Sweet Serendipity (23 page)

Rebecca made small talk with what felt like hundreds of people. They all wanted to hear the stories that coincided with Ethan’s paintings. Each and every person wished them well. The champagne was beginning to go to her head, yet she had never felt so full of life. She watched Ethan across the room talking to groups of people who seemed to soak in his every word. He caught her watching him, so he winked at her. He then signaled for her to meet him in the back stairwell. She casually made her way through the doorway and walked over by the stairs. Within seconds, Ethan snuck in. He looked over at her and grinned. He stood by the door for a few seconds to make sure no one noticed their attempt to escape. He strode over and grabbed hold of her.

“I have been waiting all night to do this.” He leaned in and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and for the first time, embraced him without any doubts. While still holding onto her hips, he looked into her eyes.

“Did I get a chance to tell you how absolutely stunning you look? You remind me of a princess from a fairytale.

She giggled and blushed.

“Funny you should say that because I was kind of feeling like Cinderella rushing off with Prince Charming at the ball. I’m just waiting for the shoe to drop.”

“That won’t happen. I won’t let it, and if it makes you feel better, it is already past midnight and no one turned into a pumpkin. In fact, I say just in case, we go and lock ourselves in upstairs.”

Rebecca looked over her shoulder at the shadows that passed by the frosted window of the doorway.

“There is still a room full of people out there.”

He leaned in and nuzzled into her neck.

“That’s what I have a manager for. I already told him he was in charge of closing tonight. Call me over-optimistic, but I had no intentions of hanging around down there if you showed up.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t show up?” She asked him.

“I always had faith that the powers that be brought us together for a reason, so no, I never doubted that you’d be here tonight.”

“I wish I had just an ounce of your confidence. You see things in vivid color while I only see in black and white and shades of gray.”

“I’ll teach you as we go. There is a great big, colorful world out there, Rebecca Davis, and you deserve to see it the way I do. I will paint your world in color, just so you can see yourself the way I do.”

He took her hand and led her up the stairs to his loft. He playfully chased her inside and bolted the door behind them. Rebecca took a few steps into the loft and playfully leaned against the kitchen counter. Ethan looked at her and all she could see was the hunger in his eyes. He lowered his lips to hers. For the first time in her life, she completely lost herself in a kiss.

She quickly unbuttoned his shirt, and in one swift movement, he unzipped her dress and it fell to the floor. He took a step backward and took her in, just admiring her.

She held his hand in hers and led him into his bedroom where she showed him just how much she loved him. She gave him her body as well as her heart and soul.

Rebecca slept soundly for the first time in years. She opened her eyes in time to watch the bright sunshine streaming through the loft window. She rolled over and kissed Ethan’s shoulder. He woke up and turned toward her.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said to her.

“Good morning,” she smiled back at him.

He ran his finger along her hand, up her arm, and onto her neck.

“How do you feel?” He asked her.

“I feel…I can put it into words.”

He pulled her to him as he kissed her again.

“Show me, then. Sometimes words aren’t necessary.”

They spent the next hour wrapped in each other’s arms. Rebecca had to pry herself away from him. She began to get out of the bed when he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back to him.

“Where do you think you are going?” He asked as he kissed her shoulder.

“I need some water or I am going to pass out.” She grinned at him as she began to pull away.

“You don’t need to go anywhere. I will go make you some coffee.” He kissed her forehead and teasingly smacked her bare bottom. He slipped on a pair of boxer shorts and told her to stay put. She waited until after he left the room and then rolled over on her side and snuggled his pillow. She buried her face into it, and she could smell his cologne. She smiled to herself when she thought about how he made her feel so alive.

She quickly hopped out of bed and made her way into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and slid under the hot jets of water. She held her eyes closed as the water rushed down her body. She felt a hand caress her stomach. She opened her eyes and smiled as Ethan pinned her up against the shower wall.

“Here?” She said to him.

“Here,” he answered teasingly. She noticed that he was already aroused, and only the mere touch of him instantly made her come alive. He ran his fingers through her wet hair, and the hot water streamed down their joined bodies. He made her cry out in a pleasure she had never known was possible. They climaxed simultaneously and he finished by nipping at her bottom lip. She wrapped her arms around him and hung on; afraid she would wake from a dream.

They finally made their way to the kitchen. She threw on one of his t-shirts and he was standing in just his boxers. Rebecca’s phone began to ring. She reached in her pocketbook and looked at the caller ID. It was Tasha. She picked it up to make sure everything was alright.

“Hey, Tash. What’s going on?”

“Have you guys seen the review for the gallery? He’s a huge success. Everyone is talking about his exhibit. News is spreading fast. Rumor has it that some major celebrities are going to be checking it out. Oh, and the article itself is small compared to the photo of you and Ethan locking lips. They are calling you his muse, and they talk about fate, destiny, and true love. It’s a great article. If you two could pull each other away from one another for some air, you might enjoy it.”

“Ha-ha, very funny, Tasha. We haven’t seen each other for a while. Forgive me for enjoying a little time with him.”

“Hey, tootsie, there is no shame in some lovin’. I had me some of my own last night, too.”

“Really?” She asked her.

“I’m not dead yet. If I have to go, I want to go out in a bang of ecstasy.”

They began laughing like it was the funniest thing they had heard. Emily beeped through and Rebecca connected the call for a three way conversation.

“Oh God, guys, my head is in complete pain. Don’t ever let me drink that much again on an empty stomach. I feel totally sick,” Emily told them.

Ethan admired Rebecca as she sat on the stool at the counter, relaxed and laughing. She had transformed from a fragile, untrusting seed into a gorgeous, happy, and relaxed flower. He felt inspired by her. He slid her coffee cup across the counter and smiled at her. She smiled back and took a sip of it. For some reason, it tasted amazing. She noticed that everything with Ethan seemed to be enhanced or new to her senses.

“I have to go in the store today, and I so don’t want to. I’m interviewing a nice older woman for a full-time position. It will give me more freedom to take Andrew to all his appointments and I won’t have to work myself to the bone,” Emily told them.

“That’s great, Em. Andrew should come first.”

Tasha cut in.

“I’m going to the healing center for a workshop. Maybe you should bring Andrew to one of the healing nights. I’m telling you, I have never felt better. I don’t feel any pain or discomfort. I swear by it.”

“Tasha, that’s wonderful that you found this. I’ve never seen you so passionate about anything before,” Emily said.

“Well, besides a certain healer by the name of Micah,” Rebecca added.

“How about lunch around one at Percy’s Place? We can catch up and eat. I think I need a lot of cheesy hash browns to absorb the champagne,” Emily insisted.

“Deal,” Rebecca said.

“I’ll be there,” Tasha agreed.

They all hung up and Rebecca slipped the phone back in her bag. Ethan leaned across the counter and kissed her gently on her lips.

“You and your friends are very close, huh?”

“They are family to me. My dad died when I was young, and then my mom died a couple years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. My family is alive and thriving. I have six brothers and sisters and at this point, I believe I have fourteen nieces and nephews.”

“Oh my God! Where do they all live? Are they close by?”

“I have two sisters in Massachusetts. I have two other sisters who live in New York and two brothers, one in Arizona and the other in Oregon.”

“What about your parents? Are they still alive?”

“Oh yeah. Happily married for forty-six years. They own a home in Florida, right near Disney. They bought an RV and they spend a lot of time travelling between the kids and grandkids.”

“Sounds like an amazing family. I hope to meet them all someday.”

He opened up the morning paper and the entire Arts and Entertainment section was plastered with details and pictures of last night’s gallery opening. He folded back the page and showed Rebecca the embrace the two had shared in public.

“I have a feeling you’ll be meeting them sooner than later. There is no way any of them would miss this.”

“Why didn’t they come to the opening of your gallery?”

“I told them not to make a fuss out of it, not unless it turns into a success. I’m the youngest boy of the family, so that makes me the ultimate dreamer. They never thought my art would be a means to and end for a career. They also never thought I’d ever settle down.”

He realized what he had just said to her and hoped it wouldn’t shut her down.

“Settling down, huh?” She leaned over and kissed him. “Is that what we’re doing?”

He pulled back and searched her eyes.

“What if I said yes? What if I told you that I can see myself waking up to you every day, and falling asleep next to you every night? Would that scare you off?”

“Ethan, I had a month without you. In that month, I realized that the last seventeen years of my life were empty. Jack and I had no chemistry, certainly not anything remotely close to what this is. A part of me will care for him because of what we shared, but I was too young and desperate for a family. But you, you woke me up from a slumber that had become my very existence. I thought I was broken. I thought I’d never be able to love anyone the way I have heard others talk about it. I thought there was something wrong with me. I believe that’s where all my conflict came from. I guess I didn’t feel as though I’d ever deserve to feel this kind of happiness, but you knew. You knew right from the very beginning. I don’t know how, but I am so grateful you did, and I am so grateful that you didn’t give up on me in the meantime.”

“Do you really think you are that easy to let go of? I told you from that first encounter that I’d give you all the space in the world just as long as I knew in the end, there would be a new beginning. You just needed to heal.” He rubbed his thumb across her cheek. “You did. You are on your way, anyway. You’ve had to overcome more than anyone should have to encounter at your age. The loss of a child is not something easy to get over. No parent is meant to outlive their child.”

Rebecca began to fill up with tears. Ethan ran his thumb across her cheek.

“Cry it out, Becca. Just know that Brian is still with you and he always will be. You are an incredible mother and he knows he was loved.”

“How do you know that, though? How were you able to capture that painting downstairs, the one with Riley, Adam, me and Brian as an angel? I did take the kids to a field for a picnic. That painting was a true image. It was one of my memories.”

“It’s just this thing I can do. I get these sorts of impressions or feelings. Sometimes they come as images. I just saw you, and I saw him watching over you to let you know that it was nobody’s fault. He knew he shouldn’t have been in the window, but he thought if he could hide long enough from Adam, then Adam would be proud of him.”

Rebecca covered her face with her hands. Ethan walked up to her.

“You will grieve in your own way for as long as it takes. Just know that he will always be your little guardian angel.”

She clung onto Ethan and buried her head into his shoulder. He held her unmoving until the last tear fell.

Ethan had to go down to the gallery to check on last night’s mess. He kissed Rebecca goodbye and told her he’d meet her later at her house with a surprise for dinner. As he walked away, every part of her wanted to pull him back inside. Instead, she meandered around the loft and peered out the window that overlooked Court Street. People were roaming around, shopping, eating, and just enjoying the warm September day.

Rebecca stood in Ethan’s bedroom holding her dress in her hands. She suddenly realized that she had no appropriate clothing to wear out of Ethan’s loft. It would really be a walk of shame if she had to stroll down the street wearing it. A gentle knock sounded on Ethan’s door and she hesitantly opened it. Tasha stood on the other side and handed her a bag with a pair of denim Capri pants and a fitted, purple t-shirt.