement printed so quickly," Max said.
"Well, I wonder if they might be making an exception, since it's you. The theater community is a pretty big deal, so they might be putting it separately from all the other engagement and wedding announcements."
"You mean, it might be a bigger announcement than all the regular announcements?" Fran's voice rose.
"Well, if it is, then I guess we might really need to put some thought into what we're going to wear for the photo. Oh- Niles, we really need to make sure they put a photo credit for Brighton in there. That will be his first time being published- it could be a big deal for him."
"Well, hey, I'm writing the announcement- do I get a byline?"
"Sure, go ahead and see if they'll do that for you. I mean, unless it goes in the regular announcements, I don't think they put bylines there because it's pretty generic information."
"And how do you know what they write in engagement announcements, mister?" Fran teased.
"Hey, I read everything in the paper. Well, mostly. And I usually just check the names in case it's someone I've heard of. You know, for social etiquette and all. Besides, Niles reads all of them, too."
"I do not!" Niles said, embarrassed. "I just- look at the pictures. Sometimes the names."
Max and Fran grinned at him.
"For social etiquette?" Fran teased.
"Well, you better hope everyone you both know reads it this sunday, no matter what section it ends up in. I can only spread the word among so many other butlers and household staff," Niles said.
"Oh, heck, my mother would have it on the news if she had her way. It won't take long for word to get around, don't worry. Besides, we might have to buy a couple stacks of papers just so my mother can cut out the announcements and spread them around Queens."
"Oh, speaking of which, we should get copies of the pictures for your mother, I mean if it's okay with you," Max said to Fran. "You know, for newsletters and all that. Niles, when you take the film in, can you make sure to get extra copies?"
"Absolutely, sir."
"Niles, can we help set the table?" Fran asked.
"Of course you can! I'll be bringing everything out in dishes to set on the table for everyone to serve themselves, if that's alright. So we'll just need plates and silverware, and napkins, if you don't mind."
"No problem! Max, can you get the plates? I'll get the silverware." They both headed for cabinets and drawers and took everything into the dining room, and began setting the table. As Max walked around the table, setting down the plates, he glanced at Fran. He really got a kick out of seeing her in all this domestic activity- and participating in it with her. It was really nice feeling like a family.
Fran glanced up at him, catching him watching her. She stopped what she was doing and looked at him, then grinned.
"Something on your mind?" She asked.
"You. You're on my mind. I was just thinking," he continued to set down plates and worked his way closer to her. "I was thinking how nice this is- this domestic stuff. Setting the table- with you. It just feels nice."
"It does, doesn't it? I like doing these things with you. Makes me appreciate the little things."
Max set down the last plate and reached for her waist. "Yes, it does." He kissed her and she set down the rest of the silverware, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You okay, Max?"
"Mmm hmm. I don't mean to change the mood or anything, I mean, I know we just came in here to help Niles get the table ready. But I keep finding myself- I don't know- just taken by you. I just like looking at you sometimes. Seeing you." He kissed her again. "It's a weird feeling that comes over me, seems to slow time down. Like I need to soak you in."
"Yeah, I've felt the same thing with you, Max. And I think I know what it is."
"You do?" He whispered.
Fran smiled. "It's love. Being in love. Seeing each other in a different way. When it happens, I know I don't want to miss it- the feeling. I just want to hold on to you. I want to feel you in my arms. Soak you in." She looked into his eyes.
"Yeah." They brushed the tips of their noses against each other's and kissed lightly on the lips. "I love you. And I'm in love with you, Fran."
"I love you, too. And I'm in love- head over heels in love with you, Max." She tightened her arms around his neck and he squeezed her waist, almost picking her up.
"I can't wait to be married to you, sweetheart."
"Mmmmm! It's going to be fantastic, Max! Gosh, I just want to get on the other side of this surgery, you know? And get on with our lives together. I can't get enough of you. I just wish we had a little more time together before I have to have the surgery done. You know? The recovery is just going to stop us being able to be together."
"I know, darling, I know. We'll make sure we make the most of this time, okay? As long as you're feeling well. We can stay in bed all day, if you want," he smiled at her and she ran her hands down his chest.
"You'd be okay with that?" She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Of course I would. Maybe we can have breakfast with the children before they go to school, then hurry back upstairs and- whatever."
"Whatever? You mean like, play chess, or backgammon, or-" they both started laughing.
"God, I love you!" Max exclaimed, hugging her tightly.
"Mmmmm! Max! I love you so much! So it's okay to have an early bedtime tonight?"
"Anything you want, darling! Anything you want!" They kissed each other again and again.
"We better finish setting this table so we can eat! And we can't forget when we go upstairs that we need to find clothes to wear for our pictures in the morning."
"Absolutely. Here, let me help you," Max took some of the silverware and helped her put down the place settings.
Niles pushed through the door from the kitchen with a large bowl of salad and set it in the middle of the table. "Dinner's ready! Just going to call for the children and I'll bring everything else in. I've got iced tea for everyone to drink, will that be alright?"
"That's fine, Niles, thank you."
Niles rushed out the doorway of the dining room towards the front staircase and they could hear him yell to the children upstairs to come down for dinner. Then he rushed back through to the kitchen and they followed behind him, to help bring in all of the serving dishes of food and glasses for the tea.
As they set everything out on the table, the kids came into the room and headed for their seats, but Brighton held back briefly. He had a camera in his hands and quickly lifted it up in front of him and took a photo of Fran and Max, standing together holding hands at the head of the table. Everyone heard the camera and turned around to see Brighton grinning.
"Hey!" Fran said. "I thought you were saving that for the morning!"
"Well, I figured I better get some practice with it to make sure I know how to change the settings. It has a light meter in it, but I think I know mostly what setting that should be at. It's just getting the right exposure that I might need practice at. And I am trying to decide if this is the lens I want to use tomorrow, or if I should use that telephoto lens instead. Do you guys know if you might want the background to be a little blurry, or do you want to be able to see everything behind you in the picture?" He stepped over to his chair and sat down.
Fran and Max looked at each other, not sure how to answer.
"Well, I don't know. Would the telephoto lens make it blurry?" Max asked.
"Yeah, I think so, but I don't know how much. But even if it was just slightly blurry, it makes you guys stand out a little more in the foreground. But I guess it probably all depends on what they background is. I mean, if a wall is right behind you, I guess that wouldn't matter. But I was thinking, if you guys are on the terrace in front of the plants, and then the houses across the street were in the background, those might come out a little blurry."
"Well, maybe bring both and try them out. You know how to change the lenses?"
"Yeah, it's not too hard, but I don't want to be messing too much with all of that if we don't have too much time to do the pictures. How long do you think it will take?"
"Well, I would think five minutes would be enough, unless you want to try more than one spot. But I would keep snapping a few each time, you know, in case our eyes are closed or anything."
"Oh, you better not blink when I take them! That would really suck."
They started passing around the dishes of food to each other and filled their plates.
"Everyone thank Ms. Fine and your father for getting all of this to feast on. They got it from the deli in Queens."
"Oh, really? Did you go see your parents?" Grace asked.
"Yes, we made a special trip over there, and figured while we were there we might as well hit the deli. You know how much Niles loves this pastrami!" Fran said.
"And the potato hash!" Niles was giddy as he filled his plate. They all laughed.
"So did you show them your rings?" Grace asked.
"I sure did, Ma was so happy! Daddy even came away from the game to hang out with us for a while. He's very happy too."
"So- did you talk to your father about- about all the other stuff?" Maggie asked softly.
"Yes. I got to talk to him about that. And make sure he was handling it okay. He was a little quiet, but I think the engagement news helped him. You know, something more positive to focus on."
"That's good," Maggie said. "Are they going to come to your appointment Friday?"
"Well, I know Ma will. I hope my father does, but I don't want to push him too hard. But I kind of have the feeling he will. We told him we'd send a car, so then they don't have to worry about how to get there or anything. I think that helps."
They ate quietly for a while, until Fran remembered that she should probably tell them about the fever.
"Um, I think I should tell you guys about something. It happened while we were in Queens, and I kind of stupidly wasn't prepared for it like I should have been."
"Did you get another fever?" Brighton asked, quietly. He put his fork down while he waited for her to answer.
"Yes. I was feeling fine before we left and thought that we wouldn't be gone that long. So I decided not to bring my prescription. I figured we could get back quick enough, you know, if I did get a fever. Well, we offered to get them some food from the deli since we were going there, and when we were helping Ma clean up before we left there, your father I guess noticed something with me, and he put his wrist behind my neck, then checked my forehead. I was starting to get warm. So he asked my mother for a thermometer, and, well, I was getting a fever. So- your father wanted to just bring me straight home, and Ma said the same thing- that they didn't need the food. But I kind of insisted, since we'd told Niles we were getting food from the deli. And daddy had gone back to watch the game, so he didn't know any of this was going on. I didn't feel that bad, didn't really feel much of anything except maybe a little warm. So we left really quick to get to the deli, and we got everything ordered, and I guess it was kind of getting to me more then. I had to sit down. Your father made me sit down. So we ordered a sandwich to eat too, in case I might be a little weak from being hungry. We had a ton of stuff we had to bring back to the car. But Ma met us at the curb and we handed her the bag of food, and headed back home. We had the sandwich on the drive back, and it did kind of make me feel better.
"So, anyway, we made it back and brought the food to Niles, and then had to get upstairs to check my temperature and take the medication. It was higher by then, so after I took my pill I took a nap for a while until it kicked in, and I felt much better after that. Like nothing had happened. So, if I happen to go anywhere, I have to bring my pills with me, even if I just go to a store to get some things for my recovery."
"Do you mean like stuff to read or things to do?" Grace asked.
"Well, maybe, but I might need things like a special pillow, or maybe some other kind of equipment. Like to help me get up or sit down- but maybe the hospital will provide things like that. And I might need special stuff to cover the incisions, like for me to be able to take a shower. But we can ask them that on Friday at the appointment."
"Oh," Gracie said. She got up from her chair and side-stepped to Fran to hold on to her arm. "Fran, I have some little travel pillows, if you want them. If they might help." Fran smiled at her and put her arm around her. Just then, Brighton snapped a picture, catching them off guard. "Brighton!"
"Oh, it's okay, Gracie. Maybe he'll get some good pictures of all of us. That's always good to have, right?" Fran said.
"Yeah, I guess it is. Sorry, Brighton."
"It's okay. Here, pose for the camera and I'll take another one."
Fran and Grace cuddled close and smiled, and Brighton got another photo. Max smiled as he watched their interaction. It made him so happy to see that everyone genuinely liked each other so much. Even the kids, who had the typical sibling fights and teasing, they could knock it off and stand up for each other when it was necessary. He was so proud of his family, and that included Fran. It even included Niles. He looked over at Niles and even Niles was smiling at their interaction. Gracie got back in her chair and they all went back to eating.
"Oh, children, be sure to leave room for dessert! They got us a cheesecake, too!" The kids' eyes all widened and they smiled at each other.
"Thank you guys for getting all this, it's really good!" Maggie said to Fran and her father. Brighton and Gracie chimed in with their thank you's too.
"Yes," said Niles. "Thank you very much! I wasn't sure what I would have made for dinner if you hadn't offered to get food at the deli. So thank you both very much!"
"You're welcome, Niles," Max and Fran said in unison.
"Oh! You guys," Maggie exclaimed. "I almost forgot. I was talking to Brighton earlier, and we were thinking- if it's okay with you guys, if Saturday morning I take him to the library at school when I need to get some books for a paper, and I can show him how to look up the medical journal stuff on the computers there, and maybe he can print out some stuff to bring back. And maybe Gracie can go, too. We can let Brighton stay there and go wandering around campus, maybe shop a little bit, and then meet back with Brighton for lunch. Maybe he can bring a camera, too, if he wants to take some practice pictures. And we can go by the bookstore on the way back, maybe even Tower Records. If there are some magazines you'd like, Fran, maybe we can get them then and you'll have stuff to read in the hospital."
Fran raised her eyebrows and looked over at Max, then at Brighton and Grace. She turned back to Max. "What do you think? I'd be okay with that, I mean they'd all be together, and Brighton would be okay at the library. I mean, as long as he stayed there and waited for them to come back."
"Well, I think maybe we could go along with that. As long as you all promise to not take any risks and be safe, and stick together. Would you be okay on your own at the library, Brighton?"
"Yeah, It wouldn't be much different from sitting at my own computer doing research, but they have access there to the medical journals, which is something I really need. And Maggie was going to show me how to get one of their cards to make copies on the copy machines. And I might be able to get some good pictures around the campus there, I want to do some black and whites. There will be a lot of people around there, so it might be perfect for street photography."
Max looked back at Fran and she nodded. "Okay, then. Just make sure you all have money, and Maggie, this will be a big responsibility for you, so make sure you make rules with them, and stick to a meeting time with Brighton, then you really need to stick close to each other when you are walking around the city, alright?" He said. The children nodded and smiled. It would be a fun adventure for them.
"Mags, I'll give you a list of some magazines, if you want. I think the new issues should be out so hopefully you can find them. And maybe you'll find a bunch of other ones, too. You can get some French magazines too, if you find any- as long as they have good pictures in them," Fran said.
"Okay! Oh, Fran, since you have to stay in the hospital, if you want, you can borrow my Walkman so you have some music to listen to. Maybe we can make you some mix tapes or something."
"Aw, you don't have to do that, but that would be nice. We still don't know if they'll let your daddy stay in the hospital with me that night, so we need to ask them that on Friday, too."
"Hey, how about this," Max said. "How about Saturday we all go out for dinner? Maybe someplace nice? Maybe you children meet back here by a certain time, and we all go out for dinner? And then on Sunday we can have a quiet day around the house." The children all looked at Fran, and then at their father and nodded.
"Yeah," Maggie said. "We can do that. That would be nice."
Brighton sneakily lifted the camera up and snapped a photo of his father looking at Fran, and Fran was just visible in the background. Max looked over at him, caught off guard.
"Well, Fran, we asked for it. I think we created a monster!" Max smiled, and they both looked back at Brighton, who was winding the camera to the next frame.
"Well, hey, if that one comes out good, I think I got you both in frame. Hopefully both in focus."
"Oh, Brighton," Fran asked. "If you're using black and white film in the morning, are there certain colors we should or shouldn't wear? We still have to figure out what to wear in the pictures."
Brighton thought for a moment. "Well, from looking at those pictures in those books, I guess I'd say you might not want to wear anything dark black or bright white. Depending on how the pictures get printed, that can wash out the detail. And then, maybe- maybe nothing the same colors as the background, like if the background is a wall or something. Like, you probably wouldn't want to wear white against a white wall. You know- that kind of thing. So dad- don't wear a black suit, but maybe a blue one would be okay. You might even still be able to wear a white shirt with it since that's not the dominant color. And Fran, like if we took a picture out front against the house, I wouldn't wear a plain white dress, because you might blend in too much. Think about mid-range colors. Not too dark, not too white."
"Okay, thanks! Now I have a better idea of where to start."
"Is everyone ready for cheesecake?" Niles exclaimed. Everyone cheered and Niles hurried into the kitchen to get it.
Once they finished dinner, everyone helped clear the table and brought everything in to the kitchen, helping Niles put everything away. As Niles wrapped everything up and began cleaning the kitchen, the children headed for the living room and Fran and Max followed. Brighton sat the camera down on the coffee table and ran upstairs to retrieve the tripod, and Maggie and Grace flopped down together on the big side chair. Fran sat on the couch and Max sat next to her, putting his arm around her.
Anything you guys want to watch?" Fran asked the girls.
"Nope," Maggie said. "See if you can find anything fun."
Fran picked up the remote and turned on the TV, flipped through the channels, finally stopping at reruns of the Carol Burnett Show. Fran looked around to see if there were any objections, but of course there weren't. She set the remote down on the table and leaned back into Max, clutching the hand he put over her shoulder.
Brighton came back down the stairs, tripod in hand, and joined them in the living room. He took the mount off of the tripod and picked up the camera, then screwed it to the base. He then mounted the camera to the tripod and one by one, began letting out the legs of the tripod.
"I'm gonna run out on the terrace and see if I can figure out where the best spot would be for the pictures. I'll be back in a minute," he said.
"Okay," Max said. They all turned back to watching the TV, laughing when something funny happened on the show.
Brighton carried the tripod and camera through Max's office and opened the door through to the terrace. It was getting dark outside, and colder, but he ignored it and hurried around with the camera- looking through the lens as he set the tripod legs down on the terrace. He tilted the camera several different directions and raised it up higher, then flipped the camera on its side to see what a portrait view might look like. He decided that might be the best way to get good photos, and would be easier for the newspaper people to crop if they needed to. He flipped the camera back into its normal position on the tripod and quietly stepped back through the doors into the office. He closed and locked them behind him and tiptoed through the office, avoiding the light coming in from the hallway. He stepped behind his father's desk and peered through the doorway out to where Fran and his father were sitting on the couch. He held his camera up and looked through the lens to see if he could get them in view. He could, but they were at a pretty good distance. If he was going to get a good photo from this spot, he was going to have to find the best composition. He wondered how close he might be able to get to them without being seen. He set the tripod down and took a test photo of them to see if they could hear the camera shutter or see what he was doing. He waited for the perfect moment- when his father turned to look at Fran and they smiled at each other- then snapped the picture. His heart almost stopped in his chest. No one heard it. He cranked the film forward as quietly as he could and watched for any sign that he'd been found out, and nothing. So he walked around his father's desk in the darkness and got closer to the door. He carefully set the tripod feet down on the floor- now folded up so they wouldn't stick out into view. He looked through the eyepiece as he held his breath and lifted the camera and tripod into view in the doorway, then caught his moment and snapped the picture. Still, they didn't seem to hear the camera, even though Brighton felt like it was so loud there couldn't possibly be any chance they didn't hear it. He pulled the camera back and caught his breath. He peeked through the crack in the door to watch them watching TV and wondered if maybe he put the camera up to the crack, if he might be able to get another shot of them. He carefully took the camera off the tripod and held on to the camera with one hand and the tripod with the other, then knelt on the sofa behind the office door and leaned in close until he could just touch the camera lens to the crack in the door. He focused and centered the camera- with the door frame and the door itself creating a border on the left and right, then waited for his moment. It felt like forever before Fran and his father shifted on the couch and Fran leaned in closer to him, wrapping her arm around his waist, and he wrapped his arm lower around her back. They both looked really content and happy. Right when something funny happened on the TV, they both started laughing and Brighton snapped his photo. He stepped back from the couch, took a deep breath, and wound the camera once more, then headed out into the living room.
Fran and Max turned to see him and smiled.
"How'd it go?" Fran asked.
"Good, I think I know what to do, depending on what the light looks like in the morning. And I think I might turn the camera like this to get better shots- instead of doing landscape where there's a lot of wasted space on the sides. And it might be easier to crop if the newspaper ends up needing to do that."
"Oh, good, I hadn't even thought of that," Max said. Brighton set the tripod down and aimed the camera at the girls, who were still engrossed in the show, and took another picture, then turned toward Fran and his father and didn't wait for permission before taking another photo of them. They had just turned back to the TV when he took the picture of the girls, so didn't look at the camera when he caught the picture of the two of them. Brighton wound the camera again and Fran and Max looked over at him, still smiling, and he snapped another one.
"You're right, Max, we did create a monster!" Brighton gave them a big cheesy grin and wound the camera again.
"Here, Brighton- go over there with your sisters and let me get one of all of you," Max said.
"Aw!" Brighton handed him the camera and crawled across the floor to where his sisters were. They all hammed it up for the camera- both girls making horns on Brighton and sticking their tongues out, and Brighton making a silly face as Max took a picture of them. Brighton rushed over to grab the camera back and sat on the floor, retracting the legs of the tripod back in. Max and Fran settled back on the couch, and Max rested a hand on her knee.
Just then, Niles came into the room carrying a tray with two cups of hot tea for Fran and Max, and walked over to set it on the coffee table in front of them.
"I thought you two might like to cap the night off with some tea," he said.
"Oh, thank you Niles! I was just thinking something like that might be good!"
"Yes, thank you, Niles."
"Is there anything I can get you children?"
"Hot chocolate!" Brighton looked up at him- eyes wide with hope.
"Yeah!" The girls said. They all looked over at Fran and Max for permission.
"Go ahead," Max said, smiling.
"Yea!" They cheered. Niles hurried back to the kitchen to fix them their hot chocolate.
Brighton got up from the floor and picked up the tripod to get it out of the way. He carried the camera with him, ulterior motive in the back of his mind. He carried the tripod over towards the staircase and made noise like he was fumbling around with it, then set it on the floor next to the stairs to be ready for the morning. He then looked back at everyone in the living room and wound the camera, and slowly walked back towards the living room, but made a wide turn towards the entry table. Just then, Max turned to look at Fran next to him again, and just then, Brighton was able to catch another photo of them, with Maggie and Grace in the background. He quickly wound the camera again as Max and Fran turned back to look at him and he snapped another one.
"Are you trying to use up that film or something?" Fran asked as he came back around the couch to the coffee table again.
"Maybe!" He said. Fran and Max picked up their cups of tea at the same time and leaned back on the couch against each other.
"So, Brighton, are you liking that camera? Is it working okay?" Max asked.
"It works great. I think all those cameras do. Oh, dad- that one with the two lenses? There's a roll of film in there for it that's brand new- not even out of the wrapper. It's black and white, too. Do you want me to use that in the morning, too? It's not as easy, but I could at least use it as a test roll to practice with that camera, maybe even get a couple good pictures out of it."
"Sure, if you want to. Maybe get it ready tonight and just snap a few. If it works okay, maybe you can get some more film for it when Niles takes the film in to get developed."
"Okay! That would be cool, because a lot of those street photographers use those cameras to get more candid shots- because you aren't looking straight through at whoever you're taking a picture of, you're looking down, so people aren't thinking about it and might not even know you're taking a picture."
"Yeah- but just be careful, I mean, don't be careless with it- don't be rude about who you take pictures of. Some people might not like it," Max said.
"Yeah, I will. I'll get the hang of it."
"So what time do you want us here in the morning?" Max asked him.
"Um, maybe 7:15? I can grab some food first, then get the pictures done as fast as we can, then come back and finish eating."
"Well, how about you eat first? Maybe if you come down even five minutes early. Fran and I can always eat after everything's done, and that might even be a better idea for us to eat after."
"Okay, I can do that. I just need to make sure the film's in the camera and then get the camera on the tripod. Then I just need to go through all the film so Niles can take it in to get developed. So I might be shooting quite a few of the same poses and all."
"That's fine," Fran said. "That should give us a lot of possibilities to pick from for the announcement."
Niles came out with a second tray with the hot chocolate for the children, and a cup of tea for himself.
"Here you go, children! Be very careful, they're hot. I put marshmallows on all of them, but you might want them to cool off a bit." They each took a mug and set it down on the tables near them, and Niles took his own cup of tea off and took a sip.
"Niles, go ahead and sit down, you've done enough for today."
"Oh, thank you, sir. Don't mind if I do!" Niles headed for the other side chair and sat down with his tea and started to watch Carol Burnett with everyone else.
"Oh shoot, Max! I forgot about calling Ma! I better go do that before I forget again. Niles, is the cordless still in the kitchen?"
"Yes it is, on the counter."
"Okay, be right back," She kissed Max, got up from the couch, and took her cup of tea with her.
"Oh, Niles- Brighton may come down a little bit earlier for breakfast, so he can eat before doing the pictures. And then Fran and I will eat afterwards, if that's alright," Max said.
"Of course it's alright! I'll make sure he's got breakfast. And after you two have eaten, I can run the film over to get processed."
"Oh, Niles?" Brighton asked. "Can I see the pictures first? I mean, if you go pick them up, can you wait to look at them so I can check them first?"
"Do you want to go over there to pick them up yourself? I can get you money to cover the processing."
"Oh, Niles, don't worry about that," Max interrupted. "Brighton, this is a paid gig for you, alright? Treat it not just like you're taking pictures of the family, but you are taking pictures for publication. I'll get you the money to cover processing, and we'll see how they all come out, Okay?"
Brighton's jaw hung open. "Okay. You really mean that?"
"I do," Max said. "And be sure you charge other people if you do photography for them, too, okay? Don't do anything for free. At least, not yet. This will give you an idea of what you might be able to charge people in the future. Keep track of what processing and extra prints cost. And in the future, if you're able to develop and print your own film, you'll be able to figure out what to charge."
"Okay. Oh- you know what- will they let me pick up the pictures without that stub thing from the package?"
"Oh, goodness, I don't know. I can put your name on it, that might work. You can show them your school ID if you need to. But if it doesn't work, just come back here and let me know and we can run back over there to get it."
"Okay, good. And I can pick up some of that other film, too."
Max reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet, then took out cash and handed it to Brighton. "Do you think that will cover it?" He asked Brighton.
"Yeah, thanks, that should be plenty."
Max gulped down the rest of his tea, and Brighton picked up his hot chocolate and began to drink it. The girls saw him drink his, so they picked up theirs and tested it out. Perfect.
Fran hurried out from the kitchen and sat back down next to Max. "I talked to her just for a minute, then called to see if Val was home, too. Told her what went on. But I didn't want to talk too long, we need to get upstairs and figure out what we're wearing in the morning." She patted Max's thigh and he nodded.
"Yes, we do. Children, can you all get yourselves to bed on time tonight? Fran and I need to sort out our outfits for the morning, and then try to get to bed early tonight. It's been a long day."
The kids all chimed in together that they'd be fine.
"I'll make sure they're off to bed on time. You two go ahead. I'll have breakfast ready a little early, so if you girls want to come down a little early to eat, too, that'll be fine."
"Okay," Maggie and Grace said, then turned back to the TV.
Fran squeezed Max's leg, and he put his now-empty cup on the tray Niles had brought in earlier.
"Well, you guys, get to bed on time, don't keep yourselves up, and we'll see you in the morning, okay?" Fran said, as she and Max got up from the couch. Brighton got up from the floor to give Fran a hug, and then his father one, too. Maggie and Grace got up and both hugged Fran at the same time, then hugged their father.
"Night, all. Night Niles, and thank you."
"Good night, get some rest, and I can't wait to see the pictures! I'll make sure the announcement is all written tomorrow and ready to go, so you can look it over before I take it in."
"Okay, thank you," Fran said. Max took her hand and they headed for the stairs, knowing that they probably wouldn't spend too long looking for outfits so they could both jump into bed together.
"Sweetie, why don't we figure out what you're going to wear, and then I can try to find something that goes with it?" Fran said as they entered the bedroom.
"Well, that should be easy, darling. Especially if I wear a basic suit. Unless- do you want me to wear something more formal, like with a vest or something?" They walked towards the closet and opened the door, stepping inside and turning on the light.
"Well, I don't think we need to do a vest, since there's a chance they might crop the picture to fit whatever space they're putting it in."
"True, but I think when they get a look at you, they won't want to crop you at all. They might crop me out, though…" Max smiled.
"The hell they will! I really hope they print the full picture- whatever Brighton takes."
"Yes, that would be good. So he said no black suit, and I haven't had a white suit since the 70s, so don't have to worry about that."
Fran grinned at him. "I bet you were sexy in a white suit! Did you have the gold chains to go with it?" Fran teased.
"Oh, no, no. I'm not much for necklaces. I mean- on me. On you, they're lovely! It was enough to wear a white suit and try not to get it dirty. That was too much stress for one man to endure."
"Aw, baby. I do know how you don't like to get dirty. You must have had to stand in the corners of the clubs all night." Fran kissed him.
"Well, not always the corners. Sometimes I'd stand on the side of the bar and have a drink, then, well, I'd make an excuse and go home. And the country club didn't have much call for wearing white suits, so that didn't last very long."
"Aw, my poor baby. If I'd seen you at a club back then, I would have been all over you." She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed his buttocks.
"Mmmm," he kissed her. "If you were at a club back then, you would have been swarmed by all the other guys, and I bet you wouldn't have even seen me."
"I doubt that. And if they tried to swarm, I'd shove them all away because you would be in the spotlight. And I'd pull you onto the dance floor, and we'd knock their socks off." She kissed him again.
"Mmmm, I do like dancing with you. Sometimes I have dreams that we're dancing, and it's like our feet aren't even touching the floor." He rested his forehead against hers and she stroked his cheek.
"That sounds wonderful, Max. I hope we get to dance together a lot."
"We will, darling." He kissed her softly and hugged her. "But now- should I go with a blue suit?" He asked.
"Yes! Do you have something that's kind of a medium blue?" Max flipped through his suits until he found one in a medium blue, then took it off of the rack and held it in front of himself for Fran to look over. "Yes- I think that'll work."
"Should I wear the blue slacks, or change it up and maybe wear dark gray?" He reached for a gray suit and put it next to the blue one.
"Well, it may not show up on the black and white pictures, but if the pants and jacket are different colors, that might look like a little more thought was put into the outfit. Yeah- why don't we try that? You can always just go back to the blue if it doesn't look right. But now- we need to get a tie on you in a different color- like a burgundy or maybe wine-red." She flipped through his tie rack and took out a couple of ties, then held them up to the jacket. "This one! Okay, you're all set. Here, bring the suit with you and we'll go poke through my closet and see what we can find!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her, back to her old room.
"You know, darling, we've really got to get the closet situation sorted out so we can get your clothes moved over."
"It'll happen, we'll figure it out." They turned on her old bedroom light and headed for the closet. She took his suit from him and hung it on the door.
"Now remember, darling, that it'll be cold out there in the morning, so nothing thin. I don't want you catching a chill out there."
"Okay, okay. And anyway, that would help me eliminate like three quarters of the options in here. Should I wear a dress, or a skirt and jacket? It might be easier to find a thicker skirt and jacket."
"Sure, start with that and see if you can find something. Are there any colors you want to eliminate?"
"Well, I don't have any solid colors, I don't think. They all have things on them. But let's start with skipping the black and white. Red might be okay, maybe green and blue. Here- you look through that side and I'll go through these. Take out whatever you think looks nice." There ensued a flurry of activity with outfits being pushed aside, switched around, and taken out. They piled five different options on the bed. Fran came out into the bedroom and spread the outfits across the bed, then picked one up and held it next to his suit. "Hey, can you do me a favor, Max?"
"Sure, what do you need?" Max asked.
"Can you hold your suit up to you, and I'll hold these up, and we'll see how they look."
"No problem," he said, taking his suit off of the door and holding it in front of him. Fran put the first outfit in front of her and stood next to him in front of the full-length mirror.
"Hmm, no, I think that's too bright." She hung it back in her closet and picked up the next one. "Hmm- maybe. What do you think, sweetie?"
"It's nice, it stands out against my jacket, and it doesn't look too bright."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll put that aside as a maybe. Now let's see this one-" she picked up another outfit, this time a full dress with an added jacket. She held it in front of herself and cuddled up to Max. "Hmmm."
"I think I like the last one better. How long has it been since you wore this one?"
"Ages. I think you're right though, it's not really my style anymore. It makes me look a bit- I don't know- stuffy maybe? I definitely couldn't dance well in this!" Max grinned, and she set the dress aside in her closet. "Maybe I can sell that one or something. Okay, let's try this one." She picked up the next one and held it up.
"That's not bad," Max said. "Similar colors to that other one. But it shows your neck. That's always nice," he grinned again.
"Aw shucks, Mr. Sheffield! You're making me blush!"
"Good, it'll go good with that outfit!"
She elbowed him and set it on top of the other outfit, then picked up the last one.
"Now, this one might be too dark, even though it's red. I don't know what that would look like in black and white."
"Here, hold it up next to my jacket."
Fran lifted it up in front of her and stood next to Max again. Max squinted his eyes, trying to imagine what the two colors would look like in black and white.
"Well, it's just a tad lighter than the jacket, I think. But it's a solid. Do you want two solids, or do you think having a little variety would be good? I kind of like those patterns on that second outfit. What do you think?" Max asked.
"You make a good point," she picked up the other outfit from the bed and brought it back over, switching between the two. "Yeah, you're right. So no red." She put the red outfit back in her closet. "Okay, now it's between these two, which do you like better, first one or second one?" She switched back and forth between the final two choices, and Max cocked his head to the side as he looked in the mirror.
"Well, I think I know which one I prefer, but you have better fashion sense. Which one do you like?"
"I think I know which one you like, and I think I'm leaning that way, too. Now, if you wear the gray pants, I think the choice is obvious." She tossed the losing outfit onto the bed, deciding on the same one that Max had liked previously.
"Fantastic! Now, what else do you need? Shoes? Jewelry?"
"Definitely shoes, all of my jewelry is in my dressing table, so I can sort that out in the morning. But let me grab my black shoes and we'll be all done!" She handed Max the winning outfit to carry and then dug through her heels in the closet for the right black shoes. When she found them, along with a pair of pantyhose, they shut off the lights and hurried back to the master bedroom.
They hung their outfits up in the closet and began to change into pajamas so they could get ready for bed. Fran took her pajamas to the bathroom so she wouldn't get undressed in front of Max.
"Aw, Fran you can change here," Max whimpered.
"Not if I actually want to get changed, mister. And besides, if I see too much of you, I won't let you get your pajamas on either!" Max laughed.
"Oh, sweetheart- don't brush your teeth yet- we need to get your temperature first, alright?"
"Okay, I'll save that part." Fran quickly changed into her pajamas and took out her cold cream and began spreading it on her face to remove her makeup. Max hung up his belt and sorted his clothes into the hamper, then poked around to decide on what he would wear that night. He took out a pair of black cotton pajama pants and put them on, and then got one of his smoking jacket-styled robes and put it on. He took down a robe for Fran as well and brought it into the bathroom.
"May I come in now?" He asked.
"Of course, sweetie," she said. She was wiping off the cold cream from her face and tried not to be self conscious in front of Max. He had already seen her without makeup, but that was a slightly different situation, and their relationship was still new.
"I brought you a robe, if you want one, I'll hang it over here."
"Thank you. Let me just get the rest of this off my face and I'll get out of your way."
"No rush," he said, looking over the cute pajamas she was wearing. Fran washed her face with a washcloth and checked herself in the mirror, making sure she didn't miss anything. Max handed her a towel to dry off with, and looked her over again as she stood up from the sink.
"Are you checking me out?" Fran turned to the side, acting bashful.
"Always. I like your jammies," he said, being cute. She set down the towel and looked him over.
"I like yours too, especially since you aren't wearing a shirt. But that robe covers up too much of you, baby," she grabbed the front of his robe and pulled him in for a quick kiss.
"Well, I figured if I didn't cover up a little, someone might come knocking at the door."
"They better not! Do we need to get one of those 'Do Not Disturb' signs to hang on the doorknob?" She patted his hip and retrieved her clothes.
"I hope we never need that. Hopefully everyone will understand that they shouldn't disturb us in here unless it's a real emergency. Here, darling, get this in so we can see how you're doing," he handed her the thermometer.
"I'll go put these clothes up while you finish in here, then we'll see what my temp is. We need to make sure the alarm is set a little early, too. I need to figure out what I'm doing with my hair tomorrow, and how long it will take. Do you have any preferences?" She stuck the thermometer in her mouth.
"Well, I think you know what I like, but for pictures you can try something a little different."
"Hmmm," she mumbled, leaving the bathroom.
Max grabbed his toothbrush and began brushing his teeth while Fran headed back to the closet, separating out her dirty clothes for the hamper. She came out to her dressing table and took out her jewelry box. She wanted to find some pieces that would go with her rings and with her outfit for the morning. She didn't want anything too flashy, that would take away the focus from the engagement ring on her finger. She thought it might be a nice touch to wear her new charm bracelet, and then she settled on a matching set of earrings and necklace. She took the pins and clips out of her hair and let it fall down to her shoulders, then began brushing it. She turned her head from side to side, pulling her hair straight to see how it might look if she straightened it in the morning.
Max came out of the bathroom and walked over to her, reaching for the thermometer. He took it out and checked it.
"Hmm- it says it's normal. Do you want to leave it in a bit longer?" He asked.
"I think it was long enough. That was at least three minutes, wasn't it?"
"Yes, I think it was." He checked her forehead with his wrist. "You don't feel warm. So I guess it's okay. But let me know if you start feeling anything, alright?"
"Yes, sweetie. I will. Now, let me go brush my teeth so we can hit the sack!"
Max smiled. "Okay, I'll get the bed sorted." As Fran rushed to the bathroom, Max went to turn down the bed and move off the extra pillows. He turned on the bedside light, set the alarm, and then went to turn off the overhead light and make sure the door was locked. He wasn't sure if he should get in the bed, or wait for her to join him. He decided to wait, and sat down on the bench at the end of the bed.
A few minutes later, Fran peeked her head out of the bathroom and shut off the bathroom light. She had his robe on, but it wasn't tied up. He could see her bare midriff as she slowly walked toward him. He smiled.
She stopped right in front of him and reached for his head, stroking his hair. He buried his face in her middle and reached for her legs, covered in her pajama pants. She rubbed his shoulders and held him close.
"Mmmmm…" he sighed, into her middle. Fran smiled and stroked his hair again.
"Do you want the fireplace on tonight?" She whispered to him. He looked over at the fireplace, then up at her.
"If you're cold, we can turn it on. But I thought we might cuddle up under the covers and warm each other up."
"That sounds nice." She continued stroking his hair and he closed his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her legs and inhaled deeply. She felt like she was comforting him, and he felt like he was being comforted. He almost didn't want to move, but he didn't want her getting cold either. He ran his hands slowly up and down the sides of her thighs and hips, then kissed her belly. She was still looking at him- watching him as he sought out his comfort in her. She enjoyed his touch, enjoyed taking care of him like this. He turned to rest his cheek against her, and she began to gently caress the other side of his face. He let her, for a moment, then took her hand and held it, then kissed it. He looked up at her again and they both smiled.
Max got up from the bench and took her in his arms. "I love you, Fran," he said softly, looking into her eyes.
She smiled and ran her hands up his back. "I love you, Max." She kissed him softly and looked back into his eyes. She untied his robe, took it off, and dropped it onto the bench, then he slid the robe off of her shoulders, took it off of her, and also dropped it on the bench. "Come on, let's get in the bed," she said. She took his hand and pulled him with her around to his side of the bed. She crawled into the covers first and moved over to make room for him. He laid down on his back and she curled up against him, resting her head on his chest. She ran her hand across his bare belly and let it rest on the side of his ribs.
"I was thinking," Max whispered, "That maybe we stay home for a while. You know, except for those appointments, and if we all go out to dinner on saturday night. Maybe we just hang out, doing things around here. We can watch movies, or TV, or whatever. Maybe figure out what you will need when you come back after surgery. Or, you know, how to set things up in here so you can reach everything, so you have room to put everything."
"I wouldn't mind that. Things have been kind of a whirlwind. It's easy to get caught up in that pace. But yeah, I do think I'd like hanging out here a bit more, slow down a little. But one thing I do want to do here, is to try to get a bit of a workout in. Nothing heavy, I mean, I haven't been working out at all for quite a while because I haven't felt up to it. I won't do anything that might feel like I could do some damage. But after the surgery, I won't be able to do a workout for who knows how long."
Max stroked her shoulder with his thumb. "I'd like to be there with you, when you work out, if that's okay. We can work out together."
"Yeah, that would be okay with me. But you know, if we work out together, wearing skimpy clothes, there's a chance we might not get much working out done…" She lifted her head up to look at Max. He laughed.
"Oh, we'll get a workout. It just might not be the kind we intended!" They both laughed. He hugged her close to him, and she ran her hand up to his chest. He could see the glint from the diamond in her engagement ring. "So, I saw you got out your charm bracelet. Were you thinking of wearing that tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I thought that might be nice, next to the rings. I don't know if it will show in the pictures though. Might have to strategically place it." Max picked up her hand and kissed the rings.
"You remember when Grace came over to you at dinner? And you cuddled her?"
"Yes. She's such a sweetie."
"I like it when the children do things like that with you. You know, being at the dinner table tonight, like a real family, talking about everything. It just really got me, you know? Those children love you so much. And I love it that they do. They taught me so much, about how to love you. How easy it really was to do."
"Aw, Max."
"I mean it, Fran. I'll always regret not taking a chance sooner. But I'm glad we're together now. Very glad." He kissed her forehead softly.
"So am I, Max." She pressed her lips against his chest and kissed him, then raised her head up to look at him. He smiled as he gently pulled her hair back from her face with his fingers. She propped herself up and kissed his lips several times, then crawled up onto him, resting her forearms on either side of his head, He wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling her bare skin below her half-shirt. She let her eyes wander over his face as they smiled at each other, then she brushed his nose with hers. He desperately wanted to kiss her, but let her have her fun. The weight of her body on top of him felt good, and he just wanted to keep holding her there. Finally, she kissed him on his lower lip. He closed his eyes and felt her gently teasing and kissing him, across his lower lip, at the corners of his mouth, sucking on his upper lip, then slowly parting his lips to kiss him fully on the mouth. She sighed as she slid her tongue in to meet his- letting their mouths begin their own intercourse. Max had shivers run down his body, and he clutched at her waist, then let his hands slide partway up the back of her shirt.
"Mmmm," he moaned softly. He reached for the covers and pulled them higher over her body, then let his hands wander down over her hips. She caressed the sides of his face with her thumbs and pushed her hips up against him. She loved the feel of his hands on her skin, and the way he clutched at her, the way he squeezed her. And his hands were so soft. He ran his hands over her back again and she cupped his jaw in her hand, then kissed his chin, his cheek, his jaw, then his neck. She ran her tongue over his neck, then kissed him hard and he turned his head to the side, loving it. She sucked on his neck near his ear, then near his shoulder. He gasped softly from the pleasure, then moaned- wanting more. Fran worked her way to the other side of his neck, and he slid his hands down to her buttocks, then wrapped his arms around her and slid his hands up the back of her shirt again, letting a hand slide around to her side, gently stroking over the side of her ribs. He let his other hand do the same, and she worked her kisses back to his mouth, taking his tongue in as she gave him hers. He caught his breath and opened his eyes to look at her. She kissed him several times and looked into his eyes.
"God, Max… it would be so easy…"
"Hmm…?"
"So easy to just let it happen. But we should keep it steady… nice and steady. I don't want to go that far just yet. I want to get used to your body. I want us to be relaxed… okay? I feel like I'm going to go so crazy over you, that I'll go too fast. Be too passionate. Can we be slow tonight?"
"Slow?" He whispered. "Of course, darling! I just want to touch you, to feel you… I want to wander all over you… nice and slow…"
"Mmmmm!" She smiled, and started kissing his neck. "Yes, please!" They both chuckled, and Max rolled her over gently and held onto her hip. He looked over her body and sighed heavily.
"So, should we draw some kind of a line? Have some boundaries?" He asked, as he ran his fingers over her side. She looked over his body in the dim light and wrapped her arms over his shoulders.
"Hmm… okay. Well, tonight… let's keep our clothes on…" she said softly. He leaned close and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"Alright… I think we can handle that. Are we allowed to- wander… over the clothes, or-"
"Or in the clothes?" Fran grinned.
"Maybe…" he looked down at her top, and ran his fingertips across her belly. Fran curled up from ticklishness and pulled Max down on her.
"Well, seeing as you have no top on, but I do, I suppose I could make some allowances…" Max smiled, then kissed her again.
"So I'm assuming, since we both have bottoms on, that maybe those same allowances won't apply?"
"Well, if we're trying to slow things a bit, and wander a bit, then maybe that's an area we need to be most careful about…"
"Even though you've already seen my scar?"
"Especially since I've already seen your scar… and everything leading up to your scar…" Fran kissed him and ran her hand down his bare side and then clutched his hip. He let out a noise of frustration and joy and laughed, and then kissed her deeply. The feel of her fingers on his bare skin drove him crazy. He wanted to explore her from head to toe and back.
"Alright, then… May I go wandering for a while?"
"Oh god yes! Nice and slow. Don't miss anything…"
"Mmmm…" Max sighed, imagining his journey. So he began, exactly as he imagined, and started with soft kisses on her forehead, then down her nose to her lips, where he stayed for a while, letting his tongue explore hers, slowly, carefully. He let the tip of his tongue tease her lips, then moved over her cheeks- kissing every inch until he got to her hairline near her ear. He worked his way to an earlobe and gently sucked and nibbled at it, making Fran moan and clutch his sides. He kissed her along her jaw and her throat to repeat the attention to her other earlobe, then made his way down her neck. He slowed down and looked over her, and she brought her hands back up his body to his shoulders, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her throat softly, then grazed his lips across her skin to her collarbones, giving her little kisses from one shoulder to the other, through her shirt. He reached for her sleeve and pulled it up to her shoulder, then kissed her skin sensually. Fran sighed and relaxed, letting her arms slide down to rest on the bed at her sides. She was enjoying his attentiveness so much!
"That's wonderful, Max! That feels so nice…"
"I'm glad… and I've got so much more of you to wander…" Fran let out a squeak of anticipation, but kept her eyes closed. She wanted to feel everything he was doing to her.
He kissed the skin of her arms and ran his fingertips over her, giving her goosebumps. He lifted each hand and kissed the back of it, then kissed her rings, and finally went back to the center of her neck. He shifted himself further down and rested next to her, then let a hand trace down the center of her body from her neck to her belly. Fran clutched at the bed and tensed up, then remembered that she needed to relax. Max was making her feel so good, and it didn't have to lead to sex. If anything, he was learning what she liked, and what she responded to. And it was amazing. Max ran his fingers over her skin and kissed her here, then there, then let his tongue trace over her belly. He kissed her ribs that stuck out from below her shirt, then deep around her sides over her hips. It drove Fran crazy, and it was all she could do to not grab him and have her way with him. She moaned in pleasure, then Max slowly worked his way to her other side to repeat the same thing.
Max sat up on the bed and looked over her body in the soft light. He reached his hands over her, and gently ran them down her body, from her shoulders, around her breasts, and down her ribs until he got to her hips. He loved her body. He wasn't going to be able to get enough of it. He moved down the bed to sit on his knees between her feet, then reached up to her hips and slowly, lovingly, ran his hands down her legs, stopping to give her muscles a gentle squeeze along the way. He massaged her ankles, then her feet, then reached back up to her calves and squeezed them- working out the tension she carried there. Her calves were very tight, and the more he worked on them, the more relaxed Fran became. He looked up at her face and could just see the soft smile on her lips, and it made him happy that he could make her feel good.
"Darling?" He whispered.
"Hmmm?" She sighed.
"Would you mind turning over? I don't want to skip that side…" Fran grinned and opened her eyes to look at him, then she rolled over on the bed, moving the pillow out of the way and resting her arms back at her sides. She eagerly anticipated this second part of his journey, and knew she would have to come up with some things to make him feel this good, too.
Max started at her feet, massaging them gently, then her ankles, then held her shins in his hands and worked out the tension all the way up to her knees. He was careful with her thighs, only working the outsides, and then moved her legs together as he changed his position to straddle over her. He worked the outsides of her hips, then over the back of her pelvis, then carefully targeted specific areas on her buttocks. Fran didn't move a muscle, she was in heaven. He shifted his position again, then put his hands on the bare skin of her lower back, and Fran got goosebumps at the feel of his touch. He massaged the muscles alongside her spine, working all the way up her back, and in her shirt, to her shoulders. She sighed deeply, then turned her head to the other side. Max ran his thumbs and palms across her ribs, then worked out the tension around her shoulder blades, her shoulders, and down into each arm. Then he gently moved her hair away from her neck with his fingers grazing across her skin, and he leaned over and kissed the back of her neck. She smiled at the feel of it, and then he gently massaged her neck. She lifted her head up and propped herself up on her elbows, and hung her head down so he could reach her neck and shoulders better. Then he slowly ran a hand over her back and approached her bare skin again, below her shirt. As he kissed her skin from one side of her back to the other, she relaxed back down on the bed, resting her head on her hands. With her arms now reaching up instead of at her sides, it pulled her shirt higher to reveal more of skin, and Max kissed every bit of it. Then he sat back next to her and guided her to roll back over onto her back. She reached for his arm and caressed the inside of it, looking up at him with sleepy, happy eyes. He smiled at her, then put his hand on her belly and stroked it gently with his thumb.
"That was wonderful, Max!" She whispered to him. "You make me feel so good!"
He leaned over to kiss her belly, and looked over it as he did. He worked his way up slowly, letting his hand slip little by little up into her shirt. He barely touched her skin, tickling her. She smiled and closed her eyes, and raised her arms over her head, and pulled the pillow back to her to rest her head. Max looked over her, at the shape of her breasts under the cloth of her shirt. He was trying very hard to not be aroused by so much contact with her body, but it was impossible. But he was trying to be a little careful, and wanted to make sure he was appreciating her. Appreciating every inch of her. He took a deep breath and exhaled, and laid back down over her. He kissed the middle of her chest and nuzzled against her breasts, and Fran wrapped her arms over his shoulders. He kissed his way up her neck and made it back to her lips, where after a few soft kisses at the corners of her mouth, he kissed her deeply. She clutched his head in her hands and let him kiss her, then offered her tongue and he took it. They kissed for several minutes until they had to come up for air. Fran hugged him tightly, and wrapped her legs around his.
"God, Max!" She kissed him again. "Oh! That was amazing! You're wonderful, baby! God, I want your hands all over me! And your lips! And your tongue, too!" She kissed him again, then they parted and he looked into her eyes. He felt so close to her.
"I love you, sweetheart! I love you so much! You body is wonderful… so wonderful…" he kissed her cheeks, then her lips again.
"Mmmm… baby… I want to make you feel this good, too… Come here- come here and lay down, sweetie," she whispered. "I want to take care of you. It's my turn to go exploring- all over your gorgeous body!"
Max obliged and let her get up, then laid on his back where she had been. He rested his head on the pillow and tried to relax, but was eagerly anticipating her touch.
Fran laid down slowly on top of him, resting her arms on either side of his head. She ran her fingers through his hair and grazed the tip of her nose across his face as she kissed him lightly. She was still thinking about how his hands felt all over her, and she had to make him feel just as good, if not better. She wanted to take her time. She hovered over his lips, almost stealing his breath before she kissed him. She made him wait for her, pausing before she kissed him more deeply, then pausing again before she let her tongue tease his. His hands went to her hips and clutched her. She ran the backs of her fingers across his cheeks and his jaw, then kissed his neck near his ear. As she softly kissed and sucked at his neck on one side, she let her fingertips trace the rim of his other ear and earlobe. He caught his breath and almost sighed with a high pitched sound, so she knew he liked what she was doing. She worked her way slowly over his neck and throat, tickling him with her tongue. She wanted to kiss him so hard it might give him a hickey, but she pulled back and just let herself feel his skin on her lips, let herself learn all of the muscles and bones and ticklish areas. As she tickled his other ear, she let her lips work their way over his shoulder, pressing into his wonderful muscles. She ran her tongue over his collarbones, to his other shoulder, and then she got up, straddling him on all fours. She looked over the undulations of his muscles in the soft light, and was overcome with desire for him, but she had to put that aside for now. She had to remind herself to just take it all in. She needed to spend time exploring his body, but not for sex. She sat next to him and let one hand trace over the muscles of his chest and abdomen, and she reached for his other hand and brought it to her lips. She kissed his fingers softly as she dragged the fingernails of her other hand gently over his skin. Max couldn't help but shiver at her touch. He was trying everything he could think of to not let himself get turned on by her, but it wasn't working. She placed his hand on her bare side, then leaned over and began to give him soft kisses all over his bare skin. He lay there with his eyes closed, trying to feel everything. She ran her hands down his chest, his ribs, his stomach. She rested her cheek on his belly and looked over him, running her hand softly across his skin. Max sighed and stroked her side with his fingers. It tickled her.
After several minutes, she sat up again and moved down to his legs. She felt his thighs through his pants, one at a time- running her hand down his muscles to his knees. She was wishing he didn't have his pants on. Fran moved down to his lower legs, then caressed one ankle, then the other. She let her hand work its way up into his pant leg and massaged his calf. Max settled down and slowed his breathing, and let himself enjoy it.
Fran worked her way to his other calf and took care of it the same way, then pulled her hand back out of his pant leg.
"Sweetie… can you roll over for me?" She asked. Max obliged, and quietly rolled onto his stomach. She started at his ankles again, caressing them, running her fingernails over them. She massaged her way up his legs, particularly enjoying his hamstrings. She squeezed them tight, and pressed her knuckles and thumbs into them. Then she climbed over him and straddled his legs, then ran her hands up the sides of his hips. She placed her palms on the back of his pelvis, then worked her way up, massaging into the muscles of his lower back. He moaned as she pushed her knuckles into him along his spine, then gently pushed her palms out across to his sides. She made it to his shoulder blades and took extra time there- finding all the knots and working them out. She worked across to his shoulders, and as she massaged every muscle she could find, she leaned over and kissed his back. She was crazy about his body, she wanted to touch every part of him, kiss every inch of him. She kissed his ribs, his sides, up his spine to his neck, then she kissed him hard- letting the pressure of her lips make him feel good, too. She ran her hands down his arms and kissed his shoulders, then let the tip of her tongue drag across his skin. She was getting herself worked up, and knew that she needed to back off before she let things go too far. But she liked the feeling of his skin so much, she just wanted to wrap herself up with him.
She turned him over on the bed and straddled his lap, then pulled him up to her for a kiss. They kissed each other softly, lovingly, finishing off their attentive time together. They needed to get to sleep soon if they were going to be able to get up early and get their photos taken in the morning. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he clutched her hips, then wrapped his arms around her waist.
"That was wonderful, Fran. I mean it. I love you so much!" He kissed her cheek and her neck.
"I love you, too, Max! And I love your body! You feel so nice. We should do this more often, baby."
"Mmmm… every night if we can!" She held his face and kissed his lips again and again.
"Hey, baby," she whispered, "Lay down here a minute. We should really get to sleep soon." She playfully pushed him back on the bed. She pulled the covers up behind her in the dark, they could barely see each other in the little bit of blue light coming in through the curtains. She looked over him, lying there under her, shirtless. She smiled, and thought to herself, It's only fair…
She lifted her arms and pulled her pajama shirt off, then tossed it to the end of the bed.
"Oh!" Max almost gasped. Fran grabbed the covers and laid down on top of him, so they could be skin-to-skin. Max's heart raced, and he wrapped his arms around her back, holding her to him. "Darling, you didn't have to- I mean I wasn't expecting-"
"Shhh, sweetie. Just hold me, okay. That's all I want, for you to hold me like this, Max."
He pulled the covers up over her and hugged her to him, then exhaled and tried to relax. She felt so wonderful. He hugged her again and kissed the top of her head. "Mmmm… thank you, sweetheart. You're so wonderful…"
Fran shifted on top of him, turning her face towards his. She kissed his neck. "You're the wonderful one, Max. This was wonderful, tonight. I'm so happy we're together! Just hold me all night… like this…"
"I will. I will, darling. I love you."
"I love you, too." She kissed his neck again, then they rested together, Max wrapped around her. He buried is face in her hair, which still smelled of vanilla. Fran could still smell his cologne, and she smiled. His hands were pressed into her and she loved the feeling. She listened to his breathing, felt his chest rise and fall under her.
Max felt so relaxed, so good. He loved holding her on top of him. It reminded him of the feeling of a baby falling asleep on his chest. Complete peace and bliss. He felt so protective of her, and yet so proud of her at the same time. She was such a strong woman, and she was his. He was so in love with her. He stroked her skin softly with his fingertips, breathed in the scent of her hair.
Soon they both drifted off to sleep.