One Summer Night Page 10

  ‘You were so adorable!’ she said, kissing Mia on the cheek.

  ‘Mom!’ Mia tried to fend her off, giggling, and finally snuggled up to her anyway.

  Tim smirked.

  ‘As lovely as the first few months with Mia were, truth be told I was glad when she outgrew her screaming phase. Not a night went by that she didn’t scream,’ he admitted. ‘Do you remember her first birthday?’ There was something in his voice that had everyone perk up.

  Lauren heard it, too, and blushed.

  ‘Of course! It was . . . one of those summer nights that you never forget.’

  Time Flies

  Lauren picked up the torn-up pieces of wrapping paper from the floor. It was spread all over, and she had to bend under the table at which Chris, Ben, Rachel, and Tim’s friend Joey were still sitting. Baby Mia, the birthday girl, was fast asleep, limp in her Uncle Ben’s arms, and not even the lively debate all around her disturbed her slumber.

  ‘She’s totally wiped out. All this excitement and so many gifts – she had no idea what was going on,’ Ben said, smiling down at his little niece. Tenderly, he ran his fingers through her blonde curls that were coiled up like the tails of a litter of piglets.

  ‘I can’t believe she’s a year old already,’ Peter noted. He was leaning against the countertop gobbling up the last piece of birthday cake. He had just left the office and was hoping to be able to congratulate his granddaughter once she finished her nap.

  Lauren gently pushed him aside as she needed to get to the wastebasket.

  ‘You’re right. It seems much shorter to me, too.’

  The trashcan was overflowing already, but she stuffed the heap of shredded paper deep into the bin and quickly closed the lid.

  Tim offered Lauren a smile, and she returned it.

  It had been a rough year. But it was precisely because of the last few months flying by so fast that she and Tim were still treading water when it came to matters of the heart. Even though everything else between them was better than ever. They had found a way of sharing in the work, so that neither of them was hanging on by a thread. They had started having a social life again, where they were able to meet up with friends and even leave the house from time to time without Mia. Often, Tim would return from hockey with scrapes and bruises, and she knew that he blew off steam during training. Lauren started running regularly and had reached her pre-baby weight sooner than she thought. In the meantime, she was even toying with the idea of returning to her job at the firm and perhaps continuing her studies by correspondence, but she had mentioned none of this to Tim yet. There was no rush.

  Today was Mia’s day, and Lauren was happy that everyone had come to celebrate it with them. Celeste had baked a giant pink and red sponge cake with a strawberry cream filling, and Ben and Tim had built a swing set in front of the house. The two of them got along well and never tired of discussing their athletic achievements. The swing set was a huge success. Seeing Mia’s joy as the baby swing carried her high up into the air was the greatest joy of all. She couldn’t get enough of it and had thrown a terrible temper tantrum when they brought her back into the house.

  It was only after she received her birthday gifts that Mia finally calmed down, and now she was utterly exhausted. Lauren was willing to bet that she would sleep right through the rest of the evening.

  Her guests seemed to think so, too, because they all started leaving one after the other. Tim saw his friend Joey out, and even Rachel got up to leave.

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetie!’ she chirped, and then poked her brother in the shoulder. ‘And as for you, buddy, if you still want a ride you better get your butt in gear. I’m leaving.’

  Chris rubbed his arm in an exaggerated gesture, and grinned.

  ‘I’m sure your dentist can wait another minute or so – he probably isn’t even done yet with his emergency patient, and you’ll have to wait outside for him anyway. So, you know, relax.’

  Rachel tilted her head and pulled, almost a little sheepishly, a key from her purse.

  ‘I won’t have to wait outside – he gave me his keys a week ago.’

  This news hit like a bombshell, and everyone stared at the key, wide-eyed.

  ‘Oh, calm down everybody!’ Rachel called out, putting the key back. ‘Mason’s divorce is through, and now we can take things to the next level without that hanging over us,’ she explained.

  ‘Of course! That’s great! I’m so happy for you!’ Lauren said and hugged her friend. ‘He’s yours now!’ she whispered into her ear, ignoring the tiny sting of jealousy that she felt.

  ‘All right then, let’s go,’ Chris grumbled, tying up his long hair and pushing back his chair.

  Tim took Mia and disappeared upstairs with her. The party was over. The birthday girl was sleeping, and all the cake was gone.

  After Lauren had closed the door behind her dad, she leaned against it, feeling tired. She was almost as exhausted as her little princess.

  The sudden silence was soothing.

  She was still leaning against the door when Tim returned a little while later.

  ‘All done!’ he joked and walked into the kitchen where, followed by Lauren’s curious eyes, he took two wine glasses from the cupboard and uncorked a bottle of Burgundy. He filled two glasses and walked over to her.

  ‘Here you go – to celebrate the occasion. I think we both deserve it.’

  Thankfully, Lauren took the glass from him, brushing his fingers as she did. She looked at him, and smiled.

  ‘After a long hard day, you mean?’

  ‘No, after a long hard year.’ Lauren couldn’t help but laugh.

  ‘Oh, I see. Yeah, this year . . . Couldn’t have done it without you, Tim. I’m serious, I . . . When I decided to have Mia, I . . . I guess I thought it would be much easier. It was naive of me to think that I could handle it all on my own.’

  She took sips of the fruity red wine and enjoyed the tartness on her tongue. Strolling over to the table, she put down her glass and sat down on the edge. Tim leaned against the countertop across from her.

  ‘You could easily have handled it on your own, Lauren. You’re a wonderful mother and . . . and a very strong woman.’

  Lauren’s heart beat faster. The alcohol had entered her bloodstream, and she felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach.

  ‘Me? Strong? You’re wrong about that! I can’t even manage to . . .’

  She shook her head, and stopped.

  ‘What? What can’t you manage?’

  Tim sat down his glass, walked over to her, and put his hand on her cheek. Tenderly, he caressed her skin with his thumb, and Lauren saw his gaze hanging on her lips. She swallowed.

  ‘I can’t manage to tell you that . . . ’ She bit her lip, because the words simply wouldn’t come. It was driving her crazy! They were living together, but they weren’t really living together. Still, she was optimistic that the fire that had been blazing between them was still alive, even if only smoldering. And just like that day at the diner when she saw him for the first time, she suddenly knew with certainty that there was something between them. After a year of ups and downs, this was more than sexual attraction. She saw it in the way he looked at her. Lauren could not go on like this, because it was breaking her heart to have the man she loved be so close and yet so far.

  As if reading her thoughts, he gently nudged open her legs and stepped into her personal space. He did it slowly, giving her time to object, but that was the last thing she wanted to do. His hand wandered up to the nape of her neck, and she raised her eyes to look into his face.

  And then he leaned in and kissed her as if on the verge of starvation. And Lauren felt the same way. She pressed into him, inviting his tongue to explore her mouth as she was exploring his. Tim took her face into his hands and deepened their kiss. His breath brushed her cheek, and Lauren could taste the wine on his lips. Was it the wine or the kiss that intoxicated her?

  She held onto him, silent
ly praying that Mia wouldn’t wake up – just this once.

  His tongue caressed hers, teasing her, conquering her mouth and then withdrew to allow her to take the initiative.

  Tim’s hands wandered along her neck, down her arms, and finally settled on her waist, pulling Lauren closer to him. She wrapped her hands around his hips, feeling his manhood pressing hard against her denim shorts.

  ‘You were saying?’ he asked, breathlessly, as he slowly pushed his hands under her top.

  His touch set Lauren’s body on fire. Her heart was pounding like crazy in her chest, and frantically she pulled his T-shirt over his head. How much she had missed him! Had missed this body!

  She wanted to kiss him, but he turned away.

  ‘Say it, Lauren. Please.’

  She didn’t want to break this spell between them, didn’t want there to be words in the way once again. She had wanted him for so long that it almost hurt, so why was he making it so difficult for her? At least she could feel hard, solid proof of him wanting her, as she wanted him, against her legs.

  She shook her head and lowered her eyes.

  ‘I . . . I want us to rearrange the furniture,’ she squeezed out. She couldn’t stop herself from bursting out laughing when Tim raised a puzzled eyebrow.

  ‘Uh . . . say what now? Rearrange furniture?’

  Lauren could almost see the bucket of ice water trying to extinguish the burgeoning flame of her desire. Apparently, Tim had hoped to hear something else. She leaned with her forehead against his chest, and laughed. His scent tickled her nose, and when he raised her chin, she took his index finger between her lips and circled it with her tongue.

  ‘Yeah – we have too much furniture for my taste,’ she muttered, before taking his finger deeper into her mouth. ‘Too many beds, I think.’

  She looked him in the eye. First he smiled, then his grin grew wider, and he pushed her onto the tabletop behind them. When she was finally lying under him, he tenderly bit her lip and whispered:

  ‘You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting you to say that.’

  Then he opened the buttons on her shorts, while Lauren wrapped her legs around his hips and dug her hands into his hair.

  Mia slept through that night – like she did on so many more nights to come.

  * * *

  ‘Lauren, are you crying?’

  Tim grabbed the marshmallow stick from the fire, and walked over to her. The many old stories and the countless memories moved everyone present. And the longer the night went on, the more difficult it was not to think back on it all full of longing and wistfulness. At least that’s how he felt. More and more he kept wondering why life was being so goddamn unfair.

  Worried, he sat down beside his wife and offered her one of the hot and sticky pieces of sugary sponge.

  ‘Are those tears?’ he asked, and kissed a wet trail from her cheek.

  ‘Yes, but . . . I’m fine. I’m just thinking how . . . how happy we were in the years that followed.’

  They leaned their foreheads together, and it was as if they were alone again, just the two of them. Tim’s soft kisses calmed Lauren and, exhausted, she closed her eyes. She was so tired. But she didn’t want this night to end. And so she took a deep breath and cuddled into Tim’s broad chest.

  ‘You make it sound as if we’re no longer happy,’ he noted in a flat voice.

  ‘Well, are we?’

  ‘I am if you are. That’s how it’s always been.’

  An Important Question

  Tim couldn’t help but smile. Since the moment he’d picked Lauren up from the law firm, where she’d been helping out for the past year, she kept giving him this puzzled look.

  All right, so maybe he had forced the issue, given how he’d suddenly dropped in on her meeting and pulled her out without so much as an explanation.

  ‘So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?’ Lauren asked and turned down the car radio.

  Tim shook his head, feeling excited and amused at the same time.

  ‘You’ll see it when we get there!’ He ignored her question and placed his hand on her knee. Her short skirt had ridden up while she was sitting, and he could feel the warmth of her skin through the thin pantyhose.

  ‘Then tell me at least where you’re taking me!’ she demanded and looked out the window. The trees lining the shore of Lake Champlain were flying by. At first, Lauren thought Tim was driving them home, but they had just left behind the driveway to the Latham estate.

  ‘That, too, is something you’ll see when we get there.’

  ‘And where is Mia, by the way?’ Lauren asked with a slightly sulky tone in her voice.

  Tim beamed, and gave her a wink.

  ‘Look, I sold my soul to the devil for what I’m going to show you. And in return he wanted to keep Mia. How could I refuse?’

  ‘What?’ Lauren laughed, confused, as Tim slowed the car on the side of the road.

  ‘OK, here we are.’ Tim got out and walked around the car, holding open the door for her and offering his arm.

  Lauren frowned at this curious behavior, but decided to play along.

  She was now getting excited herself and couldn’t wait to find out what Tim had drummed up, as she walked across the street with him. It was a well-groomed neighborhood with whitewashed houses lined up like pearls on a string. Somewhere, a dog was barking, and a red estate wagon rolled past them.

  Tim opened a white front gate nestled between the brick pillars of a low garden wall, on top of which the white picket fence continued. In the flowerbeds behind the fence, spring flowers strained their bright, colorful blooms up toward the sun and exuded an intensely fragrant scent. A bumblebee buzzed around the bud of lily-of-the-valley and, after this long, cold winter, the grass had taken on a fresh, vibrant green color. As Lauren strained her neck, she could see that the neighbors had made similar loving efforts in their gardens and yards.

  Without saying a word, Tim led her over the well-groomed, cobblestone garden path all the way to the front door that featured a curved centerpiece made from frosted glass. Lauren was glad she didn’t look too out of place in her fancy office clothes.

  ‘Whose house is this?’ she asked, looking up at the bright façade with its large French windows.

  All she got was another big grin that showed off his dimples and almost made Lauren forget what her question had been. Almost. She watched him as he pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

  ‘What . . . ?’

  He lifted her up and carried her over the threshold.

  ‘Ta-da!’ Slowly, he sat Lauren down in a large, empty hallway that opened out into a living room. Right in front of them, a large, spiral staircase led up to the upper floor. To her right was the living room, which seamlessly merged into a spacious kitchen with a kitchen island. High lattice windows offered a view of the yard with its whitewashed shed and mighty trees.

  Lauren was speechless. What were they doing here?

  ‘How do you like it?’ Tim asked cheerfully, as he led her from room to room.

  ‘It . . . it’s wonderful, but . . . but why are we looking at this?’

  Tim smiled and climbed the stairs with her. Now she was almost freaking out because he seemed nervous. He put on a front of being relaxed, but she could feel his pulse pounding beneath her fingers.

  She kept her hand on the handrail, and it was as if she had climbed these stairs a thousand times before. When Tim reached the top of the stairs, he stepped aside and let Lauren go first.

  Sunlight flooded the upper floor from a double window at the end of the hall, and a soft breeze carried the perfume of spring into the house. She found herself in a hall with soft wall-to-wall carpeting, and with his hand on her waist, Tim guided her into the first room.

  Here, too, bright sunlight was the first thing that caught Lauren’s eye. The sweeping windows opened out into the sky that seemed to extend into the room. It was only then that she noticed the bed standing i
n the center of it.

  ‘Is that our bed?’

  Lauren couldn’t believe what she saw. Her bed from the lake house. Was it possible? It was the same headboard, the same legs, the same pillows and blankets and comforter – but instead of the familiar skylight above, a white, flowing canopy had been spread out between the thick corner posts.

  She stepped closer, touching the blankets and the fabric hanging from the posts.

  ‘I had it rebuilt,’ Tim confessed, leading her into the next room.

  ‘Come on in,’ he invited. The room had been painted a pale, dusky pink, and pink and white stencils decorated the walls. Children’s bedroom furniture begged to be filled with toys.

  ‘Tim, for real, what do you think you’re doing?’ Lauren asked, and her knees went soft. This house was perfect in every way, but there was no way they could afford it.

  ‘Come on, I want to show you more.’

  Lauren knew that he was ignoring her question on purpose, and so she followed him. When he opened the door to another bright and spacious room, she couldn’t help but swallow.

  Mia’s old baby crib, which the now four-year-old hadn’t slept in in a long time, was sitting in the middle of the otherwise empty room.

  Tim led Lauren inside and, puzzled, she shook her head.

  ‘Tim, what are we doing here?’ she asked again, and this time his face remained serious. He reached for her hand.

  ‘I have come to a decision, Lauren,’ he declared in a shaky voice. ‘I made this decision without you, because no matter what you said I wouldn’t have changed my mind. I bought this house – because I believe that it holds the same kind of magic as your lake house. And because I believe that the people who live here will be very happy.’

  Lauren’s eyes grew wide. She noticed that he was using the exact same words she had chosen when she told him of her pregnancy. ‘You bought this house?’ she asked in disbelief, silently doing the math on how this was even possible.