“A boy and a girl in a little canoe with thesun shining all around and as he paddled his paddle you couldn’t even hear a sound, so they talked, and they talked . . .”.
He listened indulgently to my off-key singing and reached over just as I sang the kissing part of the song, and the boat started to rock. He tried balancing it, but that made things worse, and it tipped, sending both of us splashing into the lake. Laughing, we held onto the boat, catching our breath.
“I know I’m tone deaf, but you could’ve just asked me to stop.”
With one arm draped over the hull, he glided me toward him. “You can serenade me anytime, anywhere.”
I gave him the kiss he desired.
After several ungraceful and unsuccessful attempts to get back in, we kicked the boat under the weeping willows, leaving it on the shore. We left our sneakers in the sun and stripped off our wet clothes, throwing them into the dryer.
He chased me up the stairs and grabbed me around the waist, throwing me over his shoulder and spinning us around the bedroom. We collapsed onto the bed laughing.
We were in my favorite place, in bed, with my head on Teddy’s chest.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I don’t want to say goodbye.”
“These past few weeks. You. Us. Today. Singing to me, falling into the lake and then into bed. Talking, sharing, laughing. I’ve never felt so alive, so happy. This is what life should be, what I want with you . . . every day. Lori, you’ve become everything to me.”
My heart stopped and every hair on my neck stood up. He had reached inside me and found my inner thoughts.
“What I’m saying, Lori, is that I’m in love with you.”
I looked into his eyes. “Teddy, I love you too.” We sealed our confessions with a kiss. “But what about the rule we made, when the summer was over, we were over?”
“I’ve already broken several of your rules and you didn’t throw me out of bed. Rules are meant to be broken, especially that one.”
“Throwing you out of bed would’ve been a colossal mistake.” I snuggled closer. “I need to tell you something.”
“I’m listening.”
“Ronnie’s been screwing his assistant.”
“Are you sure?”
“He took her to Greece.”
I could tell he was working through what I said. A wry smile appeared on his lips but was instantly gone.
“The audacity . . .”
“Said the man I’ve been having sex with all summer.”
“Don’t exaggerate, it’s only been half the summer.” He kissed the top of my head. “Have you confronted him?”
“No. I thought that was a face-to-face conversation.”
“I could kill him for hurting you if I weren’t so happy to hear that he’s been a scoundrel. The way I see it, he’s made it easier for us to be together.”
I tensed. I’d been fantasizing about this scenario, but now that it was becoming real, I was petrified.
He held me securely. “I hope your feelings mirror mine.”
“If it were just you and me, there’d be no question. But wehave children. Are we willing to turn their lives upside down?”
“We have great kids. I already have a relationship with yours, and I know you and Max will adore each other. One thing I learned after my divorce is that children are resilient. We’ll help them navigate through it all.”
