He laughed again. "You're the only one I want to bike with, sweetheart," he said, pulling me too him and resting his lips against mine.
Our lips melded together, filled with tenderness and promises of no anger or hurt. The past was forgotten as we lost ourselves in each other's arms, rediscovering what had brought us together in the first place.
"By the way, your hair is sexy as hell," he whispered in my ear. "Should we let Charles know we found each other, or should we make him squirm?"
"Well, I am still pissed that he lied to me this morning, but on the other hand, it made me face the music. I kept pushing back when I was going to contact you. First, it was after the chemo. Then it was once I went into remission, and then I changed it to when I no longer resembled a bald baby. Truthfully, I think I was just afraid to face you. I was scared that it wouldn't be like it was. Everything happened so quickly before. All the decisions we made were dictated by lust. I was afraid that once we faced reality, that same passion would no longer be there in light of real-life problems."
"That's love, sweetheart. We take the good and the bad.
"This time I want us to take it slow. Really get to know each other and make sure what we share is real. This time, I want to be nothing but attached," I whispered as our lips sealed together.
Epilogue
"I can't believe you're leaving me."
"Dad, you've known for the last two months that I'd be moving out today," I said, hauling a heavy box down the hall which was proving difficult since Wilma was rubbing against my ankles. "Besides, this isn't the first time I've left home," I said, swiping a bead of sweat off my forehead.
"Yeah, but not hundreds of miles away," he griped, watching me place the box near my suitcase.
"Dad, you know it's not permanent. We'll only be in Woodfalls for the summer," I said for what felt like the hundredth time.
"If I knew he would repay me for playing matchmaker by taking my baby away, I would have rethought my plans," he mumbled as the doorbell rang. "There's the traitor now," he complained as I hurried to the front door.
"Hi," I said, throwing open the front door.
"Hi yourself, beautiful," Nathan said, pulling me into his arms for a quick kiss.
"How's the old man?" he asked, pulling back.
"Grumpy as hell. Do you have his ticket?" I asked.
"Right here," he said, holding up the plane ticket we'd decided to purchase for my father so he could fly to Woodfalls to come see us in July.
"Dad, we have a surprise for you," I said, coming back into the formal living room with the plane ticket in hand.
"Let me guess, you've decided to make the move permanent," he said sarcastically, glaring at Nathan.
"Daddy," I sighed. "Don't be a grouch. We bought you a ticket to come see us in Woodfalls in July. So now you can wipe the scowl from your face."
"You did?" he asked, breaking into a wide grin. "I thought maybe you two wanted to get away from me."
"Oh, Dad," I said, throwing my arms around him. "That's not why we're going to Woodfalls," I said as Nathan chuckled lightly behind me. I pulled away from my dad so I could glare at Nathan, but failed miserably when he winked at me. My insides still liquefied from his wink. Judging by the wicked grin on his face, he was well aware of that fact.
"Let's go," he said abruptly, grabbing my box off the floor and heading out to his Range Rover. I followed behind with Wilma in my arms while my dad dragged along my two suitcases. I placed Wilma next to her new best friend, Fred, on the blanket Nathan had spread across the backseat. "You two be good," I said, petting each of them.
Nathan had already stowed my luggage in the back of the vehicle by the time I closed the car door.
"Sir, I look forward to fishing with you next month," Nathan said, shaking my father's hand.
"Take care of my baby," my father replied, pulling Nathan in for a rough man-hug.
"You can count on it," Nathan said, rounding the vehicle so I could say goodbye in private.
"I love you, Dad," I said, throwing myself in his arms. "Thank you for helping me with everything this year," I added earnestly.
"I'm always here for you. If all goes as planned, for the rest of my life, not yours," he said, squeezing tightly before releasing me.
"I know," I said, smiling at him through my sudden tears. "I'll see you next month," I added, opening my door.