Chapter 15

“Holy shit,” Annie mumbled, her mouth breaking into an irrepressible smile.

Cal curled up next to her and cupped a hand over one of Annie’s breasts. “You are delicious… delectable… exquisite…”

Annie looked at Cal, “I’m so in love with you… do you know that?”

“Yes,” Cal smiled shyly, “and it’s mutual. I love you, Annabelle Frye… It feels really good to say it to you.”

Annie kissed her and traced Cal’s eyebrows with her finger, “Good. We need to talk to the kids… as soon as possible — I don’t want them freaking out that you’ve disappeared on them. And at some point, we are going to have to eat again. The leftovers we had earlier is not going to hold me if this is the pace we are going to maintain.”

Cal nodded, “I want to tell them too, but I’m also kind of completely distracted and addicted to being naked with you.”

Annie gave Cal a peck on the lips, “I feel the same way. But we need to talk to the kids. So maybe you can stay until dinnertime, which means I get to have you again at least… mmm… three times before…”

Cal’s hands were already moving. Annie smiled, “Patience, Warner, let’s make a plan first. How about this, you go have dinner with the kiddos, tell them we are all going to have breakfast together tomorrow? If they react well, I come over; if they freak, I give you guys the space you need.”

Cal rested her head on Annie’s shoulder, “They asked me the day after Christmas if you were going to come hang out. When I told them you were in Arizona, they flipped out. They thought you’d moved.”

“Oh no! Poor babies. I was thinking of moving, actually,” Annie confessed, “But I am sooo glad I didn’t run away.”

Cal started tracing a random path over Annie’s torso, “Me too. I told them you were coming back, and I asked them how they would feel if you spent more time with us.”

Annie grabbed Cal’s wrist, “You what?”

Cal looked at Annie, “It seemed like a perfectly natural question to ask. I mean, I didn’t know if you’d want to spend time with us, you know, after what happened, but I also wanted to get a feel for how they’d feel if you did. Long story short, Jamie came right out and said that she wished you lived with us, quote, ‘like a family.'”

“WHAT?” Annie sat up, “She said that? She used the word ‘family’?”

Cal nodded and grinned, her eyes glued to Annie’s breasts, which bounced seductively.

Annie loved Cal’s eyes on her, “I thought you wanted to take things slow, Callan?”

“And we should,” Cal whispered, kissing softly along Annie’s collarbone, “But I told you all that to let you know that the kids will probably be really happy. I don’t know if they quite get the magnitude of us being together–“

Annie pushed Cal onto her back, who giggled with glee as her new lover rained kisses and caresses all over her face. “We aren’t done talking about the kids,” Annie glanced up at Cal as she made her way down Cal’s body, “But I just need to… do… this…”

Cal sucked in a breath, her insides coiling up with arousal as Annie’s fingers and tongue laid claim to her. Somewhere in the middle of Annie’s dexterous manipulations of Cal’s erogenous nerve endings (which really seemed to comprise her entire body’s nervous system), a fleeting — but crystal clear — thought occurred to Cal: I want to marry her. It was cataclysmic. Annie may not have known the reason, but she felt, under her tongue and all around her fingers, Cal’s body came to terms with the million points of gratification that made itself known.

Hours later, as Cal headed home, the enormous shift in the course of her life only served to make her smiled more.

{Cal} I can’t stop smiling. I’m so happy. I feel like it’s just spilling out of me. And it’s because of you.

Annie smiled as she read the text. She swept her leg across the bed, where Cal had been just minutes ago.

{Cal} Then come have dinner with us.

Annie sat up. This was not what they talked about.

{Annie} I would love to. But kinda not the plan, counselor.

{Cal} Must you be so level-headed? I just want to be naked with you some more.

{Annie} Play the long game, Warner. Stick the landing when you have dinner with the kids, and you can have me 24/7.

{Cal} Are you still naked?

{Annie} P.S. Yes, still naked. P.P.S. I love you.

–Epilogue: The Concert (Five Months Later — May) —

Annie woke up two minutes before the alarm was set to go off. It was the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, and she was looking forward to getting on the road with Cal and the kids. May and David were expecting them to arrive in Baltimore later that evening.

Cal and Annie have been virtually inseparable the past five months, a new reality that everyone happily embraced. When Cal broke the news to the kids that Annie was going to move in, neither child hesitated in exclaiming unequivocal approval.

Surprisingly, the official addition of Annie to the Upper West Side apartment opened up Becca to the children in a way that none of them expected. Annie genuinely wanted to know more about Becca: to understand how she and Cal had approached parenting, to get to know how to be thoughtful about keeping Becca’s memory alive for the children. With Annie’s support, Cal found herself better able to tell stories about Becca, and the kids were better able to imagine their Mama’s life before she got sick.

It wasn’t perfect; expectations, habits, schedules, and one-on-one time all needed adjustments and compromises. Cal and Annie’s romance blossomed despite it all, the two of them always managing to find small pockets of time to spend with each other.

One of Annie’s favorite times of day was waking up next to Cal. The breathtaking reality of being with Cal, body and soul, constantly caught her off guard… in a good way. Annie had been in love before, but not like this. She simply wanted Cal in every part of her life. And the wonderful thing was that Cal felt the same.

Annie stretched, feeling the sheets shift along her skin as she moved. She looked over and allowed her eyes to wander all over Cal’s face as she slept. She lifted the blanket and took a long, delicious look at her lover’s body. Annie smiled as images of their nocturnal activities popped up happily in her head.

When the alarm went off at six, Annie watched Cal frown and bury her face in the pillow. Annie leaned over and landed a kiss on Cal’s head. She grabbed a pile of clothing off the floor and handed them to the blonde, “Here, the kids will come parading in here in a minute.”

“We wouldn’t have to do this if you’d just let me put a lock on that door.” Cal grumbled.

“Honey!” Annie propped herself up on one arm, “Adrian and Jamie have lived all their lives without the door to this room having a lock on it. Us being naked in here should not be a reason that they get shut out of your room.”

“First, it’s our room. Second, they were stuck in cribs until they were four… and then I was in here on my own for a while, so it’s totally different.”

“But they don’t know that. It would just seem like we’re shutting them out.”

Cal pulled on her pajamas, “But I like being naked with you.”

Annie ducked under the covers to grab her t-shirt, “So book us a hotel room for a weekend and have your mom or May come babysit. We can be naked for forty-eight straight hours.”

Annie picked up her t-shirt and yanked it over her head, “What? What’s wrong with being naked for forty-eight straight hours?”

“Nothing!” Cal smiled, “It’s a good thing.”

Annie squinted her eyes at Cal, “You have your lawyer face on. What are you hiding?”

“I’m just a little drunk thinking about the possibility of being naked with you for an entire weekend.”

Annie looked at Cal carefully. Before they could say anything else, the bedroom door swung open and Jamie walked in, “I’m done sleeping.”

“Good thing it’s the morning, then! C’mere,” Cal gestured Jamie towards the bed. The girl scrambled up and settled in between the two grown-ups.

“Where’s Adrian? Still sleeping?”

Right on cue, they heard the sound of a toilet flushing and then Adrian’s footsteps approach.

“Did you wash your hands, bud?” Annie shouted.

“Oh.” The sound of the tap turning on and off quickly followed. Adrian came padding into the room and clambered onto the bed.

“I don’t want to go to school today,” he declared.

“You have to! Remember?” Jamie shouted.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Cal patted both kids, “we can talk about it over breakfast, can you guys get dressed first?”

“Can we have Annie’s special pancakes?” Adrian leapt off the bed.

Cal looked at Annie, “I think Annie has to get going, guys.”

“Sorry, Ade,” Annie looked contrite, “My first appointment is at 7:30 this morning. I don’t know what Pri was thinking, she has my day booked solid until we leave for Baltimore.”

“I can make you guys pancakes,” Cal said, but when the twins didn’t react, “don’t look so excited, guys.”

“It’s just…” Adrian started to say something, but Jamie gave him a massive punch and a glare.

“Jamie,” Annie said gently, “No hitting. Use your words.”

Jamie looked at Cal beseechingly, “Mom! It’s not the plan!!!”

Annie frowned, “What plan?”

Cal looked at Annie, “Don’t worry, I got this. Go shower and get out of here. We’ll see you this afternoon.”

“I packed my stuff,” Annie pointed at a black duffle at the foot of the bed, “Just throw yours in there. The kids are basically packed.”

“Ok, got it.” Cal headed into the kitchen, “Come on, kids, let’s get breakfast.”

Annie kissed Cal and the kids goodbye twenty minutes later. Jamie ran to the door and held her ear against it, “She’s gone. The elevator doors just shut… I think.”

Cal walked over and knocked on the guest room door, “May, she’s gone.”

The guest room door swung open to reveal a grinning May Chen, “Good job Cal, she’s going to be completely surprised.”

Cal grinned, “I had the movie on high volume last night — she totally didn’t hear you come in.”

“Jamie almost gave it away when she said there was a plan,” Adrian reported in a sing-song voice.

“Only because you were about to ask Annie to stay and make pancakes!” Jamie shot back.

“Okay guys, cool it, alright? No-one did anything wrong, and Annie is on her way to the office for a fake appointment that I made Pri put in… “

“Why? I could have stayed in the room until later!”

“I couldn’t risk her walking into the guest room by mistake,” Cal explained as she set out food for the kids, “and these guys are too super excited about the surprise to keep their poker faces intact.”

“She’s not going to like finding out about the phantom appointment…” May started making some coffee.

“Appointmentssss. I had Pri book up her day,” Cal grimaced, “Maybe it was too much.”

May raised her eyebrows as she watched the coffee brew, “You think?”

Just at that moment, Annie was on the subway, checking her schedule on her phone, “Why did you crap all over my day today, Pri?” She muttered. It looked like back-to-back appointments with new patients.

Pri seems to have anticipated this, because she had a suitably apologetic face ready for Annie. “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she sang plaintively when Annie walked into the office.

“You gave me three new clients back to back! I only recognize two names in the line up today. Can’t Jason take some of the newbies?”

“I messed up,” Priyanka confessed, “in, like, three different ways.”

“One of the newbies didn’t have the right referral, so I shouldn’t have confirmed. The other one was actually for Jason, but he’s out today, so I thought I moved him onto Sean’s calendar but apparently I moved him onto your calendar instead. The third was a tentative who actually emailed me last night and cancelled.”

Annie’s mouth dropped open, “So I don’t have a 7:30, or an 8:30, or a 9:30?”

Pri shook her head, “I’m soooorrrryyyy!!!!”

“I should head home and finish packing for this afternoon!”

“Uh, no, please don’t… I was wondering… since you’re here anyway, could you take a look at my back?”

“You messed up my morning and now you want me to fix your back?” Annie crossed her arms over her chest.

“You know you love me. Think of all the slimey guys I moved off your roster and onto Jason’s and Sean’s… no questions asked. And! And! I was the one who put Cal on your client list!” Pri’s big brown eyes begged for forgiveness.

Annie headed into her treatment room, “Fine, get your ass in here. You owe me at least a month’s worth of late mornings. I don’t want to see another 7:30 appointment until… until June.. actually, make it July.”

To Priyanka’s relief, Annie made use of the rest of her free morning by completing some outstanding Continuing Ed credits. Pri sent a text to Cal confirming that Annie would be office-bound until lunch.

{Cal} Great. We’ll be ready for her in USQ around noon.

{Pri} Roger. Her appointment ends at 11:30, so we’ll meander over after that.

The morning dragged for Priyanka; she watched the clock crawl towards noon. The moment Annie’s client left at 11:40, she bounded into Annie’s room.

Annie stuffed the used sheets into a laundry hamper, “It’s a little early, but I guess I could eat. I’ll head out for a quick bite before my 12:30… What?”

Priyanka had winced when Annie mentioned her 12:30 appointment.

“WHAT?” Annie repeated.

“There’s no 12:30,” Priyanka whispered.

Annie sighed, “What’s going on with you?”

Priyanka shrugged, “Don’t know.”

Annie stared at the office manager, “Seriously, are you okay? This is off-the-charts bizarre. You messed up all but one of my appointments today.”

Sean, the other therapist in the office, knocked, “Hey — my 10:30 just left. Pri, do you still want me to… you know?”

Pri nodded, “Yes! Annie and I were just headed out for lunch. Thanks, Sean.”

Annie laughed, “What? You? Leaving the office in the middle of the afternoon? What’s wrong with you today? In all the time I’ve worked here, you’ve never once messed up my calendar and you’ve never once joined me for lunch outside.”

Priyanka shrugged, “It’s a Friday afternoon before Memorial Day weekend. The big boss said we should feel free to leave a little earlier. Why not take a lunch break too?”