Chapter Fifty Five

“You are a Sexual. Fucking. Dynamo. You know that?”

Rachel stood in front of the bathroom mirror looking onto Jon’s reflection as he stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. She was glad that the light-hearted relationship they so often shared had returned after their official christening of the bedroom but her mouth still gaped open at his declaration of her sexual prowess. Smoothing the last of the moisturiser onto her face, she placed the small pot back in her toiletries bag and regaining her composure, grinned at him in the mirror.

“It amazes me how your mood can so easily be improved with sex. I've never seen anybody use sex as a tension-reliever like you do. You are aware you’re grumpy if you haven’t gotten it in a few days, right?”

Scrubbing dry his hair with the towel and then dropping it to the floor as he always did, Jon shook the remnants of the water from his hair and wrapped his arms cheekily around her waist.  

“Whatever! I don’t know what you do with your mouth, but I like it.” He grabbed her at the hips, pulling her against him before growling, “Just thinking about it gets me worked up. I may have to maul you again before I let you out of the house.”

“Pffh. As many times as you've already mauled me today, it’ll be a miracle if you can get it up again before Thanksgiving.”

“I guarantee… YOU will wear out before I do, little girl.”  Jon locked eyes with her in the mirror with a hint of dare in them, just before he slapped her bare butt and sauntered out of the bathroom.

“OUCH!”

The cocky, playful laughter was unmistakable in his reply as he disappeared into the closet. “You love it!”

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Rachel had just tied a scarf around her neck, completing her outfit for the second time that day, when the tinkling of piano keys caught her ear. Intrigued, she wandered from the bedroom in search of the captivating melody that was being pulled from the long-silent instrument. As she made her way down the stairs, Jon’s familiar voice joined the melody.

You’re looking for a hero, but it’s just my old tattoo.

Tonight, I swear, I’d sell my soul

To be a hero for you….

Who’s gonna hold you when you turn out the lights?

I won’t lie, I wish that I…could be your Superman tonight.

Stepping lightly from the staircase, Rachel rounded the corner into the living room and was struck by how right this felt. This man, this love…in this house of all places.   

“That’s beautiful.” Leaning against the wall behind the piano listening as the last note lingered in the air, she spoke quietly so as not to startle him. “Is it something you wrote?”

“Yeah, just something I've been fooling with for a while. Actually, since right after I met you.” Jon turned around on the piano bench and spanned her slender waist with his hands and pulled her into him. “You look pretty…” He glanced up toward her face with that all-too familiar sexual glint lighting up his eyes, accompanied by a helping of mischievousness.  “…again.”

Errant fingers found the top of his head and Rachel gently stroked his hair. “Thanks….although I wonder how long it will be before you have these clothes on the floor… again.”

“Not long, but you can keep them on while we’re with your parents. Beyond that I make no promises.” Jon’s nose nuzzled up under the bottom of her sweater for a teasing nibble before he released her with a tap to her bottom. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah…but there’s just one thing I wanna mention. I called my dad to see if he would switch cars with me while we were here. For what it’s worth, he agreed with you.” Rachel rolled her eyes subconsciously. “He says it’s a guy thing.”

With his eyes flying dramatically wide, Jon’s feigned shock was ridiculously exaggerated. “My God, call the Pope because it’s a divine miracle….YOU MEAN I GET TO BE RIGHT????”

“Just this once. Don’t get used to it.” Rachel flicked the top of his head before continuing. “Anyway, he also mentioned that Nick’s brother is selling his BMW so I gave him a quick call. Long story short, we’re trading cars. Scott is thrilled to have his brother’s car and I'm happy to have something that better suits my purposes when I'm out here. We’ll sign the pink slips and make the swap tomorrow at his party.”

Jon was quiet for a moment and when he spoke, his reply was soft. “I overreacted earlier, Rach. It’s fine. You don’t need to do that for me.”

“I'm not doing it for you, sweetie. My reasons are mostly selfish. I want you to be as comfortable here as you wanted me to be in your home…well, homes. But more than that, I want things that represent us and our future … not the past.”

Nodding, Jon acknowledged her reasoning with a soft kiss to her temple. Relationships were all about give and take and too often in the past he’d been guilty of not reciprocating. Now though he was realising compromise was a far better option and it seemed Rachel was too.

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The evening was pleasant and Jon had been instantly comfortable with Rachel’s family. Dinner that night was just as Rachel described it, with her mother trying to feed them from the moment they hit the door. It was a typical family get together with good food, fun and conversation with wine from one of the local wineries flowing freely.  It was also apparent that Rachel had been a classic Daddy’s Girl such was the ease they had with each other despite being apart for so long. Jon silently hoped when his own daughter was grown that he would continue to have the same close relationship with her as he had always enjoyed. Unable to escape the Daddy thoughts, he even slipped away for a moment, sending her a text just to say he was thinking of her.  

The main topic of conversation over dinner had been the birth of Robin’s first grandchild and the two sisters talked non stop about the new baby and how excited they were to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with him. Rachel was like a giddy schoolgirl at the mere thought of snuggling up to the new born. Jon, on the other hand, wondered why on earth he was suddenly surrounded by babies and baby talk.

There were even more babies at Scott Braden’s 50th Birthday party the following day. Jon would swear that Rachel managed to hold every last one of them.   

Nick Braden had a remarkable family, Jon would give the guy that much. Walking into a party filled with the relatives and friends of Rachel’s late husband could have – and should have – been uncomfortable and awkward. But it wasn't. The family of the man Jon had felt the tiniest bit threatened by only days ago couldn't have been more kind or welcoming and it made the reality of Rachel’s loss that much more pronounced. This had been her life and her family...the aunts, uncles and grandparents to her children. He couldn't imagine the horror of what this room full of people had endured; it was more than just Rachel. Jon was now acutely aware that Nick Braden had been a living, breathing man with people he loved and who had loved him back.   

“It took balls of steel for you to walk in here, Jon.” Scott gave a warm slap to Jon’s shoulder and smiled kindly and hoped he could swallow down the lump in his throat. “Rachel’s a special woman; you obviously see that, too.”

Jon nodded in acknowledgement and returned the smile. “She’s an incredible lady. I appreciate you and your family welcoming me the way you have. I know it can’t be easy.”

  

The first time he met Rachel, Scott had taken a liking to her which had grown to a natural, familial love and he considered her as much a part of the family as if they shared blood and DNA. The brothers and their families had vacationed in Hawaii over the New Year’s holiday nearly every year and some precious memories had come from those times. But they hadn't needed a luxurious vacation to enjoy each other’s company. Some of their happiest days were the result of an impromptu barbecue with kids running through sprinklers before time and hard work had provided the funds for lavish swimming pools. Hot dogs had been replaced with finer cuts of meat, that was true, but the core of relationship was always based on family and little had changed over the years.  

It was bitter sweet for Scott to see the love of his brother’s life move on with another man. He was happy for Rachel; he knew she’d seen the dark side of hell after the accident. But the elder Braden boy still thought of her as his kid brother’s wife and news of Rachel’s intention to bring her new ‘friend’ into the intimate fold had been met with mixed reactions. It was Nick and Scott’s own mother who had insisted she was “theirs”, a part of the family and it was quickly declared anything – or anyone - that made Rachel happy again would be welcomed with open arms.

It was preserving the family unity that Scott had kept uppermost in his mind as he continued to address Jon. “We love her and while I won’t deny it’s an adjustment to see her with somebody else, it’s good to see the ‘old’ Rachel. You, uh… you've obviously given her her ‘spark’ back. When Nick first fell for her he said she was the first woman he’d ever met he was afraid to lose so I hope you’ll be good to her, because you’re a lucky man to have her.”  

Before he could respond to the heartfelt sentiments of Rachel’s brother-in-law, the woman in question crossed the room and covered Jon’s ears with her hands.  “Whatever he’s telling you is greatly exaggerated. Don’t listen to him!”

Scott was grateful for the interruption from the emotional road he’d been travelling down. The ‘big brother’ talk now over, he affectionately hugged Rachel close to him. “I was telling him that you’re an anal retentive control freak and he’s gonna have to rule you with an iron fist!”

Her half-hearted punch to the arm of Nick’s look-alike brother had Rachel laughing. “I am NOT a control freak and don’t be planting seeds that he needs to ‘rule’ me with anything! Besides, it’s time for us to take off. Being that you’re FIFTY now, I know you need your rest.”

Scott shook his head in amused disgust at the blonde he’d known since she was a teenager. “Oh please! I will never be so old that I can’t rescue YOU from drunken sailors when you've had too much to drink and are threatening to table dance while you fling your bra across Mexican beach bars.”

Rachel’s eyes flew wide open and her hand shot over Scott’s mouth “Shut. Up!!”

Jon had enjoyed the banter between his lover and her brother-in-law but the visual of a drunken Rachel throwing her bra around a bar was one he couldn't imagine. “WHAT????  Oh…this I GOTTA hear!”

Rachel determinedly shook her head and took Jon’s hand to drag him towards the driveway, “Nope…we’re leaving right now!”   

Dangling the keys to his – now her – car toward Jon, Scott kissed the top of Rachel’s head while addressing Jon. “I’ll tell you all sorts of stories when you’re here for our Thanksgiving gathering on Wednesday ….I have a feeling you need to know OUR Rachel a little better.”

Accepting the keys with one hand and extending the other for a warm handshake Jon was filled with gratitude for the blessings he’d had in his life. He’d never known real tragedy or loss. Even in his divorce he had retained a closeness that he cherished with Dorothea. “Thanks for a great evening, man. Looking forward to hearing some stories on our girl, here.”

Chuckling at the look of horror on Rachel’s face as she practically dragged him to the car, he waved his farewell to the rest of the Braden family. Thanksgiving looked like being extra fun this year.

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The flurry of non-stop activity coupled with the draining emotional baggage of their trip made Jon and Rachel grateful for the simple pleasure of some time alone as they sat soaking in the hot tub with a bottle of wine later that night.   

“It seems that you had… have…. a great relationship with your in-laws. They obviously adore you as much as you do them. Great people…”

“Yeah…they’re wonderful. We've had a lot of fun over the years. Even with Nick’s dad being such a nightmare, we always managed to have a good time.” Rachel took another sip of her wine before setting the glass to the side. “You were quite the charming gentleman tonight. Do you practice that smile in the mirror?  That can’t be natural you know?  Nobody can look that good without trying.”

Jon offered a cockily raised eyebrow and stretched his arms lazily to the edge of the spa;

“Nope…that’s just me bein’ me. All natural charm….” To prove his point, the famous ‘megawatt’ smile was flashed and he snickered when Rachel’s palm came to her face. He had easily affected her from all the way across the tub. “C’mere…you’re too far away over there.”

Sloshing through the warm water as she snuggled into Jon’s side, Rachel peppered his jaw with soft kisses. “You’ll notice how I jumped when you called.”

“I wouldn't expect anything less….don’t make me use my iron fist on you!” Unable to resist a quick tease from earlier, Jon grinned down at her. “So…what’s on our agenda tomorrow? Shopping in San Francisco, right? Christ, I need a tour manager just to keep up with the schedule out here!”

“Yeah. Christmas shopping in the City and then dinner. If you’ll back off on the ‘rock star’ look a little bit, we could probably pull it off without too many people recognizing you, right?”

“Whaddya mean ‘back off on the rock star look’? I blend right in with everybody else.”

“Seriously? You believe that? The ‘rock star’ chains and sunglasses…you do NOT ‘blend in’…you stand out.”

“It’s not the necklace and sunglasses that make me stand out, baby…. I'm just so damned handsome…it’s hard to ugly me up, ya know? But I think we can make it work…I’ll skip shaving and put a pillow under my shirt to camouflage my incredibly sexy body…”

Their comfortable relationship had become even more so with the added bonus of a heightened confidence between them. There was a depth to them now that could have only come about with time and a rocky road or two.  

“Don’t skip shaving…it only makes you look ten times hotter and it draws more attention to you.”

Jon laughed loud and hard at the apparent seriousness of her declaration. “Only YOU would describe me as ‘ten times hotter’ when I fail to shave.” Curling his arm around her neck, he drew her closer to his chest and kissed the top of her head. “Even though you have to wake up to this stubbly face and bed-head hair…you still stick around.”

The tone and volume of her response was quiet as she nuzzled against his wet chest. “I love waking up with you….almost as much as I love going to sleep with you. It feels so good to…well, feel good again but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and the bottom to fall out of this.”

“You’re waiting for the bottom to fall out of what? Us? Not happenin’, babe.”

“I know it sounds ‘doom and gloom’….and I never used to think like that…but I just can’t believe I’d find this kind of happiness…and get to keep it. It’s hard to relax and just enjoy it. There’s this tiny, nagging voice that tells me not to get used to it.”

Jon loosened his hold on her and turned so he could see those eyes that had become so familiar.

“You’re serious! Why don’t you talk to me about this stuff? I'm not goin’ anywhere and neither are you. We've earned the good times, Rachel…we put in our time when we first met and paid our dues.”

  

He recalled their rocky start and how it almost didn't move beyond a one-night stand. “I think both of us had a few moments in the beginning that we were just about as happy to walk away as we were to stay, but there was something that told us to stay in the game. I understand your history makes you a little skittish….but that’s the past…it’s just old baggage. Don’t look back, Rachel…let it go.”