From This Moment (7 page)

“And you’re still in love with her?”

He looks so sad, “It doesn’t matter; she’s getting married in a couple of months.”

“How long were you together?”

He starts to stand, “Close to two years.”

“Wow.”

“Come on, I want to show you the view from here so you can take some pictures then we can head back.”

The views are breathtaking and maybe worth the experience of the tram ride.

I take lots of pictures and can’t wait to get back to load them on to my iPad via my macbook air, which I treated myself to just before leaving Ireland.

~~ Cade ~~

Sitting in the lounge area waiting for Rona and Jake to arrive home is playing hell with my concentration.  I must have read the same paragraph over and over again for the past hour.  I managed to get what paper work was waiting for me out of the way earlier and instead of heading down to the stables, as I would normally have done –  I wait.

About thirty minutes later, I hear Jake’s SUV come to a stop outside.
  Placing my book to the side, I stand up and head towards the front door just as Rona enters.  She looks really happy.  Obviously, her day with Jake has gone well.

“Hi, I guess by your smile that you had a good day with Jake?”

She has a slight blush, “I did have a good day, but my smile was actually for you.  I’m glad you’re here.  I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”
  She looks lovely with color in her cheeks and her windswept hair, “Can I get you a coffee?”

“Yes please, can you give me five minutes though?
  I want to upload the photographs I took today to my iPad so I can show them to you.”

“That will be good; I’ll get us both some coffee and wait for you in the lounge.”

Just as she turns to go upstairs, I ask, “Is Jake coming in?”

She turns back to me, “No, he said he’s going to call down to the stables, saying something about the feed which has just been delivered.”

“I’ll see you in a few minutes then.”

Having made the coffee, I sit on the sofa this time, hoping to have Rona in my arms, at least for a short while.

Coming back down the stairs she has changed into sweats and a long sleeved t-shirt, which we both seem to favor, with thick socks on her feet.

“
I managed to get them all on and they look pretty good.”  She doesn’t even hesitate to join me on the sofa.  Sitting down she snuggles into my side and looks up at me, “Hi.”  she moves her hands to my chest, and reaching up, places a kiss on my lips.

I caress her face, “Hi, not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”

“I just had to touch you.”

She really tugs at my heart, “You can touch me anytime you want.”
  I place a kiss on her forehead.

“Before I lie you down on this sofa and strip you naked, I think you’d better show me your photographs.”

“Spoil sport!”  God, she really is trying my patience.  Even if Jake, Anna and Beth accept her as my woman there’s still the age difference.

Looking at her photographs, I can see that she had a good time.
  There were some pictures of her which Jake had obviously taken, one of which I wouldn’t mind having a copy.

“Didn’t you take any pictures from the tram?”

“Err, no.  I was too terrified to think about anything exceeacnythingpt putting my feet on the ground.  I kind of buried my face in Jake’s coat and didn’t look up until he dragged me off at the top and into the restaurant.”

I tighten my arms around her, “Is it the first time you’ve been on an aerial tram?”

“I’ve been in a cable car before and that was a hair raising experience.  I swore that I’d never go in one again.”

“So why did you?”

“Big Red was a lot bigger and in the end just as terrifying.  But the waffles were worth the fright, I guess, not to mention the view.”

As we come to the end of her photographs, I notice she’s drifted off to sleep on me.
  Rona feels so good and so right against me that I don’t want to move.

Wrapping my arm around her, I sink further down into the sofa and pull her more onto my chest, falling asleep with her.

~~ Rona ~~

Starting to wake up slowly I realize I’m not in bed.
  Opening my eyes, I meet Jake’s eyes from across the sofa.  He’s sat in one of the chairs with a look on his face that I can’t decipher.  I’ve been asleep wrapped in Cade’s arms.

Cade is still asleep at this point.

Managing to extract myself without waking Cade up, I motion to Jake to follow me to the kitchen where I grab a cup of coffee.  Turning to face Jake, “I didn’t realize I was so tired.  I was sitting next to your father showing him the photographs and the next thing I know, well, I woke up to you looking at us.”

“Is that all it was?”

Blushing, “That’s how we ended up like that on the sofa.”

“You are attracted to him though aren’t you?
  I know he’s attracted to you.  I’m not blind, I’ve seen the way you look at each other when you think I’m not watching, plus you both looked a bit disheveled at the airport.”

I open my mouth to speak but Jake continues, “I’m a guy and it’s kind of obvious when two people have been making out.... although I could be wrong, I’ve been wrong before.”

He looks at me; my blush is obviously showing, “No, I didn’t think so.”

Not touching the ‘making out’ comment, “Yes, I’m attracted to your father.
  I’m more than attracted to him.  But having this attraction between us doesn’t change the fact that I’m only a year younger than you.  This makes your father very uncomfortable.”  On a sigh, “I’m sorry if this upsets you, but I can’t help how I I help hfeel.”

“I’m not even sure upset is how I feel right now.
  He’s been alone for a very long time, he deserves some happiness.”  He turns away from me and starts to head over to the stairs, then he turns back, “Please don’t break his heart, I know what that feels like.”

“I won’t,” I whisper.

After Jake disappears upstairs, I take two coffees into the lounge and place them on the coffee table.  Taking a seat opposite Cade, I see him watching me.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough, I was about to come to your rescue when Jake left.”

“How would you feel about ‘us’ if Jake, Anna and Beth accepted me?”

“How I feel about you will never change and will probably only get stronger the longer we’re together.  But my family isn’t the only problem.”  He looks away, “I have twenty-one years on you, so when you’re forty I’ll be sixty one.  I don’t want to leave you a widow when you’re so young.”

Looking back at me he notices the tears running down my face.
  Moving over, he crouches down in front of me, at the same time I move forward.  He wraps his arms around my waist.  I wrap my arms around his shoulders.  The embrace ends quickly as we hear Jake moving around upstairs.

“Will you be okay?” he asks me as he moves away.
  I just nod my head, not really believing I will be.

“We’ve been invited to Anna’s for dinner this evening.
  I hope you don’t mind?”

I wipe my face, “No, that’s fine.”
  Taking a deep breath, “I love you Cade and I’d rather use what time we both have left together than apart.  No one knows what the future holds or how long or short it will be.  I just know I want my future to include you.”  I head up to my bedroom to shower and change for dinner.

~~ Cade ~~

Arriving at Anna’s house, I glance over to Rona who seems to be nervous.  Jake isn’t doing much better.  Helping Rona out of the car, I whisper, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, just a bit nervous.”

Moving away from her, we follow Jake to the front door which has just been opened by Gabby, who doesn’t take her eyes from Rona.

“Are you Uncle Jake’s girlfriend?”
  This brings both me and Jake up short.

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“No, they were kind enough to invite me to stay with them for awhile.
  Are you Gabby?”

“Yes.”

“I’m pleased to meet you Gabby.  I met ‘Honey Bee’ yesterday and I love that name, I also love the cereal.”

On a giggle she takes hold of Rona’s hand and pulls her inside the house leaving me and Jake standing at the door.

“I guess Rona passed inspection,” Jake grins.

Entering the house I can see Rona in the kitchen with Gabby who’s introducing her to her mother and father as well as Beth’s husband Mack.
  I’m not sure where Beth is though.

“If you’re looking for Beth, she’s feeding Edith in the bedroom,” says Mack, coming over to shake hands with me while passing Nathan their two year old son to Jake.

“Make yourselves comfortable.  Dinner won’t be long, unless they don’t stop yakking in there, then it might be midnight!” says Justin, Gabby’s father, as he hands me a beer.

Not long after, Beth appears and walks straight over to me putting Edith into m
y arms, my youngest grandchild.  I wasn’t sure how Beth managed to have an angel for a daughter as she was more like the Devil when she was born.

~~ Rona ~~

My nerves having disappeared, I find myself in the kitchen helping out Cade’s two daughters.  They’re both slim built with light brown hair and it’s like being in the middle of a whirlwind, they’re so organized and dashing here and there doing a million different things at once.

Glancing into the front room to try and catch a glimpse of Cade, I spot him on the sofa with Edith.
  He looks gorgeous and I really wish we were home, just the two of us, with our own sleeping baby, so I’d have the right to go and cuddle up to them.

Seeing me looking over, Beth obviously thinks I’m looking at her daughter.

“Come on, you haven’t met the newest addition to the family.”  Beth leads me by the arm into the front room.

Looking up Cade takes my breath away.
  I don’t think there’s anything sexier than seeing the guy you’re in love with holding a baby.

Conscious that Jake is watching, I sit down next to Cade on Beth’s urging.
  Cade passes Edith to me.

“She’s a gorgeous little thing.”
  I tell Beth, while I make silly cooing noises to Edith.

“She is that.
  You stay put and relax while I go and help Anna with the food.”

Edith is wide awake in my arms and making small gurgling noises while holding my little finger.
  All the time I’m conscious of Cade sitting so close.  We are touching thigh to thigh; Cade’s arm is resting along the back of the chair behind me.  I’m so tempted to snuggle more into his arms.