Forgive Me Father For I Have Loved (44 page)

“I Love Me Some Him...” she began, singing Toni Braxton’s song while the two women joined in, singing the background vocals.

Dane chuckled lightly with others around
him as he heard someone shout, “Sing it, girl! You love you some him! Yes ya do!”

Rhapsody smiled and slowly swayed back and forth, the ceiling lights catching the glimmer in her eye, making them sparkle even more as she hooked each note just so, with her sultry intonations. Dane floated in the sweetness of her voice, overjoyed that he now would be able to hear it anytime he desired. When she finished, the room burst with applause.

Dane cleared his throat as the music died down and everyone, besides the occasional giggle or cry of a child, went quiet. He approached Rhapsody, took her hands into his own and looked deeply into her eyes—bright, a tad moist—just enough to let him know how much this beautiful woman was truly in love with him.

“I was not expecting this, tonight. Thank you.”

Rhapsody nodded and placed a small, soft kiss on his lips.

“I can’t sing, but I feel compelled to respond to that. So,” he looked at the crowd of people then back at her as he took the microphone from her hands, “I just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight and celebrating this important day with us. Today is a Saturday, a cool, early winter day. Many people are enjoying a football game right now, the Detroit Lions are—”

“Yeeeaaaaaahhhhh!” someone cheered.

“Right.” Dane smiled, looking out in the crowd then back at Rhapsody. “Playing, dinner is being eaten, kids are getting ready for bed and Saturday night dates are being made. But, you all are here with us, and we appreciate that.” He paused as he gathered his thoughts. “At this time, last year, I would have been conducting a service, working at a soup kitchen or helping someone that attended the church...and that was honorable, that was good…” He glanced at Fr. Jones, who smiled at him and nodded in understanding. “...and
this
is also honorable and great, because right now, on this particular Saturday, I married my soulmate, my better half, a woman who had eluded me, and I eluded her, long ago, while I stared at her through a tiny window of a door during her high school choir rehearsals.”

The crowd hummed, dripped in good cheer.

“...She should have called the cops on me for stalking, but,” he grinned, “it was just one of those things. Nothing came of that; we never even spoke and now here we are...” His voice cracked, the last words caught in his throat. He quickly wiped his left eye and continued. “Here we are, married now, after years of not seeing one another. A chance meeting in a park... I was down on my luck...and God...God sent me what I needed most, an angel...”

Out of his peripheral vision, he noted several people dabbing at their eyes.

Even Rhapsody’s eyes were now glossed over to the point that she could no longer ignore it. Her sister leaned in front of her, and efficiently dotted at her face while Dane continued.

“I had everything I could have wanted. Friends, a place to stay, people who enjoyed my company, a chance to study God’s Word for a living and for my soul’s earnings, and He even made sure I was financially blessed in the midst of this. But, it still wasn’t enough. There was one thing missing...” He took her hand and paused briefly when her hands started to tremble in his grip.

“God knew what I needed; I didn’t even have to ask. But I did ask, I just didn’t know that He would exceed my expectations like this.” Swallowing, he took a moment to regain his composure when the emotions got too high. “I prayed to God for answers, for Him to show me, to please tell me what to do. At that time, there was no Rhapsody in my life...and then there she was, just like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“So yeah.” He squeezed her hand, and tilted her chin upward, exchanged a passionate glance with her. “I’m blessed beyond measure. I love you so much, Rhapsody. I loved you from the moment I realized I couldn’t imagine life without you, and that nothing else mattered if you weren’t with me. I will spend my entire life showing you how much I care and how honored I am that you chose
me
, when I know you could have had any man you wanted, but you chose
me
, to be your partner in marriage.”

Rhapsody smiled at him as Melody ran her hand lovingly across her sister’s back.

“I promise to listen to you. I promise to not go to sleep angry, to talk out whatever disagreements we may have. I promise to be a good father to our future children. I promise to love you during all situations, good and bad, because you loved me at my worst...” His voice cracked then. He briefly closed his eyes and swallowed past a big lump. He felt his brother, Joseph, lightly brush against him and pat his shoulder, giving him comfort.

Then he looked out at his mother, who was crying through her happiness, tears streaking her plumped cheeks but covering a bright smile beneath.

“You were designed for me,
made
for me. You’re my Eve.”

He took both her hands and brought them up to his mouth, kissing them. “One day, a priest walked into a park. He sat down on a bench, and decided that he hated his life to the point that he was simply going to be alive for a little while, but not really live. And then he heard something...a melody; it touched him before the singing started, you see, because, he heard the song in her heart, before she hummed or uttered a word. How could I give up,” he smiled sadly as he looked deeper into her gaze, “on life...with that sort of feeling now weaving its way into my soul? After hearing such a miracle? Somewhere inside of me, I
knew
, I was hearing the voice of my future wife...”

He could hear several people crying.

“I knew, on some primal level, and that is what made me want to give myself a chance, to obtain peace at last...With you, Rhapsody, I never feel like I can’t be myself, like I can’t make it. I never feel like I have to pretend or put on a show. You saved my life, and I will spend the rest of it treating you as you deserve, until God takes me away, and then after that, I want Him to promise me that you’ll be right by me...because I need you
now
and forever...”

The audience ahhed as he stole a quick kiss on her cheek.

Someone in the crowd murmured, “That was beautiful, Dane...”

Just then, the lights dimmed, as they had at the church, and
the room was bathed in shadows.

“What the?” Anthony called out as he looked around. “That’s the second time, how weird.”

Melody immediately marched toward the back of the room as everyone watched her. She flicked the switch. “I don’t know what happened, maybe it is the breaker. The light is in the upright position.”

And as quickly as it happened, the lights popped back on, bringing a sigh of relief.

“Someone didn’t pay the light bill!” Anthony joked, causing an avalanche of laughter.

The party continued and soon, the search for a dry eye in the house came up empty, mission impossible.

No longer able to control himself, Dane urgently pushed his body into his bride’s and heard her hitch her breath. He forced Rhapsody to rise on her tippy toes as he folded his arm around her back, brought her waist to his, and had her in his loving, quixotic grip, for all to see.

The crowd came alive with applause and it wasn’t long after, Dane was stealing more sensual kisses in the corners of the vast, crowded dance hall with the music blaring, people dancing and eating cake. How could he help it, even if his behavior had the priest and his mother blushing and pretending not to witness such a wondrous and affectionate display...

~***~

Two days later...

“What is it with women and over packing?” Dane complained as he hoisted his wife’s bags out of the taxi, soon retrieved from the porters who greeted them at the nearby winding steps of the Hotel de Crillon, in the heart of
Paris.

“Well, for my big debut, I wasn’t sure what I’d wear. I need options, honey!” she batted her eyes dramatically.

Dane smiled and took her hand as they made their way inside.

“Oh my God!” she gasped, looking around in amazement. “The photos didn’t do it justice. Dane, I can’t believe you got us this place!” She turned around in circles, like a ballet dancer on auto pilot.

Dane grinned, overdosing on her exuberance. “Now you know I had to have us honeymoon in style. Besides, I have to share an evening with Paris, on our honeymoon, so they can enjoy your talent. This way, at least, when we get back to the room, things will be set up just how I want them,” he said, winking.

Soon, they checked in and entered the elevator to their chamber. Lights reflected on the marble and gold walls and mirrored doors, as if they’d gone inside a crystal ball. Cupping the back of her neck, he pulled her close and stole a passionate kiss, slicking his tongue inside of her mouth. Rhapsody gasped when the doors opened on the seventh floor and they exited the elevator. It had been over a week since they’d made love,  wedding plans and the long flight had taken their toll. He’d had enough. Dane was ready to unwrap his ‘wedding package’.

They made the quick jaunt to their hotel room to find the door slightly ajar and the porters setting their luggage down. After exchanging pleasantries, Dane tipped them and they left.

When he turned back around, he caught Rhapsody repeat the performance from the lobby and giving their suite the once over. Looking around in awe, she ran her delicate fingers across the furniture and looked around the room, decorated with wine, gold and ivory drapes and bedding.

He took off his jacket...

Then his crisp white shirt...

All the while, she continued to move about, commenting about the décor, her back toward him.

He hooked his thumbs in the waist band of his pants; they hit the floor...

“Dane, you have to see this view!” She opened the thick curtains, allowing the setting sun to spray a mellow yellow inside the room.

“Oh, I can see the view just fine.
You
need to see the view, too...”

“I can, but if you come over here you’ll notice that there is—” She turned around and stopped short at the sight of him. “You just couldn’t wait. We’ve not been in here for more than five minutes.”

At her side in mere moments, he ignored her laughter and made quick work of discarding her clothes, stealing kisses as he unhooked her bra. Then, he lowered her naked body onto the freshly made bed covered with little chocolate heart candies.

“Dane!” she said, breathless. “Baby...put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door, just in case.”

Don’t stop me. No one is coming, baby...

But he relented. Racing to the bathroom, he snatched a plush white towel, wrapped it around him, and did as asked. In lightning speed, he’d locked the door back and returned to her, running his lips ruggedly up and down the side of her neck, making her coo as he used his knee to quickly push her legs apart. She trembled beneath him, fevered, but he continued to remind himself to take his time as his body grinded into hers and his kisses continued, never yielding. Her bare, warm thighs cocooned him. She moved her lips across his cheek and jawbone, and ran her long fingers through the back of his hair. Her breaths came harsh, short, the longer they caressed.

“My wife,” he murmured between kisses to her shoulder and collar bone. “You’re all mine...”

He briefly looked into her eyes, catching a sweet smile, a secret smile just for him.

“I’m all yours, Dane,” she said softly.

“You better be.” He glanced lazily at her, watching her mouth open in shock then curve into a naughty grin.

“Hmmmm, possessive now, are we?” she crooned, as if she were about to break into song.

“Always have been...just more willing to show it...to claim
you
.”

“Mmmm,” she cooed, closing her eyes, as he pushed his pelvis hard into hers, teasing her, working her up, letting her feel his love growing against her taut stomach.

“My second chance...” He brought his face directly over hers. She sighed and purred as he kissed her, softly at first, but then more demandingly with each kiss, with each heartless tease of his rhythmic hip twist. “Never letting you go...
never
...”

“I don’t want you to.” She gripped him hard as he slipped lower, taking her nipple into his mouth, going over it meticulously, lick by slow lick. He rubbed the other, his fingertips pushing into the softness until soon, he felt the rigid, dark flesh peek as her arousal from his handy orchestrating made it stand at attention. She purred in his ear and ground into him in smooth moves, matching his tempo.

“I’m going to make love to you, as if we never have before...”

Then she gulped dramatically, and both burst into ripples of laughter...

~***~

Damn, he gives good love...

The way his beautiful blue eyes hooded and his soft lips brushed against her skin drove her insane. Linking her hand with his, high above her head, she surrendered to the rhythm of him bumping steadily into her pelvis.