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Cathy avoided Tess for days, still upset over how she and Dave had spent most of his birthday party together.
Ken might think Dave was in love with Cathy, but she couldn’t believe it. He’d spent way too much time at the party on the wrong side of the room for it to be true.
One afternoon, Tess appeared at her patio door.
“Where’s Cory?”
“Still napping.”
They rehashed the party while Cathy made a pot of coffee. Tess asked, too casually, “So how did you and Ken get along?”
Cathy poured their coffee and shrugged. “He’s okay.”
“Are you going out again?”
Cathy cast her a curious glance. “We haven’t ‘gone out’ at all. He just offered me a ride to your party so I wouldn’t have to walk home on the lake path in the dark.”
“And when he took you home, he kissed you goodnight?” Tess asked, a bit of steel in her normally friendly voice.
Cathy laughed. “Only because he thought it was expected, not because he’s interested in me.”
Tess looked relieved. “So there was no electricity between you?”
Cathy smiled, understanding at last where Tess was coming from. “I have no interest in pursuing Ken. He’s all yours, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Tess grinned back. “That’s what I wanted to know.”
Cathy felt a wave of relief. As she’d suspected, Tess was interested in Ken. Which meant she wasn’t in love with Dave.
“Besides,” Tess was saying, “you have Dave all tied in knots. No need for you to grab all the men.”
Cathy’s smile faded, and she chewed her lip. “Where do you get that idea? I don’t ‘have’ any man.”
“You sure do have Dave’s attention,” Tess assured her. “What went wrong between you, anyway? Dave is obviously in love with you.”
Haltingly, Cathy told Tess about Dave’s deception, ending with, “So I can’t trust him anymore.”
“What do you mean, you can’t trust him? You let him take Cory for visits.”
“I told you, Cory is Dave’s own son. A father would never hurt his son.”
Tess stared at her as though she were dense. “Don’t you read the newspapers or listen to the news? How many times have I heard about fathers or boyfriends who kill the kids to punish the mother?”
Cathy’s jaw dropped. “You’re crazy. This is Dave we’re talking about here. He’d never do anything like that.”
Tess grinned and put her hand over Cathy’s. “Exactly.”
“Oh, God. You’re right! I’m positive Dave wouldn’t hurt Cory. That means I do trust him.”
Tess poured herself more coffee and refilled Cathy’s mug as well, watching her but staying silent.
“I’m such a dummy,” Cathy said finally.
“We all make mistakes. Dave loves you, Cathy. I know you love him, too. Give him another chance.”
It sounded so easy. She swallowed, staring into space.
Tell him she loved him after all the hateful things she’d said? After the awful way she’d railed at him, calling him a liar, even accusing him of wanting to take Cory away from her?
She even found it hard to look at him now, knowing she’d been so unfair to him.
There was no way she could do a turnaround and admit she loved him. He’d never believe her.
She shook her head.
With a sigh, Tess said, “I hope you change your mind, Cathy. I’d better get going. Thanks for the coffee.”
* * * *
The next Friday afternoon, Dave again went to the lake. Cathy’s car was there, but he saw no sign of her as he took his boat out and fished for a couple of hours.
Finally he went back in to shore. He put away his boat with one eye on her house, still trying to get up enough nerve to ring the bell.
He walked toward his car, then veered to her door.
Ringing the bell, he stood there, determined to see her. At first there was silence, then she opened the door.
She stood there, in her usual work jeans and a soft yellow tee shirt. God, she wasn’t wearing a bra.
His fingers itched to cup her soft breasts. He swallowed and finally said, “Hi, Cathy.”
“Hi. Cory’s napping.”
“That’s okay. Ah—I was wondering if I could have Cory for the day tomorrow?”
She nodded but didn’t invite him in. “What did you have in mind? I mean, should I dress him for indoors or outdoors?”
He hurried on before she could change her mind. “Outdoors. The weather’s supposed to be good. I thought he’d like to go back to that petting zoo. He seemed to like it last time.”
“Okay.”
She stood there, silent and watchful but nervous, too. You only need to get in three words, Tess had said. The right three words.
“Cathy?”
“Yes?”
He swallowed and blurted out, “I love you, Cathy. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth about Cory right away. Please forgive me?”
“Oh, Dave.”
He didn’t know who moved first, but somehow he was inside the house and she was in his arms. He held her tightly and rained kisses over her face, from her closed eyelids to her throat and finally her lips. She gave him back kiss for kiss.
“I love you, too, Dave. I’m sorry I said those things to you. I didn’t mean them. I do trust you. Cory and I need you.”
He pushed the door shut behind them and locked it, then continued to kiss and explore her.
She sighed in pleasure.
He echoed her sigh and agreed, “I need you, too, Cathy. Don’t ever throw me out again.”
“I won’t,” she assured him as she helped him unbutton his shirt so she could run her hands over his chest. “You’re all mine.”
“I want you naked,” he said with a groan. He pushed aside her tee shirt so he could feel her soft, bare skin against his own. He tightened his arms around her, pressing her breasts against his chest. “I want to be inside you!”
They moved toward the spare bedroom since Cory was asleep in her room, still attempting to remove clothing as they went.
Their hands and lips moving in ever more frantic explorations, they finally succeeded in removing the last of the barriers and lying skin to skin on her bed.
“You feel so good,” he told her, sliding a hand along her body, then dipping between her legs, enjoying the sight and softness of her again at last.
“You feel good, too,” she agreed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you. I’ve missed you so much.” She reached down to cup him and kissed him again, urging him on.
He slipped inside her and they began the age-old dance of lovers. In moments, fireworks exploded between them. He groaned. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait.”
She kissed him and grinned. “Guess you’ll have to do it all over again then, until you do it right.”
“Vixen. Let me catch my breath first.”
After they’d made love slowly and luxuriously and once more floated back to earth, he lay beside her, holding her in his arms.
“Marry me, Cathy,” he said.
She eyed him. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Why shouldn’t I be sure?”
“You said you didn’t want kids, that you weren’t marriage material,” she reminded him.
“I didn’t mean it. I want you to be only mine. Will you?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“And I want to adopt Cory, too.”
She grinned. “My baby is already your son.”
“Yes, but we need to make it legal. And maybe we’ll have more babies. If you want some?”
“Oh, I do.” Then she frowned. “Dave, we didn’t use any protection this time.”
He laughed, unconcerned. “So, maybe we got an early start on our next one. You’d better start planning the wedding.”
“Oh, Dave,” she said, punching him playfully.
The punches turned to kisses, and in a moment he’d pulled her on top of him and was back inside her.
They didn’t use protection that time either.
“Mama,” Cory’s voice called from his room.
“Uh, oh. Cory’s awake. Time to get dressed.”
Dave finished dressing first. He got Cory from his crib and carried him back to her.
“Dada’s home,” Cory announced to his mother as though she didn’t know already.
“Yes, Cory,” Cathy said. “Daddy’s home.”
“Home? Are we going to live here?” He raised an eyebrow in question.
“If it’s okay with you? We already own the house together.”
Dave smiled and nodded in agreement. “Sounds great to me. I always loved this house. Except Cory’s crib goes into his own bedroom. I want you all to myself.” He turned to Cory. “Yes, Daddy’s home for good this time, son.”
“Daddy’s taking you to the zoo tomorrow, Cory.”
He met her eyes over Cory’s dark curls. “We’re all going to the zoo together, right?”
“Right. We’re a family now.”
