She nods and smiles.
I muse how I’ve never been here before as I instinctively find her master bathroom. I quickly clean myself, tuck myself back into my pants and wet a second cloth to take to her. We’re both quiet as I lift her robe again to clean her. I take the washcloth back to the bathroom and join her again on the couch. There’s a throw on the back of it and I unfold it as I lean back toward one corner.
“Can I hold you?” I ask.
“Please,” she says as she stretches out against me. She shudders as I spread the blanket over us. “I can’t believe you came back.”
“And I can’t believe you took me back.”
“Tell me it’s going to be alright.”
“It already is sweetheart.”
We doze, then wake again, but she doesn’t leave my arms. Slowly, quietly we begin to talk again, to say the words that move us forward. I send up a final prayer to heaven as I begin to share my new plan to resolve this situation once and for all.
25
Amanda
Moment by moment,I accept that this is real, that we each understand each other’s transgressions.
I accept his lips on mine, his arms around me, our hearts beating together. I accept his reassurances. And I know that as he feels this acceptance, he in turn feels free to tell me the rest of how we’re going to make this right. And it’s brilliant.
Sutter Jewels would become Gray Chamber, a combination fine art and jewelry gallery. We would own it together, and return shares to Father and my sisters, enough that they would have significant input in the forward direction of the company.
Then he saves the best part for last.
“I found your sketches, Amanda.” I’m too scared to look at him, but he lifts my chin to lock eyes with me. “They’re fucking amazing, baby. I can’t believe you never presented them to the designers.”
“I wanted to,” I say shyly. “But it was too painful, too close to my heart.”
“I want concept pieces made of all of them. And I want you to keep creating your own pieces, Mandy. Not just based on my stuff, but whatever’s in your heart to create.”
“Really?” I say, and there are already tears welling in my eyes again.
“Really. Amanda, I want us to do this together. All of it. Forever.”
“Damon…are you asking me to marry you?”
“That’s exactly what I’m asking, if you’ll have me.”
“Yes. Yes. Yes,” I say quietly and kiss him deeply.
“Well, if we’re going to be together,” I say, suddenly, with a warning tone, “there’s one other thing that’s going to have to be new and innovative about this chapter in our lives.”
“What’s that?” he says.
I throw the blanket off and stand.
“Get up,” I order.
“Yes ma’am,” he says with a wolfish grin.
I lead him down the hallway to my bedroom, and turn to face him.
“Strip. And take your time about it, I want to enjoy watching you.”
“You got it, baby,” he says and he starts taking his clothes off, not like some cheap male dancer, but just like he used to do when he’d come home from an art class, or at the end of the day. Just like I’ve been fantasizing about since Kauai. He does it so normally—and it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
