Give It a Try

When I woke up, Deidre was still in my arms. She was nestled close and muttered in her sleep. I smiled down at her, reliving the previous evening’s events. I never knew I would be able to have sex like that. Hearing her moans and cries of pleasure had sent me over the edge faster than I had anticipated it would.

As I rubbed her back with my thumb lightly, though, I thought of her pathetic excuse of a father. Why would he have come to the wedding and done that? Had someone paid him off? Izzy probably would have. And what would happen with the company? Would our clients believe such a ridiculous story? They had believed Izzy’s lie, though….

Deidre began to stir and I kissed the tip of her nose. She blinked a few times and smiled at me.

“Good morning, Mrs. Kilgore,” I whispered and her smile widened.

“Good morning, Mr. Kilgore,” she yawned. “What time is it?”

“I dunno,” I shrugged. “I don’t really care, either.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Do you want to go make something?”

She thought then snuggled back in. “No. I want to stay right here.”

I chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

“Our moms will be gone for three days,” I told her as she traced my abs. “Keep that up and we’ll have another round of last night.”

She giggled. “I’m too sore.”

“I hurt you?” I breathed, my heart hammering.

She laughed. “Calm down. It’s a good kind of sore.”

I frowned. “There’s such a thing?” She nodded and put her head on my chest. “What do you want to do while they’re gone?”

“I’m not sure. Is it wrong to say I’m kind of glad we didn’t plan a fancy honeymoon?”

“Nope,” I said. “I didn’t want a fancy one, either. I’m fine lying in bed with you every day all day.”

She kissed below my pectoral and I shivered. She didn’t kiss me again, though. She had stopped moving.

“You asleep?” I whispered.

“Almost,” she whispered back.

“I’m going to make us some food, okay?”

She yawned loudly. “Okay.”

“Any preferences?”

“Pancakes and bacon if we have it.”

“You got it.”

I slid out of bed and she pulled my pillow to her, her eyes closed. I dressed and leaned against the door for a little while. She was asleep again. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the pillow and she was smiling in her sleep. It was wonderful seeing her smile. I couldn’t believe she was all mine now.

I closed the door quietly and jogged down the stairs as my phone rang. It was Patty, Ethan’s mom.

“Hello?” I said nervously.

“Ethan is fine,” she said right away, picking up on the tone in my voice. “He wants to see you and Deidre before he goes in for surgery.”

“When is it?”

“Tomorrow morning so you’d have to come tonight.” She sounded nervous, too. “I know you’re on your honeymoon but-”

“Don’t even worry about it. Let me wake Deidre up and we’ll head over.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kilgore,” she said in a thick voice and I knew she was crying.

“We’ll be there soon.” I closed the refrigerator door and hurried to our room. “Wake up, Deidre,” I said, nudging her gently.

“What’s wrong?” she murmured. “Is breakfast ready?”

“No,” I said. “We’re going to the hospital.”

She sat up, the blanket falling, looking scared. “Is Ethan okay?”

“Yes. He goes into surgery tomorrow morning and wants to see us before he goes,” I said. “Patty suggested this evening but….”

She gave me a knowing smile and kissed me gently.

“I’ll get dressed.”

As soon as we walked out, cameras began flashing. There were more than normal and they were shouting questions about her father. I was worried but Deidre walked to the car with her head held high. As we pulled out of the driveway, though, she started to cry. I sighed and held her hand.

“I can’t believe him,” she whispered.

“Don’t think about it,” I said. “Please; I want these three days to be about you and me. Well, after we visit Ethan.”

She kissed my fingers. “It’s still about you and me.”

He got to the hospital and I hesitated before going in. We were in the children’s hospital but, just across the street, is the hospital my father had been treated in before he passed. I kept my eyes focused on the children’s hospital, though, and Deidre held my hand tightly. I didn’t have to see her face to know she knew why I was upset.

We went to the cancer ward on the fourth floor. The secretary didn’t stop us; in fact she smiled and pointed in the direction of his room again. I held Deidre’s hand tighter and she knocked on the door. Patty opened with a watery smile.

“Is it them?” Ethan asked excitedly.

“Hey little man,” I said, sitting beside him. He held his arms out and I hugged him, blinking away my tears. “How you doin’?”

He blushed after Deidre gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“I’m a little nervous,” he admitted. “But I’m super excited about tomorrow morning!”

I was surprised. I would expect him to be scared. He turned to Deidre, a sad look on his face.

“I’m sorry about that mean man at your wedding,” he whispered and she smiled softly. “He was really mean to you and Artemis.”

“Yeah he was,” she whispered back. “But it’s okay now.”

“Mommy and I don’t believe him,” he said with a nod.

“Let’s talk about something else, Ethan,” his mother said quietly.

“I’m going to turn 11 next month!” he said happily and I gasped.

“Really?” He grinned and nodded. “Wow!”

He beckoned for me to come closer and whispered in my ear, “I’m gonna get my Hogwarts letter. Mommy says I probably won’t but I just know I will!” Then he hesitated again. He looked out the window. “What if Dumbledore doesn’t know where I am?”

I glanced at Patty who nodded, giving me permission.

“Dumbledore always knows,” I assured him.

“Did you guys get letters?” he asked excitedly.

“Nah,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “We’re just ordinary Muggles.”

He laughed and kicked his feet like he did when he was excited or happy. He bent over the side of his bed and dug around in a bag. Deidre was standing beside me, running her hand through my hair. I leaned against her while we waited.

“Mommy and I didn’t get to give these to you at your wedding,” he said, holding out two boxes. “I’m sorry but we had to leave after the cake.” He giggled. “You guys were really funny!”

“I’m still[ getting cake out of my hair,” Deidre said and he giggled again. “Did you get any of the cake?”

“Yeah! It was great! The guy was talking about another kind,” he added. “What was it called, Mommy?”

“Passionfruit,” she said with an amused smile.

“Passion is in its name,” Deidre laughed.

“Open your gifts!” Ethan said, kicking his feet. “I wanna see your faces!”

We laughed and Deidre sat on the arm of the chair I was in. We opened them together and I bit my lip to stop myself from crying. I looked at Deidre. She had the same thing.

It was a photo album in the shape of a heart. Somehow, he had gotten his hands on every single picture Deidre and I took together. Near the end was the picture of me proposing at the fountain and he had gotten comical stickers in the shapes of hearts and stuck them around us. Then there were a few pictures of us shoving cake in each other’s faces. At the very back he had written:

To Artemis: Thank you so much for letting me come to your wedding! I had a super fun time! Deidre was really pretty. But don’t tell her I said that! As soon as my surgery is done, I want to visit your house! It looks great!

At the bottom, Patty added a note of her own.

To Artemis: Thank you for letting us attend your wedding. Thank you, too, for making my little boy so happy. He is very hopeful for his surgery and that makes me hopeful, too. I don’t have enough words to express my emotions. I wish you and Deidre the best.

Deidre was crying as she kissed Ethan on the cheek again. He turned flaming red but she ignored it, giving Patty a huge hug.

At that minute, the doctor knocked on the door. She smiled at us.

“I’m sorry but we have to start getting Ethan ready for tomorrow,” she said and I jumped to my feet.

“What time will it be?” I asked.

“Nine in the morning,” she answered, nodding at a nurse who was carrying a large tray.

“See you later, buddy,” I said and gave him a gentle hug. “Thanks for the gift.”

“Bye!” he said happily, waving.

When we got out to the hallway, Deidre collapsed to her knees, her gift falling open to the back.

To Deidre: Thanks for letting me come to your wedding! It was super awesome! I really liked your dress! The cake was yummy. I want to see your house as soon as my surgery is done! I’m gonna be just like you! As soon as I’m all better, I’m gonna marry a really pretty girl and live happily ever after!

I didn’t read Patty’s note. I held Deidre to me, both of us crying quietly.