Helen Winters
A decade later...
Sitting in my limo, I use the mirror of my makeup compact to do the finishing touches on my lipstick as I wait for Liam to get out of work. He should be here by now. What’s taking him? I am reaching for my phone and about to call him when the limo door opens and Liam climbs in, wearing a white coat over scrubs.
“Oh my god,” I say in exasperation. “Husband! Did you forget that tonight was the movie premiere?”
“Helen, my love, relax,” he says, moving over to give me a kiss. He holds up a duffel bag. “I’ve got a change of clothes right here. I was delayed by performing surgery on a really smart and adorable little girl. She’s been having difficulty in school because no one could figure out that she can’t read due to vision problems. She was memorizing all the books she read for years, to try and convince everyone that nothing was wrong with her.”
“Poor thing,” I say softly. “That reminds me of when Summer first started reading.”
Liam chuckles. “When she memorized everything to try to keep up with her brother, and convince him that she could read better than him?”
“Yes. But less talking and more dressing!” I snap at him. “Did you forget about David’s exhibit? We’re already late!”
“Not too late to drink some of the free champagne,” Liam says with a grin as he slides off his pants.
I am distracted for a moment by the sight of his muscled legs, and black silk boxers. It’s funny: all these years of marriage and I still feel the same way about him as I did the first time I laid eyes on him. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Liam was the first man, and first person, that I was ever able to see, but I think it’s just because he’s so remarkable, inside and out. And he’s mine.
“Why are you staring at me, Mrs. Larson?” Liam asks me flirtatiously as he pulls on his suit. “Would you like to come over here and make our limo ride a little more enjoyable?” He pats the seat beside him, and I am definitely tempted.
“I would, but the gallery’s not far from here,” I say in disappointment. “We should be there in under ten minutes.”
Liam chuckles softly as he adjusts his tie. “I can work with ten minutes.”
“Or you can be patient and wait for tonight,” I tell him with a smile. “Carmen’s watching the kids and I’ve rented us a hotel room. I figured we should celebrate my third book being made into a movie, and you being invited to speak at Columbia—again.”
Fastening cufflinks on either side of his wrists, Liam looks up at me with a grin. “But it’s never too early to start celebrating, my love.” He moves over to where I’m sitting in the limo, and slides his hand over my smooth thigh, inching under my pale chiffon dress. “I’ve missed you all day.” He presses his lips against my neck gently, before moving to my lips.
“Lipstick!” I warn him, and he groans in disappointment. The limo door opens at that moment, and I see that we have arrived at the gallery. The driver offers me a hand to help me out, and I grab my purse and accept it graciously.
“Have a lovely evening, Mr. and Mrs. Larson.”
“Thank you, Jonathan.” Reaching into my purse, I grab my phone and turn to Liam. “I’m just going to check on the kids, real fast.”
“You don’t have to,” Liam tells me gently, grasping my elbow. “Carmen’s got it handled. She’s a supermom now, remember?”
I smile. “Just a quick phone call,” I say, dialing home.
Carmen answers after two rings. “What’s up, sis?” she asks cheerfully.
“Just checking in! How are the kids?”
“Well, I have good news and bad news,” Carmen says with a sigh. ““The babies are already sleeping peacefully. But Owen took Summer and Logan out to play laser tag with their cousins. I’m sorry, Hellie, I know you’re all about the ‘educational games only.’”
My lips quirk upward in a smile. “Really? I’ve become such a grumpy old woman, haven’t I?”
“No,” Carmen says with a laugh. “You were always a grumpy old woman, sis.”
Liam is tugging my arm and dragging me into the gallery, and I make a face at him. “Gotta go, Carm. Gonna check out some of David’s sexy nude paintings.”
“Ohhh. Bring me back something pretty!” Carmen says happily. “Actually—don’t. It’ll be covered in crayon within 24 hours.”
I smile as I hang up the phone and follow Liam into the gallery. Once I am inside, I tuck my phone away immediately to gaze around at the paintings in awe. Wow. David really made a name for himself over the years. He really took it to the next level.
“This is incredible,” Liam says in reverence. “To think that we met this guy in the middle of nowhere!”
“Well, he’s definitely somewhere now,” I agree. A familiar sound causes me to swivel around. It’s a bark. It doesn’t sound exactly like it used to, but I would recognize that bark anywhere. “Snowball!” I squeal, lowering myself as my old puppy runs toward me and begins licking at my face and hands. “Oh my god, Liam! Snowball got so old and fat.”
Liam laughs softly as he bends down to ruffle Snowball’s fur. “Hey, girl!” he says in greeting. “How’s that crazy painter treating you?”
“I’m treating her like the little princess she is,” David says as he walks toward us with a smile. “How’s my favorite couple? And Helen, how is Liam treating you?”
“I can’t complain,” I say as I reach forward to greet David with a hug. “Would you look at you! All grown up and hosting exhibits in Manhattan.”
“It’s a long way from the woods of Pennsylvania, that’s for sure. Metaphorically speaking—it’s not really actually that far. You know what I mean.” David gets flustered as he speaks.
“We should go back there sometime,” Liam says, putting an arm around me. “I never feel as relaxed and peaceful as I did back then, just hanging out in the forest with you two.”
“We’ll have to take the kids,” I tell Liam. “Maybe over summer vacation sometime.”
“Let me know when you’re going, and I’ll be sure to visit,” David says. “I was going through a real rough patch back then, and you really saved my life, Helen. And Snowball, of course.”
Snowball barks in agreement.
“I’ve got to go schmooze with bigwigs now,” David says, “but it means so much to me that you two could make it. You’re one of the few couples here who actually care about the art itself, and not just the prestige that comes with hanging it on your walls.” He rolls his eyes before moving away, and Snowball follows on his heels.
“Look at her,” Liam says in wonder. “All grown up. She was just a squeaky little puppy when we got her.”
“And now we have puppies of our own that are growing up,” I say shyly. “It’s hard to believe that so much has happened. I feel exactly the same.”
Liam reaches out to the side and expertly seizes two glasses of champagne from a waiter’s tray. He hands me one with a smile. “Here’s to us, Helen. Being awesome together.”
I nod and touch my glass to his. “We’ve had a pretty spectacular decade.”
“Let’s make the next one even better,” Liam says, “and then the one after that.”
“That’s a lot of decades,” I inform him teasingly. “I hope you’re going to be able to keep up with me the whole time, old man.”
“I’ll demonstrate how much I can ‘keep up’ with you later, my love.”
THE END