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  Candace took a breath and watched as Jameson took her hand. It was the most endearing thing she had ever experienced. Jameson’s expression was priceless. Candace found herself wishing she could record the moment although she was certain she would never forget it. Jameson took another deep breath and then looked at Candace.

  “Candace, will you marry me?”

  Candace was ready to remind Jameson that she had already answered, but the earnestness in Jameson’s eyes stopped her. “Yes, Jameson. I would love to be married to you.” As Candace spoke the words, she realized the truth in them. She’d been proposed to before; more than once. She’d been married. She’d never once in her life felt the way she did at this moment. This was not a proposal formulated in the dreams of a young girl about fairytale weddings. It was not the proposal that came as a business arrangement. Candace did not only want to marry Jameson, she wanted to be married to Jameson. Looking at Jameson, she was certain her emotional sentiment was shared equally by her lover.

  Jameson slipped the ring onto Candace’s finger. She was shaking so hard that Candace reached out to steady her. “I’m sorry,” Jameson whispered. “I’m just so nervous.”

  Candace smiled. “I love you, Jameson.”

  Jameson looked at Candace, who was smiling compassionately at her. “I don’t know what lies ahead. I do know I don’t ever want to be without you again, no matter what.”

  Candace closed the distance between them and kissed Jameson lovingly. “I don’t want to be without you either.” Jameson placed her head on Candace’s shoulder. “Are you all right?” Candace asked.

  Jameson chuckled. “One more thing I never thought I would do,” she admitted. “And, one more thing I can’t wait to do.”

  Candace closed her eyes and held onto Jameson. She understood that sentiment perfectly. Life had changed dramatically for them both in a year’s time. Candace had never been happier in her life. That was one of the reasons she was reluctant to change anything. Jameson was right. Change was inevitable whether they invited it or not. That was clear. Candace didn’t need a marriage proposal to trust in Jameson’s commitment. What frightened Candace was the possibility of her life causing Jameson pain. She needed a reminder that nothing could cause either of them more pain than being apart. Candace felt Jameson pull back and opened her eyes.

  “Whatever you decide,” Jameson said. “I will be beside you, ring or no ring.”

  “I know,” Candace assured Jameson. “Just one favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “Limit the tree climbing. I already have twenty years on you. I can’t afford to lose anymore off my life.”

  “If I can reach them without the roof?”

  Candace laughed. “Lunatic.”

  ***

  Candace woke up and looked over at Jameson. Jameson was sleeping peacefully. Candace reached out and brushed the hair out of Jameson’s eyes. Instinctively, she looked down at the ring on her finger. “Oh, Jameson.”

  “Hum?” Jameson grumbled.

  Candace smiled. “Nothing. Go back to sleep,” she whispered.

  Jameson pried one eye open. “Why are you awake?”

  “Go back to sleep,” Candace said again.

  Jameson forced her eyes completely open and looked at her lover. “Second thoughts?”

  “What?” Candace asked.

  “Are you having second thoughts about us getting married?”

  Candace kissed Jameson in reply. “Not in the slightest, no.”

  “What is it then?”

  Candace kissed Jameson again. Her kiss was filled with passion and Jameson gave over immediately. Candace’s hands dropped to Jameson’s back and pulled her closer. Jameson was astonished by the intensity of Candace’s touch. They had made love for hours before falling asleep contentedly. She wondered when and why this emotional tide had resurfaced in Candace. She was happy to surrender to it. Candace’s hands were mapping out Jameson’s body methodically. Her kiss continued just as unhurriedly. For a moment, Candace would pull back and gentle her exploration, just grazing Jameson’s lips with hers. Then, in another instant she would trace Jameson’s lips with her tongue and her searching would begin all over again. The dance went on and on while Candace’s hands caressed Jameson lovingly.

  Jameson found Candace’s tenderness incredibly arousing. Candace had not ventured to touch her in any way that was overtly sexual. She allowed her hands to roam over Jameson’s hips, her back, stomach, shoulders, thighs, and neck, lovingly exploring every curve and dip of Jameson’s body. When Candace’s kiss finally strayed to Jameson’s neck, Jameson gasped. “Jesus,” Jameson whispered hoarsely.

  Candace’s mouth continued a slow assault down one side of Jameson’s neck and then up the other. She stopped and placed a kiss on Jameson’s lips before running her tongue leisurely down Jameson’s throat until she reached Jameson’s breasts. Jameson closed her eyes and sucked in a ragged breath. Her heart skipped wildly when Candace’s fingertips barely brushed over Jameson’s nipples. Jameson wanted to call out to Candace, but she could not seem to make the words come. It was as if she were suddenly drowning; drowning in a sea of passion and promise. She reached out for Candace and Candace stopped to kiss the palm of Jameson’s hand without words.

  The sensation of Candace’s tongue beginning to circle her nipple forced a sigh to escape Jameson’s lips. Candace looked up and watched as Jameson’s expression changed from startled to hopeless surrender. She smiled and dropped her kisses lower. Jameson thought her body might have caught fire. Every nerve was pulsing in anticipation. She opened her eyes to see Candace above her. Her hands grasped onto Candace’s as Candace’s hips began to sensually rotate against her. Jameson traced Candace’s lips with her finger and arched her back to meet Candace’s movements. Her heart was pounding with pleasure.

  “God,” Jameson breathed. “You are so beautiful,” she said with wonderment coloring her voice.

  “Jameson,” Candace called through a moan. Jameson’s body moved rhythmically against hers. She held onto Jameson’s hands as if they were her anchor. Jameson was her safe harbor. She looked into Jameson’s eyes as their bodies melded together in an erotic dance.

  Jameson moved her hands to hold Candace’s hips, guiding her impossibly closer. She felt a stirring in her center and held on more tightly. Candace dropped her hands back to Jameson’s breasts and gently tugged at her nipples. Jameson was softly being transported, much like a leaf is carried by a faint breeze. Jameson was drifting upward, dipping and gliding, helpless to resist the tumbling. She felt no inclination to control the flight. Instead, she let go. Candace was the wind; the air in her lungs, the breath that had given Jameson’s existence new life. There was never a need to pretend, to fear or to hold back with Candace. Whether Candace carried her gently or sent her soaring in a violent swirl of energy, Jameson would always land safely, quietly, and lovingly in Candace’s embrace. As much as Candace could lift Jameson in what often seemed an endless whirling spiral of emotion and desire, she was also the earth; the rock that grounded Jameson.

  Jameson’s body rose at the same instant that Candace sank into her. “Jameson,” Candace whispered just before her body erupted in a multitude of sensations. Jameson followed, her body climbing and trembling. Candace kissed Jameson urgently as her body shuddered against an onslaught of uncontrollable physical pleasure. Her muscles clenched and her heart thrummed violently in her chest. Jameson returned her kiss with fervor and held on to her hips firmly. Jameson wasn’t sure that she would ever reach the ground. Each time she felt herself begin to settle, another gentle breeze would lift her and she would find herself gripping Candace in an attempt to remain grounded.

  Finally, Jameson pulled Candace down to her firmly. “Jameson?” Candace’s voice called gently. Jameson’s only reply came in the form of a tender kiss. She sighed and held Candace close.

  “Thank you,” Jameson said. Candace was puzzled. “Yes, thank you,” Jameson said again. “For letting me love y
ou.”

  Candace smiled. “Sweetheart, I think it’s me who should be thanking you.”

  “No. It isn’t,” Jameson said. Candace propped herself up to look at Jameson. “I’ve never told you this.”

  “Told me what?”

  “Why it’s so hard for me sometimes…To let go, I mean,” Jameson said. Candace listened attentively. “It was a long time ago. I thought I knew who I was. I didn’t have a clue, you know?” Jameson said. “I don’t know why I have never told you this.”

  Candace took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what Jameson was about to reveal, but she was positive it was a painful memory. “You can tell me anything. You don’t have to tell me unless you want to.”

  “I do want to,” Jameson said assuredly. She kissed Candace gently. “I was sixteen. He was nineteen,” Jameson said. Candace took another deep breath. “I suppose I knew, I mean…I did know that I liked girls. Of course, I did. I just…Well, that wasn’t really an option. I didn’t think so; you know?”

  “I think I understand.”

  “Anyway…People suspected. I know they did. A couple of my friends hinted about my sexuality; my crushes on girls. It scared me,” Jameson admitted. “I don’t know what scared me more, to be honest; the idea that it was true or the possibility that people would realize it was true,” she said. Candace listened silently and tenderly caressed Jameson’s abdomen as Jameson continued. “Jed…He was popular. Older, handsome…not cute, handsome. He paid a lot of attention to me. Not like he was the only guy to, but…”

  Candace smiled. It was not hard to imagine Jameson garnering the attention of either gender. Jameson was a beautiful woman. She was athletic and feminine, all curves and softness, even when she tried to wear a rugged exterior. She had a natural charisma and charm that she was not aware of. It was endearing and one of the many things that Candace cherished in Jameson. “Go on,” Candace encouraged her lover.

  “It just happened. I guess I should have expected it. I didn’t,” Jameson said softly.

  “Expected what?” Candace asked, expecting she already knew the answer.

  “Why else would he want to be with a sixteen year old high school girl? It’s not like we hadn’t made out before. I just…I didn’t expect it to continue. And, I didn’t know what to do…I just…Candace….I asked him to stop. He said the rumors must have been true,” Jameson sighed deeply. Candace let out a nervous breath. Her heart ached for Jameson, for Jameson’s innocence. “I didn’t kick him. I didn’t scream. I cried. I just cried, but even when I was crying…I still…he touched me and it…”

  “Jameson,” Candace said softly. “He had no right to take that from you. And, you can’t always control what your body does, love.”

  “I should have. How could he have? How could I have? I just…”

  Candace kissed Jameson’s forehead. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I am so sorry that anyone hurt you that way.”

  Jameson nodded as a tear rolled over her cheek. “It’s easier for me to make love to…”

  “I know that,” Candace said.

  “But, with you…I want you to take me there. I know that you will…”

  “Sweetheart, you don’t ever have to be or feel anything with me that is not honest. You know that; don’t you?’

  “Yes, I do,” Jameson promised.

  “Good. I’m not perfect. I know there are times that something I say or something I do will hurt you.”

  “Candace.”

  “Listen. It’s true. We both know that. The last thing I ever want is to see you hurt.”

  Jameson smiled. “I know. I feel the same way.”

  “I want you to feel safe.”

  “I do,” Jameson said. “That’s the point. I’ve never felt safer. Not ever.”

  Candace kissed Jameson and pulled her closer. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

  “There isn’t anything I don’t want to share with you.”

  “Sometimes, Jameson, I can’t remember what it was like without you here. I don’t want to imagine what it would be like now.”

  “Well, there would be no cats and your roof would probably be leaking by now.”

  Candace chuckled as Jameson snuggled into her embrace. “You really are a lunatic sometimes.”

  “You love lunatics.”

  “Yes, I guess I do.”

  Chapter Three

  Candace wandered into the kitchen and stopped to watch Jameson talking to Jinx.

  “Your mommy said yes, you know?” Jameson said to the cat at her feet. “That means you are both stuck with me now. So, now you really get two mommies, just like every other kid, or well, kitty in your case.”

  Candace leaned in the doorway and smiled. “Should I call the lawyer and draw up the adoption papers?” Candace asked.

  Jameson stood up and turned to her lover. “You would let me adopt Jinx? Really?” Candace shook her head and closed the distance between them. She kissed Jameson on the cheek and headed for the coffee pot. “So? What are your plans for the day?” Jameson asked.

  “Actually, I was going to ask you that.”

  “Hadn’t really thought about it. I told my dad I’d call him later. Things sort of took an unexpected turn last night,” Jameson said.

  “Oh?” Candace asked. “What things might those be?”

  “Well, I woke up thinking about trimming tree branches and I fell asleep thinking about weddings.”

  Candace sat down at the table and sipped her coffee. “Jameson, out of curiosity; when did you decide to propose?”

  Jameson shrugged. “Truthfully?” she asked. Candace nodded. “Uh…well…”

  “Jameson?”

  “Okay. I bought the ring when you went back to Washington after New Year’s.”

  Candace was stunned. “Jameson, are you telling me you have been keeping that ring since our first month together?” Candace asked. Jameson shrugged again. “You’re serious.”

  Jameson sat down across from Candace and sighed. “I don’t know. I just knew someday I would need it. I just didn’t know when that someday would be.”

  Candace laughed. “You are a hopeless romantic, Jameson Reid.”

  “Not really. I knew it would be a while. I thought about asking you on the Fourth of July. That’s when I had the fortune cookie made.”

  Candace grinned. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I chickened out.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? What would you have said?” Jameson wondered.

  “I would have said the same thing I said last night.”

  “Really?” Jameson was surprised. “We’d only been together six months.”

  “This from the woman who buys an engagement ring the week after she sleeps with someone for the first time,” Candace laughed.

  “Good point. Remind me never to debate you.”

  Candace laughed again. “Does anyone know?”

  “That I bought the ring?” Jameson asked. “No. What do you think the kids will say?”

  “I doubt they will be surprised. What about your family?”

  Jameson rolled her eyes. “My mother will be delirious. Not only is her daughter getting married but she’s marrying a Democrat, who happens to be a senator. She’ll probably want a red, white, and blue themed wedding,” she laughed.

  “What about you?” Candace wondered. “You said you fell asleep thinking about weddings. What were you thinking?”

  “Me? That’s your department. You handle my mother, and Dana and the kids,” Jameson said. “As long as you show up, it doesn’t matter to me. Whatever you want is fine. I just want to marry you. It could be us at City Hall for all I care.”

  “No wedding fantasies?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Jameson winked.

  “You’re impossible,” Candace laughed.

  “What do you want to do? When do you want to? Not that I am pushing. I don’t want you to think…”

  “Jameson, relax. I would marry you today,” Candace said. She sighed t
houghtfully.

  “But?”

  “There’s no but,” Candace said.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “There’s not. There are realities. Some that I don’t like,” Candace explained. “The press will grab onto this. We have to decide how we want to handle that. Do we try and do it quietly or do we just put it out there?” she continued. “If I decide to run…well, they will want to make it a publicity plus,” she said with a groan.

  Jameson shrugged. “Will it help you? If you run, I mean.”

  “Probably,” Candace admitted.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Candace questioned.

  “Yeah. God knows I have no other way to help you.”

  “That’s not true,” Candace said flatly. “This is our life, Jameson. I don’t want you to think our marriage is a publicity stunt.”

  “You worry too much about me,” Jameson said. “I don’t care what people think, Candace. They can all still believe you hate cats. I know the truth.”

  Candace rolled her eyes. “I still don’t know what I want to do,” she said honestly.

  “About running or about a wedding?”

  Candace smiled. “I would like to do that here,” Candace said.

  “The wedding?” Candace nodded. “And?” Jameson asked.

  “And, I would like it simple and small. You, me, the kids, your family…maybe a few close friends. No politicos, no press, no dignitaries,” Candace said. “As far as when; I guess I would say when it is a little warmer. When Marianne and Rick can be here with Spencer.”

  “So much for all is quiet on the home front. When do you want to tell them?” Jameson asked.

  “How about now?” Candace suggested.

  “Now?” Jameson coughed.

  “No time like the present,” Candace said. Jameson turned pale. “I thought you didn’t care what people thought.”

  “Your kids aren’t people,” Jameson said. Candace raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean!”

  “Okay. How about we start with the easy ones. Why don’t we see if Shell and your parents are available for dinner tomorrow?”