As if by unspoken agreement, Adria and JC did not discuss their careers over the holidays. Both knew it would most likely be the end of them – if seen through her eyes.
Thanksgiving found her introduced to JC’s parents and siblings. Both Roy and Karen found the woman JC so obviously loved charming and very domestic. Though Italian through and through, she brought a couple of her own specialties to the table, dishes of Southern roots.
“And here all I thought you could make was fantastic pasta sauces,” JC joked, receiving an expressive eye roll from Adria.
“Have you proposed to her yet?” Roy asked his eldest son when they were alone in the living room while the women cleaned up the kitchen.
“How can I? I’m pretty sure she got asked to continue the website. That means she’ll be heading for DC.”
“Websites can be pretty portable.”
“And I’m in preproduction for a movie and after the new year, I’m going to Russia – and judging Dance Crew in LA.”
“So you don’t want to make it work.”
“Hell yeah! I do but Adria... She’s got this thing about my not ‘planning’ my life. She sees it as drifting.”
“Aren’t you?” Roy asked kindly. “It does seem that way since Schizophrenic. I mean I know you can afford to decide, but Adria has poor beginnings. She may be afraid you won’t support her – or the party life will pull you away. Even your mother and I were concerned at one time.”
“You have to take love on trust – another issue for Adria.” JC shook his head. “Even if she took the DC job I’d be willing to do the work. I don’t want to be with anyone else. Hell, I don’t even look at anyone else. I’ve done all the giving; I’ve been flexible. I need some sign she is willing to do the same. I mean I know she can’t afford to fly everywhere but she never says she’ll come along.”
“You need to have this discussion with her, not me,” Roy suggested. “Or you’ll lose the love of your life.”
JC managed a small sad smile. “She is that.”
“Where are we going?” Adria demanded as JC headed his rental SUV out of Chicago.
“It’s a surprise.”
“JC—”
“An early Christmas present.”
“We have to leave Chicago to shop for Christmas?”
It was a week away. He had promised to help her decorate the apartment before he flew back to Los Angeles for a few days. He had been shuttling back and forth an awful lot. She had even gone with him for a few days – as a respite from her still crazy life. She hadn’t told him yet, she had been asked to stay with the President Elect all the way to the White House. Since the presidency had never had such an internet presence before, she’d been asked to head the new department. Barak Obama and Rahm Emanuel had personally asked her. Starting with the inauguration, this presidency was going to be one for the people. It was an awesome opportunity for the poor girl from Chicago’s Little Italy.
JC hadn’t said much about his plans, but then he hadn’t needed to – there were websites devoted to his every move. He’d finished one movie just before they met and began filming another after the new year. He wasn’t even going to be around when Obama took office.
He reached over for her hand. “Honey?”
Adria gave him a small smile. “I’m fine.”
“Wanna talk?” he offered.
“About?”
“Christmas? Us? Beyond Christmas?”
“Christmas Eve, I go to Harry’s and Giselle’s, then we go to Christmas Eve mass. Christmas Day I spend with the Chasez family.”
“Us?”
“After Christmas, I don’t know if there will be an ‘us’ anymore.”
“I want there to be, Adria. You know I love you—”
“I don’t know if love is enough.” She glanced out the window. “Is this going to be a long drive?”
“Depends on traffic.”
Adria leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She’d rather nap than think about the lonely future seemingly yawning before her. JC still didn’t know who he was – She still couldn’t cross that off her list – along with the dog and children. Maybe when she moved to Washington she’d get a dog.
“Honey, we’re here.” JC shook Adria’s shoulder gently as he stood at the open passenger door.
Slowly, Adria opened her eyes to focus on his face. What a beautifully masculine face, a face she wouldn’t mind seeing for the next sixty or seventy years. “Hi.”
“Hello, sleepyhead.”
She gave him a drowsy smile. “Do I snore?”
“Not that I’ve witnessed.” He liked what he’d seen in her eyes when she’d first awakened. He saw their future.
She stretched and straightened in her seat and looked around. “Where’s 'here’?”
“A little farm outside Lake Geneva.”
“You kidnapped me across state lines?” she teased.
“More like you napped across state lines,” he quipped. He extended his hand to her, helping her from the car.
“Why are we at a little farm outside Lake Geneva?” she asked.
“I believe one of the things on your list was a dog.” He walked her towards a well-kept farmhouse with a wide front porch. “I also learned from our friend Harry that you wanted a Westie when you were a little girl.”
“Harry and you chat entirely too much,” she grumbled. Actually, she was pleased Harry and JC got along. If JC had been an insecure knuckle dragger who insisted she get rid of the man who was now her best friend it would have been awkward. Well, actually it would have been easier. JC would have been history by now.
“Like I said, Harry wants you happy.”
JC knocked on the front door. The din of barking dogs answered before a soft, stern woman’s voice responded with a ‘hush now’. A moment later, a woman in perhaps her late fifties opened the door and greeted them. She had kind brown eyes and bouncing silver and brown curls.
“Mr. Chasez, I see you did as I suggested,” she said as she waved them in. “He picked out a puppy for you,” she told Adria. “But I said if he was to be yours, you should make the final decision.”
Adria shot JC a surprised glance. When had he had time to puppy shop?
“By the way, my name is Ruth.”
“Nice to meet you, Ruth,” Adria murmured, still trying to wrap her head around JC’s surprise for her.
“Mr. Chasez had me gather everything the puppy would need. Kennel, food, dishes, starter collar and leash. He ordered all top of the line stuff.”
Ruth led them to the living area where four West Highland White Terrier puppies were confined in an indoor doggie playpen. One puppy had a red collar and bell on. He seemed the most intent on reaching the visitors. Gently Ruth lifted him and placed him in Adria’s arms.
“We call him Kai, which means fiery in Scottish. He is a little fire brand all right,” Ruth told her.
The puppy wriggled and wiggled and was busy with his little pink tongue trying to kiss Adria.
She giggled, cuddling the energetic white fur ball. “All right. All right. I get the picture. You want me to take you home.”
“Feel free to change the name.”
“I like Kai. Short and I have suspicion very appropriate.”
“Merry Christmas, Adria,” JC stated softly. He could see her joy at his gift. He was glad he had spent the time researching the breeders and chosen Ruth and Kai.
“Darling, he’s perfect.” Adria studied the black button nose, the bright dark eyes, and the snowy white coat. Like a new mother, she wanted to count his little toes.
“You sit and get acquainted while I load the car,” JC told her.
“Load the car?” JC asked as she sat on the sofa with Ruth and Kai as JC disappeared.
“He ordered everything as I said. He even bought a crate that looks like a side table for when the little fellow is out of the chewing stage. Toys, food, snacks, a bed, a training crate, wee-wee pads. He is mostly housebroken, but Mr. Chasez says you live in an upstairs apartment. He may not always make it downstairs.”
Adria had to marvel at all the planning, thought and expense JC had gone through – for her. It seemed if he had a goal in mind, he achieved it. What had Harry told her once when she complained of JC’s lack of direction? Sometimes a man doesn’t find those things until a woman gives him a reason. Was it true? Could JC have plans?
“Ready, honey?” JC stood in the doorway.
“Yes.” Adria turned to Ruth. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank your young man.”
“Oh, I will.”
JC was surprised at Adria’s Christmas music selection. It was to say the least eclectic. The standards, like Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby, played along with the Oak Ridge Boys, Garth Brooks and George Strait, then pop tunes like *NSYNC and 98 Degrees, and Manhattan Transfer and other jazz artists. She seemed to like everything and have everything.
Putting up the artificial tree was challenging when Kai was there to ‘help’. He carried off branches, garland, whatever caught his eye.
“Honey, I can’t put the angel up,” JC called to Adria who was making cookies in the kitchen.
“The tree isn’t that tall...” She came out to see JC’s dilemma. Kai had snatched the angel and was refusing to release it. JC sat on the floor trying to make the puppy give it up without tearing it. “A grown man defeated by an eight week old dog.”
All of Adria’s ornaments held sentimental value. The last thing JC wanted was to be responsible for the destruction of one of them. He planned for them to be on his Christmas tree next year and for his children to know them. “He’ll chew it.”
“Let’s try this.” Adria took a puppy snack from its box and knelt next to JC. “Wanna trade, Kai?”
The puppy hesitated. It was fun thwarting Dad but Mom was offering a tasty cookie. Tastier than old lace anyway... Go for the cookie, he decided.
The second Kai snatched the cookie JC made a grab for the angel. “Bait and switch.”
Adria laughed. “We’ll have to remember that.”
“Yeah, we will.” He pulled her onto his lap, kissing her lingeringly. He slid a hand under her sweater to caress her silky ribs.
“I’d love to do what you’re thinking but the cookies will burn,” she told him breathlessly.
“I don’t like burnt cookies,” he teased, giving her another kiss before removing his hand.
“Hold the thought for later?”
“Not too much later I hope.”
Evening fell and a hush came over the world, a silence only inches of snow could create in the city. JC and Adria watched the snow continue to fall as they sipped cocoa. The only light in the apartment came from the Christmas tree and the streetlights.
Kai was asleep in his kennel cab. JC’s arms were around her. It was perfect.
“You may not be able to fly out tomorrow,” she stated quietly.
“I’ll be cool with it,” JC responded.
“But I thought you had meetings.”
“They can wait. They’ll have to wait if I’m snowed in here.”
“Then I hope we get ten feet.” She snuggled closer. “I don’t want you to go.”
“Ten feet might be a little much,” he mused.
“JC, can I ask you a crazy favor?” she asked after a long silence.
“If I can, I’ll do it, you know that.”
‘Stay. Make a life plan,’ she wanted to say. Instead she said, “I’ve never had sex without a condom.”
He waited. There had to be more.
“I know it is foolish and reckless... And you have already given me Kai...”
‘Just ask!’ he wanted to scream.
“I want to make love tonight with nothing – you know – between us.”
She was saying she wanted them to have unprotected sex?
“I mean we’re both clean, right? And I’m at a fairly safe time of the month... I’m asking this badly, aren’t I?”
“You don’t want me to use a condom tonight.” He offered the words she sought.
“Yes. I want to feel all of you.”
“Fuck, honey, I only use them because it’s the right thing to do. No guy likes condoms.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“That’s a hell yeah! If you’re willing to risk it, I sure as fuck am.”
“You swear a lot when you get excited.” She reached a hand down to test the ‘excitement’ at the front of his jeans.
JC took her to bed that night. Not a single inch of her silky flesh was left unkissed, untouched, unlicked, unsucked. He had her whimpering and begging. He made love to her with his mouth until she screamed his name. Then he rose above her, entering her slowly; their eyes locked on the place their bodies became one. Nothing in his life had been more erotic or more right. He felt all her throbbing heat, all her slick wetness. He never wanted to move…
“Darling, please...” she pleaded as he simply held still. She pulsed her hips up in entreaty. “JC...”
Leaning forward, he entwined his fingers with hers, kissing her as he moved within her.
It had never been like this before – for either of them. In completion, they cried out to one another.
Was this her way of saying good-bye? JC wondered.
From the living room, Kai’s plaintive yowls grew as he realized he was alone in the dark.