Edible Delectables (29 page)

~*~

The remainder of their time was spent enjoying the strip with their friends and enjoying each other alone. Before they knew it, their time was up, and they were back at the airport checking in as husband and wife.  Only this time they were flying first class; Kara had never flown first class.

“I’ve never flown first class.”

“I have a feeling you’ll like it.”

Kara took her seat and settled in, waving to her friends as they passed her on their way back to their seats in coach.

“This is really nice!”

Jason laughed at her enthusiasm and opened up the laptop he had brought along so that they could watch a movie. It wasn’t long before the plane was in the air and the flight attendants began lunch service.  Kara ordered the chicken salad and her mouth dropped open when the attendant returned with an actual chicken salad.  She had fully expected some sort of chicken salad sandwich, but what currently sat in front of her was a chef salad with actual chicken strips.  And real utensils. She enjoyed her lunch, moaning her pleasure and repeating over and over how awesome first class was. When they finished eating, they ordered a few drinks and snuggled in to watch a movie.  When the plane landed they were both buzzed and giddy as they met up with their friends at baggage claim.

“Evalyn, I’m never flying coach again!” Kara exclaimed loudly.  “Seriously.”

Eva laughed and smacked Kara on the butt as she kissed her cheek.  “I’m glad you had a good trip.  Congratulations,” she said, hugging her friend.

As their luggage slid down the ramp the men began to grab the suitcases and distribute them.

“Well, I guess we’ll see you guys later,” Jaime said, her arm slipping around Ryan’s waist.  Evalyn leaned in and hugged them both, followed by Eric. 

“We’ll get together soon,” Eva said as she hugged Jaime goodbye.

Breaking apart from their small group huddle, they all turned to Kara and Jason.

“I guess we’re not going to see you again before Kara moves,” Evalyn said to Jason, and Kara could hear the sadness in her voice when her friend mentioned Kara’s upcoming move to Seattle.

Jason shook his head no, affirming her words, and wrapped his arms around his wife’s best friend, embracing her.

“You’d
better
take care of her.”

“I will.”  They both smiled at the similarity of this conversation to the one they had in Paul’s hospital room.

Grabbing their bags, the men shook hands and the women hugged again before they all tearfully parted.

“Well Mrs. Dietrich, I guess we should head to your place and get started packing.”

Kara smiled and pulled herself closer to Jason’s side as they walked.

“I love you,” she said, looking up at him.

“I love you, too.”  They made their way to the car and then to Kara’s apartment.  While Jason had to leave the following day, Kara would follow as soon as she had her business details finalized.  The plan was to put her furniture in storage, along with most of her household items, and to box and ship the majority of her clothes. She would keep any personal items she’d need with her, and in this way they spent their last evening together organizing before calling an early bedtime.

Kara cried the following day at the airport as she clung to Jason near the security gate.  He kissed her over and over, promising her forever.  She watched as he passed through the security gate, and kept her eyes on him until he turned the corner and was gone.  Sighing heavily, she trudged back to her van.  The sooner she finished up here in Austin, the sooner they would be together again.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Two years later…

“Is that everything?” Kara asked, looking around the small house they had rented together.

“Everything that’s going in the moving truck,” Jason replied.  Kara watched him, and a small smile crossed her face as he rotated his neck around, trying to stretch it out.  They had spent the last week packing up all their belongings; Seattle was nice, but it wasn’t home.  ; The winters had been hard on them, they were unaccustomed to the rain, and they were both more than ready to move back to Austin.

Kara moved to Jason’s side and wrapped her arms around his waist.  His immediately went around her shoulders.

“I love you,” she murmured.

Jason smiled and leaned his forehead to hers.

“I love you, too.  Are you ready to get back to work, slacker?” Kara rolled her eyes at his referral to her impending return to Edible Delectables. 

“More than ready; I miss it.”  She had managed to keep busy, advertising in both the paper and online for baking services, but it wasn’t the same as being in her shop.  Kara had even tried going to work at another bakery in town, but quickly found that being a lackey without creative privileges just didn’t work for her.  Instead, she had spent most of her time working with a web designer for Edible Delectables, and exploring how to expand her shop beyond Austin.  It wasn’t long before Kara was working remotely with her store manager, CJ, and gearing the bakery up to begin taking online orders. When she wasn’t doing that, she was in the kitchen experimenting.  Jason had had to increase his exercise regimen to keep the pounds off, as he was a very willing guinea pig most of the time.

For Jason, the fellowship had been very educational.  Spending two years treating children in emergency situations allowed him to experience a varying range of issues, but in the end, as he had suspected, he chose to become a primary care physician.  Recently he had been corresponding with several different clinics in Austin, and one in particular sounded appealing.  Jason hoped Dr. Mayberry was as amiable in person as he had been on the phone and in emails; he would find out soon enough though, as they had a lunch date the following week.

The last of the boxes loaded in the moving truck, Jason slipped his arm around Kara’s waist and led her back into the house.  They were leaving for Austin in the morning and still needed to do a move-out cleaning before they left for the hotel they would be staying at over night.

“Do we really have to clean it?”  He looked around the house.  It really wasn’t in bad shape, but he knew that when Kara said clean, she meant things like base boards and fans.  After packing for two weeks, he could think of other activities to save his energy for.  Activities involving a king-sized hotel bed.  Or shower.  Or elevator, for that matter…  Jason sighed dreamily thinking of hot hotel elevator sex with his wife, and smiled to himself. 
My wife.  God I still love that.

“Yes.  If we don’t clean it, we’ll lose part of the deposit,” Kara answered, pulling Jason from his sexual fantasies and wiping the goofy smile off his face instantly.

“Cockblocker,” he mumbled under his breath.  Of course he wasn’t quiet enough and Kara responded by handing him cleaning gloves and a toilet brush.  Holding them in his hands he looked at her like she had grown a third head.

“Mess with the bull, you get the horns, bitch.  Bathroom duty,” she said pointedly.  Jason grimaced and looked at the offending brush with disdain.  His shoulders slumped as he turned toward the bathroom in resignation.

“I love you!” she called out to his retreating form. 

He waved to her without turning around.  “Love you, too,” he muttered.  Kara chuckled and turned toward the kitchen and the first item on her list to clean: the refrigerator. 

~*~

“I’m too tired for sex.  Damn you, woman,” Jason grumbled as Kara snuggled into his side that night.  She giggled as she nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck.  “Seriously, Kara.  Too. Tired. For. Sex.  That’s what happens when you make me clean toilets.”  She giggled again.  Pouty Jason was just too damn cute.

“I’m sorry baby; it was a fifteen hundred dollar deposit, I didn’t want to give them any excuse not to return it.”  She began kissing his jaw as she scooted impossibly closer him and let her hand drift down his chest, lightly tickling his side and lower abs. She could see his body’s response to her actions, and she could also tell Jason was trying to resist.  This was his silly attempt at punishment, she was sure. 
Resistance is futile, my love.

Continuing her mild seduction, Kara kissed his neck and playfully licked his Adam’s apple as she worked her body to settle on top of his.  She ground herself down on him and nipped his chin with her teeth, watching as his eyes rolled back in his head, and he finally gave in and gripped her hips.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he grunted, pulling her down for a deep kiss.

“I’ll do all the work,” Kara whispered in his ear, earning her a hearty laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got my second wind,” he replied as he gripped her waist and flipped them over. Quickly they both began to disrobe. This was going to be fast and hard, and undoubtedly awesome.  As soon as their clothes were off Jason dove in, gripping Kara’s hips, pulling her legs up high, almost around his mid-chest.  He worked furiously, pushing up on his arms to change the angle.  She peaked quickly, calling his name and making declarations of unending love as he worked to bring her to her sexual apex once more.

Fifteen minutes later they were a spent pile of sweaty limbs and racing hearts as they collapsed and fell asleep. Tomorrow they would fly out of Seattle and back to Austin where they would pick up the lives they had left on hold two years earlier; only this time, they would do it together. Always together.

~*~

They were finally here. It took forever to plan this vacation-honeymoon; Jason's schedule as a new doctor in his practice was just too chaotic.  But here they were, down in the Florida Keys for three weeks of nothing but sun, beach and love. 

And, apparently, Kara's period.

She made her way out to the veranda where her husband was enjoying the sun from a lounge chair.  “Jason, I started,” she groused, standing in the way of the sunlight and causing a shadow to fall over his face.

"Started what, babe?"  he asked, squinting up at her.

"My period.  I started my period."

He paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond.  "That's a good thing right?" he questioned, unsure. These situations could be tricky. They had barely begun to broach the topic of children, although it was a conversation he had been turning in his mind for some time now.

"Well, I wasn't afraid I was pregnant, so no, it's actually not a good thing."

"Oh.”  He was once again confused by her demeanor.  Did she want to be pregnant?  Or did she think he wouldn’t have sex with her?  Because he would.  “You know I don't care about that."  He reached out and gripped her thigh trying to pull her down on top of him.

"I'm not talking about sex!” she squealed, as she toppled on top of him, swatting his chest.  “We're supposed to start the beginner’s scuba today."  Kara frowned, and Jason couldn’t resist kissing her.

"So?"

"So?!  So, what if a shark attacks?"  Her eyes were wide with fear and Jason snorted.

"You're not going to be attacked by a shark, Kara."

"Sharks are attracted to blood, Jason,” she insisted, sitting up.

He sighed.  "Do you want to cancel?"

"Will you go ask the guy at the front desk if it's safe?"  She looked up at him through her lashes, working what had to be the biggest doe eyes she could muster.

"No way.”  Jason shook his head to emphasize his point.  “No.  Hell no,” he said as he continued to shake his head.

Kara stood up and glowered down at him, her hands on her hips, "Please?!" she demanded.

"I'm not the one who’s going to be eaten by a shark, why do I have to ask?"

"Because if you don't, and we go scuba diving, and a shark does attack, I will stab you in the leg so you bleed more."

Jason stared at his wife and blinked his eyes a few times.  "Fine, I'll ask."  He stood up from the lounge chair and walked back into the hotel room.

"Thank you!" she called after him as she took his seat and reclined.

Jason approached the front desk, waiting until nobody else was around before he asked his question.  He chose to talk to a nice looking gentleman, hoping the man wouldn’t laugh. Their conversation lasted about a minute, and then he walked back to their room where Kara was hiding.

She looked up at him expectantly from his chair. Enjoying his sun.

"He said that was the first time anybody had ever asked him that, and that he thought it was probably okay."  Jason shrugged, relaying the brief conversation.

"
Probably?
  You want to risk our lives on a probably?"

Jason sighed again, "So, no scuba?"

"Not this week."

~*~

Later that night, while lying in bed cuddling, Jason was compelled to bring up the topic of kids.

“What would you think about not starting up a new pill pack this month?” he questioned as he lazily drew circles on her arm with his fingers.

Kara pulled back slightly to look at him, surprised. “You want to try for a baby?” 

Jason shrugged slightly, “I don’t know if I want to ‘try,’ but I was thinking maybe we could stop
not
trying.”

“You want to have unprotected sex?!” she exclaimed mockingly.

“It’s difficult to get pregnant otherwise,” he informed her, using his doctor voice, and she giggled as she snuggled back down into his arms.

“Are we ready for that?” she asked honestly.  Jason was quiet for a minute.

“Is anybody ever really ready for it?” he answered quietly.  They lay in contemplative silence for awhile before Kara spoke again.

“We’re ready.”

And they were.  They turned a page on the story of their life together and began the next chapter.