Chapter Nine
Amy and Lucas had an amazing time on their honeymoon. He’d flown her to Paris for a couple weeks together. They didn’t bring up any of the problems that had been ever so present in their relationship from the start. They just got to know one another.
They spent each night in the hotel making love and holding on to each other, neither of them willing to let the other person go. Amy thought if their relationship kept progressing that way they may have a future together after-all.
Lucas took her all around Paris. She was like a child at Disneyland. She loved all of the sites and ancient beauty of it all. She knew it was nothing new to Lucas and figured he was bored to pieces.
She was wrong on that aspect. Lucas was visiting Paris for the first time through her eyes. It was amazing to see things he’d seen countless times through her. She had such a love and appreciation of everything around her.
Lucas would’ve much rather stayed in their luxurious hotel room the entire time and tour her body instead, but reluctantly he took her around the city of love. He wondered when his thirst for his wife would quench somewhat.
He made love to her and then could turn around and do it again five minutes later. He couldn’t get enough of her and she seemed to be the same with him. She wasn’t usually the one to initiate their lovemaking but she made up for that with her total enthusiasm once they got started.
The honeymoon ended far too soon. The trip had been amazing but he was anxious to show his wife her wedding present. They’d both slept most of the red eye flight home, since they’d not slept much in Paris. When they arrived back in Seattle, early in the morning they didn’t even have to deal with Jet Lag.
The company jet was comfortable enough it was like not even flying at all. Amy was happy in her marriage and she couldn’t get enough of her husband. She was thrilled to follow him just about anywhere. She couldn’t get enough of his hands on her body. She became tense with anticipation at just the thought of his magical fingers stroking her.
He took her out for a wonderful breakfast at a little family diner that served the best omelet she’d ever tasted. She consumed her entire meal and was barely full. She was seriously worried she was going to gain a hundred pounds if she wasn’t careful. “I can’t believe how much food I’m eating. You’d better stop me before I’m as big as a whale,” she worriedly said to Lucas. He laughed aloud.
“Remember Amy you’re eating for two and I can tell you now if you’re carrying my child he’ll be very demanding, even from the womb.”
Oh well, she figured, he wasn’t with her for her body anyway. He’d married her because she carried his child. That thought put a little bit of unease back into her good mood. Amy decided to brush it off and not think about it right then. She was enjoying her time with her husband way too much to let anything affect her.
“I have a wedding gift for you. I really hope that you like it because it would be difficult to return,” Lucas said to Amy. She had no idea what else he could possibly have to give her.
She wished he could realize the only thing she wanted from him was his love. She didn’t care about his money or his power. She didn’t care about the trips to Paris or the massive diamond that was now resting on her finger. She just wanted him to love her as much as she loved him.
She felt badly too because she hadn’t gotten him anything. “I didn’t know we were supposed to get gifts for each other. I have nothing for you,” she told him.
“Let me show you what it is,” he told her as he helped her into his car. They drove out towards his parents’ house and she figured it was at their place, although she didn’t understand why when they had two apartments in the city.
He turned and drove down a long driveway and she was even more confused. Where were they going? They continued down the endless driveway with beautiful trees flanking it the entire way.
He stopped the car in front of a colonial style house that was larger than any person needed it to be.
He stepped out of the car and came around her side, opening the door. She stepped out and looked up at him quizzically. They walked up the steps and he opened the door, then suddenly lifted her into his arms and carried her inside.
“Welcome home,” he told her and then placed his lips to hers. Amy was speechless. He’d gotten them a new home. Had he had it all along and just stayed at the apartments to be closer to work?
Had he lived there before with other women?
She had so many questions, but was far too afraid of the answers to question him. “This is really our house? We have a real house!” she finally exclaimed and let her excitement take over.
She’d always dreamed of having a real home with a real family in it, but had never thought it would happen for her. She knew that she would have a child, but to have a husband too seemed so unreal. She could barely breathe and was afraid to blink, because then it may all just disappear.
Lucas set her down on her feet and she rushed from room to room. The place was huge. There were some furnishings, but not very much. The kitchen had every appliance known to man and she couldn’t wait to get in there.
A huge staircase circled around, allowing two ways to get up or down. It had the kind of railing you saw royalty descending from in all the romantic movies. She trailed her hand along the railing while she ran up the stairs. Several rooms were absolutely breathtaking.
She was surprised at the lack of furniture. Maybe it was to be delivered later. She walked into one room and gasped. There was nothing in it but a beautiful old fashioned crib with laced bedding on it.
She walked slowly up to the crib and ran her hand along it, picturing her child sleeping under the delicate quilt. Suddenly Lucas was behind her, wrapping her in his arms. “This was the same crib I slept in as a baby. I know that most mothers want to design their own nursery, but it would mean a lot to me and my parents if we used this crib for our child,” he whispered in her ear.
“My mother made this quilt herself. She spent months on it while she was pregnant with me. She made one for each of her children and then saved them all for her future grandchildren,” he continued on.
Amy was speechless. She was so touched by this piece of his history, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get words out so instead she turned in his arms and decided to show him how much she liked the crib.
Lucas gently picked her up and carried her to their room. She was focused all on him and didn’t finish her tour of the home until much later.
As they lay in the bed together and she cuddled under his chin, he rubbed her back while they talked. “You must have noticed the lack of furniture. The pieces that are here came from my parents and some pieces I’ve picked up over the years. The rest of the place is all for you to decorate. You can do what you want with it. If you wanted some help my mother told me to inform you she would really enjoy working with you to make this our home.”
“In other words she is begging you to let her take you all over the place in a shopping frenzy. My mother really likes to shop, especially when it’s for someone else. You’ll be begging for mercy but honestly if you want to just do it on your own I’ll make some excuse up,” he said.
Amy could tell he meant what he said. She could’ve refused but she loved his parents and didn’t think she would be able to deny them anything. She would really enjoy hanging out with his mother and learning from her. His mother would know everything about what babies needed, because she herself knew nothing.
“I would be very pleased to go with your mom, but I don’t know when I will have the time,” she said to him. Lucas took a deep breath as if he was trying to gain courage. That surprised her as he seemed to never fear anything.
“What is it?” she asked wondering what could be so awful.
“Amy, honestly I’m not trying to control you, but I think it would be best if you were to just focus on you and the baby. You’ve already had some health issues and will be really busy getting things ready for our new home and the baby. I don’t think you should work for the company anymore,” he finally got to the point.
Amy had many mixed feelings. She was surprised that the strongest emotion she was feeling was relief. She was doing well at her job but she didn’t love it. There was so much stress involved and all she could think about was her unborn child and her husband anyway, which made work all that much more difficult.
She didn’t want to be completely dependent on a man though and that really worried her. She did have a decent amount of savings already due to the fact that she had very little expenses. That was her security blanket. It wasn’t enough to last long if they were no longer together but it would be enough to get her settled into a new place while she found a job.
“I would need to train a new person. I’m okay with not working there anymore. I will want to get a job after the baby is a few months old though, but it might be better if I didn’t work for my husband,” she surprised him by saying.
Lucas had been afraid she was going to feel like he was pushing her away. “You don’t have to worry about training someone. My dad has already taken care of all that while we were on our honeymoon,” he said happily. He was so relieved this hadn’t caused them another fight.
“Who’s this new person?” she asked suspiciously. She didn’t want some skinny, hot young thing working with her husband for countless hours each week. She knew there were many women out there that wouldn’t have any problem sleeping with a married man and that connecting door between their offices was far too easy to slink through.
The thought of another woman placing her hands on her husband was enough to quicken her breathing and she was ready to scratch the eyes out of this non- existent person. This was her family and she would do anything in her power to hold onto them.
Lucas laughed at her. He knew exactly what she was thinking. “Don’t worry. She is a happily married grandmother of six, who is more than qualified. She actually worked for another division in the company and my father felt that it was high time she got a promotion,” he reassured her.
“Esther’s been working with her the past week and she’s picked up on the job quickly. I think she’ll do really well for us. Of course it will no longer be such a pleasure at the office for me knowing you’re so far away. I’ve gotten used to your scent invading every aspect of my workspace. I will desperately miss it,” he said while nuzzling her neck.
“Well, I guess everything has been taken care of then,” she said feeling a little out of sorts, since she’d been replaced so easily. “I will focus on getting things ready for the baby.” Amy was scared, as she’d always worked so hard in her life and now there wasn’t much expected from her, except to get the home ready and wait for their child to be born. She’d been working so hard for so long she didn’t know what she would do with all the extra time on her hands.
She thought maybe she could figure out something she would be able to do from home to bring more money to her savings account. She wouldn’t take anything from her husband if he ever decided the marriage was over. She loved him and she wouldn’t turn into the woman he thought she was at the beginning of their relationship.
It was sad to her how many people used Lucas and his family for their own selfish needs.
Couldn’t all those people see that the Andersons’ were amazing people without the money and power? Well, she planned on showing him how much she loved him for himself and nothing else for the rest of her life.
Amy spent the next couple of months getting her beautiful home fixed up and ready for her child.
She would frequently stop and just rub her belly. She was so overjoyed by the fact she was soon to be a mother.
Her relationship with her husband was going well. But there was also something missing. They made love regularly and it was amazing. When they were in the bed together, she felt cherished and like the most beautiful woman in the world.
When she was in his arms, everything was okay. He still hadn’t said the magic words to her, but she did feel loved by him. Maybe he just wouldn’t be able to tell her he was in love with her.
She had to fight herself daily to not shout the words out to him. Each time they made love, she would say them in her head over and over again. “I love you Lucas, I love you. ” How she wished she had the confidence to tell him how she felt. She was afraid he would think her too clingy if she told him and then pull away from her.
She didn’t know if she could survive if he didn’t want her anymore. She’d begun to imagine the happily ever after life she’d read about in so many romance novels. She’d always thought it was a work of fiction but there she was really living it in her own ongoing novel.
Amy was lost in her own thoughts, as she attempted to read a book out by the pool. Her stomach was getting so much larger now as she was in the third trimester of her pregnancy. She kept waiting for Lucas to become repulsed with her body, but he seemed to think the changes were sexy, if his body’s reaction were an indication.
Even on the rare nights they didn’t make love she could feel the evidence he wanted her pressed into the softness of her behind.
“Hello sexy,” said Lucas, as he sat down next to her and nuzzled her neck. “How are you feeling today,” he continued up her neck with an open mouthed kiss that had her pulse sky rocketing.
“I’m feeling great,” she purred. “Want me to take you upstairs and show you,” she pleaded a bit, as his kisses were already making her body turn to a puddle of need.
He gave a chuckle and pulled her into his lap, where he sealed their mouths together in a deep kiss. By the time they pulled apart for some much needed air, she could feel the evidence of his arousal and she was ready for him.
He slid her skirt up and took her there on the lounge with her sitting atop him. She came fast and hard and then collapsed in his arms. “Now that was a great hello,” he whispered to her as he continued to stroke her back.
“Dinner’s ready,” they heard a voice call from inside the house.
Lucas quickly covered his wife up, having forgotten their maid could’ve walked out at any moment. He forgot the rest of the world existed when she was wrapped in his arms.
He didn’t like to lose control that way and sat there uncomfortably while his body tried to return to normal.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said a bit sheepishly. “I was just coming out to say hello, but you make me go a little bit crazy,” he continued on.
She laid her hand on his face while looking into his eyes. “Don’t be sorry, I wanted you just as badly and no one caught us,” she said a bit defensively. “I want to make love to you as much as possible before our child takes up all the room and you won’t be able to touch me anymore,” she finished a little self consciously.
He looked deeply into her eyes and spoke honestly, “you’re beautiful Amy and your body changing with our child growing inside of you, only enhances that beauty. I want you all the time and that won’t change.” He continued to caress her.
They sat there for a while longer until hunger finally had them getting up and going into the kitchen where they shared a pleasantly quiet dinner and then retired early to bed to make love again. As she reached her peak, she quietly whispered “I love you,” finally not being able to hold it back anymore.
She felt him stiffen a bit at her words and feared she’d somehow broken the rules of their marriage. He said nothing, but didn’t push her away. She lay there in his arms feeling desolate and wanting him to repeat the words to her.
She felt like he loved her but maybe she was wrong. Silent tears fell down her cheeks, until she finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion.
Lucas lay there and held his wife as he waited for her breathing to even out, showing him she was finally sleeping. She loved him, he thought in awe. He’d seen the signs of her attachment to him and felt she was falling in love but he was so afraid to open himself up.
There’d been far too many women who’d spoken those same words to him; not because they loved him but because they loved his money, his power and all he could give them.
He knew deep down that Amy wasn’t one of those women, but she already had him completely wrapped around her fingers. To give her his love too; seemed like he would be giving up the last thing he had left to hold onto. He wasn’t ready to do that yet. He had to have something left, he tried to reason.
After she told Lucas she loved him he started coming home later and later. She was seeing him much less. She could feel him slipping away, before she’d ever really had him. She figured she was going to either give this her all, or let go. She couldn’t live in the marriage half way anymore.
It was killing her a little bit more each and every day as she watched him pull further away from her. She didn’t say she loved him anymore, afraid that if she did he would ask her to sleep in a separate room from him.
They were making love less often too, partially because he was gone so much more, but a lot had to do with the fact she was getting so far along in her pregnancy and she was tired all the time.
She had a few months in the middle where she’d felt great but the beginning had been hard and the end was even harder.
The doctor was keeping an eye on her, as she was swelling too much and he was worried her blood pressure was too high. He’d put her on bed rest for ninety percent of each day and she was getting really tired of it.
Finally, she got her blood pressure under control and the doctor told her she could move around a bit more and that some fresh air might do her some good. She decided to get out of the house for a while.
She was going into the office to surprise her husband with a romantic lunch, lovemaking and a confession. She was going to tell him how much she loved him and wanted the marriage to be real.
If he didn’t return her feelings then she was going to let him go and get on with her life. She knew he would want to be a part of her child’s life and that would have to work out but she couldn’t live like roommates any longer.
She knew he still had the power to take her child away from her but as she’d gotten to know him she didn’t think he could ever remove a child from her mother. Besides, there was no way Joseph and Katherine would ever support one of their children taking a child from its mom. They had too much love and respect for family.
Amy was feeling very nervous on her drive into the office. She hadn’t been there in a while and she was scared he wouldn’t be happy with the interruption. She planned her visit when she knew he would be there alone and she could just slip in.
She was praying that he could love her. Please, she prayed, let him love me as much as he loves our unborn child.
She walked into her old office, which was empty and pulled her coat a little bit tighter. It was long and covered her well, but she knew all she had on underneath was skimpy black lingerie. It had been hard to find something sexy, when her stomach was protruding out about a foot from the rest of her body, but unbelievably she’d hit the jackpot and felt sexy for the first time in a very long while.
She wasn’t really self-conscious anymore of her body, as her husband would spend a lot of time rubbing her belly and speaking to his unborn child. He seemed as excited as her to be having a baby. Some things unplanned turned out pretty great.
She cracked the connecting door quietly and then stopped where she stood in utter dismay. Lucas wasn’t alone in his office. There was some skinny red headed woman wrapped around him and they were locked in a passionate embrace.
Her hair was a mess as if they’d already been making love for hours. Her shirt was hanging open, with her skirt hiked up showing her garter. She was stunning in a way that Amy could never hope to be, she thought in agony.
This was the reason he wasn’t coming home to her much anymore. He was having an affair.
She’d doubted he could love her but there had been growth in their relationship or so she’d thought. No matter what else though, she didn’t figure he was the type of man to cheat.
They made love all the time. She thought he was satisfied, more than satisfied even, as their love making always seemed so frenzied, as if they couldn’t get enough of each other. He was always ready to sink deep inside of her and that was something a man couldn’t fake.
She was horrified to think that maybe he was picturing his mistress as he made love to her.
Maybe that was how he was always so ready. She knew that she could never compete with someone like the stunning redhead and Amy’s heart was shattering.
She only stood there for a couple of seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. Her whole world broke apart and she didn’t know how she was still standing.
Amy closed the door and ran back to the elevator. She could feel the tears streaming down her face as she quickly escaped to her car and sped home. She had her answer. She would never stay with a man who cheated on her. She couldn’t do it.