Theron's Hope (Brides of Theron) (24 page)

“You look radiant Emily.  How far along are you now?”  Grace said admiring her best friend.

“I just made three months, two days ago.  I sure hope that God sees it in his infinite wisdom that four is enough.  I thank God for Jillian.  She is fabulous with the kids.  I even have had enough time to do some things that I love, like yoga practice.  I found a great place if you are interested.  Hopefully with you being newly married, this means you are going to settle down for a while.  Maybe you will even root yourself to the city for a while,” Em said as she looked at the two standing next to each other.  Zane was playing his part well.  He had his arms draped around Grace’s shoulders with his hands meeting on her chest.  Em could clearly make out the love that he had for her.  She knew her best friend though, better than anyone.  This was when Grace would make her move and run.

“Where is Michael?  I am guessing that the kids have found him because they are awfully quiet.”  Emily laughed and walked in the direction of the rising laughter of children.  “So, what is for dinner guys?”

“Italian,” Gracie yelled out.  Grace smiled at Zane and pulled him down to whisper in his ear.  “Looks like you passed Emily’s test.  She must have seen something great in you.  She has the best judge of character I have ever seen. Amazingly, she did not have me excuse myself to speak to me in private to criticize my choice of husband,” she said as she walked into the kitchen to check on the food with Zane following behind her.  After checking the lasagna in the oven she shouted, “Dinner is ready everyone!”

She handed Zane the pot holders to take the lasagna to the dining room and told him to place it on the trivets that she set out on the table.  She took the breadsticks and placed them on a platter, and removed the salad from the refrigerator.  Zane came back to collect these things as she fetched the pitchers of kool aid Jo made for the kids and the sangria that she made for the adults.  Thinking about Emily’s condition she yelled out, “What do you want to drink Em.  Jo made sangria but I know you can’t have that.”

Emily came in behind her and said, “I will just take a large glass of ice water.” She gave her friend a sly look as she retrieved a glass out of the cabinet and said, “You are so going to spill tonight, my friend.  Where did you find him?  Michael says he is a doctor.  He is so big and my Lord, he is quite handsome.  You can tell that he is absolutely smitten with you,” she paused for just a second in thought and then added, “You married him, which is surprising to me.  This is when you usually run.  What is different about this man?  I have to know.”

“You have no idea Emily.  Then again, maybe you do.  From the moment I saw him, he had such a calming effect on me.  He is so patient and kind.  I have never met anyone like him.  My God, Emily, I never thought that I could ever love someone.  I never thought someone would make me feel complete like this man does.”  She could feel the tears building in her eyes and looked to the ceiling to try to abate them.  Emily saw this and took her in a tight hug. 

“We had better get in there.  They will start to wonder what we are up to.”  Grace took the two pitchers and Emily brought her large glass of ice water to the table.  Zane was just now cutting and dishing out the lasagna and filling the plates for the children.  Michael was still eyeing him down as he helped pass out the bread.  She knew that Emily was won over on the subject of her new husband, but it was going to take much more to win Michael’s approval.  Grace started to pour the drinks and joked with the kids saying that they would not get any kool aid without a hug and a kiss.  They were happy to oblige her request of them.  They missed her even though they were together a mere 5 days ago. 

Dinner was an overall success.  Everyone continued to eat their food with gusto. Grace mentioned to the kids that the cannoli was waiting for them in the fridge if they ate a good bit of their dinner.  The girls screamed their approval but Jacob looked upset.  She asked him what was wrong and he told her that he wanted ice cream.  They all laughed and he joined in shortly after.  Before leaving to get dessert, Grace scooped Jacob up out of his booster seat and brought him in the kitchen to find some ice cream.  In the freezer she found a quart of homemade vanilla ice cream and handed it to him with a spoon telling him to get his daddy to open it for him.  He bounced out of there so fast it was hard not to laugh. She brought in the platter with the delicious Italian dessert and several small saucers to serve them on. 

After everyone was full, Michael excused himself to finish up what he was working on and Emily, Grace, and Zane started to pick up all the dishes and clean up the mess.  The kids were arranged on the bar with some coloring books and other activities while they watched the adults wash the dishes and load the dish washer.  Emily was now on a fact finding mission that Michael had probably sent her on.

“So Zane, I must know how you met Grace,” she said with a sneaky smile.

“To tell the truth, we just bumped into one another and the next thing you know we were moved beyond belief.  I could not believe my good fortune.  She is a wonderful woman.”  He stood propped against the counter near Grace. 

“Grace, is he telling the story right?”  Em was pushing for details.

“Yes, I was moved pretty far.  It was quite a magical experience to say the least.  I could feel the tingling sensation throughout my whole body when he first touched me,” she said giving Zane a knowing glance as he laughed getting her meaning.

Emily liked this man instantly.  He did have a wonderful effect on Grace.  She couldn’t remember the last time that Grace was this happy.  She was glad that her best friend found someone and connected with him as well as she and Michael did.   Finally, Emily thought, Grace had found her soul mate.  She could recognize the signs.  He was always close and always giving her supportive glances and would let his gaze linger longer than absolutely necessary as if not to miss a minute of her company because a minute would be far too long.  Yes, she concluded, Grace was very much in love. 

Michael came out of the study as they started the dishwasher and they all went into the living room.  Emily brought the girl’s current favorite princess movie and started it up to keep them occupied.  They all watched as the children started waltzing around the room with Jacob playing the part of the handsome young prince.  They danced around the room with him, the princesses clearly leading him around.  Grace knew that Jacob would follow his sisters in whatever activity or adventure they went on anytime of the day.

Zane sat on the floor with his long legs stretched out in front of him, resting his back on the comfy arm chair that Gracie was sitting in.  He had his arm over her lap and was gently stroking the palm of her hand with his thumb.  Grace was embarrassed when Michael and Emily told stories of Grace in her prime.  They did not hold back either.  Zane was asking questions and actively involved in the banter but supportive of his new wife all the same. This went on for quite a while until the kids started to get tired and were falling asleep where ever they lay on the floor.  Jacob climbed into Michael’s lap and quickly fell asleep in his arms.

With Jacob curled in his lap, Michael asked Zane, “So Zane, are you looking forward to starting a family soon?  My kids are in need of cousins.”  It appeared that he was warming to her new husband’s presence but Gracie knew that the test was not over.  There was no one on Earth that would fully be acceptable for Grace in his eyes.  She was after all, the closest equivalent to a sister. 

Emily instantly recognized where this line of questioning was going and got up out of the sofa to save Zane from Michael’s tireless inquisition.  She went to pick Jacob out of Michael’s arms.  “I think it is time we load up the car and take these kids home to their beds.”  She yawned, politely covering her mouth with her hand, “I could sure use some sleep.  Besides, the newlyweds need their time alone.”  She winked in Gracie’s direction.

Grace was starting to get nervous.  It had been a long time since she had been intimate with a man.  It never really ended well for her.  Either they got physical too soon or they spent so much time getting to know one another that when the time for sex came, she felt unfulfilled and empty somehow.

She knew tonight would be something she had never experienced before.  She could tell just by the reaction her body felt at his mere touch.  However, what if it ended up being a negative experience for her?  She knew this man was the real deal in her heart, but what if her body did not agree?

Together they showed Michael, Emily, and the kids to the door.
Chelsey was in Michael’s arms, Jacob still in Em’s and poor Gianna had to be woken and walk down herself.  She wasn’t very happy about it either, why couldn’t someone carry her down?  Grace was sure that Gianna would not remember a second of this injustice in the morning because she kind of looked a bit dazed, like she was sleep walking.  They said their goodbyes at the elevator and when the door closed Grace and Zane walked back into the apartment, Grace locking the door behind them.

The heavy realization that it was just the two of them made her instantly uncomfortable.  She knew he would want to finish what they started this morning.

“I am going to take a shower,” Grace said as she moved towards the bedroom with Zane following close behind, “I can put the TV on for you if you want.”

“Sure, that would be great,” Zane said.

She brought him the channel changer and said, “Just use this remote to change the channels.”  She pointed to the buttons he should press and added, “If you press this, the channels will change one at a time.” 

She entered the bathroom and went into her closet.  Not sure what she should wear, she found some sexy, lacy lingerie and put it on the counter near the sink.  She started the shower and as she waited for it to warm up, she caught her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her teeth.  She noticed how apprehensive she looked.   She shook out her body in an attempt to loosen up.  It wasn’t working.

The shower was hot and steaming now, so she made her way in.  She placed her hands flat against the cold small glass tiles that lined the walls, letting the water pelt the top of her head and cascade into her face.  Her eyes were closed as she raised her head for the water to pour out over her face.  All of a sudden, she felt a draft of cold air as she heard the quiet click of the shower door open and close.

She knew without a doubt that he was right behind her.  He hadn’t made any attempt to touch her yet but all the same he was there.  She could feel his gaze raking over her body, observing all of her womanly curves. She saw the shadow of his large figure on the floor moving closer to her and reaching out to touch her.  She felt his hands make contact with her wet skin as he gently shifted her in the shower to face him. 

She kept her gaze on the floor, praying for the courage to let the lioness that resided within her out of its cage.  He used his finger to raise her eyes, level with his, but she kept them closed.  She heard his reassuring voice say, “Open your eyes Grace.”  When she didn’t do as he asked he said, “Please Gracie, open your eyes.” 

Grace prayed one more time for strength as she opened her eyes.  She watched as he leaned in to kiss her and when she felt herself go limp in his arms he steadied her and held her out a bit so he could see her body’s curves.  She also took advantage of the distance to check out his body.  He had virtually no hair on his body like he either shaved it off or it was removed except for his genital region where it was cropped short.  His bicep’s and abs were ripped as if he worked out regularly.  His thighs were lean and muscular and his legs were long.   His body as a whole was a perfect specimen of the male gender.  Just gazing upon it would make Michelangelo cry when comparing it to his statue “David” finding it lacking when compared to Zane.

He interrupted her attention to his body by cradling her jaw in his hand.  She returned her gaze to his aqua colored eyes.  She truly believed that the eyes were a window to the soul.  It was obvious to her that his soul was as amazing as his body.  He said to her, “Would you like me to wash your hair?”  She did not say anything in response, but just turned and retrieved her favorite shampoo, handing him the bottle.  He squeezed a bit into his hand and applied it to her hair.   He used his fingers to thoroughly massage her scalp, carefully keeping the lather out of her eyes.   He rinsed the shampoo from her hair and added some body wash to the sponge to wash her body clean.  The sensation of his touch all over her body was absolutely unexpected.