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Chapter Twenty-One
Clark
It was a good thing Joey had given me the heads up on how long PJ would be at the hospital. I could’ve used a bit more time, but I managed to squeeze in just about everything I wanted to do.
This wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but delaying any longer didn’t make sense. Both Joey and Jerry had stressed the importance of time. I wasn’t going to waste another moment.
It could’ve been PJ in that car.
Those thoughts cause a tightness in my chest like I’d never felt before. My first thought was to bring PJ back to Boston so I could keep her safe. Reality wasn’t as simple as that. No one could guarantee another’s safety, no matter how hard we tried.
Did that mean I wouldn’t try? Hell no. But I was aiming at something I felt I had some influence over - making her happy.
I looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. PJ should be home in about ten minutes if she wasn’t making stops. Since she had said she was hungry, and anticipated us going out to eat, I was betting she would arrive on time. Just enough time for me to double check that everything is perfect. Now, where to start?
Since I was in the kitchen, it made sense to start here. The table was set, candles lit, food warm for the moment. Can always microwave if we need to.
I headed into the living room. Every surface was covered in bouquets of daisies, not a single smiley face vase among them.
There was one last room, the bedroom. I opened the door, and instead of PJ’s butterfly print bedspread I had replaced it with a white satin one. Red rose petals in a heart shape covered the center. A bottle of champagne sat on ice on the nightstand with a tray of chocolate dipped strawberries. Not bad for someone who isn’t romantic.
I set the music to some smooth jazz, filled with saxophone, just the way she likes it. I hope she can just believe what I’m about to tell her.
When I entered the living room, I saw the doorknob turning. And it starts.
As soon as she walked in, her beautiful green eyes widened. “What the…” she looked around stunned. “Clark?” she called out, not even realizing I was watching her from across the room.
“Welcome home,” I said.
“I couldn’t even see you through all these flowers. What are they doing here?” she asked.
Walking over to her I said, “I may have screwed up the first time I gave you flowers, but I wasn’t going to this time.”
She smiled and said, “Funny, at the moment I can’t recall ever having received flowers before. They’re…beautiful, thank you.”
I leaned over and kissed her. Instantly, my body reacted to her being so close. Forget it. It isn’t about sex tonight. It’s about romance. About love. About our future.
Stepping back, I said, “I hope you’re hungry.”
She asked warily, “You didn’t cook, did you?”
Chuckling I responded, “Does reheat in the microwave count?”
“My stomach says yes. So what’s on the menu?”
“Lobster bisque. Scallops wrapped in bacon. Stuffed lobster tail and…”
“Please, my mouth is watering. Show me the way,” she said.
I took her hand and led her to the kitchen. Once again, her jaw dropped and she said, “Oh, my God. Clark. You did all this? I was only gone a few hours.”
“I had some help,” I said. I really owe Reanna and Shanda. Those two had teamed up with me to get everything delivered in time.
“Clark, why did you do all this?” she asked.
That was my cue.
I took her hand in mine and said, “This isn’t what I wanted to do. When I thought about what you deserved, at no point were we here in Orlando. Maybe at the top of the Eiffel Tower or in a hot air balloon.”
