Now and Forever 5, Love's Journey (30 page)

When he finished, he sat there, numb, until
a voice said, “That was beautiful.”

He spun around to see Lara standing there,
red-cheeked from the cold, looking more stunning than ever.

“Lara? Didn’t you get the…” Peter started to
rise from the piano stool.

“I did.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I turned it down.” A smile stole across her
face.

“Why?”

“Because I’d rather be here with you than do
anything else in the world.” She moved toward him with tears in her
eyes.

He crossed the room quickly and took her in
his arms.

They stayed in the embrace, Lara’s face
against Peter’s chest and his face buried in her hair. Their
breathing was the only sound. Peter put his hand in his pocket to
fetch his handkerchief and felt something hard and square. He
handed his handkerchief to Lara and took out the hard object.

“Lara, I love you, will you marry me?” he
asked, opening the tiny box and offering her his mother’s
engagement ring. Lara burst into tears.

“Is that a ‘no’?” he asked with
trepidation.

She shook her head, trying to compose
herself.

“Yes,” she said when the tears slowed.

Peter slipped the ring on Lara’s finger. It
fit perfectly.

“It’s beautiful.” She turned the ring around
and observed its brilliance.

“It was my mother’s.” He kissed her
hand.

They embraced, then kissed.

“You have made me so happy.” A wide grin lit
up his face.

“Me too, bear. I just couldn’t stop thinking
about you…and wondering what I was doing in New York while you were
here.”

They were sharing a passionate kiss when Sam
slipped out of the hallway.

“I couldn’t help but overhear.” He wiped a
tear from his face with his handkerchief.

“You couldn’t help but overhear…how long
have you been lurking there, spying on us?” Peter tried to frown
but was unsuccessful.

Sam laughed a guilty laugh.

“You caught me. Congratulations, you two
have made me very happy.”

“Don’t you start crying, Sam, or I’ll start
all over again,” Lara said.

“This is going to be the best Christmas
ever.” Peter beamed at his dad.

* * * *

Back in New York City, Carter Wills sat at
his computer and typed an email.

To Callie Caldwell, Publicity Manager,
Kensington State University

From Carter Wills Photography

Dear Ms. Caldwell,

I’m a professional freelance photographer on
assignment from Ballet News Magazine. I would like to do a photo
spread for the April issue on your talent show in February,
featuring Lara Stewart and Andres Volinsky, the dancers from the
Metropolitan Ballet. I hope you will find this satisfactory and
give me whatever instructions I need to meet with the dancers and
other people who are key to this event.

Regards,

Carter Wills, Wills Photographic Studio

Carter pressed the “send” button then sat
back, lacing his fingers behind his head. This was going to be a
good Christmas because in another couple of months, his worries
about police, scandal and jail would be over for good.

* * * *

Danny and Eliza Maine’s house a few blocks
from campus

Sam, Lara and Peter arrived later than the
others to the Maine house on Christmas Eve. Mistletoe hung
everywhere, evergreen wreaths decorated doors, fresh garlands wound
around banisters and candles were burning where children couldn’t
reach. Burl Ives sang “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” in the
background and the dining room table groaned under the weight of
holiday food.

A ten-pound sliced ham, scalloped potatoes,
and green vegetables were displayed at one end, while finger foods
like baby quiche, crudités, dips, cheeses and crackers were at the
other end. A side table was loaded with dessert goodies from
Christmas cookies, to cake, to homemade pudding. The women wore
long skirts and the men sports jackets and ties. Even two-year-old
Casey Maine sported a red and green bowtie.

Callie bit her lip thinking about how Peter
must be feeling being alone at Christmas. When Sam came in first,
smiling broadly, Mac, Callie, Danny and Eliza were puzzled. Then
Lara came in with Peter right behind her and frowns turned to
smiles. Peter was grinning broadly and Lara was shy. He held up her
left hand showing off her engagement ring.

“We’re engaged!” he announced, his eyes
gleaming.

“It’s about time, shrimp.” Mac clapped Peter
on the back. There was lots of kissing under the mistletoe by the
adults, with Jason making faces.

“Mac, this is going to be our best Christmas
yet,” Callie said before she planted a kiss on his lips.

* * * *

Peter, Lara, and Sam got home after
midnight. Sam bade them goodnight and disappeared into his room
with a book. When they were alone, Peter closed the door of their
room and Lara turned to him.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she
asked him.

“What? Get married? Absolutely. I should’ve
proposed to you earlier.” Peter pulled at his necktie.

“Will you be faithful to me?” Lara glanced
at him.

“Of course. Why do you ask?” Peter hung up
his jacket and necktie in the closet.

“Your family is always teasing you about
your conquests and…women flock to you, don’t they?”

“Maybe I flirt a little, but I’ve not been
interested in anyone else since…since I saw you dance.”

“Saw me dance?” Lara cocked her head.

“At your place. When I saw you dancing. I
knew…it had to be you or no one. I waited for you. I’ve never
waited for a woman before. Does that answer your question?” Peter
finished unbuttoning his shirt and hung it in the closet.

“Yes.” Lara walked to him and turned her
back.

He unzipped her dress and eased it off her
shoulders, moving his hands to cover her shoulders, and he bent to
kiss the back of her neck. His fingers caressed the soft skin of
her shoulders, his mouth moved up to her ear to whisper, “I can’t
believe…I’m so lucky…to have you…soon to be mine and only mine…my
wife.” He yanked his T-shirt over his head and tossed it on a
chair.

Lara leaned her head back against his
shoulder while his fingers combed her hair. Turning her head to the
left, she nuzzled his neck. Peter slid his hand down her back and
snapped open her bra. Lara let it fall to the floor. Still standing
behind her, he glided his hands over her shoulders and down her
chest, stopping at her breasts. His fingers closed around the warm
mounds as his lips feathered kisses down her neck to her
shoulder.

Lara caught her breath and closed her eyes,
focusing on the feel of Peter’s hands on her. His touch, at once
gentle and seductive, started an ache in her loins. She placed her
hands on his hips and pulled him to her, feeling his arousal push
up against her backside.

Needing more connection, she turned to face
him. He placed his hands on her waist and crushed her against him
while his mouth came down hard on hers. Her arms twined around his
neck and her hips flattened against his. Lara could feel his chest
hair tickling her breasts, his tongue stroking, persuading hers.
Heat ran through her veins causing her core to become damp.

Peter moved his hands down her back and
slipped them under the waistband of her red lace panties to cup her
behind and squeeze. Lara fumbled with his belt and finally unzipped
his pants. Her fingernails drew lines up his back as his pants fell
to the floor. He broke to step out of them and his boxers too.

“I missed you so much,” she breathed. “Only
a few days felt like a lifetime.”

She could see his chest rise and fall as his
breathing became rapid. She slid her panties off and threw them on
the chair.

“I love looking at you.” Peter stood a few
feet away while his gaze raked her body.

His eyes became a deep blue, darkened with
desire as he looked at her. Lara stepped closer and ran her hands
up then down his chest and further down. Wrapping her fingers
around him, she stared up into his eyes.

Feeling the new ring on her finger reminded
her Peter belonged to her and she to him. Confidence swept into her
heart. She kissed his chest and up his neck all the way to his
mouth.

“Now you’re mine, mister. Don’t forget
that,” she whispered into his mouth.

“Never.” He stepped closer to her.

“You belong to me and only me.” She cupped
his cheek with her palm.

“You have my love now and forever.”

Lara took his hand and led him to the bed.
He caught her around the waist and tickled her. She screamed with
laughter as he pulled her down on the bed, looming over her. They
stared into each other’s eyes, silent for a moment.

“Take me. Make love to me…I need you so
much.” Lara touched his rough cheek with one hand and his shoulder
with the other.

“Your wish is my command.” Peter lowered his
mouth to hers in a hungry kiss.

* * * *

That very night the nightmares started. Lara
saw a fist coming at her face, she felt the pain as the blow
landed, then another and another. She was crying as the pain
exploded in her head, radiating down her neck. Screaming, she
bolted into an upright position and froze. Peter was awake
immediately. Not long after, there was a gentle knock on the door.
It was Sam.

“It’s okay, Dad. Lara had a bad dream.”

“Oh. Okay. As long as everyone is all
right,” Sam responded through the door.

“What happened?” Peter cradled her in his
arms.

“I saw a fist coming at my face. Then it was
punching me, in the eye, then in the jaw and it wouldn’t stop, and
the pain was overwhelming.”

“Did you see who it was?”

“Just a fist, a man’s fist. Dr. Weiss said
this might happen. She said my memory might start to come back
piece by piece in my dreams first. But she didn’t say the dreams
would be nightmares.”

“Maybe you’ll have other dreams about your
life that won’t be nightmares.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to wake up
screaming again, disturbing you and Sam.”

“Don’t worry about us.” He kissed her
hair.

“Let’s get some sleep so we can be up early
to celebrate Christmas Day with Jason and Kitty.” Lara wrapped
Peter’s arms around her.

The dreams didn’t stop for Lara. Sometimes
they were of the attack, never revealing the face of her attacker,
sometimes they were dreams of nicer times, days spent with Andres
and Keith. One dream was a memory of making love with Andres,
another was dancing with Keith. Sometimes she dreamt of parties, of
drinking too much, and waking up with a hangover.

Other days the dreams were darker, revealing
arguments with a faceless man whose anger flared up into violence,
a glass vase thrown over her head at a wall or plates smashed.

Every other night there seemed to be a
different dream. Sometimes she awoke and sometimes she didn’t. On
nights when she did wake up, she touched Peter’s chest and he’d
automatically pull her into his arms and they’d drift back to sleep
together.

While her memory was coming back during the
night, some of the memories continued during the day. She
remembered her relationship with Andres. She remembered the long
days of rehearsal, the “stage door johnnies”, and the late nights
clubbing and drinking. Lara smiled ruefully. Maybe she and Peter
had something else in common. She had been a party girl.

Chapter
Twenty

A
lan had filed his
final grades two weeks earlier. He gave Mary Campbell the A he
promised her. He was sorry to lose her as he had grown fond of her
and wondered if he could date her. He was thirty-seven and she was
nineteen, but so what?

He failed Jenna Walker. She deserved it.
She’d had her chance and made the wrong choice. Alan put Jenna out
of his mind and went skiing over Christmas, leaving Rex alone in
the house. When he came back he read about Jenna; her body was
found on the frozen ground. She had jumped from the science
building roof. Alan grew pale.
Do I still have time to change
her grade?

He ran to his office and turned on his
computer. Maybe no one had looked yet. Maybe there was still time.
Frantically he logged on and deleted the F and typed in a B.

* * * *

Across town in the administration building,
Eliza Maine and Mac Caldwell were meeting with Jenna’s parents.
They had given permission to the university and the police to look
through Jenna’s things in her dorm room. Eliza had found a copy of
Jenna’s transcript for the semester, all As and one F in English.
She called Mac over.