‘So were you with girlfriends, or on a mystery date you failed to tell me about?’
Annalize suddenly went green and rushed off in the direction of the toilet.
Gracie’s phone pinged and she found tears pricking her eyes.
I love you Gigi x
ELEVEN
‘Are you sure you’re not guilty of something, Lewis?’ Gracie said casually as Lewis arrived home from work and handed her a single red rose. She grinned as she put the single bloom to her nose. ‘A gift and a table booked at our favourite restaurant? It’s like the old days.’
‘Don’t be silly. I’ve just had a wake-up call, Gracie, that’s all. We need to talk. I’m so, so sorry about what I said the other night. I didn’t…’
‘Ssh now.’ She kissed him softly on the nose. ‘No talking required just now, big boy. Just take me to bed or lose me forever. I’ve had the hangover horn all day.’
Lewis watched as Gracie dropped her silky robe to reveal the brand-new underwear she had bought in her lunch hour. High heels accentuated her shapely legs. She had had her hair blow dried and amazingly Annalize had managed to do her make-up perfectly before she left early to go home.
She really did look beautiful.
‘Whoa!’ Lewis took a step back. ‘Where have you been, sexy lady?’
‘It’s not where I’ve been, it’s where we’re going now.’
Lewis was wide-eyed at this newfound confidence in Gracie. As she led him by the tie to the bedroom, pushed him back on the bed and roughly began to pull off his trousers, he bit his lip in anticipation.
God, he had missed her. Missed her soft lips knowing exactly what to do to give him pleasure. Gracie Davieswasthe complete package.
Yes, last night he had been faced with a nigh-on perfect body, taut, fit, not an ounce of fat. But that’s all it had been: a shell. There was no love, no feeling, no softness of curve or strength of character.
When he was as hard as he could be, Gracie jumped on top and writhed confidently, moaning at the sheer pleasure of sex again. Her voluptuous breasts bounced around in front of Lewis’s face.
‘Take me from behind,’ she gasped.
After a sweaty session of much needed love-making, Gracie screamed louder than she had in seven years as they came together.
Lewis was finding it hard to push back tears. It was ironic, and made him feel weak, that his act of betrayal had finally made him realise just how much he felt for his partner.
Should he tell her now? Could he live with himself? No, it would destroy her. But what if she found out? It would destroy her anyway, especially as she had just got her confidence back to sleep with him again. No, he would keep quiet. They could move forward from here; they could talk everything through. Sex had been as much a major hurdle as their lack of communication. It would take a while, but he knew they could put the terrible time they had both been through behind them.
Gracie had always wanted to get married. They had put that on hold while they were paying for the IVF, but now there was nothing to stop them. Yes, they had debts but they could get engaged and save. They could start the life they had always wanted. He found it hard to imagine a life without children, but he found it harder to imagine a life without his Gracie. They could adopt. There were only barriers now if he created them.
Gracie snuggled in to him and kissed him on the lips.
‘I love you, Lewis Blair.’
‘I love you too, Gracie Davies.’
It got to ten o’clock and Lewis propped himself up and looked over to her.
‘I don’t know about you but I’m bloody starving. It’s too late for Zitas now. Shall I order a takeaway?’
‘Didn’t I just say I’m going to watch my weight from now on?’
‘Oh, Gracie, come on – last treat. You’ve burnt off enough calories tonight, so start your health kick tomorrow, and it won’t take you long to get back to where you want to be, you know that.’
‘OK, OK. I’ll go and get the menus, what do you fancy?’
‘You up against the wall.’ Lewis smacked her bum as she got up.
