Six months later
He whispers urgently, “Did you lock the door?”
I groan with a longing that never seems to go away. “Yes.”
My body strains to get closer to the one I appear addicted to. In fact, I just can’t seem to get enough of the man I love with all my heart. My soul mate, the man I married, and thought I had lost forever.
He pulls me roughly on top of him and his clear blue eyes penetrate mine as he growls, “I love you so much.”
I gasp as he gently nips my neck with his teeth, desperate for the contact I crave.
Suddenly, we hear a loud knock on the door, “Mum, the door’s stuck.”
Immediately, I jump to attention and, smiling ruefully at the man beneath me, whisper, “Typical.”
He laughs softly as we struggle into our clothes and I shout, “I’m coming.”
Giggling at the irony of my words, I smile as Tom pulls me back and whispers, “We’ll finish this later.”
The longing shoots through me again as I mould my body to his and kiss him briefly on the chest. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“Mum, hurry up.”
“Hang on, nearly there.”
Racing over to the door, I turn the lock and open it, revealing the most important person in my life — our son.
His little arms cling to my legs as he says fearfully, “I heard a noise.”
Gathering him in my arms, I carry him across the room and pull him into bed with us. He settles between us and snuggles in, and I stroke his hair lovingly. Tom says gently, “It’s ok, there’s nothing that can hurt you in this house.”
Jack sniffs. “I heard a noise. It was like a ghost moaning.”
Stifling the giggle threatening to escape, I catch Tom’s eye and he smirks. Unfortunately, I’m quite loud at times and apparently our little boy wasn’t as fast asleep as I thought.
Tom reaches for the remote and flicks on the set, turning it to one of Jack’s programmes that we recorded. It’s not long before his gentle laughter fills the room with a lot more innocence than was here a few minutes ago and we snuggle down — as a family.
As we watch, it strikes me how one devastating moment in time changed everything. Tom and I were heading for a fall and then he was mugged.
The following weeks were hard while he struggled to come to terms with it. He was distant and a shadow of his former self and I urged him to get some counselling.
That night changed him and it’s taken several months and lots of patience to bring us to where we are now — in a much happier place than we were before. It’s almost as if it breathed new life into him. The man who was drifting away from me came hurtling back and our marriage was shocked into life. Gradually, he started paying me compliments and taking notice of me again. He came home early and helped around the house. He seemed happier within himself and was keen to involve himself in family life — something he had resisted for many months prior.
They never caught the man who mugged my husband and if they did, I would probably thank him. That night he gave me my husband back and I have never been happier.
It doesn’t take long before Jack’s gentle snores are music to our ears and Tom gently lifts him out of our bed and carries him the short distance to his room across the hall.
As I wait for him to return, I thank God for making everything right in the end. Then as he makes his way back, I can think of nothing else but picking up right where we left off.
* * *
Saturday dawns and I stretch out in contentment next to my husband. I love the weekends because we get to spend quality time together as a family. Today we have been invited to Jack’s friend’s birthday party, and it promises to be a good day. Harry and Tina live a few doors away and their son Jamie goes to school with Jack. They are firm friends, which is a good thing because Tina is also my best friend.
Tom is sleeping soundly beside me and I turn to stare at him, marvelling at how different our relationship is now. He was always handsome, but now the bruises have faded and the cuts healed, he has grown even more so. Maybe it’s because of the sexy beard he grew in the days after the attack. It adds a certain ruggedness to him that drives me crazy. He is also softer and less anxious. He has learned how to relax and just enjoy the simple things, rather than racing around working every hour possible, always striving to earn more money to keep up with the neighbours.
Tom was always impressed by money and used to get angry about how other people managed to afford things we always wanted but could never stretch to. Since the attack, his priorities have changed, or so he told me. He no longer cares about other people’s money, or lack of it, and just wants to enjoy every minute he has with us - his family. He told me that in those split seconds after the attack, he could have lost everything, and that was what worried him the most.
He opens his eyes and smiles sexily. “Morning, gorgeous.”
Reaching out, he pulls me towards him and kisses me softly, and I giggle as his beard scratches my chin. He says softly, “You know, I love Saturdays because I get to wake up with you beside me. There is no work to worry about, just lots of quality family time to enjoy.”
As I pull his lips to mine, I feel the familiar excitement stirring inside. Then, true to form, the door flies open and Jack jumps on the bed, yelling, “What time’s the party?”
Tom groans and then tickles his son mercilessly for daring to interrupt another intimate moment.
Rolling my eyes to the shrieks and laughs that surround me as the two men in my life play fight, I slip on my dressing gown and head downstairs to prepare a pot of tea.
* * *
We head off to the party at 1.30. We promised to go a little earlier to help out and only have to pass two other houses before we’re there.
Tina opens the door and rolls her eyes. “Thank god for the reinforcements. It’s bedlam here.”
She laughs as Jack charges past her in search of his friend and turns to Tom. “Harry’s in the garden setting up the barbeque. You could always grab a couple of beers if you like and see if he needs a hand.”
Tom grins and heads off, obviously more than happy with his instructions, and Tina sighs. “You know, Karen, children’s parties are hard work. It’s not just the endless planning and preparations they bring, it’s also managing the expectations of a certain man, not a million miles from here.”
Laughing, I follow her into the kitchen. Harry is one of those men who has to do everything bigger and better than anyone else. He would have insisted on the biggest bouncy castle and the most toys to keep the children amused.
Tina shakes her head. “This time he’s excelled himself. We have a Punch and Judy man setting up in the corner of the garden. The party bags contain an actual Nerf gun, so you may want to hide out inside with me when they get distributed. He’s also arranged for a magician to entertain the kids for half an hour, freeing up time for more drinking. Oh, and did I mention that he’s invited half of the boys from the pub and subsequently set up a darts board in the garage where he will be running a darts competition, no doubt accompanied by a spot of gambling and rather a lot of drinking. Meanwhile, I have to entertain all the wives and girlfriends that accompany his open invitation and field the needs of twenty small boys who are even more demanding than the older ones. Would you like a G&T because I’m already on my third?”
Laughing, I begin unwrapping the food she bought and start laying it out on the serving dishes that appear to have multiplied on every surface in the kitchen.
She hands me a drink and I say with interest, “So, how many are coming?”
“Thirty-five.”
She shakes her head at my horrified expression and takes a large swig of alcohol. “Never again. Next year I’m booking a holiday to coincide with his birthday. In fact, I’m thinking of booking a last-minute one next week.”
“What’s stopping you?”
“The small matter that they are back to school which involves a whole new set of problems.”
Nodding, I raise my glass to hers in sympathy and sigh. “Yes, hello to all those after-school activities that require mum’s taxi service. Hello to the tears and tantrums as they fall out with every kid in the class. Hello to the disapproving looks of the teacher as yet again their homework is late and hello to insanity as we struggle to get them up, washed, dressed and fed and out of the door by 8.30 every morning.”
As we clink glasses, we say in unison. “Cheers.”
Looking back on that weekend, I should have taken a photograph to treasure. I never knew it, but if I could take a snapshot of the time I was happiest, it was then. Nothing prepared me for the turn my life took. If I could have seen what was coming, I would have booked my own holiday and never returned. But life doesn’t give you a warning when it lands a low blow and I was about to be knocked senseless by what happened next.