Beginnings - SF2 (22 page)

He was still blushing a little as he said, "I guess I'm just concerned because I know you were recently engaged to a man and I um…"

"It's okay, Rory," she reassured him. "I made a mistake, but even though I was quickly realizing that I was deeply attracted to Ryan, I wasn't the one who broke off the engagement. I'm like a loyal little dog. Once I follow you home, you have to take me to another county and throw me out of the car to get rid of me," she said with a gentle laugh.

He placed his large arm around her small shoulders and tilted his head until it lightly rested upon hers. "Believe me, Jamie, if Ryan tried to toss you aside, the lot of us would knock some sense back into her straightaway!"

With her unfailing ability to sense where her lover was at all times, Ryan zeroed in on her and sidled over to remove her brother's arm from Jamie's shoulders. "This is why I never brought a woman home before," she informed Jamie while she shot a broad smile at her brother.

"You can't blame a lad for trying," Rory smiled back at her.

"Well, lucky for me I have the whole summer to cement my position in her heart. When you come back in the fall, she'll be firmly under my spell," she said confidently.

"Pretty confident, aren't you?" Jamie asked as she snuggled up against her side.

"Yep. I'm going to devote every bit of my energies to making you the happiest woman in the Bay Area."

"You're gonna have to aim higher than that," Jamie teased as she tilted her face up for a kiss, "since I'm already the happiest woman in the world."

As Ryan slid her arms around her and placed several warm kisses on her pink lips, Rory rolled his eyes and walked away, unnoticed by the cuddling twosome.

By 10:30 the party showed no obvious signs of slowing down except for Caitlin, who was removed by Tommy from Ryan's protective embrace and taken home to her own bed. Ryan glanced around for her lover and found her once again in the corner, this time with Kevin. As Ryan approached, Jamie gave her the tiniest of headshakes, and she immediately rerouted and went into the kitchen to help her aunts with the clean up. Jamie came in as they were finishing and slipped her hand into Ryan's, leading her discreetly away from the crowd and down the stairs.

"Every time I look up you're in the corner with one of the boys!" Ryan groused. "What gives?"

"I've been welcomed and warned by every male member of your family except for Duffy!"

"Welcomed and warned?" Ryan asked with a confused look.

"Yes. 'Welcome to the family, Jamie. You're a wonderful girl and we're very happy that Ryan chose you, but if you hurt her, we'll track you down and kill you!'"

"They didn't!" she gasped as she dropped to her bed.

"Oh, yes, they did," Jamie assured her as she sat across Ryan's knees and kissed her cheek. "Oh, they were more tactful than that, but the message was the same."

"Jamie, I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for. I think it's completely adorable that all of them care for you so much. It's reassuring to know that you have over a dozen people watching out for you when I can't be on the job," she said as she tweaked her nose.

"You know, every day you give me another reason for why I made such a good decision in choosing you. Most women would be intimidated or insulted by that, but you take it as a reassuring gesture. That's really wonderful," she said happily.

"That's all true, Ryan, except for one small detail."

"What's that?"

"
I
chose
you
!"

Ryan nodded her head agreeably as she conceded, "I suppose you're right on that point. So let's say I made a wise decision in accepting your proposal."

"I just want to keep the record straight," she said as she pushed her taller lover down and covered her body with her own.

When Cassie Martin returned from her date that Saturday night, she stared at the small note lying on the hall table.

I'm staying at my parent's tonight. I'll be home late Sunday,

Jamie

We'll just see about that
, she thought with a smirk as she dialed the phone. "Hello, Mrs. Evans?" she asked sweetly when the phone was answered.

"Yes," replied the cultured voice, just a trifle thick from her usual evening pastime.

"It's Cassie Martin, Mrs. Evans," she stated as she thought,
I hope she's not too drunk to have noticed if Jamie's there or not.

But Catherine was only a bit inebriated since it was only nine o'clock. Her voice snapped to attention and became sharper as she asked, "What is it, Cassie? Is anything wrong?"

"No, not at all," she said calmly. "I just need to ask Jamie something. Is she there?"

"No, she's not here," Catherine replied, sounding a little confused. "Why do you think she is?"

"She left a note saying she was going to your house, Mrs. Evans," she said slowly. "Oh, I hope I didn't cause any trouble by calling you."

Even though Catherine had consumed quite a few drinks her quick mind honed in on a critical point. "Why didn't you call Jamie on her cell phone, Cassie?" she asked suspiciously. "That's always the best way to reach her."

"Oh, that's right. Silly me," she said absently. "I just call her so rarely that I forgot about her cell phone. I certainly hope I haven't caused you any alarm, Mrs. Evans."

"Actually you have, Cassie," she said rather sharply. "I'll call Jamie to make sure she's all right. And then, of course, I'll ask her to call you back. Are you at home?"

"Um…yes, I'm at home, but it's really not necessary, Mrs. Evans."

"Nonsense. If it was important enough for you to have to call here, it's important enough for Jamie to return your call. Goodnight, Cassie."

Catherine slumped back into her chair and tried to gather her thoughts. She didn't want to get involved in any adolescent squabbles between her daughter and Cassie, but there was a glimmer of a chance that Jamie had been on her way home and had gotten into an accident. So she hit the speed dial and waited for six rings before her daughter's happy sounding voice answered. To her own surprise, she immediately hung up. She sat in her chair and stared at the receiver that she still held in her small hand and considered her actions. She realized that she didn't have any interest in checking up on Jamie; she had just wanted to know that she was safe. Once she was assured of that, she really had nothing to say.
Although I suppose Cassie will be waiting for a return call from Jamie
, she thought absently. A sly smile curled up the corner of her mouth as she rose to pour herself another Scotch.
Let her wait!

As the last of the relatives left the house, Rory bade everyone goodbye. Brendan had offered to take him to the airport in the morning, so he decided to sleep at his brother's apartment and allow Ryan to use his room for the night. Jamie gave him a big hug and a kiss and quietly promised to watch over Ryan in his absence. She left the rest of the family to say their goodbyes and went downstairs to get ready for bed.

20 minutes later Ryan came down, red eyed and a little glum. "Are you all sad that Rory's leaving?" Jamie asked as she wrapped her arms around her.

Ryan just nodded, her lips pursed together tightly.

"You poor little thing," she soothed as she led her to the loveseat for a little comfort. Jamie sat back in the corner against the cushions and urged her lover to rest her head in her lap. Running her fingers lightly through her hair, she gave her the physical comfort that she obviously needed. She didn't think there was much to actually talk about since it was clear that Ryan just had a hard time being away from any member of her family for a significant time period. She thought about her own family and realized that she often couldn't remember if her mother was even in the country; and her father traveled so often for business that it wasn't odd for him to be away for weeks at a time when she was a child. She reflected that she and Jack had planned on being apart for a whole year while he clerked for a federal judge, and was struck with the realization that things would be very different with Ryan.
There's no way in the world I'd let her be away from me for a whole year,
she thought with amazement
. Why didn't it seem odd to me at the time? I thought it was perfectly natural to see my fiancé only on weekends and to plan to have him be gone for a year. God, I can hardly stand to be apart from Ryan overnight!

As if she read her thoughts Ryan murmured, "Don't wanna go upstairs," in her adorable little five-year-old voice.

"I know, Sweetie," she soothed. "I don't want you to go either, but we're still close. I'll just be downstairs if you get lonely."

Ryan struggled to her feet and went into the bath to get ready for bed. Jamie heard her muttering to herself the whole way, and she was once again charmed by her companion's complete vulnerability with her. When Ryan came out, Jamie offered to take her to bed and tuck her in. She accepted with a dropped chin and a shy little grin that peeked out via her sparkling blue eyes. On the way upstairs they stopped in Martin's room for their goodnight kisses. He gave Jamie a curious glance while he hugged his daughter, and she mouthed that she'd stop in on her way back down.

The next stop was Conor's room. He was just leaving the bathroom that he and Rory shared, and he likewise gave both women a hug and a kiss. He looked very tired, and as soon as he entered his room the lights went out. Jamie led Ryan into Rory's bed and sat on the edge ruffling her hair through her fingers. "I love you, Ryan," she said softly as she leaned over for a tender kiss.

"I love you too, Jamie," she said sadly. As Jamie got up to leave she turned for one last look and felt her heart nearly break at the wide-eyed, childlike expression on her lover's face. She blew her a kiss and started to close the door but Ryan instructed, "Leave it open, please. I want Duffy to be able to come in and cuddle."

On the way back downstairs Jamie stopped in Martin's room and quietly closed the door to be able to speak without her keen-eared lover noticing. "What's with the Princess?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"She's very sad that Rory's leaving," she confided. "She seems quite fragile tonight, and I think she needs some comforting."

"But you're honoring my rule about not sleeping together, correct?"

"Of course, Martin. We wouldn't dream of going against your wishes."

"Well, you know, Jamie," he said as he slid an arm around her shoulders, "the rule was designed solely to maintain family harmony. But the only member of the family who would notice is Conor. If you could manage to be a bit stealthy there's no reason for him to find out."

"So you really wouldn't mind?" she asked excitedly.

"How can I put this delicately?" he mused. "I feel uncomfortable having my children acting like married people before they're willing to make a public commitment. But it sounds like you're asking to give Siobhán some comfort rather than…"

"Absolutely, Martin," she said as her blush rivaled his. "Besides, given Ryan's mental age tonight, the last thing on her mind is…" she said with a wink.

After another good night kiss she crept up the stairs, being careful to avoid the third step that had a definite squeak to it. Quietly entering the room, she slowly closed the door as she heard Ryan give a start. "It's me, Honey," she whispered.

Ryan quickly sat up and gazed at her with a puzzled look. "What…" she began, but Jamie quickly silenced her with a gentle kiss as she slid into the full sized bed.

"Your father said we could sleep together as long as all we did was sleep," she teased as she snuggled up next to her.

"You asked?" Ryan's expression was so amazed that Jamie had to laugh.

"No, no, Honey, I just said you needed some comfort tonight. He actually made the suggestion. He loves you very much, Ryan, and we wants you to feel better."

Ryan sniffled a little at the thought of Jamie and her father trying to find a way to care for her. Jamie scooted up on the bed and drew Ryan in close so that her dark head rested against her soft breasts. Ryan sighed so deeply it was nearly comical, but she immediately nestled snugly against Jamie's tender embrace, so that there wasn't a millimeter of space between them. Moments after settling down, her deep, even breathing lulled Jamie into a sweet, dream-filled slumber.

She woke long before the sunrise, but it took her a moment to get her bearings. The feel of Ryan's body against hers was still unfamiliar, and it took her a second for her brain to get the message that she wasn't wrapped around Jack; but when she allowed her senses to really open up, there wasn't a doubt in her mind who shared her bed. The first thing that caught her attention was the alluring aroma that emanated from Ryan's body. The scent was almost indescribable, but she was sure she could pick it out given a thousand choices. There was something just so Ryan-like about the scent; it was sweet and spicy, complex and simple, sexy and innocent.

But even without her scent, the way Ryan's body felt was so different from Jack's that it continually surprised her that she could mistake one for the other. Where Jack was hard and strong, Ryan was soft and supple. He carried much of his weight in his broad shoulders and chest, and the dense muscles felt heavy and oppressive when he lay against her. But Ryan's softness just molded against her so perfectly that she felt more like a comfortable extension than a separate person.