A Beautiful Forever (31 page)

Tears start to fill my eyes and threaten to spill, as I look
around the room. “No, it’s perfect, thank you,” I tell her.

“Can I show you around?” she asks, reaching for my hand. I’m
speechless and simply nod my head and let her pull me along as she chats about
what she did with each room.

In the lounge room, she has put in a massive leather cream
coloured couch in front of a large round foot rest that is covered in a
beautiful burgundy, grey and white fabric. On the floor is a burgundy rug that
covers all but about ten centimetres worth of floor. On the wall is a mounted
flat screen television with a low line cabinet underneath it holding the DVD
player and there’s two matching book cases either side, artfully decorated with
books, vases, candles and photographs.

The kitchen has been done with all stainless steel
appliances and a dark granite bench top that has a small drop when it becomes a
breakfast bar that looks out the window.

The first bedroom is for Grace, with a beautiful white
sleigh cot, with a matching chest of drawers and change table. It has been
decorated almost entirely with butterflies, the most exquisite butterfly mobile
hanging above the cot, and there is every toy a baby girl could ever hope for.

Next up is the main bathroom, it has a sleek bath tub with
spa jets inside and a glass partition to turn it into a shower. The large
mirror has vanity lights around it, and the sink is shaped like a bowl and
rises out of the counter top.

I gasp when I see the main bedroom, it almost looks like the
bed and breakfast we went to. Above the bed is a blown-up  photo of Elliot and
I, kissing on our wedding day. I look over at Erica, trying so hard not to cry,
“This is so beautiful, Erica,” I breathe.

“Wait, you haven’t seen all of it yet,” she says pulling me
towards a door that I assume leads to an en-suite. I’m surprised with it opens
to a walk in wardrobe before it becomes an en-suite, she has even put a chair
in the middle of it. It is quite simply amazing.

The en-suite itself is also gorgeous with a his and hers
basin and a corner mini spa bath and shower combined.

I look around with my mouth open, never in my wildest dreams
did I think that I would live in a place like this. “This is so amazing Erica.”

She has her hands clasped in front of her as she watches me
happily, “Let me show you the view,” she says, pulling me over to the sliding
door on the other side of the bed. “You can see the ocean,” she tells me as I
step out and take in the panorama before me.

“I think I just went to heaven,” I say looking out at the
roaring black ocean encircled by the dotted lights of the city surrounds.

“I can’t believe you did this for us,” I say to my father as
Erica takes Paige through the flat.

My father gives me a half smile and shrugs. “Thank Erica, it
was all her idea. She’s a good woman. She made me see that I was being too hard
on you.”

“She did, did she?”

“She’s helped me alter my perspective. Everything doesn’t
seem so black and white to me anymore.”

“I’m glad dad. I'm really very glad that you found someone
who obviously makes you happy.”

“Thank you son, I can say the same to you, you seem to have
found yourself one amazing woman... Although son, I do have to say that I’m
sorry for the choice I forced you to make with your last girlfriend. I was
wrong. I should never have done that to you.”

Looking at my father right now, was like I was meeting him
for the first time, gone was the man who intimated me all through my youth.
Instead, I’m faced with a man who is only human, just like me. I regret that I
felt so much hatred towards him for so many years, knowing Paige and all she
went through has altered my own perception, I don’t care about things that
happened in the past anymore. I only care about now and what’s ahead for all of
us.

“You don’t need to say sorry dad, if she meant as much to me
as I thought she did. I would have fought for her. The fact I didn’t says it
all really doesn’t it?”

“And you’ve found your girl worth fighting for now?” he asks
me.

“Yes dad, I found her. I fought for her, and I’ll fight for
the rest of my life if that’s what it takes to keep her,” I tell him seriously.

He pats me on the back, urging me to follow him through the
flat to find Paige and Erica, “I’m proud of you son,” he says walking ahead of
me. I can’t help but smile as I follow him through the flat that used to be my
home, but now looks like a new flat entirely.

“Hey you,” Elliot says as he steps out onto the balcony with
me. “Enjoying the view?”

I lean into him as his arm slips around me, and we look out
at the ocean together, “It’s amazing. I feel like I’m dreaming,” I say as I
rest my head on his shoulder.

“This is all really strange for me too. It looks so
different now. The front door is the same, but everything else has changed,
even the view looks a little different.”

“What did it look like when you lived here?”

“Old, everything was some variation of brown.”

I laugh a little, “I’m imagining a sepia photo.”

“Yeah, I suppose it did look a little like that… Listen
Paige, in the interest of full disclosure. This is where I was living when I
was dating Katrina. If it bothers you, we’ll sell it and choose something
different.”

“Wow,” is all I can say for a moment, I turn around and lean
against the railing, looking back inside the room. “All the furniture’s
different isn’t it?” I ask.

“Yeah, everything is different. It's like they’ve gutted the
place and changed it all,” he tells me.

I take him by the hand and lead him into the main bedroom,
“What does this room remind you of?” I ask.

I see him look around for a moment, taking everything in.
“Honestly? It reminds me of that B&B we went to before I came home the
first time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we’ll keep it,” I say, sliding my arms around his waist
and tilting my head up so he can kiss me.

Erica and Robert decided on that moment to enter the room.
“Whoa lovebirds! Give us some time to get out of here before you christen the
room ok?” Erica exclaims.

I walk towards them both and hug each of them, thanking them
profusely for doing this for us.

“It’s our pleasure Paige,” Robert says kindly before
clapping his hands together. “Now, I had already set this up with Kathy, so she
isn’t expecting either of you go back to her house until tomorrow morning.
However, I just called her to be safe, and she said Grace is still fast asleep.

“So you two enjoy. We’re going to head off now and let you
have some time alone in your new home. Congratulations again on your wedding
and your baby. We’ll see you all soon.”

“Thank you dad, thank you Erica,” Elliot says, embracing
them both before we follow them to the door to walk them out. I think we thank
them a hundred more times on the way.

We both lean against the front door as it closes and look at
each other with giant grins on our faces. “Can you believe this?” he says
first.

“No, can you?! Have you seen Grace’s room? Have you seen our
wardrobe?!"

“Did you see the lounge room?"” he replies and we both
laugh and walk through the flat again, pointing things out to each other as we
go room to room. As we walk towards the main bedroom, Elliot stops me.

“What?” I ask turning to face him.

“We’re on our own for the first time since we were married,
I have to do this right,” he says kissing me before reaching down and scooping
me up in his arms to carry me over the threshold of our room.

“I think you were supposed to do that at the front door,” I
laugh.

“Aw hell,” he says, turning around and starting for the
door.

“No, no don’t!” I call out laughing, but he ignores me,
jogging to the front of the flat.

“Open the door for me,” he says as he holds me in front of
it.

Continuing to laugh, I oblige, he takes one step onto the
landing and immediately turns and re-enters, using my feet to swing the door
shut before carrying me back down the length of the flat to the bedroom and
laying me gently on the bed.

“I love you,” I whisper to him as he holds himself above me.

“I love you forever,” he says as he dips his head and takes
my mouth in his. We kiss slowly, letting our tongues slide against each other
as we take turns leading. Touching each other softly and lovingly, our passion
for each other feels as though it’s alive and dancing around us as we move
together. 

It’s been over a week since we’ve been together this way as
we’ve felt strange being intimate in my mother’s house while Grace was in the
room with us, so we’ve held off. But right now, we’re alone with nothing to
worry about but each other.

Slowly, I pull her dress from her shoulders before sliding
it down her body, treating her like a gift for me to unwrap and tasting every
part of her as I expose her silken skin.

Leaving her dress at the foot of the bed I lie down next to
her, trailing my fingertips over her skin until I reach the lace edge of her
underwear.

“I love that you wore these,” I whisper in her ear as I
slide my hand underneath the lace and silk toward the apex of her thighs. My
breath hitches as I feel her arousal on my fingertips, my own need throbbing as
she moans when I curl my fingers inside her. I love the way she moves against
my hand, writhing under my touch.

“Oh god Elliot!” she calls out, her hips rolling as my thumb
circles her clit.

“God I’ve missed this,” I murmur as I crash our mouths
together wanting to be connected when she comes. Her whimpers fill my mouth and
cause my arousal to pulsate harder. I press it into her side, taking advantage
of her rolling hips.

As her hips spasm, she clamps her thighs together, locking
my hand in place as she moans into my mouth, her cries reverberating through my
chest. When she grabs my hand to stop my movement, I willingly oblige as she
rolls us both, so she’s on top of me.

“I want you inside me so badly,” she gasps, undoing my shirt
quickly and pulling it open, dragging her fingers over my chest and down
towards my pants.

“Wait!” I call out as her hands start to undo my belt, “I
haven’t got anything with me.” I don’t make it a habit to carry condoms around
with me anymore. Our life these days doesn’t generally give us the option for
spontaneous sex while we’re out and about.

“Oh…” she breathes, pushing her hair back as she straddles
me still clad in her bra and panties. “Well… do we really care?” she asks.

I think for a moment, “No. I don’t think we do,” I reply
honestly. She smiles wickedly at me and goes back to work, removing my pants
and dropping them at the foot of the bed along with her panties before climbing
back on top of me, making a show of it like she’s a feline, stalking her prey.
She purposefully drags her arousal, soft and silk, over my erection causing a
moan to rumble out of me. I’m close to bursting. I want inside her so bad right
now.

Positioning me at her opening, she pauses and glides my tip
back and forth up over her clit and down along her opening. Gasping for breath,
my fingers grip her thighs as she continues to tease herself and me with my
tip. Just when I think I can’t stand it anymore she slides down on top of me
accepting me into her hot wet depths.

My hands are everywhere as she rides me, my own orgasm at
bursting point. I force myself to hold on, wanting to climax along with her.
Pulling the cups of her bra down, I take her breasts in my hands, focusing on
her as I attempt to maintain control. Her hands slide over mine, and she
presses my hands firmly against my chest as her moans become more erotic and I
know she’s close.

“Elliot!” she calls, holding tight and squeezing me
internally. “Oh!” she yells repeatedly, as she explodes again, throwing her
head back and thrusting her chest forward as she maintains her grip on my
hands. I burst inside her, pressing my hips up to increase the pressure of our
connection as her movements slow, and she continues to milk me, gently easing
us both back down to earth. 

She releases my hands and drops hers to my stomach, trailing
her fingertips up and down my abs as she catches her breath. I pull her towards
me to kiss her deeply. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” I whisper to her before
rolling her over and starting to move inside her all over again.

The next morning I wake early, not used to sleeping in
anymore. Elliot on the other hand, is still fast asleep beside me. I watch his
peaceful face for a moment before I slide off the most comfortable bed in the
world and pad out to the kitchen naked, because I don’t have any clothes here
besides the dress I was wearing last night.

When I open the fridge, I’m really not expecting anything to
be there, I’m just opening it for the sake of it, so I’m surprised to find it
stocked with the basics. I pull a bottle of water out of the door and unscrew
the cap, drinking as I start to open the cupboards, now curious about what else
I’ll find.

Next to the fridge is a pantry, also stocked with some
basics, I pull out a bag of coffee and inspect our new fully automated coffee
machine in an effort to work out how to use it.

It has its own grinder, so I fill the barrel up with the
beans, fill the reservoirs up with water and milk then start pressing what I
hope are the correct buttons. When the grinder starts, I jump a little, then realise
I should probably put cups under the spout, so I don’t get coffee everywhere.

I quickly grab two cups off the top of the machine and set
them under the spout, watching as steam starts to rise and coffee begins to
pour.

“Hmm, nice view, and I’m not looking out the window,” Elliot
says as he walks up behind me and slips his arms around my waist, kissing my
neck.