He made her feel so good that she wanted more of every sensation, every kiss they shared, and every touch that bonded them in ways a piece of paper never could. Soon she was astride him seeking more of everything this secret revealed. And with each round of love they made, they felt even more sure of their decision to wed..
By evening, they were dressed in their wedding clothes again. After stopping to kiss and grope twice in the apartment, once in the hall, in the elevator, and twice in the small lobby, they almost threw their plans out the window completely, wanting to go back upstairs. If not for Taylor’s insistence, they would have. “I’ve definitely created a sex monster.”
“Are you complaining?” she teased, poking him in the side.
“Nope. Not one bit.”
“What about regrets? Got any?”
“Nope,” he said again. “Not one.”
She slipped under his arm and said, “Good, because we’ve consummated our marriage, so there’s no backing out now.”
“When I make a promise. I keep it.”
“I never had a doubt.”
With his arm over her shoulders, he walked proudly through the lobby, introducing Jude as his wife to the doorman. Many congrats were had as he hailed them a cab.
In the cab, she practically sat on his lap. She just couldn’t bear any distance. “This is what cloud nine feels like,” she said cheerfully.
“I’ve always wondered what clouds one through eight were like. They get the shaft.”
“I reckon a lot like the nine circles of Hell. But now we’re rewarded for surviving our pasts.”
Taylor kissed her on the head, and nodded. “Rewarded for surviving.”
Over dinner, as they sat at a table for two in the corner of a chic restaurant, they admired the beauty of Central Park. When turning back to Hazel, she noted that the park held nothing in comparison to his eyes. It’s what first drew her to him. That and how handsome he was.
“Sometimes the way you look at me,” he started, “you look at me like I’m special.”
“You are. You’re special. You’re kind. You’re loving.” She lowered her voice so the neighboring patrons couldn’t hear her. “You’re sexy and so giving in bed. I may not have been with others, but I know that you wanting to please me is special.”
“Pleasing you, dear Jude, is a completely selfish act.”
She blushed and sighed dreamily to herself. Lucky. She was very lucky. The waiter came to the table and said, “Congratulations on your wedding. Compliments of the chef.” He set down a mini chocolate cake and refilled their champagne glasses.
Taylor said, “Thank you.”
Then the waiter set a box down in front of Jude, and smiled. “This is compliments of your husband.”
Now she really blushed. Looking at her husband in awe with love and all of cloud nine in her eyes, she felt amazed this was real. He smiled. The waiter left and she took the box and opened it, not shy at all anymore. “You’re very sneaky, Mr. Barrett.”
“In our rush down the aisle, we skipped a step. I thought we could make up for it.”
A quiet gasp stole her words, but gave him the best reaction possible. Inside the box she stared at two gleaming bands. One for him and one for her. “When did you have time to do this?” A smile crossed her lips and before his secret was revealed, she took his ring out, and said, “This has some weight to it.”
“It’s solid like us.”
She reached for his hand. “Hazel Barrett, will you marry me and let me take care of you for the rest of our lives?”
“I will.”
She put the ring on him.
Taking the box from her, he slipped the other ring out and took her hand in his. “Jude Barrett, will you marry me and let me love you for the rest of our lives?”
“I will. Again and again.”
He slid the ring on her finger right against the other ring that sealed a promise months earlier. When she looked at the ring, with the large diamond surrounded by smaller ones, she tilted her head in disbelief. “You spent too much.”
“You’ve promised me your life. No price can be put on that. So accept this token as a show of my dedication to you and as a thank you for saying yes.”
“Okay, Romeo. You already got the yes. You don’t have to try so hard.”
He laughed but didn’t say anything. The tears in her eyes were evidence of her happiness. And for the smile on her face, he would have paid a lot more. Tapping his glass against hers, he said, “To a lifetime filled with happiness.”
“To a lifetime filled with happiness.”
After dinner, they stayed to finish off the champagne. They had become quiet, the weight of the day tiring them. Hazel finally suggested, “Home?”
“I’d love to.”
The rush they’d felt earlier, to feel everything all at once, had gone, and peace settled in. In front of the living room windows, with the city they fell in love in as their backdrop, they had their first dance as a married couple. Bryan Ferry’s “These Foolish Things” was playing and she spun around until he caught her. Swaying back and forth, she rested her head on his shoulder, and he held her tight.
She didn’t leave his arms for two weeks. He called into work and organized some time off, using some of his saved vacation time. The lavender sundress and the floral dress were pulled from his closest. She’d loved them at the store. She loved them even more now because he had bought them for her. He watched her dance around their living room, jump on their bed, and admire herself in them. Her happiness meant everything to him and when he saw her laughing, he knew he was the luckiest man alive.
Their days were filled with walks in the park, shopping the farmer’s market, or exploring Chelsea Market. They hung out at cafes and bookstores. Jude started drinking coffee for him and Taylor embraced her faltering storms. A visit to her family was looming, clouding her eyes. Those times, he would work to bring her back to the present, back to him, where she belonged. He loved her and everything about her.
No one else he’d ever met was more aware of who they were than she was of herself. Marriage turned this stunning girl into a striking woman. He encouraged her stardust dreams and let her soar through the moonlight.
He admired her optimism and enjoyed the freedom to be his true self when he was with her. With Jude, everything felt new. He felt new. He felt invigorated and excited for life, for their life together, and he could tell she felt the same. Perhaps he gave her this same feeling of freedom, of a new start without her damaged past weighing her down, inhibiting her.
Taylor also held steadfast in their future, protecting her from the bad of the world so she could capture the world in her pocket. So her carefree view of her surroundings was never tainted. Her past held enough of that for a lifetime or three.
Taylor didn’t realize she was only like that with him, that being with him gave her the strength to be who she really was, the woman she was meant to be.
The last day before he would return to work, Taylor was organizing his drafting table and Jude was napping. He straightened the blueprints of their future house and put the last of his pencils in a holder. The apartment was quiet until a demanding knock on the door intruded into their peaceful world. Rushing to answer it before the annoyance woke Jude, he was irritated before he even opened it.
Rufus and Isla stood there. Rufus, with a smarmy smirk on his face, and Isla, looking less convinced this unannounced visit was a good idea, shifted uncomfortably. Rufus lead the charge. “What? No hello?”
“What do you want?”
He wrapped his arm around Isla, looking relaxed. “We’re looking for Judith. Her family is worried. Right, Isla?”
“Yes,” she said, nervously. “She’s been gone for over two weeks now and we’re all worried that something bad has happened. Have you seen her?”