Let All Our Tomorrows Begin
Author's note: Clay owns himself and his own name. I only wrote the words
to the story.
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The next morning
Kate glanced up at Clay as he paced the floor nearby, his cell phone pressed to his ear. Lately his managers seemed to frustrate and annoy him more and more. Right now they were hashing out details for the variety show... and Kate could tell they had made one too many assumptions without consulting him.
"You know what?" Clay finally said after attempting for too long to reason with them. "I don't want to hear about this any more right now. This is supposed to be my family time. My wife and I are having breakfast, and this was just a bad time to call." He frowned. "One other thing? What?" Clay's eyes widened as he listened. "Christmas special? Are you crazy? I can't do a Christmas special this year. Doctor's orders." He paused. "Oh, he did?" Clay heaved a sigh. "I'll be willing to take part in it if all I have to do is emcee or talk or otherwise be myself. The doctor says I'm still not supposed to sing."
"You're also not supposed to raise your voice," Kate reminded him with a gentle hand on his arm.
Already irritated, Clay shot her a "butt out" glare. "Since you've obviously been the one talking to him, I'll let you be the one to gently break it to him about my nodes diagnosis and that there's no way I'll be singing any time soon. If need be, I'll give you the phone number of my specialist or vocal therapist and let you explain to one or both of them why they don't know what they're talking about."
Kate covered her mouth to hide a smile and a snicker. Sometimes she felt a bit guilty about it, but she got a kick out of his "you broke it, you fix it" practices with his management. But only just a little bit guilty - it really didn't pay to make assumptions you didn't have the right to make.
Finally Clay hung up from his call and tossed his cell phone onto the nearby counter. He sat back down at the table, vigorously spearing the remnants of his breakfast before ingesting them.
"That bad, hunh?" Once again Clay shot her a glare. Kate held up her hands. "Don't get mad at me, mister. I had nothing to do with this, and all I'm trying to do now is give you the opportunity to talk it out."
"Maybe I don't want to talk," Clay growled.
"Fine, be that way," Kate answered. She returned to her meal, knowing that if she waited he probably would talk about it anyway.
"It's just that they know better than to call me with work this early in the morning," Clay complained, "unless I've missed an appointment or something." Kate nodded her encouragement, and he went on. "They called me with production woes for the pilot. It's..." He fumed and explained it in easy layman's terms for Kate. "At least they were able to get my choice of first guest to sign on."
"Really?"
Clay nodded, the first sign of a smile on his face since receiving the call. "Unh-hunh."
Kate raised her eyebrow at his silence. "Well?"
"That's a very deep subject," Clay acknowledged.
"At least you're salvaging your sense of humor," Kate observed dryly. "Who?"
"Jacob Haskell."
For one brief moment Kate stared at him as if he had gone mad. Then she caught the flicker of mischief in his eye. "Oh, you!" she exclaimed as he chuckled. Kate held up a hand halfway between them. "Lean closer and let me smack you, will ya?"
The mischief lit Clay's face. "Only if I get to decide where," he answered naughtily, waggling his eyebrows at her.
Recognizing immediately that her husband was flirting with her, Kate broke into giggles. "Clayton Aiken, you are absolutely incorrigible."
"And you can incorrige me absolutely all you want, darlin'," he told her, speaking slowly so that his voice sounded low and husky.
Impossible man. Kate continued to giggle. Clay remembered from their movie premiere experience during their first week together that she could not stand Jacob Haskell one bit. The guy had for all points and purposes propositioned her in front of Clay's entire family, and Kate had told him off in rather blunt terms. Of course with the two of them married and expecting, Clay and Kate had the last laugh. "So who did you really get?"
"I'll give you a hint: who else has done a variety show similar to the one we are undertaking?"
Kate gasped with surprise before reaching up to tug her earlobe. Clay nodded at the implied reference. "No! Really?" He nodded again, a smile on his face. "Oh, wow. Carol Burnett is the perfect choice, sweetheart. I'm glad it worked out."
"Believe me, so am I." He sighed. "At least something went right in that phone call..."
"You said something about a Christmas special," Kate began gingerly.
The frown was back on Clay's face in an instant. "They took it upon themselves to assume my voice will be healed by November and entered negotiations to work on a Christmas special with Barry Manilow. He was impressed enough with our duet work that he requested me to be part of it."
"Oh, wow," Kate breathed for the second time. "That's quite a compliment, hon. His music career has spanned decades."
"I know."
Kate snorted with the irony. "I see his 'farewell' really lasted long," she noted, remembering that while he had gone on a 'farewell tour', even after his so-called retirement he still found time and energy for projects that interested him. Like the duet, like this Christmas special that Clay just told her about.
Clay scowled. "My 'farewell' has already lasted longer than his," he muttered snidely.
"How long does it usually take for vocal nodes to heal?" Kate asked. "I forget."
"Doctor Roberts said six to twelve weeks with proper therapy by a certified individual," Clay acknowledged glumly.
"Mm," Kate noted. "It's getting close to that now." She watched Clay nod but say nothing else. "Do they give you any indications how your healing is coming along? I notice you really haven't said much about it to me."
Clay shrugged. "I figured why report on my voice until I have something to report."
Kate frowned. "Clay... you can talk to me about this, honey. I'm here for you, no matter what. You can talk about anything and everything. You can vent, you can cry, you can question... You're a regular man with regular fears and doubts, and don't think that you have to be strong for my sake! We're supposed to be here for each other. Remember?"
"You're one to talk," Clay shot back. "
"All right," Kate breathed. "I suppose I deserve that one." She took a deep breath. "For better or for worse, Clay. That's what we promised. So would you please talk to me and tell me what's on your mind? Will you keep me up to date with everything going on in your life, so that we can support each other fully?"
"Promise me you'll do the same in return," Clay said.
Kate nodded somberly. "Promise."
"You don't have to be perfect, you don't have to be strong..."
"Neither do you."
Clay scowled. They were two peas in a pod in that sense... afraid of showing each other their weaknesses, flaws, and lumps just in case the one they loved suddenly decided that was not good enough for them or just plain too much to deal with. But Clay needed Kate and Kate needed Clay, so they had to keep trying to communicate what was in their inner hearts if they were going to last as a married couple. "I enjoy what I do, okay? These past few months have been so frustrating, sitting on my hands doing nothing while other people go out and impact the world. That's been the one big plus to fame and celebrity, honey, that I can use the influence to make a difference in people's lives. And right now I'm not out there where people can see and hear what I have to say on the issues. I really am living up to the song... Invisible. I really am invisible right now, darlin'!"
Reaching out, Kate took a hold of his hand. "Clay... you still make a difference whether you realize it or not. Your true fans hear your words for what they are, and they hear God's truth and love in them. They praise God because of your faith and your life, they volunteer, they treat people with more patience and kindness, they examine the values you promote. You know out here in this area how one simple spark can start a blaze that takes days or weeks to put out. One simple spark, hon, and you're that spark."
"You don't understand what I'm going through!" Clay snarled. "I figured that if my music career would come to an end, it would be because my music was no longer that popular. I never would have thought that it would be because of losing my voice." He ran his hand over his face. "I figured that even after the music career was done and I had gone back to teaching that I would still be able to sing. This is not what I expected at all." Slowly Clay shook his head and turned away from his wife. "There's no way you could understand what I'm going through."
"That's right, I don't," Kate acknowledged quietly. "I don't know what you're going through any more than you know what I'm going through. I've never lost my voice and you've never been pregnant. So make me understand, sweetheart. I want to understand."
"I'm just afraid..." Clay began. "Afraid you will give up on me for God only knows what reason. I'm afraid I won't be successful at anything else and won't be able to support our growing family. And I'm disappointed... disappointed and hurt that I'm not able to sing. I really enjoy singing a lot, hon. I enjoyed being on the stage, talking with the fans... I enjoyed all of it. I still don't know what they see, but I wanted to enjoy every moment while God was willing to give them to me. And now..."
"Now..." Kate echoed. "Are you afraid that's all gone?"
Clay nodded. "I miss the music and the performing. I still have the fame and celebrity, and still have to deal with all the trappings of being a public figure... and believe me, some days I really do feel trapped." He took a deep breath. "But being unable to sing... of not knowing if my voice can be trusted to do what I want and ask it to do..."
Kate blinked. "Are you saying you don't trust your abilities any more?"
Again Clay nodded. "Kate... it affects not only breath, but pitch. You heard Sally - she said when she developed nodes that she was always pitchy. I remember during some of my tours hearing some individuals saying that I was pitchy. This was always during times when I was sick or something, so hearing that never helped."
"No, I'm sure it wouldn't."
"But," Clay continued, "with the nodes you can't always hear when you're pitchy, and you don't seem to be able to control it. Darlin'... what if this is permanent, if I never sing again?"
Looking up into his frightened eyes, Kate smiled gently. "I won't love you any less, and I won't believe in your abilities any less. You're an intelligent, resourceful, and determined man, Clay, as well as being full of faith and love, and I have full confidence that you will succeed at whatever the Lord leads you to." She shrugged lightly, almost as if she was apologizing. "I know that's probably not enough of what you wanted to hear, but unfortunately I don't have any hunches on the timetable of your healing. Is that what you were hoping for?"
"I guess it will have to do," Clay mumbled weakly.
Kate scooted her chair next to his so that she could embrace him. "You have a right to your feelings, hon. You have a right to be afraid... frustrated... hurt... Whether you think they're reasonable feelings or not, you have a right to every one of them. And I will accept both them and you exactly as is, face value, unconditionally. I promise."
Clay pulled her closer, burying his face into her neck. Unconditional acceptance was exactly what he had hoped for, and exactly what Kate was providing.
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Late September on a private flight at the
Clay sat down in his seat next to Kate and buckled up. Shortly after he and Kate were situated, the flight attendant let the pilot know they were ready. Within moments the plane was taxing down the runway for takeoff to parts unknown. He hoped that at least Kate knew where they were going. Considering the fact that she had announced to him the night prior that their bags were packed all but for certain last-minute items and that all plans were made. She had given him only ONE hint: his computer was staying home, and their cell phones would be turned on only twice daily to monitor voice mail for pending Armageddon. Other than that, she had given him no hints. "You gonna tell me where we're going?" Clay asked, casting a mildly annoyed look at his wife for being kept in the dark so long.
Kate gave him a wicked grin, the kind that Clay was convinced was created just to torture him. "Nope. I only promise that it's an opportunity to get away. After you vented your frustration the other week, I thought you needed a break. I think we both need one, and so I've been planning this ever since."
How did you know we needed a break? Clay wondered. Of course with the two of them working like mad on everything they had dipped their hands in to, he hadn't felt as if they could afford to take the time away. Evidently Kate had thought differently, and had arranged a getaway with the powers that be. "So when were you planning on telling me where we're going?"
"Sometime between when I told you I had packed the suitcases," Kate replied, "and the time we arrive and you figured out for yourself where we are."
"Really?" Clay drawled evenly. Kate nodded, and he continued to study her. "Is one of our families involved in where we're going?"
"Our family," Kate told him, gently resting a hand on her abdomen.
So it's not Nebraska or North Carolina, Clay mused in an attempt to
limit the possibilities. Considering that last Christmas both had agreed
"West," Kate nodded. "We've got reservations on one of those exotic little houses on stilts in the middle of the ocean."
Clay scowled at her, knowing simply by the tone of her voice that she was just trying to mess with his mind. "Nice try, darlin'," he said, making it clear that he knew what she was attempting to do.
"I knew you wouldn't buy it," Kate smirked, "but it was sure fun to tell you that."
Sighing wearily, he asked her anyway. "Would you give me a hint?"
"You won't be needing your snorkel gear."
"I don't own snorkel gear, smarty." Clay nodded. Thankfully water would not be involved. He stared at her, waiting for her to give him any other piece of information that might give him another clue. But she remained stubbornly silent, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she kept her secret. "Am I going to have to tickle it out of you?"
Kate's expression turned even more devilish. "I don't think our flight help would appreciate the results of that tickle war, hon."
Clay hid a sly smile at her words. It didn't take him long to figure out what she was referring to. "We could always go back into the other room and shut the door."
His wife shook her head emphatically. "I really don't want to add 'airplane' to the list of bizarre places we've..." She cleared her throat.
"You're no fun." Clay pretended to pout, but he knew what she meant. On last spring's tour, they had found some very unusual places to be intimate, and sometimes even at unusual hours. Knowing the unique logistical challenge of touring and anticipating the headaches of finding 'couple' time, they had made a game out of it. Later they had admitted the story individually to three of their closest friends, Sarah, Kim, and Ruben... and all three had teased them mercilessly and expressed surprise that they didn't get pregnant a lot sooner. With friends like ours... "Do I get any more hints at all?"
"No."
"Aw, Kate..."
This banter continued for the rest of the approximate hour that they were in
the air until Clay felt the motions that indicated they were preparing to land.
He stole a look outside the window, seeing a mountainous landscape. Hm...
with no longer than we were in the air, this is probably the
At last Kate shared what she had so carefully guarded from him. "Some
of my extended family has invested in several weeks at a timeshare in the
Vail-Avon-Beaver Creek area of
Clay nodded. "Sounds nice. Is it private?"
"Very private," Kate told him. "It's off the main road, hidden up in the trees... very nice, but also very private. I also made sure that it's going to be fully stocked so that we don't have to go much of anywhere if we don't want to. After all, we don't have Jerome or Will with us. But in case we do choose to go out, we do have access to the local version of security."
Grinning slowly, Clay realized that she really had scheduled an opportunity to get away from it all. They were going to be largely removed from civilization as they knew it. "Second honeymoon, hm?"
Kate blushed. "If that's the way we choose to treat it."
Clay could tell by the look on her face that was exactly what she was hoping would happen. "How nice is this cabin again?" Clay asked, his voice low and quiet.
"Why don't we just go there and see for ourselves?" Kate replied, gazing deeply into his eyes.
Why, you little vixen, Clay thought as he continued to gaze into her eyes. He had a feeling that he was going to enjoy their first evening immensely... as well as the rest of the time they would spend there.
The plane landed, and the couple found a rental SUV waiting and ready for them to drive to their cabin. Clay and Kate loaded their luggage into the SUV, and with Clay at the helm and Kate at navigation (with a folder full of printed maps and directions) they took off. The area was not largely populated enough to be laden with wrong turns, but Kate still studiously scanned the maps and directions for where they were going. Clay eyed her as her brow furrowed in deep concentration. "You ever been here, darlin'?" he asked with some concern.
"First time," Kate admitted without looking up.
Clay chuckled with irony. "You instill such confidence in me."
"As long as I give you plenty of warning on the turns and the landmarks, I know you can get us where we need to go," Kate told him evenly.
That does instill confidence. Clay smiled as he continued to drive along. "And I trust that you can follow those maps well enough to give me good directions."
A small smile of her own turned the corner of Kate's mouth. "Thanks. I'll try." After picking up the keys at the main office for the timeshare properties, Kate directed Clay one road or landmark at a time in the way they needed to go to find their cabin. Clay kept both hands on the wheel and his full attention to what he was doing so that he didn't miss anything.
"Bridge up ahead, hon," Clay warned. "You'll want to shut
your eyes." Instantly Kate obliged, clutching the armrests of the SUV so
tightly that her knuckles were white. Ever so slightly Clay sped up to make the
ordeal go faster for his wife, the tires making a satisfying rumble as they
crossed the bridge. "We're over it. You can relax now." Kate released
her death grip and slowly let go of the breath she had been holding. She slowly
opened her eyes and picked the map and directions back up off her lap. Clay sighed.
He wished he knew what they could do about Kate's fear of bridges. It hadn't
lessened significantly, but they had discovered some coping techniques for her
to get by. Then again, he hadn't attempted to go into the water since
At last the SUV pulled up to a two-story rustic log cabin with balcony nestled in among the evergreen trees partway up one of the mountains. Clay gazed at the cabin in awe, wondering how in the world Kate found this place. He suspected that it came not just fully stocked, but fully loaded... TV and DVD player, kitchen fully stocked with cookware and food, all linens and towels included, queen- or king-sized master bed. "Let's get all the luggage inside," Clay told Kate, "and then we can take a tour of the place."
With Clay giving Kate the lighter of the bags, the couple brought everything inside the cabin. In short time Clay found the master bedroom and placed the suitcases inside. Yep - king-sized bed. He turned to Kate, who had a couple of the smaller bags. "Which of those come in here?"
"All of them," Kate answered as she placed them next to the suitcases.
Clay frowned at her. "I could have done that for you."
Kate shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, but it's just as easy to do it myself. They're not heavy - you had the heavier bags."
Rolling his eyes at her, Clay sighed. "You are so stubborn."
"I know," Kate acknowledged.
He reached over to take her hand, shaking his head. "Let's take a quick tour of the cabin."
It didn't take them long to tour their exceptionally nice accommodations, ending with the master bedroom and the master bath. The bathroom itself was large and well-furnished... including a Jacuzzi tub as part of the accommodations. As if she noticed Clay's pale cast as he stared at the empty tub, Kate smiled at him. "Don't worry, Clay. We won't be using it at all."
Clay swallowed. "If you want to use it, Kate," he whispered to her, "I don't have a problem with that, and I-I can try to talk myself into joining you if that's what you want."
Kate shook her head. "Clay... pregnant women shouldn't go in hot tubs. It's bad for the baby."
"Oh." Instantly Clay relaxed with relief at knowing there would be no water in the tub during the time they were there.
"Although I would enjoy sitting in a hot tub with you," Kate admitted shyly, "I'm not going to try to persuade you in any way since water is not your comfort zone. Believe me, I do understand phobias."
Remembering Kate's earlier reaction with the bridge, he nodded. "So do I." He gave her a sly look. "Do I at least outrank George Clooney and Brad Pitt?"
Completely confused, Kate stared at him with bewilderment written all over her face. "Oh!" she exclaimed, and Clay knew she suddenly realized what he was getting at... Leno. The late-night talk show host had shown him a 2004 magazine poll where he was one of the top choices of men a woman would want to share a hot tub with. A poll that didn't take into account that you'd never get him in the tub... "You're my husband, Clayton. If you don't outrank those two, then I've got a problem."
Clay raised an eyebrow. "Good to hear that you would choose me over them."
"Of course I would, hon." Kate turned a smoldering gaze to him. "You're my sexy hunk. I'd pick you any day as the man I want to do all sorts of naughty things with. I'll spare you the tub, though."
Giggling at her bluntness, he told her, "Maybe another time, perhaps."
"Only if you're up to it," Kate told him quietly.
"That'll probably depend on how long it will take us to find a free weekend and a babysitter," Clay drawled with a sigh. Kate nodded understandingly, and he wondered how many different logistical hoops she had to jump through to arrange this little getaway. "Naughty things, hunh?" he began.
Kate nodded, her eyes twinkling. "All sorts of naughty things."
Sliding closer, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What kind of naughty things?" he purred, his interest definitely piqued.
"Naughty things," she replied coyly.
"I'd love for you to tell me," Clay whispered as he slowly began to kiss her hair, "what you are thinking in the way of naughty things."
"Later," Kate told him. "I'm going to make you think and wonder about it all through dinner."
"Don't you dare, hon," Clay scolded.
"My, you're impatient."
Clay frowned at her. "I waited how long to find out what you had in mind on this surprise. I'm not waiting for yet another surprise."
"I'm only going to make you wait through dinner," she insisted, "not overnight like I did for this whole trip. Or longer, for other things." She smiled wickedly, as if she knew she was torturing him. "Waiting makes us patient, and patience is a virtue."
"Virtue, schmirtue," Clay retorted.
Kate waggled her finger at him. "Just remember... good things come to he who waits."
Glaring at his wife, Clay pretended to scowl. "All right, Kathryn. Have it your way - wait until after dinner. But be warned... it is my intention to make you dessert, and I plan to go back for many helpings."
As Clay gave her ear an especially suggestive kiss, Kate flushed. She cast an impish smile at her husband as the two of them walked out and towards the kitchen, a fact that Clay did not miss at all. Encouraged by her actions, Clay made some moderate attempts at 'distracting' Kate while she searched through the supplies for that night's meal. He watched with amusement as she prepared their food, noting that her choice of dishes were quick, simple, and light. Dinner won't take long at the rate she's going. Clay wished very much that he could read her mind at that moment. It would make it far easier for him to drive her absolutely crazy later.
The food now ready, Kate brought it to the table as Clay quickly set the table up for them. They said a quick prayer and ate with lighthearted chat. Clay wasn't entirely sure whose mind was in the gutter, but countless times during their conversation things were said which had another slightly naughty meaning... if you had looked beyond face value. Normally Kate preferred to handle their interactions on the face-value level, but if there was more meaning hidden under the surface it was usually evident in her eyes. Like tonight, as he recognized a sparkle there that was pure mischief. For both of their sakes, he hoped the meal would finish quickly.
Fortunately dinner did go quickly, and so did cleanup. Clay helped with cleanup, knowing the process would go faster with both of them working on it. In no time at all the table was cleared, the food was put away, and all dishes had been taken care of.
"Well," Kate began. "Dinner's over."
"Dinner's over," Clay agreed. Turning his most seductive eyes on her, he smiled. "Ready for dessert?" he asked quietly.
Kate nodded as if it had no effect on her. "Yeah. Tiramisu sounds good right about now..."
Clay stared at her for a moment before recognizing that she had once more been teasing him. Instantly his gaze turned wicked, his love and desire for her apparent in his eyes. "I've got something much, much more decadent in mind," he informed her. "And I plan on having the first bite."
At his innuendo, Kate's eyes grew wide. But she recovered quickly. "Where do you want it?"
"Hm, decisions, decisions..." Clay sighed as he allowed his eyes to roam her beauty at length before taking one of her hands. "I suppose I could always start with a finger." He lowered his mouth to her hand, but instead of nibbling at her finger he merely kissed it. "Or maybe... your wrist." Once more he brushed a sweet kiss on the surface in question, the inner part of Kate's wrist.
"I meant where did you want it on you?" Kate asked, her voice lowering as Clay placed a slightly more amorous kiss on one side of her forehead.
"I know what you meant," Clay told her quietly as his kisses on her face grew progressively longer and deeper in feeling. "But that's not what I meant."
Kate gave the tiniest of wry smiles, closing her eyes with contentment as Clay placed a warm kiss between her brows. "I noticed." She moaned as Clay trailed more than just his lips over her face. "Have you figured out where you're going to have that first bite?"
"Now who's impatient?" Clay rumbled as he continued to shower his gentle affections on his wife. "I'm trying to decide what place most suits my... taste... before I start nibblin'."
"Hon, you can take as long as you want at what you're doing now," Kate sighed again, obviously enjoying it. "All I asked was if you had figured it out. I didn't ask where you were thinking of."
"You can't deny that you want to know." Clay heard an indignant grunt from Kate and knew he had pegged her squarely in this round. "You win, Kate. I promise that you'll find out soon enough."
"Soon enough works for me," Kate answered, "since I prefer to find out the hands-on way."
Clay snickered once, immediately catching her hint. "Since you suggested it..."
Kate's smile grew as Clay's hands gently began roaming, one moment slowly caressing, and the next lightly bracing her for further affections from his mouth. "I was hoping you'd take that literally." Her own hands rested lightly on his hips, with only the thumbs sliding back and forth across his ribs.
"I figured you did," he admitted. "Besides, you know me - give me a line like that, and I'll take you up on it in a heartbeat." Clay varied each kiss he gave to Kate, a kiss that was sweet and gentle here, a kiss that was long and poignant there. Each had their own flavor and emotion, and he hoped that she was enjoying receiving them as much as he was enjoying giving them. "Now that you've already faced the fact that I'm going to have my wicked way with you," Clay teased as he trailed a few more kisses across her cheek, "I hope you're willing to give me your ear for a moment."
"And what are you planning to d..." Kate trailed off mid-sentence as Clay nibbled on her earlobe. Her vision slowly began to blur at the sensations he was creating in her.
As soon as Clay felt Kate's hands trailing across the skin of his back, he let go of her ear and took her hands in his. His eyes reassuring her that he was ready and willing to go farther, he slowly led her to their room. "If I know you, darlin', you brought music and a few other things to set the mood."
Kate nodded. "The blue duffel."
Clay knelt next to the blue duffel on the floor and opened it. He blinked in amazed silence as he took a visual inventory of its contents. Looking slyly up at his pink and sheepish-looking wife, he grinned. "You really were planning a second honeymoon, weren't you?"
"Well, you know how it is," she shrugged. "Second trimester - the morning sickness isn't nearly as often so I feel good about that, the hormones have rounded out my figure a bit more so that I feel good about how I look, and the fear of getting pregnant isn't there. It kind of releases the libido a bit."
He snickered. "Hon, you and I have never had problems with our libido."
"Except for putting a cork in it..."
Clay nodded. "I'll agree there." He shook his head, pondering the way he could regain the upper hand from this little surprise. "Why don't we use just a little of this for right now, honey? Maybe some music and one or two of the candles... spread the rest of it out over the time we have here."
Instantly Kate blushed at the smoldering look he gave her. "Works for me."
Giving the job of setting up the stereo to Kate, Clay arranged a pair of candles where they would burn safely and unobtrusively. He lit them, and the scent of the candles quickly filled the room. The sound of music came from the stereo behind him, and Clay turned around to face Kate. His wife was watching him with a look of love in her eyes so intense that Clay was almost frightened of it. However, with the way he felt about her, the same look was probably in his own eyes as well. One step at a time Clay walked over to where Kate was standing. Bracing her chin with just a thumb and forefinger, Clay tipped her face upward and placed a slow, gentle kiss on her lips. In a manner that mirrored his own Kate returned the kiss, and with unhurried deliberation deepened it. Clay took her into his arms as the mutual affections grew and built little by little towards their natural culmination.
Finished with what he hoped was merely Round One, Clay looked into his wife's eyes as he stroked her face. She was so beautiful, in heart and soul as well as appearance, and he thanked God daily for bringing the two of them together as husband and wife. He knew how much he needed this special woman in his life. "I love you, Kathryn," he whispered emotionally, hoping that those words and his eyes imparted even half of what he felt for her.
"I love you, Clayton." Flushed and panting from their time of intimacy, Kate held tightly on to Clay. If the way her head buzzed was any indication, she suspected it was going to be a while before either one of them were getting to sleep. She closed her eyes as she tried to take deeper breaths, hoping that it would help her relax either for slumber... or for another round. Unfortunately while Kate was trying to relax, Joseph gave the wall of her abdomen a particularly vigorous kick for being no farther along than he was. Looks like someone else is going to have a hard time getting to sleep tonight. She chuckled at their son. There was no doubt that she was feeling his movements now.
But Kate had not been the only one to feel that kick. Clay's head shot up sharply, his eyes wide with surprise. "D-Did I feel what I thought I just felt?"
Considering how close they were pressed up against each other, Kate was somehow not surprised that Clay did indeed feel the kick. With a sigh, she nodded. "Yeah, you did. Apparently we woke him up."
Immediately Clay shifted, placing a hand on her stomach. "Hon, see if you can make him kick one more time. I want to feel him move again."
Doctor Alexander warned me about this. "Clay," Kate sighed. "You probably won't for a while yet. That's the strongest anything I've felt from him. If it weren't for the fact he's giving me all his abuse from the inside, I'd be looking for a mark." She frowned as Clay continued to hold his hand on her stomach. "Clay - it's going to be several weeks before you'll be able to feel him that way."
"But I felt him kick a minute ago," Clay protested. "I'm hoping he'll do that again so that I can feel him kick my hand."
"You're his father - why don't you just ask him?" Kate told him dryly. "I'm sure he'll kick for you if you just talk to him for a little bit."
If Clay could hear the sarcasm in her voice, he didn't acknowledge it as he continued to focus his attention on the baby in the womb. "Joseph... Joseph... Come on, move for Daddy..."
Kate groaned. So much for their romantic evening... "Hon, I'm not sure if he hears me yet - I really doubt he'll hear you, much less listen."
"He's my son," Clay answered with certainty. "Of course he will."
With a snort Kate rolled her eyes. "Did you always listen to your parents growing up?"
"No, but - "
"And that was after you hatched!" Kate retorted smartly.
"Hatched?" Clay questioned, a stunned look on his face.
"Yeah! Hatched!" Ignoring his mock hurt expression, she went on. "You've certainly hatched your share of diabolical practical jokes in your day, Clayton Aiken, including those you've sprung on me..."
Clay glared at his wife. "All right, missy. I've had enough of your lip for one night."
Not the least bit concerned, Kate cooed. "And what are you going to do about it?"
"You'd like to know that," Clay purred. "The only thing I am going to tell you is that the next time you use my given name, you'll be moaning it... over... and over... again."
Kate's jaw dropped as he turned his smoldering green eyes on her, giving her only the barest clue of what he had in mind. Oh my... she breathed as he slowly advanced.
For the next several hours the couple exchanged intimate affections,
sometimes slow and tender, sometimes so intense that it left them both dizzy
with the sensations. But finally both of them tired enough to call it a night,
and they laid together just holding onto one another for a while. Kate complained
at the cold
"I'm glad for that," Kate quipped as she shivered in his arms. "You're definitely going to earn your keep for that duty tonight!"
"Hey, hey, hey, watch where you put those ice cubes you call feet," Clay protested.
"You said you were here to keep me warm!"
Clay frowned. "I am... just try to warm up those feet a little bit before you put them anywhere close to mine."
Kate stuck her tongue out at him. "Weenie."
"Ice cubes, hon. You could chill cold drinks with those feet."
"They're not that bad!" Kate gingerly curled one back where she could grab it with a hand. Unconsciously she shuddered before returning to her original position cuddling with Clay. "Okay, so maybe they are that bad."
Clay laughed warmly as she grimaced sheepishly. "I bet you won't miss
the
"I should say not."
Sighing with contentment as he gazed into her eyes, Clay smiled. "Let's say our evening prayer together before we fall asleep like this."
Kate nodded. "Good idea."
Clay and Kate slid their heads together so that their foreheads touched as they prayed aloud in each other's arms. It amazed Clay how while some of the things they prayed for remained the same, praying together never got old. One or both of them could be tired... cranky... or whatever, and that prayer always made a difference, always helped. It always drew them closer together. And tonight was obviously no exception to that. When they finished, they continued to gaze into each other's eyes, even from that up-close angle. Finally Kate broke the stare-off, pulling him closer into a loving kiss that Clay happily returned. They ended the kiss after a minute or two, still holding tightly on to one another. "Good night, Kathryn," Clay whispered.
"Good night, Clayton."
Closing their eyes, they turned their thoughts towards sleep as they laid in the close embrace. Ice-cube feet or not, Clay was very happy to be spending this time together with the love of his life.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Early November, Clay and Kate's house
Brushing her hair out of her eyes for at least the twentieth time, Kate continued to put the finishing touches on the wall in the room they had chosen to become the nursery. She smiled - it was perfect. Clay had offered to hire someone, but Kate had volunteered to do it herself. Painting the room had been the easy part - since paint fumes were bad for the baby, they had hired someone to paint the walls for them. Wallpapering had been the challenge, a task she had never attempted - until now, making Kate rethink the wisdom of self-decorating. But in the end, they had managed, and probably because they didn't have to hang wallpaper strips from floor to ceiling. Only the bottom half of the walls would be covered in paper, and the top half in paint. Thankfully Clay had found the time to help her with the wallpaper, or she would have made a royal mess of it for sure. The wallpaper border about halfway up the wall had been easier, and they had gotten that done in a quarter of the time. To finish the project, Kate had decided to paint designs matching those on the wallpaper border here and there on the upper half of the walls. She had forgotten that the last time she did much of anything in art was in junior high... a fact that was staring her squarely in the face today.
This fact didn't seem to be lost on Clay. "Van Gogh, you're not."
Kate glared at him as he lounged in the doorway studying her handiwork. "Fine by me - I prefer Monet to Van Gogh any day. But to be truthful, I prefer Robert Duncan and Kim Anderson over either one of those two..."
Clay frowned. He could understand why his wife would prefer
"Families, especially children," Kate answered, "and rural life were his subjects, and his style was not so abstract that you couldn't see the details."
Ah. Clay nodded thoughtfully, thinking to himself that he'd have to
look up
Kate's face fell. "You mean you don't recognize it?"
"No."
"Fine, so my art stinks," she grumbled. "Now you know why I went into languages instead. I don't see you up here with a paintbrush."
"That's right," Clay acknowledged. "I know that my attempts wouldn't be any better."
"Then don't knock what I'm doing."
Clay shook his head with a patient sigh. "I told you that we could hire someone to do this."
"That wouldn't be nearly as rewarding," Kate insisted. "There's something about doing this hands-on work ourselves that makes it more personal... that says we're having a child."
"We're having a child," Clay agreed, walking over to where Kate had come down from the small stepladder to greet him. He wrapped his arms around her. "Actually, I think he'll be proud of the fact that you cared about him so much that you put so much work into doing this room yourself."
"Never mind what it looks like?" Kate asked, returning the affection.
"Right," Clay chuckled.
"Don't forget that you worked on it too."
Shaking his head, Clay smiled. "I won't, hon. You won't let me. Besides, by the time he gets old enough to start critiquing it, he'll want to change it to something different anyway."
Kate snickered. "Something not quite so babyish?"
"Yep." Feeling Joseph shift, Kate smiled slightly and squeezed her husband. "What?"
"Oh, he moved."
Clay sighed. "I just must have bad timing or something, that I still haven't felt him move yet."
"I warned you that it will take a few more weeks until you're able to feel him," Kate said quietly.
"At least you're finally starting to show."
Kate's cheeks turned pink at the idea. "Yeah, it's all going to start going downhill from here. I'm going to have to start wearing loose-fitting clothes, which will lead to maternity clothes..."
With a silly grin on his face, Clay pulled her closer. "Yeah..."
Kate giggled at him. "You goofball, you like the sound of that, don't you?"
"You're the most beautiful pregnant woman I've ever known," Clay told her.
"And you're sweet," Kate answered, placing a kiss on his lips.
Once more Clay studied the walls. "I'll probably get yelled at by your doctor and both our mothers for letting you put so much work into this room, and for letting you get up on that step stool..."
Snorting her disagreement, Kate shook her head. "It wasn't strenuous work, hon. Not a big deal. Besides, you don't have to tell anyone."
"It'll come out when people ask who did the room," Clay acknowledged. "I'll have to tell people that we hung the wallpaper... and you painted all those little... whatever they are."
"Clay..." Kate sighed. "It's the same design that's on the border."
"Oh." Clay glanced back and forth between the border and Kate's paint job. "I knew that. I knew it all along." He nodded vigorously.
Kate scowled at him. "Fine. The next time we go to the baby class, you can sit with Ken and Julie, because you're not sitting with me."
"Aw, Kate..."
"No."
Clay pulled her closer until that his forehead was leaning against hers. "I promise I'll be good."
"You? Be good?" Kate giggled, even as she wrapped her arms tighter around him. "That's a laugh. Unless you choose to finish that sentence by saying what you plan to be good at..."
Uh-oh. Caught. Clay gave her his best puppy-dog eyes. "Please, honey? It's not like I dissed your paint job on purpose." He kissed her nose. "Please?"
"Clayton!" Kate laughed, weakening fast at his impishness. "You know I wasn't serious." She sighed, glancing at the wall. "And that really isn't that great of a paint job."
"When was the last time you said you had an art class?"
"Um..." Kate chewed her lower lip with guilt. "Eighth grade?"
Clay rolled his eyes. "Say no more." With that remark Kate swatted his backside, and Clay yelped. "Oh... for that, missy, you are so getting it..." Moving quickly, he scooped her up into his arms.
Kate shrieked and clung to him, her eyes wide with surprise as he started to carry her out of the room to destinations unknown. "Clay Aiken, you little brat..."
"You're the one who smacked me," Clay retorted, "and you call me the brat! I don't think so!"
"Clay, where are you taking me?" Kate asked, her eyes widening as he walked through the house.
Clay grinned evilly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
It only took Kate a minute or two to determine that Clay was taking her out into the back yard. She could only guess at what kind of mischief was on his mind. Deciding to sidetrack him before it began, Kate reached the fingers of her hand down to his side and began to tickle.
"Aahhhh!" Clay cried out, wincing reflexively at the sudden intrusion. "Better stop that, Kate - I don't want to drop you."
"You won't," Kate insisted as she kept tickling, "and it wouldn't kill me if you did."
"Kate, you're not invincible." Placing her feet on the grass, Clay
held her close and grabbed at her hand. "Neither one of us are. That's one
thing I've become keenly aware of since our trip to
Kate made a small face at the suggestion. "I know, but I really don't see anything happening."
"That's what I said before I developed vocal nodes."
The couple gazed thoughtfully into each other's eyes for several minutes until Kate ended the stare by kissing Clay on the lips. Clay responded quickly with a kiss of his own, which lasted until they broke breathlessly. Changing the mood back to something more playful, Clay tickled Kate in the side with just a finger until she yelped. "That's it, mister."
Clay giggled as she attempted to take him down for a full-scale wrestling match. Knowing that she never won their wrestling matches anyway, he allowed himself to be maneuvered onto the lawn where the free-for-all could begin. It amused him that even though she always lost, she kept trying just the same. Negative attention is still attention, he thought, recalling a basic principle of psychology. It was one thing that Kate had said whenever she had complained to him about her students misbehaving. Clay couldn't help wondering if that principle applied to Kate's attempts to beat him at their play wrestling. "Hey, don't tickle there. That's cheating."
"All's fair in love and war, sweet-cheeks."
"You said it, honey - not me." With that declaration, Clay and Kate held nothing back as they wrestled on the grass in their back yard. They pulled about every impish trick in the book on each other, with no signs of slowing down any time soon.
"Hey, no zerberts on the stomach."
"Aw, but it's so much fun."
"It would serve you right if he kicked you in the nose."
"At least I could say that I felt him move again."
"I feel like the Goodyear Blimp."
"You aren't showing that much yet! Besides, pregnant women are beautiful, especially you."
"We'll see how beautiful I look when I'm the size of a watermelon."
"I like watermelon. Yummy stuff."
"You perv..."
"You love it and you know it."
The friendly war continued, until Clay once more had the upper hand on Kate. "Dirty pool, Aiken," Kate accused at the point where she was all but pinned to the ground. "Dirty pool."
"You're not exactly playing fair either, hon," Clay informed her.
"Love and war."
Clay glared at her. "All I ask is that you be nice to 'W' and the boys."
Kate waggled her eyebrows at him. "Helloooo, Waldo!"
Taken by surprise at her words and her offbeat reference to
"Oh, I'm sure you'll come up with something," Kate drawled. "You always do."
"You know it." Clay grinned wickedly. "I brought you back here, didn't I?" In way of a reply, Kate tickled his side. Grabbing her hand, he quickly pinned it to the ground. "I don't think so, hon."
Pinned again, Kate sighed, noting that he definitely had her well covered. "All right. Once more you won the wrestling match. You beat me yet again, and once more you have me exactly where you want me. What's your next move?"
I bet I know what she has in mind. Smiling at her choice lead-in
line, Clay gave her his most smoldering look. "Seduce the
competition." Still giving her the look, he bent down to place a steamy kiss
on her lips. To Clay's delight, Kate responded immediately to the affection
with some of her own. In the middle of their progressively passionate kiss,
Without warning the automatic lawn sprinklers turned on around them, making
both of them shriek with surprise at the freezing cold assault. They quickly
scrambled to their feet and ran towards the back door, but not before both of
them were soaking wet. "And that, dear Clayton, would be what
Clay snorted. "My own pint-sized Lassie..." He looked over at his
wife as she shivered from the cold water.
"Only on the condition that you join me," Kate responded, "and that we pick up where we left off."
"Deal."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Early November at the LAX airport
Kate grinned with eager anticipation as her cousin Sally stepped into the area where the passengers met up with the non-flying public. "Hey, Sal." She gave her cousin a close hug. "How was your trip?"
"Good, once the Dramamine took effect."
"You still get airsick?" Kate winced sympathetically.
Sally nodded. "Oh yeah. You think that one of these years I'd grow out of it, but que sera, sera."
Kate agreed. "Que sera.
"Nope." Indicating Kate's stomach, Sally grinned. "Well, well. Finally showing, hunh?"
Eyeing the gentle bulge at her waist, Kate sighed. "Yeah, I am." She smiled wickedly. "You ought to see Sarah."
Sally laughed. "I'm looking forward to it," she replied, recalling that Kate's best friend was carrying twins. "I bet Clayton's jealous."
"Insanely." She rolled her eyes. "I don't think he's caught on that they're more than a novelty. He's still hoping our next round will be twins."
"Does he know they run in the family?" Sally whispered.
Kate vigorously shook her head. "He suspects, but I'm not about to admit it."
"Smart girl."
"Let's get going, and we can talk more in the car." Kate walked with Sally to the luggage claim to help her retrieve the check-on suitcase that matched her carry-on bag, and the two walked to the car. Once Kate paid the parking fee, they left the airport.
"So how are your attempts at writing music together going?" Sally asked.
"Surprisingly well, considering how much music knowledge we don't have between us," Kate chuckled. "I don't know if you've ever heard his attitude about piano lessons..."
Sally rolled her eyes and snorted. "Unfortunately."
Snickering under her breath, Kate knew that her cousin had indeed heard. "And you know that I only took them as far as my senior year. I just didn't have the time to concentrate on them in college."
"That's more than most kids take growing up," Sally reminded her.
Kate had to agree with her there. "But I know from watching Mom plan for school or from watching you plan a rehearsal or a service that there's a lot more to music than having a few years of piano lessons. We don't do too bad when it comes to coming up with lyrics, but when it comes to the music it's like the blind leading the blind..."
Clearly amused at that idea, Sally laughed openly. "I think I see. One of the reasons the two of you want to have a music collaboration session is because the two of you want to see if you've missed the mark or whether you've chanced upon the next chart topper. Am I right?"
Wincing with guilt, Kate nodded sheepishly. "One, yes. We really do want to see what you and Mom have come up with too. The two of you are really good music writers. All the stuff of yours I've ever heard is good."
"Thanks, sweetie. I appreciate that. Now only if a little more of it will get published..."
"Hey, Mom has her hits and her misses," Kate shrugged offhandedly as she turned onto the freeway. "You never know what the publishers are going to say. They might dismiss some of your best work you put your heart and soul in to, but some little silly ditty you put together in ten minutes or so they'll snap up like it was a masterpiece."
"Mm-hm," Sally grunted her agreement. "They are strange birds. Look at how many years Barry Manilow wrote commercial jingles before he got his big break."
Kate snickered. Sally had been a 'fanilow' long before she had ever been a Clay fan. From all the stories she heard, she had been a fan from the beginning. "This does not instill me with confidence. You know that, right?"
Laughing warmly, Sally nodded. "You're in a little different position than Manilow, sweetie. You're not dependent on 'the business' for your living."
"Ah, yes," Kate grumbled, but she knew exactly what Sally meant. Since her husband was successful as the world viewed it, Kate had the freedom to work or not work as she wanted. But Kate also wasn't content to be idle... or live a life solely defined by relationships. She was determined to take a proactive role in God's world and in Clay's life.
"Don't worry about it, Kate," Sally told her. "If you and Clay write music half as well as I suspect you do, there will be several useable songs among the things you've written. Maybe even a chart topper or two," she said hopefully.
Kate snorted. "Doubt the last bit. We don't believe in 'pay-for-play' like most companies do."
A big grin broke out on Sally's face. "That's one reason I like your hubby so much. It's hard to find a true artist of integrity nowadays."
Smiling warmly, Kate accepted the praise for Clay's sake. She would have rather he heard it for himself, though - a compliment like that from Sally was worth a lot.
"How is everything going? You probably see him a lot more than you would if he was touring."
"If he was touring," Kate answered, "I would probably be on the tour with him. But you know my busy-busy hubby. Just because he's temporarily on a no-sing basis doesn't mean he's any less busy. There's the pilot for the variety show coming up, and I am one of the lucky handful who will be invited to the taping of the pilot."
"Ooo," Sally cooed, clearly envious of that. "Carol Burnett's going to be on that one, right?"
"Right."
"Do you know who his other guests are yet?" Sally asked eagerly.
Kate shook her head. "No clue. I know the other night he came home giddy with excitement over someone that he obviously was able to book, but he wasn't sharing details in case it would fall through."
"Mm, I can appreciate that," Sally nodded. "Did he give you any hints at all?"
"Only that it would be the coup of the pilot if he pulls it off."
Sally rolled her eyes. "Mark my words, sweetie. He's got in mind some grand prank on someone with his choice of guest."
Agreeing readily, Kate smirked. "Of that, I am certain. I'm married to the prank king. I know how my husband's mind works." She raised an eyebrow. "Some days."
"You guys swapped any good ones?"
Kate snorted. "We do prank each other, but the pranks we play on each other are milder than what he plays on other people. Otherwise there would be no end to it, and we both know it."
"Mm-hm," Sally chorused.
"Let's see... the most recent one was an idea I borrowed from Will when those two were at our place for Christmas. I forget why, but Will threatened to hide all of Clay's underwear in the freezer. He never did make good on that threat." Kate grinned wickedly. "But I followed through. I told him that revenge was a dish best served cold. It's right out of Shakespeare..."
Amused at the picture, Sally laughed openly. "Oh my heck... Actually, Kate, I think that was in one of the Star Trek movies. BUT you also need to hear the variation: 'Revenge is a dish best served with maple syrup.'"
This time Kate was the one laughing. "Where did you get that one?"
"The TV show Just Shoot Me. I loved that quote."
Kate was still snickering as she pulled into the driveway of their house. "I am going to have to remember that one. That's a classic."
Clay came out to meet the two women in the driveway, offering a hug to Sally before turning to give Kate a deeper hug and fond kiss. "Let me help with the luggage." Grabbing the suitcase before either of the women could, he started making his way to the house.
"My kind of guy," Sally stated. As Kate made a move to grab the carry-on bag, she glared at her cousin and snatched at the handle. "No way. You are not carrying more than your purse, Mother Ship."
"Mother Ship??" Kate asked in shock as her husband laughed helplessly from the entrance to the house. "Sally... Mother Ship??"
"Deal with it, sweetie. I could have always called you worse." A wry grin turned the corner of her mouth. "You know that I love you."
"I can tell," Kate drawled as she followed the others to the house.
Once inside they got Sally situated in one of the guest rooms before giving her a tour of the house. "We have another room as a guest room," Kate said as she indicated the room, "while our office is here and the main bath is right here."
"Nice," Sally said, nodding with approval at their tastes in decorating the rooms.
"This is going to be Joseph's room," Clay told their cousin as he wrapped his arms around Kate from behind. "We're still waiting on the furniture and some of the little things, but we've got a good start."
Sally smiled as she studied the room at length. Her eyes focused sharply on some of the designs on the walls, and she frowned. "I don't know who you hired to paint the top half of your walls, but they weren't worth their wage. You can barely tell what those things are supposed to be."
Clay bit back a giggle as Kate made a face. "You're absolutely right, Sally. Maybe next time around, I'll hire someone else to paint the designs on the walls."
Kate grumbled. "They do say that you get what you pay for..."
Picking up on the private communication between the two, Sally guessed the identity of the artist within moments. "Don't tell me that you actually let your wife up on a ladder to paint those."
"She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer," Clay protested. "You know how she is."
"Clay, you're her husband. It's biblical that in love you should have the final say in your relationship. Next time put your foot down in the interest of the health of your wife and child."
Acknowledging her with a sigh, Clay acquiesced. "I will."
Next Sally turned her frustration on her cousin. "Kathryn Aiken, do you have any idea how dangerous that was? First, no pregnant woman should be painting - "
"Not with regular paint, no," Kate recognized. "I used acrylic for my work, and we hired someone else to do the base coat on a day when I wouldn't be here to breathe the fumes."
"Second, being pregnant throws off your center of balance. No pregnant woman should EVER be up on a ladder, a stepladder, not even a stepstool! You could have lost your balance and fallen, baby and all!"
Kate held up her hands defensively. "All right, all right. I lucked out this time. I promise I won't do it again. Or at least not past the first trimester."
"Kate..."
"All right!" Kate fumed. "We have both been chastised. Happy?"
Sighing, Sally let up on her vigor. "All I want is for you two to be happy and healthy as you serve God together. That's the only reason I get preachy with you, and I'm sorry that I do."
"Yes, Mom."
"I suppose I deserved that," Sally admitted.
In the interest of peace, Clay moved to end the discussion. "Why don't we give you a little time to clean up, and then we'll take you out to dinner. That work for you, Sal?"
"The plan sounds good, except for one detail," Sally mused. "You're putting me up, so I'll pay for our meals tonight."
Clay shook his head. "You can pay for one of the meals tomorrow. Tonight is our treat."
"You've got a deal."
While Sally freshened up a bit from her trip, Clay made reservations at a local Japanese steakhouse that they frequented enough that the cook staff knew Clay's food allergies by heart. Calling Jerome to apprise him of the time for their excursion, he waited for the bodyguard to arrive and for the two women to finish getting ready. Fortunately Clay had used the time Kate was at the airport to make himself presentable. The price of being a public figure...
Jerome arrived shortly after the two women joined Clay in the living room, and the foursome drove to the steakhouse. The door host quickly showed them back to a private dining room where they would have the room to themselves. After several minutes of leisurely chat and giving their order to one of the wait staff, the individual cooking for them arrived with his cart of supplies. Clay smiled at the cook. "Hey, Keitaro. How are you doing this evening?"
"It is good evening," Keitaro answered. "I get to cook for some of my favorite customers. Clay, Kate, Jerome. Who is your new friend?"
Seeing Keitaro indicate Sally, Kate made an introduction. "This is my cousin Sally. Sally, this is Keitaro. He's one of the poor souls we've put through the ringer at this place... but he's the one who has caught on the best."
Keitaro readily agreed. "No seafood and no mushrooms for the gentleman. They not like him."
Clay sighed. "They don't like me, all right."
Jerome smirked. "We really don't want to see how fast Kate can dig that EpiPen out of her purse."
"You timed her?" Sally asked Jerome.
Giving her a conspiratorial wink, Jerome nodded. "She knocked three seconds off just by putting it in the cell phone pocket on the side." He laughed when Kate stuck her tongue out at him.
The group watched as Keitaro prepared his cooking surface, spraying oil from a bottle in the shape of a smiley face before spreading it out with his metal spatula.
Sally grinned as she watched Keitaro's artful cooking. "I enjoy things
like this. We have a Japanese steakhouse in
"Ooo," Kate cooed. "I bet that's a fun date for you."
"Don't you know it."
Kate turned to Keitaro. "Hey, I found your name in our baby name book a while back."
"Baby name book?" Keitaro asked. "Why you need baby name book? You having baby?" Kate stood up to show him the evidence, and Keitaro smiled. "Ah, congratulations! You know what you name baby yet?"
Clay and Kate both nodded as Kate sat back down beside him. "Joseph Raymond."
Keitaro seemed to approve. "Good name. Joseph have good story in Bible."
The couple exchanged a warm grin, knowing that was where they chose the name. "He does."
"The book I have says that your name means 'blessed'," Kate informed the cook with a smile. "I think it fits."
With a nod Keitaro showed that he knew and agreed. "God has blessed me
very much to be in
Clay took Kate's hand and squeezed it. "Life is good here."
The quartet watched with amusement and interest as Keitaro cooked their meals and did various skillful tricks with the food and utensils. They laughed aloud and clapped their appreciation as he caught several of the bowls in his chef hat. And when it came time to catch the thrown shrimp, Keitaro had a couple pieces of chicken to throw to Clay so that he wouldn't be left out of the fun. Neither Clay nor Kate had much luck catching the morsels in their mouths, while Jerome and Sally fared better.
At the end of dinner they left the restaurant, and Jerome waved them off at the Aiken's house. Clay and Kate chatted for a while with cousin Sally before finally deciding to call it a night. Tomorrow began their collaboration, and who knew how long they would be working.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning at the Aiken household
"I've got something to say to the two of you, when your dear hubby wakes up."
Kate turned from cooking breakfast for the three of them at Sally's voice. "Oh?"
"It can wait until he arrives," Sally insisted.
"What can wait?" Clay yawned from behind them.
Snickering as he stood bleary-eyed at the entrance to the kitchen still in his pajamas, Kate grinned at him. "She'll tell us, I'm sure."
"It can certainly wait," Sally smirked, "until you've had your wake-up shower."
"Mmm," Clay mumbled as he walked over to Kate. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.
Kate also closed her eyes, placing her free hand over both of Clay's while she held on to her cooking utensil with the other. Some of her moments of purest contentment were when she was in Clay's arms. "How are you doing this morning, sweetheart?"
Clay groaned quietly. "Fine, other than I could have used a few more hours of sleep."
"Aw..." Kate reached up and threaded her fingers through his hair several times, caressing his scalp lightly as he continued to hold on to her.
"Keep on doing that, and I might get that sleep yet."
"No rest for the wicked, Clay," Sally told him teasingly. "Better go get that shower."
Clay pretended to glare at her. "Are you saying that I stink?"
Sally held up a hand. "I'm not touching that one. Go clean up, and I'll keep your wife entertained while you're gone."
A short while later Clay returned freshly scrubbed and changed, and the three sat down for a leisurely breakfast at the kitchen table. "Your cooking is improving, sweetie."
Kate flushed a little at Sally's praise. "Thank you. Between those years of apartment living and almost a year of cooking for the two of us, I've had some practice." She winced. "Though I still ruin dinner from time to time..."
Chuckling lightly, Sally shook her head. "Kate, everyone does. Your mother does, I do... I bet even Emeril still burns a few things every now and then."
"I tease her a bit about it sometimes," Clay admitted, "but I make sure to throw in a few self-deprecating remarks with it since I know I couldn't do any better."
"That's right," Kate drawled.
Clay stuck his tongue out at her. "Rub it in, why don't you?"
"I will."
Sally snickered. "You two are amusing to watch at times."
"At times?" the couple asked in unison.
Immediately Sally covered her eyes. "Okay, that was frightening. You've only been married a year and you're doing that."
"Don't worry, Sally," Kate soothed. "We may get along great and read each other's mind from time to time, but Mars and Venus still have their share of miscommunications in this house."
"Though I'm still trying to convince her that I'm actually from Pluto," Clay mumbled in a stage whisper to Sally.
Shaking her head, Sally attempted in vain to keep a straight face. "Not touching that one..."
"Smart move, cous'."
Suddenly Sally snapped her fingers. "That reminds me," she began.
But there was something about her manner that told Kate that the topic Sally was going to change to had been on her mind for some time, and that Clay had merely provided her the opening. "What is it?" she asked suspiciously, unsure she wanted to hear what her cousin had to say.
"I told you that I had something I wanted to say to the two of you. Two things, actually." Sally took a deep breath. "The first is that I'm sorry about the way I handled myself last night. Although Kate does need to be watching herself more carefully right now and Clay does need to make sure she behaves... it's not my place to stick my nose into your relationship. I know I can be the overbearing, meddlesome relative, but it's because I love you guys."
"Apology accepted," Kate said simply, cutting off her cousin's excuses.
Sally blinked at Kate's blunt answer. "I deserved that."
Clay could tell by the expression on his wife's face that she would rather just drop it... and to be honest, so did he. "What was the other thing you wanted to say?"
"I bring news from Pastor Macy."
Both Clay and Kate turned a more focused attention to Sally. "What's Pastor Macy's latest?"
"It's news from Pastor, but it's not about Pastor." Pausing and taking a deep breath, she began. "It's about Emeline."
"News about Emeline?" Clay asked eagerly, wanting to hear the news but unsure if it would be good news or not. "It's been five months already. How is she doing? How is her mom doing?"
"The orphanage at Jérémie is taking good care of her, considering who's in charge of it," Sally began.
"ORPHANAGE???" the couple exclaimed, once more in unison. Clay stared at his wife for a moment before shaking it off. Considering the exact news they had been brought, it was not all that surprising they had the same first thought. "Orphanage?" Clay asked. "What happened to her mom? Why's Emeline in the orphanage? Doesn't she have someone else who can take care of her?"
Sally held up a hand as a tiny smirk turned the corner of her mouth. "To answer to your first question, her mom died of one of the local diseases shortly after we left. About a month or two, I think. That right there tells you why Emeline is in the orphanage - she has no other family, no one at all. So the pastor put her in the orphanage, knowing that she would receive more regular meals and sleep than she had been getting for a very long time."
"Oh my goodness." Clay bit his lip, knowing that she now had no one at all to take care of her.
"Pastor Macy's been hitting up the people on our team to see if any of us wanted to adopt her, since we all bonded with her that Thursday in Haiti." Sally studied the eyes of Clay and Kate in turn to see how this news affected them before she needed to bring up the next thing.
"That's Pastor." Kate turned to her cousin. "Has anyone on the team expressed an interest in adopting her? Pretty much everyone on the team absolutely fell in love with her."
Frowning, Sally shook her head. "There is someone who offered to take her if no one else would... but considering the family dynamics there, they thought we should ask around first. Actually that individual told me point-blank to ask you guys first, noticing how well you got along."
Kate nodded thoughtfully as she remembered the tiny little girl sitting on Clay's lap for part of the noon meal that day, remembering how she fed Emeline from their own plates. In spite of the fact that they didn't speak each other's language, the three had been very comfortable with each other. "Clay..." she began gingerly.
Clay glanced up into his wife's eyes. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, we need to talk about it alone at length, and pray for a while before we can give an answer."
"I think I know what you're getting at," she said quietly, resting a hand on her own bulge of life at her waist. "Too much at one time."
"Instant family," Clay snorted, "just add water."
Sally sighed at them. "This isn't the movie Gremlins, you guys. It's not as bad as you seem to think."
"You're not in our shoes, Sal."
"Clay, you said you wanted twins. It will have some similarities in that you'll be getting two new children within a six-month time span."
"All right, so we were already expecting Joseph to arrive in February. But this whole business with Emeline is very, very sudden. If we were to try to adopt Emeline at this time... we'd have to see if we could get another one of those guest rooms overhauled to suit a little girl in record time, we'd have to get everything she needs as well from clothes on down, and then once we get her here in our home, it will take time and lots of patience until we learn enough of each other's language to communicate."
Even Sally had to concede to that with a single nod. "All right. For now I'll let it drop so that you two can discuss and pray. I would have expected that of the two of you anyway." She stood up. "I'll help you clean up a little bit, then while you're doing your morning devotion and prayers I'll start getting my own act together for our collaboration day. Will that work for you?"
Quickly Clay and Kate agreed. "That works for us."
The three of them cleared the kitchen in short order, putting the remaining food in the refrigerator and the dishes in the dishwasher before getting ready for the rest of their day. True to her word Sally left the room, giving the Aikens the privacy they needed for their devotion and prayer time as a couple.
"Pick a part of scripture, any part," Clay quipped. Obliging her husband at his word, Kate covered her eyes, opened her Bible, and planted a finger at a random spot on the page. "Which section are we reading today, honey?" he asked her, leaning over to read the page.
"Looks like... Psalm 127," Kate answered as she scanned the heading.
"Short Psalm," Clay answered, noting that it was only five verses long. "At the rate we're going, we'll have this done in record time. Which part do you want to read?"
"The first two verses are fine." Glancing down at her text, Kate began to read. "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves."
Clay picked up where she left off. "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him." Giving Kate a wide-eyed look, he glanced back down and read further. "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." Clay stared at the words on the page in silence, willing them to change or to say something further. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes..."
"Clay... I swear I just opened it to a page and pointed," Kate whispered breathlessly, almost as if she was apologizing for her choice of verse.
"I know, Kathryn. I saw you."
"Look, I heard what you said to Sally just a little bit ago. I understand why you don't want to take this on right now, so I really wasn't planning on saying anything more to you, and I certainly wasn't planning this." With barely a breath, Kate went on. "If all you want to deal with right now is Joseph and me and the rest of your crazy life, I'm alright with that. Just me by myself is a lot to put up with."
Hoping to stop her fast-paced babbling, Clay reached over and touched a fingertip to her lips. "You're a lot to put up with, all right, but I find that I like it." With a smile as she silently studied his eyes, he took his finger down from her mouth and grasped her hand warmly in both of his. "I'll be completely honest with you - I'm scared. I'm a little scared about how well I'm going to be able to take care of Joseph and provide for him a loving, God-filled life. Much less Emeline or any other children. I already know our kids are not going to have a normal life."
"Of course not," Kate said firmly, the emotion hidden in her voice suggesting that she was teasing. "They'll have us for parents."
Giving her a mild pretend scowl, Clay glared at her. "Very funny, hon."
Kate smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm sorry, hon. I was just trying to inject a little humor."
"I appreciate your intent." Clay sighed deeply, thinking for a minute. "But I'm honestly concerned with... well, everything. The life we find ourselves in. Being in the public eye all the time. And then there's all our little quirks and issues that we'd have to deal with even if we didn't have all the other stuff..."
"We do have a lot of things to deal with, don't we?" Kate asked gently, eliciting a weak smile from her husband. "Clay... if God is helping the two of us be everything that He wants us to be for each other, how much more will He help us to be everything He wants us to be for any children we have?"
"You're right, of course." Once again Clay heaved a sigh, much deeper and more drawn out than the first. "So I guess today He's calming the inner storm..."
Carefully Kate squeezed his hand. "You heard Sally. She isn't expecting us to make our decision today. She planned on us wanting to discuss it and pray on it before we gave her any answer."
At last Clay gave one firm nod. "All right. We're placing this one in His hands, hon, for the next little while. We want to pray for whatever's best for Emeline in the long run... whether that's us or someone else. And we want to pray that God allow us to discern what is best for her so we know whether to take this opportunity ourselves... or let someone else have it." Kate gave her own nod to show that she agreed wholeheartedly. "I envy you, hon. You're so confident about all of this."
"Me? Confident?" Kate snorted. "I'm shaking in my Isotoners at the mere idea of being anyone's mom... yet that's exactly what I want to be. I want the two of us to be parents as God loans us His children to take care of for a while." She smiled lightly. "Between you and God, I seem a lot more confident than I really am. I certainly seem a lot more gifted than I really am."
"Horse feathers. You're amazing."
"So are you."
The couple continued to eye each other, daring the other to believe in themselves for once. "All right, so we didn't discuss the Psalm much... but we still had a good talk." As Kate smiled, Clay went on. "Why don't we begin our prayers so that we might stand a chance of being at least half done by the time Sally wanders out here again."
"Good plan," Kate agreed, and the two clasped hands with each other to pray. They prayed at length, giving thanks for the many blessings in their lives before talking to Him about their many challenges... including their respective health issues, their respective jobs and tasks, and their family issues.
By the time Sally walked out to the living room with a binder of paperwork and her laptop, the two of them had finished praying and had started stealing kisses. Sally took one look at the two of them and rolled her eyes. "All right, you two. Put a cork in it and let's get to work."
The trio reconvened in the office where Sally quickly set up her own laptop close to Clay's while Kate prepared the electronic keyboard that the couple used to help them write their music. "All right, guys. Would you rather go first, or second?"
The couple exchanged sheepish looks. "We'd probably better go first. Your music is going to be so much better that we'd be too embarrassed to share ours if we went second."
Sally rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't know about that. So do I get the good fortune of hearing you sing your own songs, or does the therapist still have you on a vocal restriction?"
Clay made a sour face as Kate gave him a pointed look. "The therapist thinks that I can start singing again if I take it easy for a while and don't over-sing," he began.
"Oo," Sally cooed. "Please, Clay, don't stress yourself out for my sake. You don't have to sing full strength for this session."
"Actually, I think I want to hold off for a while longer and make sure my voice is properly healed," Clay said quickly. "You or Kate can sing the songs for today."
Sally frowned as she studied Clay's eyes. "You've lost your confidence, haven't you?"
"It's not like that," Clay protested.
Kate sighed. "Yes, it is," she said firmly. "Sally, you've been there. He's going through some of the same things you did."
Clay looked up at Sally with surprise. "You lost your confidence?" he asked. "How long did it take for you to get it back?" But to Clay's further surprise, instead of answering him, Sally looked away.
"She hasn't gotten it back," Kate told him quietly.
Gaping at Kate's usually bold and outgoing cousin, Clay was shocked to see the hurt and the vulnerability thinly veiled in her brown eyes. "B-But... you've been through this and healed."
"Physically, her voice has healed," Clay's wife answered, "but her confidence in that voice has never returned. Which is too bad, because it's still a beautiful voice..."
Sally glared at Kate. "Are you through speaking for me?"
"That depends," Kate told her. "Are you ready to answer him for yourself?"
"He just caught me off guard, that's all."
Clay studied Sally as she paced back and forth, feeling more nervous by the moment. If this self-actualized, gregarious and talented woman had not recovered from her experience, it made him a lot more worried for his own future... and how he was going to take care of his family. Most of Clay's fans were hoping that part of his tenure with the variety show would include some of his own vocal performances, but if there was no more confidence, there would be no more music performance career. He hoped that the show would be successful enough to run without his music in it.
"Keep in mind that not everyone heals at the same rate, Clay. After all, don't forget your friend Kelly Clarkson had nodes too, before she went on the Independent Tour with you."
Smiling his appreciation over at his wife, Clay hid a sigh of relief. Her gentle reminder that there were other healing success stories encouraged him to have hope for his own. All he needed to do was trust the only One who could give him healing.
"You heard my story earlier, Clay," Sally told him. "I got
sick of going to specialists who didn't know anything, so I changed from a
career in vocal performing to a music career that used my keyboard skills and
theory knowledge. Once in
"Does that mean I get to hear you sing today, or not?" Clay asked, cutting directly to the point.
"Let's give your wife the chance to shine today."
Kate glanced back and forth between them, an odd expression on her face. "You can't be serious. Both of you on a bad day have better voices than me on a good day, and you're trying to talk me into singing. Something's messed up with that."
"Kate, you know I'm supposed to take care of my voice or risk losing it..." Clay suggested.
"You are taking care of it, for once," Kate argued. "Which means you'll probably be alright as long as you continue to use the techniques your therapist suggested."
"Sounds on track to me," Sally affirmed. "That's the way my therapist handled my case."
"Then what's your excuse?" Clay grumbled.
For several minutes the threesome squabbled about who should demonstrate the songs, with no foreseeable compromise on the horizon.
"Too bad Aunt Trish isn't here," Sally groused. "We could con her into singing them."
Kate shook her head. "No, she'd tell us we were all acting like children and make us demo our own songs."
"That sounds fair to me. Clay?"
Clay gave the matter a moment's consideration before shaking his head. "I should probably continue to take it easy for a while. Since Kate and I did much of our work together, I'll let her sing ours while you sing yours and Mom Kirche's."
"Clay, the longer you put off dealing with this," Sally insisted, "the harder it will be."
"I take it you know this from experience," Clay answered smartly.
"As a matter of fact, I do."
Kate groaned, holding her head in her hands. "Enough bickering already, or we'll never get this project up and working."
"She's absolutely right. Get three hotheads in the same room, and an argument could last all day." Sally placed a warm hand on Kate's shoulder. "I bet you never thought you'd be the voice of reason in a group, did you?"
Nodding dryly, Kate made a face. "Yeah, it's kind of a shocker."
"How do we want to go about this?" Sally asked. "One genre first, followed by the other, or do we want to take the songs as they come?"
With a snort Kate shrugged. "I have mine separated out anyway. Doesn't matter."
Clay smirked at her. "Some people are so organized..."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "You're not talking about me, are you?"
"I'm looking at you."
She snorted again. "If I'm organized, then the Pope is Jewish."
"Hey," Sally interrupted. "Watch the papal jokes, sweetie."
"You make them."
Sally placed her hands on her hips. "I was Catholic once. You never were."
"All right, all right..." Kate relented. "No more Catholic jokes. I'll keep mine Lutheran." She shot an evil look at her hubby. "I have the perfect joke that would slam Catholics, Baptists, and Lutherans, but I don't think Clay would appreciate it."
Clay frowned. "Why wouldn't I appreciate it?"
Kate smirked. "One of those mixed-company jokes, hon, that I'd better tell each of you in private."
"Oh." As if he could already imagine the subject, Clay blushed.
Laughing warmly, Sally wrapped an arm around each of Clay and Kate at their shoulders. "That's one thing I like about the two of you - you're both still innocent enough to blush at things."
"Thanks, I think," Clay mumbled.
"I think the best way to do this will be for each one of us to listen without commenting to the songs..." Sally began, "write notes to remind ourselves what we think on a given song. Whether we like it, whether we don't, whether we'd recommend a change here or there."
"Makes sense." Clay turned to his wife. "Ready, honey?"
"I suppose." Careful to choose randomly between her things and Clay's and theirs, between secular and contemporary Christian, Kate began to demonstrate their music. Whenever it was possible to let the computer demonstrate for her she did, whenever she got to a song that was only on paper she attempted it the best she could... though in her own mind she was convinced that she butchered it. She carefully ignored Sally taking her notes for the songs, very much like her husband was doing. They both knew that if they didn't, it would drive them crazy trying to figure out what Sally was saying about each piece.
"Kate, I gotta ask you one question - how in the world did you find a word that rhymed with that??"
Kate giggled as Clay smirked at her. "This song came from one of our goofier work sessions..."
"I couldn't tell."
"If you really want a goofy song," Clay giggled, leafing through the computer files, "this would be the song you want to listen to. We wrote this on not enough sleep one night."
As Clay sat down beside his wife on the chair, the two of them started to sing the song. When they had finished, they turned to Sally with grins on their faces. "Whatcha think, cous'?"
"I think you guys were short on sleep all right." Sally was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her cheeks. "If we include that on the album, your fans are going to think you are nuts."
"We are nuts," Clay answered. "What's your point?"
"Sorry I mentioned it." Sally wiped her face. "Maybe you could put that one on a children's album."
Clay and Kate exchanged a thoughtful glance. "Maybe," Kate smiled. "Let's see if we get these first two off the ground, first, before we start thinking about a third."
"Let's make sure I can actually make the first two," Clay sighed, "before we see to a third."
With a sigh that echoed her husband's, Kate wrapped her arms around Clay before reaching up to give him a loving kiss on the cheek. She needed to show him her love and support any way that she could. "We'll take our days as God gives them to us."
He made a face. "It just seems that most of my days lately are filled with headaches and struggles."
Sally pulled another pen out of her satchel. "Clay, your verse is from
Exodus, so I know you at least have some passing familiarity with that
book." Opening up her pen, she began. "Moses met with the elders of
Clay bit his lip, thinking of the events of the summer... their experience at the Haitian river... then his twin diagnoses of typhoid and vocal nodes. Things had indeed gotten worse for him, but thankfully not so bad that they couldn't see God in the midst of it. "I remember that."
"Hold to God's promises, Clay, because He doesn't break them. He won't leave you without hope."
Instantly Clay remembered that was the message in Kate's favorite verse. Glancing over at her, he saw that she had caught the reference too. "That's always good to hear, Sally. Thank you." Pointing to the computer, Clay indicated that he had a specific one he wanted Sally to hear. "I think I know the next piece we should demo for her, honey."
"Which - oh, that one." Kate nodded. "That's one of your better ones."
"Thank you," Clay told her. He had taken some of his wife's advice and had gleaned through his journals for material for songwriting. This particular song was written from some of his recent struggles of identity and worth, and it used his identity as a child of God as a theme to pull it all together. Even Clay was particularly pleased about how it had turned out.
Completely still and motionless as she listened to Kate singing the song, Sally absorbed every lyric and note of Clay's creative inspiration. And because of her own struggles with nodes and other issues, it quickly moved her to tears. "Wow, Clay," she said when it was all done. She took the tissues that Kate offered. "I don't care what we decide we like in the rest of your stuff or in Aunt Trish's or my stuff. That one's a keeper, and it's going on the album."
Clay smiled self-consciously, but with a little bit of pride too. "I'm glad you like it."
"Like it?? LOVE it!" Sally wiped the tears from her eyes. "I think everyone's going to know that you came up with that based on your own experiences, but you wrote it in such a way that it could apply to anyone in any situation. Great job!"
Kate gave Clay another kiss on the cheek. "I told you that was a good one."
"You did," Clay agreed, wrapping his arms around her waist. He leaned his head on her shoulder as she continued to search through files on the computer. All of a sudden he blinked with surprise. "Oh my goodness..." he breathed as he held Kate a little closer, splaying his hands on her stomach.
"What?" Sally asked as Kate made an embarrassed face and blushed. "Be careful with where you put those hands while you've got an audience, Clay."
Immediately Clay explained. "The baby moved," he told her,
"and I felt him move. This is the first time I've been able to feel him
move since our mini-vacation in
Sally smirked at her cousin. "Good luck, sweetie. Now he'll want to always have his hands on your stomach, hoping to feel him move."
Kate's blush deepened. "Not that I mind all that much..."
"That's your problem," Sally teased.
Clay cried out with excitement. "He moved again! Honey, did you feel that?"
With a grunt, Kate nodded. "I think he's got your energy level. He sure seems to be always on the move..." she drawled.
"Enjoy having him in the womb while you can," Sally told her. "Once he starts walking, there'll be no holding him back."
"Don't remind me," Clay told her.
"One of him is bad enough," Kate agreed, earning a scowl and a raspberry from her husband.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9