Chapter 20
Twenty
David invited Andi, Jack, and Eric to dinner at the hotel, and they were stunned to find the room filled with her colleagues and friends, some of whom Jack met for the first time.
David even thought to invite several of Eric’s school friends.
Andi was disappointed that her mother wasn’t among the well-wishers.
She and Jack finally made it to bed at midnight after they tucked Eric into the suite’s other bedroom.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked, drawing her in close to him.
“Kind of sad. I’ll miss them very much.”
“I don’t know if I’ve said this to you enough, but I appreciate all you’re doing, all you’re giving up.”
“Do you know what I said to my mother when I told her we were moving?”
“What’s that?”
She turned to face him. “That I have more of a life with you in five minutes than I have here in a whole year. I’m not giving up anything compared to what I’m getting in return.”
He kissed her softly. “That’s good to hear.”
She snuggled into him, peppering his chest with kisses. “I’m so glad you’re here. I hate sleeping alone.”
“I can’t believe we can sleep together every night now.”
Trailing a finger over his belly, she wrapped her hand around his erection. “That’s not all we can do every night,” she said with a saucy smile.
He shifted so he was on top of her. “Mmm, every night, huh? Promise?”
“We have a lot of time to make up for.”
He slid into her and sucked in a sharp deep breath. “God, is there anything better than this?”
“Not that I can think of.” Her fingers caressing his back made him tremble. “Jack…”
He pushed hard into her. “What, baby?”
“Don’t stop.”
Laughing, he bent to kiss her. “No chance of that.”
David was waiting for them when they came down to leave the next day.
Andi cast one last critical eye over the lobby, pleased to see everything where it belonged, even as her heart ached a little.
The bellman had already loaded the last of her bags into the car that would take them to the airport.
“Are you ready?” David asked.
“You didn’t have to come in on a Saturday,” Andi said.
“I wanted to see you off. Shall we?” David signed the last two words to include Eric, who rewarded him with a big grin.
Eric had a backpack filled with things to do on the plane and wore his Chicago Cubs ball cap as they went out through the hotel’s revolving front door.
While David guided Eric into the car, Jack waited for Andi to take a last wistful look at the hotel.
“Ready?” he asked, putting an arm around her.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
The ride to the airport seemed quicker than usual, and before she knew it, Jack and David were helping the driver load their bags onto a cart.
When Jack had put the last of the bags on the pile, he turned to David with his hand extended. “Thank you, David, for everything. I hope you and your family will come see us.”
“Count on it.” David shook Jack’s hand and folded Eric into a long hug. “Take good care of these guys.”
“I will.” Jack took Eric’s hand. “We’ll wait for you inside, Andi.”
David held out his arms to Andi. “I guess this is it.”
She hugged him hard and then stepped back to look at him. “I can never thank you enough for everything. I’ll do a good job for you in Newport.”
“I have no doubt. But there’s something far more important you can do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Be happy, Andi.” He kissed her cheek and hugged her again. “I’ll miss you.”
“Me, too.” Tears rolled down her face as she watched him get back in the limo. When the car had driven out of sight, she went to find Jack and Eric.
They arrived at home in two cars overflowing with people and luggage.
Andi was delighted that Frannie, Maggie, and Kate had come to the airport with Jamie.
She had been amused by Maggie’s sign, which had Welcome Home ERIC in big bold letters and her name added almost as an afterthought.
Still, she was thrilled to know her son would be well loved in his new home.
She could tell that Jack had been disappointed that Jill hadn’t come to the airport.
After Jack and Jamie had lugged the bags into the house, they went into the kitchen, stopping short when they saw balloons and a large cake on the table, with “Welcome Andi and Eric” written on it.
“I thought you might be hungry,” Jill said with a shy smile.
“You did this, Jill?” Jack asked, clearly stunned.
She walked over to him. “I’m sorry, Dad,” she whispered as she hugged him. “I know I’ve been awful. I’m willing to try this for you.”
“Thank you.”
Overwhelmed with relief, Andi caught his eye and sent him a warm smile. “That cake looks fabulous to me, Jill,” Andi said. “How about I help you serve it?”
Once they had consumed the cake, they gave considerable discussion to what they should have for dinner and agreed on pizza.
“Can I do anything to help you get settled, Andi?” Frannie asked after dinner.
“I just have to make Eric’s bed and find his pajamas, but that’s all I’m doing today.”
“Maggie and I made his bed yesterday after it was delivered.”
“Thank you, Frannie.”
“I knew you’d be tired tonight. I was glad to be able to help.”
“I’m going to like having you around,” Andi said.
“We’ll be spending a lot of time together since you’ll be working at home for the next few months, and I’m still using my studio here while our house is being built.”
“I wonder if we’ll get anything done?” Andi asked as she topped off their wineglasses.
“You’d better hope so, since most of what I’m doing right now is for your commission,” Frannie said with a grin.
She and Jamie got ready to leave a short time later.
“Thanks for all the help today,” Jack said as he and Andi walked them to the door.
“It was our pleasure,” Jamie said. “We’re all glad to have you here to stay, Andi, especially him.” He poked Jack. “I don’t know that we could’ve stood him for much longer.”
“What? I wasn’t that bad!”
Frannie and Jamie shared a look.
“I was not!”
Andi laughed and put her arm around Jack. “I’ll take it from here, guys. Thanks for the help.”
Shutting the door behind them, Jack turned to hug Andi. “I feel like a kid on Christmas.”
“Speaking of kids, let’s go find mine and get him to bed. He’s got to be exhausted after staying out late last night and all the excitement today.”
Eric was delighted by his new room, which had been painted the same pale blue as his room in Chicago. He was also surprised to find his bed from home waiting for him. They all laughed when he asked if it’d been on the airplane with them.
“Whew,” Jack said on the way downstairs with Andi. “I hope they’re not going to be that wound up every night.”
“They might be for a while.”
“Maggie’s so thrilled to have him here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she’s happy, but it kind of surprises me, since she’s always loved being the baby of the family—and played the part to the hilt.”
“She’s never had anyone to take orders from her before,” Andi said.
“True. What else do you need for tonight?” he asked, gesturing to the pile of luggage in the foyer that they planned to deal with in the morning.
She pointed to a small bag. “Just that one.”
“Give me five minutes and come on up.” He kissed her and took her bag with him.
“What’re you up to?”
He held up a hand on his way upstairs. “Five minutes.”
She locked the back door and flipped the front light on for Jill and Kate, who were babysitting.
On her way upstairs, she stopped to check on Eric.
He’d fallen asleep right away and was on his back with both arms thrown over his head.
She covered him, picked up his stuffed dog off the floor, and put it back in bed with him.
When she looked in on Maggie, Andi found her also fast asleep and uncovered.
She tucked the girl back in and went up the spiral stairs to Jack.
On the way upstairs, Andi felt some of the tension she’d been carrying for weeks drain from her shoulders. Now that she and Eric were finally here and the move was behind them, she gave herself permission to start hoping that everything might just be okay.
The newfound hope in her heart grew and expanded when she entered their bedroom, which was alight with candles.
He’d also lit the fire, and Andi felt its warmth when she entered the room.
The furniture she’d sent from Chicago was arranged in a way she would’ve done herself, and the room had taken on an entirely different atmosphere than it had the only other time she’d been up there.
“Hello?”
Jack came out of the master bathroom wearing just jeans and a big smile. “Hi there.”
The sight of him in the candlelight sent a wave of desire charging through her. She ran her hands over his chest and leaned into him, still wanting to pinch herself to believe she now lived with the love of her life.
He hugged her. “How about a soak in the Jacuzzi?”
“I’d love that.”
He led her into the spacious bathroom, and she gasped at the two-dozen red roses he’d left on the counter for her.
“I was going to put a card with them, but I figured I’d just tell you what it would’ve said.”
She breathed in the fragrant roses. “And what’s that?”
“Something like, ‘Welcome home. I’m so glad you’re here.’” He stole a lingering kiss and bent to start the tub.
“They’re wonderful, thank you.”
“I have something else for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. “The three silver ones are for the house. The others are my office, the boat, and Haven Hill. Oh, and this one’s for my car.”
“The keys to your kingdom,” she said, touched by the gesture.
He handed her the ring. “Everything I have.”
She put the keys on the counter. “Thank you.”
“Let’s soak.”
The pulsing water soothed away the strain of the last few weeks. “Jill was so sweet to get the cake and the balloons,” Andi said as she relaxed against his chest.
“I couldn’t believe it. She really surprised me.”
Andi closed her eyes and sighed with contentment. To finally be with him without a time limit was nothing short of a dream come true. After they’d soaked a long while in silence, she said, “I’m turning into a noodle.”
“That sounds serious.” He helped her out and wrapped her in a huge white towel and tied another around his waist. He picked her up so fast, she never saw it coming.
Lowering her to their bed, he leaned in to kiss her. “Don’t move.” He reached down to where he’d hidden a cold bottle of champagne and two glasses. “I thought we needed to celebrate tonight.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
He popped the cork, poured the foaming bubbly, and handed a glass to her. “Here’s to you and me and the rest of our lives together.”
She touched her glass to his. “I’ll drink to that.”