Roswell Fanatics

CHAPTER 34

Two little feet ran down the hallway carrying one very excited three year old, a blanket dragging behind as she hurried to her parent’s bedroom. It was not only Christmas morning but also Noelle’s birthday, and it was the first year of her life that she really had a good comprehension of just exactly what both meant. Skidding into their room she was astonished to find them both sound asleep.

“Daddy!” she cried as she neared the side of the bed he was sleeping on. “Daddy git up!”

A mumbled sound was all he made as the arm wrapped around his wife, who was snuggled into his side, tightened reflexively. The lack of response did not sit well with his daughter, so she climbed up onto the bed and crawled up his body until she was sitting on his chest. Her tiny little hands grabbed hold of his cheeks, and pulling on them she tried to wake him again. “Daddy you haf to git up! Ho Ho was here Daddy! He lef pesents! Daddy!”

“Mmpf…wha…”

He was beginning to wake but not fast enough for her. She gripped the end of his nose and squeezed. “Daddy Ho Ho lef pesents! Wake up Daddy!”

The pinching pain in his nose finally caused Max’s eyes to pop open, and as it always did, the sight of his beloved daughter made him smile immediately. “Good morning birthday girl,” he said in a sleepy voice.

“Daddy you haf to git up now. Ho Ho was here!”

A rush of love and gratitude overcame him as he took in the sight of his little one bouncing excitedly on his chest. Then his wife began to stir against him, and as she lifted her head and smiled at them both he felt surely his heart would burst from the joy of having everything he had ever wanted truly within his grasp.

“Happy birthday Pumpkin,” Liz said as she stretched and then leaned over to kiss Noelle. “How is my big three year old girl this morning?”

“Mommy there’s pesents from Ho Ho under the kissmas tree!”

“There is?” she responded, feigning surprise. “What do you think they are?”

“We haf to open dem Mommy! You haf to git up an’ open dem!”

Liz smiled at Max before giving him a sweet kiss. “Merry Christmas Max,” she said as she pulled away.

“Merry Christmas Baby,” he whispered before pressing her back toward his lips. She almost made it, but the exhilerated child was having none of it.

“Mommy! Daddy! You not kissin’ now. You haf to git up! Pease!”

The happy couple chuckled together at her exuberance. “OK Sweetheart, we’ll get up now,” her father said. “But we have to wait for your brother before we can see what Santa brought for you.”

Noelle immediately began scrambling off the bed, intent on running upstairs to awaken the brother she idolized. “Wait a second Honey,” her mother called. “You aren’t going outside in your pajamas, it’s too cold. Daddy will wake up Max while you and I go and get some juice first, OK?”

“Hurry Daddy hurry!” she responded impatiently.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and in two strides reached her. He scooped her up into his arms and planted a big sloppy kiss on her cheek. “I’m hurrying, I’m hurrying,” he teased before setting her on her feet again. After pulling on some sweats he went off to awaken his son while Liz started a pot of coffee and poured out four glasses of juice.

When father and son returned a short time later, they found Noelle dancing around near the Christmas tree. Spying her brother she raced over to him crying “BoBo! Look at the pesents!”

Max squatted down to her level to give her a quick hug. “I see them. Are they all for you?”

“Uh huh,” she said confidently. “Me’s got lots an’ lots of pesents!”

“Why don’t we start opening them then,” Liz said as she took a seat and readied her camera to record all of the fun.

“OK, this tag says ‘To Noelle from Santa’,” her father said as he pulled her down to sit on his lap and handed her a wrapped package.

She ripped into it with gusto and exclaimed “dolly!” when the contents could be seen. Her family smiled as she hugged the baby doll tightly for a few seconds before looking up at Max. “Let’s open anutter one Daddy.”

He laughed as he picked up a brightly adorned box and read the tag. “This one is for your brother,” he said as he handed over the package.

“Ho Ho gif pesents to BoBo too?” Noelle said.

Her brother grinned back at her as he began to open his gift. “You know what Peanut? I bet there are presents under that tree for all of us.”

“Mommy and Daddy too?” she said with wide-eyed wonderment at the idea of such generosity.

“Yup. Santa leaves presents for everyone in the house,” he explained. “Oh, new sneakers, thanks guys,” he said to his parents while holding one up. “My old ones are in pretty bad shape.”

They continued opening gifts, spending the majority of the time reveling in watching Noelle plow through the pile of toys while Liz snapped pictures continuously. After getting a great shot of brother and sister opening a box together she looked over at her husband who was wearing a smile matching her own. ‘I love you’, she mouthed to him, causing him to crawl over to her from his spot on the floor.

“And I love you,” he returned before rising up to her level and kissing her. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like the briefcase,” she said, thinking he was referring to the gift she’d given him.

“That too, but I meant thank you for my children. They are the best gift I’ve ever received. Besides you, of course,” he finished with a sly smile before kissing her again.

“Daddy lookit!” Noelle said, interrupting their moment while waiving a pink feather boa at him. “Ho Ho gif me fedders!”

“Jackie found it for me,” her brother said quietly to his parents. “She said she’d love it; obviously she was right,” he laughed while she paraded around happily with her latest prize wrapped around her neck and shoulders.

When everything was finally unwrapped they enjoyed a big breakfast, after which Noelle scurried back across the great room to play with her things. “What time is everyone coming later?” Max asked his mother as he helped clear the table, referring to both Whitman households that were to join them for dinner.

“I told Jackie’s family to come around four but asked Maria and Alex to come earlier so we can exchange gifts with them. I want tonight to be more about Noelle’s birthday than Christmas,” Liz answered. “Is Jackie coming earlier?”

“No, I told her you wanted me to do some stuff here in the afternoon so she might as well come with her family later.” He caught his mother’s questioning look, knowing she’d want an explanation as to why he would put off his girlfriend’s arrival. “Um, there’s something I want to talk to you and Dad about so I needed the time…”

“Is it about school?” Liz interrupted. He had just finished a grueling semester and only had one week off before he started on winter break classes, and she hoped that he wasn’t changing his mind about teaching after already having completed so much hard work.

“No, it’s not about school,” he replied vaguely.

“OK, then how ‘bout in an hour after I put Noelle down for her nap? That way we won’t get interrupted,” his mother said, sensing the issue was one of importance and would need their undivided attention. He readily agreed, and a little over an hour later Liz emerged from the baby’s room and announced, “she’s asleep. Do you want to talk to us now Sweetie?”

“Yeah, please,” he responded.

// What’s going on? // Max asked his wife via their connection as they followed behind their son.

// He said he needs to talk to us about something, but wouldn’t elaborate more than that, // she answered as they settled on the sofa. Their son sat perched on the edge of a chair across from them.

“Um, I wanted to tell you both about a decision I’ve made,” he began. “Actually, I kind of made it on Thanksgiving but got a little freaked out about it with all of the school work and everything, so I never mentioned it to you because I just didn’t have the time to set stuff up, but I’ve been thinking about it constantly and it’s definitely what I want to do but I needed to do it when I wasn’t bogged down with school, but now that’s over for a week…”

// He’s rambling // his father signaled to Liz, and then regretted the thought when he saw her look of nervousness. He reached over and took her hand and gave it a squeeze before stopping his son. “Max, I’m getting the feeling this is something important. Why don’t you just cut to the chase?”

He took a deep breath and blew it out with a whoosh. “OK. OK,” he repeated, trying to sum up some nerve, because he knew when he said his piece it would become all the more real. “OK. I’ve decided to ask Jackie to marry me.”

His announcement was met with silence, both parents shocked to hear their firstborn was ready to move on to the next stage of his life but happy nonetheless. Smiles soon spread over their faces, and they both rose to embrace him and assure him of their support and their happiness at his choice of brides. “I hope her parents will have the same reaction,” Max said, pleased with their easy acceptance. “I want to talk to them tonight.”

“I’m sure they will Sweetie,” Liz said reassuringly. “Paula tells me all the time how much they both love you.”

“So when are you going to ask her?” his father inquired. “Tonight?”

“No; I thought there was already so much going on, with Christmas and Noelle’s birthday. I want it to, you know, stand out. I thought I’d do it on New Years Eve.”

“You don’t want anything to steal your thunder,” Liz teased. “I understand that completely, and I’m sure Jackie will too. So do you have a ring?”

“No; actually that’s another thing I needed to talk to you about. Dad, I was wondering…”

“Say no more son; we’ll pick out a stone from the royal jewels and we’ll make her the most spectacular ring she’s ever seen.”

“Wow, thanks Dad,” he said; “I was going to buy a diamond and ask you to make the setting, but if you don’t mind…”

“Max, those jewels are for the Antarian King, his betrothed, and his heirs. They are as much yours as they are mine, and I’d rather see those that I love enjoying them then have them hidden away. Besides,” he added with a wink, “just how big of a diamond did you think you could afford with the twenty dollars you’ve got left in the bank?”

His son smiled at the joke. “Thank you Dad. I know Jackie is very traditional, but I want her ring to be unique. Like Mom’s is.”

Max looked down at his wife’s hand, smiling at the engagement and wedding bands that encircled her slim finger, signaling to the world that she was his. “We’ll make her a ring that’ll knock her socks off. I promise.”

Max thanked his parents and then collected his gifts and took them up to his apartment. As soon as the door closed behind him Liz threw herself into her husband’s arms and burst into tears. He smiled as he rubbed his hands over her back in a soothing gesture. “I was wondering how long you could hold it in.”

“My…baby’s grown up…and he’s gonna leave…”

Max held her tightly as she sobbed, a feeling of sorrow stabbing at his heart also. He’d been a part of his son’s life for barely five years and he was loathe to see him leave their home. When she began to calm down he tilted her face up and brushed the tears from her cheeks. “How would you feel about offering to let them live in the apartment when they get married? This way they could save for a down payment on a house, and it would keep him near us a little longer.”

“Oh Max that’s a great idea,” she sniffed. “They could live there forever if they wanted to; I don’t mind.”

Max chuckled. “They might though. I don’t know how they’d feel about raising kids in that small space.”

Liz paused a moment, a smile forming on her lips. “Oh Max, grandbabies…”

“I know,” he said with a radiant smile at the thought. “’Grandma’. Are you ready for that?”

Her eyebrow shot up at his taunting. “Let’s get them married first Pop Pop.”

Later when Maria and Alex arrived, Max told them he was going to propose to Jackie and immediately Maria burst into cheers which were quickly followed by tears. Liz wrapped her arms around her best friend, crying all over again as Maria choked out “Liz, our little boy is going to get married.”

Alex hugged his favorite defacto nephew. “That’s fantastic Max. I’d say you were a lucky man to have found my niece, but she’s just as fortunate.”

“Thanks Uncle Alex,” he said. “I want to talk to her parents tonight. I’m going to need you all to distract Jackie for a little while, if that’s OK.” They all readily agreed; Maria loving the idea of being in on a caper. While she plotted how they could execute the maneuver Max looked at her husband. “Uncle Alex, you don’t think…Uncle Nick and Aunt Paula, they won’t…they’ll be OK with this, won’t they?”

Alex laughed and slung an arm around Max’s shoulders. “Do you know what Nick calls you when he talks to me? ‘The son-in-law’,” he said, nodding his head in the affirmative at the young man’s surprised look. “Yep. ‘The son-in-law helped me fix that broken rail on the deck; the son-in-law gave Paula a beautiful birthday gift…Max, my brother and sister-in-law think you’re the best thing since sliced bread. If Jackie doesn’t marry you I think they’ll disown her and try to adopt you.”

Max blushed at the compliment as his parents beamed proudly. “How could you think otherwise?” Maria exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him. “You’re perfect. And I’ll beat the hell out of anyone who says otherwise.”

As they all laughed a sleepy looking Noelle wandered into the room. Alex immediately picked her up for a kiss. “Happy birthday Butterball,” he said before handing her over to Maria’s waiting arms.

“Merry Christmas,” she said with a kiss to her left cheek, “and happy birthday,” she said with a kiss to her right. “Did Ho Ho bring you lots of nice presents?”

She perked up with the reminder of all of the goodies under the tree. “Ree Ree, Ho Ho gif me fedders. And he gif Mommy and Daddy and BoBo peasants too!”

“Well guess what Love Bug, he left some presents at our house for you too,” Maria said, smiling at Noelle’s widening eyes.

“Ho Ho went to your house too?”

“He sure did,” Maria said. “Why don’t we unwrap them and see what they are.”

They all enjoyed watching the toddler open her gifts, and then Maria and Liz set about preparing dinner while the men entertained Noelle. Soon Jackie and her family arrived and the house was bustling with activity, everyone bestowing loads of attention upon Noelle who loved every minute of it. About a half hour before they were to sit down to dinner, Maria put ‘operation distract Jackie’ in motion. “Alex,” she said to her husband, “you put Noelle’s birthday presents in the trunk of the car, didn’t you?”

“No, I thought you did,” he fibbed. Earlier Maria had had him take them back to their house so she’d have an excuse to leave.

“Oh boy. I’d better run home and get them because Liz wants to do cake and presents right after dinner so she can get the baby to bed at a decent hour. Jackie, would you come with me; I could use a hand carrying everything.”

“Sure Aunt Maria,” she replied, wondering why she didn’t want Alex to go instead, but not protesting the request.

Walking out behind her niece, Maria flashed Max a quick thumbs up signal, and when they were safely out of the house he turned to Jackie’s parents. “Aunt Paula, Uncle Nick, could I talk to you a minute?”

After the three of them disappeared down the hallway Liz quickly moved across the room and deposited herself on her husbands lap and buried her face in the crook of his neck. “They’re going to be happy about it, aren’t they?” she asked.

Max embraced her without replying, knowing she was needlessly worrying. His belief was confirmed when minutes later his son appeared, a smile of relief on his face. Nick and Paula were right behind him, and when Liz saw Paula’s broad, watery-eyed smile she rose and they embraced and cried some more happy tears together. Max stood as well and shook Nick’s outstretched hand. “It will be our pleasure to have your son an official member of our family,” Nick said to him, “although we already feel that way about him.”

“We feel the same way,” Max said, and Liz nodded in agreement. “We love Jackie and we just couldn’t be happier.”

“Um, she still has to say yes, you guys,” his son said, scratching his head with a bemused smile as all of the adults started laughing.

“Max, the only question in my mind is how fast she’ll get the word ‘yes’ out of her mouth,” Paula said. “Believe me Honey; she’s going to say yes.”

“Who’s going to say yes about what?” Jackie said as she walked into the room carrying a box with Maria behind her, frantically trying to get someone’s attention before the secret was mentioned out loud.

“Maria,” Alex said, trying to think fast, “Maria is going to say yes to letting Max keep his Jet Ski at our house again this summer. Right Honey?”

“Yes, of course you can Homer,” Maria replied, grateful they were able to cover quickly. “How else am I going to borrow it when you’re not around?”

That evening Noelle kept everyone entertained with her antics in celebration of her birthday, and thoughts of the impending engagement were put aside for a little while, except by one very nervous, very love struck alien, who could think of nothing else.

CHAPTER 35A

“Keep the salad in the refrigerator right until you are going to eat it to keep the lettuce from wilting,” Liz said to her son from her position in the back seat of his SUV. He was dropping his parents and sister off at Maria and Alex’s so they could celebrate New Years Eve with them. He was also picking up Jackie, whom he would return there later that night to sleep. He was preparing a late supper for them to share in his apartment before he would propose to her.

“Babe…”

“Don’t leave the bread in the oven to long, it will get hard,” she continued without notice of her husband’s warning.

“Honey…” he tried again.

“I de-veined the shrimp for you but rinse it again & drain it well-“

“Liz!” her husband said, startling her out of her instructions. “You already told him all of this- twice- and wrote it all down for him too. He’ll be fine.” Max looked across the front seat at his son. “Just remember the ring Max, that’s the only really important thing tonight.”

“Her saying ‘yes’ is the only thing that’s really important,” his son replied before catching his mother’s broad smile in the rear-view mirror.

“She’s going to say yes Honey; don’t you worry. Do you know how you’re going to ask her?”

“Yeah, I do; but I’d like her to be the first person to find that out, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course Max,” his father quickly said. “But I’m warning you, that’s going to be the first thing your mom and Maria ask when you come back to get us later on,” he added with a smile at his wife.

“The first thing Maria will ask,” Liz corrected, “is to see the ring.”

“It is nice, isn’t it Mom?” Max asked nervously.

She reached up to give his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “It’s gorgeous Honey. She’s going to love it, say yes, and you are going to live happily ever after.”

// Just like us, she signaled to her husband, who immediately turned and gave her a wink.

“Remember, if it’s too big, take it off her finger before you adjust the size. It you try to do it while she’s wearing it the metal might get too hot and burn her,” his father said.

Max had asked both of his parents for help when it came time to make Jackie’s engagement ring, but the final design had been his alone. He took the stones his parents had selected from the Antarian king’s jewels, and after laying them out in many different arrangements he finally settled on one and his father got to work showing him how to ‘cut’ and set the gems. The final result was a large, almost rectangular diamond set off by smaller diamonds in an antique-looking setting. His mother pronounced it exquisite before bursting into tears for the thousandth time that week, which brought about her husband’s undivided affection for the following hour or so, also for the thousandth time that week.

Max pulled the SUV into Maria’s driveway and his mother began unstrapping his sister from her car seat. “Sweetie, if you think you’ll be picking us up after 1 AM, would you please let us know, because I might just leave Noelle here to sleep over night.”

“OK Mom,” he replied distractedly as he spotted Jackie in the doorway waiving at him.

His father caught his nervous tone and reached over to clasp his shoulder. “Now you know how I felt before I proposed to your mom, when you and Alex were making fun of me,” he said with a smirk. “So I’m going to tell you exactly what you told me. Relax. It’s not like she’s going to say no. And try to enjoy the moment Max; it’s only going to happen once in your life.”

Liz appeared in his open door and held out Noelle to him. “Give Bo Bo a kiss goodbye Sweetheart,” she instructed, and then leaned in for one of her own. As Jackie neared the vehicle she whispered, “your father’s right- relax. And I love you more than I can ever tell you.”

He smiled at the woman who was not only his mother but his life-long best friend. “I love you too Mom. And thanks, for everything.”

“Just don’t overcook the shrimp, they’ll get tough,” she said before she felt an arm encircle her waist and begin to move her away from the car.

“Time to go Liz,” her husband said, winking once more at his son.

After hugging Jackie hello they went inside; Liz and Maria spending the evening discussing the engagement and impending nuptials, and Alex and Max rolling their eyes repeatedly as they played with the baby.

******************

A few hours later, Jackie daintily blotted at her lips with her napkin. “Max, that was outrageous. I had no idea you could cook like that!”

He smiled as he rose from the table. “I’m glad you liked it, but my mom helped a lot, getting the stuff ready and all.”

“Well you still had to cook it and it was delicious,” she said as she carried her empty plate to the sink. “Wait until Sarah finds out you can cook; she’ll probably make Jim take classes!” They both laughed at the joke that referred to their best friends that had married the previous year.

“Maybe you shouldn’t; I don’t think he’s forgiven me for the whole ironing thing yet,” he retorted.

They joked and kissed their way through cleaning the dishes and then cuddled together on the couch to watch a movie; Jackie curled into his side tightly, resting her head on his shoulder as he absently ran one hand over her back. Max lost himself in thought, running over what he wanted to say to her when the big moment arrived, and later was oblivious as she giggled at a joke. “You didn’t think that was funny?” she asked when he didn’t laugh also.

“Huh?” he said, snapping out of his trance.

“Is something wrong Max? You seem like you’re a million miles away.”

“Just thinking about school starting again in two days,” he lied. “And how I’m not going to get to see you as much as I want.”

Jackie smiled at his statement. “I know; I’ll hate it too. But we’ll both be finished with school in May and then we’ll have lots of time to be together.”

For the rest of our lives, I hope, he thought to himself.

“Maybe,” she smiled as she shifted herself to sit on his lap, “we should start making up for lost time now.”

An answering smile spread over his features. “That’s what I love about you; you’re always thinking.” He finished his sentence by kissing her soundly, and the movie faded into background noise as they focused solely on each other. Moving lips and traveling hands birthed satisfied moans, and later when he spied the time out of the corner of his eye, he had to repeatedly remind himself of what the night was all about before he could pull away from her. He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his libido and his nerves all at once. “It’s a couple of minutes before midnight,” he said when he looked back at her. “Why don’t we watch the ball drop?”

“OK,” she replied simply, a little disappointed at the point he chose to abandon his attentions. She re-buttoned her sweater and smoothed her skirt, then reached for his hand as she moved to sit next to him. The thirty second countdown was on in Times Square, but what held her attention was the way his leg was nervously bouncing up and down and the feeling of his cold, clammy hand squeezing the life out of hers. “Baby are you OK?” she asked for the second time that night. “You’re acting a little weird.”

“Just too much caffeine I guess,” he said, not being able to look at her.

“But we didn’t have any coffee,” she said, obviously not buying his reply.

“Here we go,” he said, trying to distract her, “10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1…happy new year!”

“Happy new year baby,” she replied before he kissed her.

I’m hoping it will be the happiest, he thought, kissing her again to drum up the courage to take the biggest step of his life.

END PART A

PART B

“Happy New Year my Liz,” Max said, looking down into her upturned face.

“Happy New Year my Max,” she replied, stretching up to kiss him. As their lips danced together, a distant memory of many different New Years flashed through her mind; times spent alone, watching other happy couples kissing their significant others while she grieved his absence. How very different this night was in comparison, she thought to herself.

His lips moved to place a tender kiss on her forehead before leaning his against the same spot. “Never again,” he whispered, indicating he’d seen the flash also. A teasing smile began to spread over his features and he began dropping little kisses over her face. “If you’d like…we could try to…make up for all those…years…tonight…”

“OK, enough!” pronounced Maria. “I see where this is going and I will not have my couch violated in such a manner!” They all laughed and exchanged hugs, kisses, and good wishes. “I wonder if Homer asked her yet?” Maria mused aloud.

“I was wondering the same thing,” Liz admitted.

“Why don’t you buzz in on him and find out?” Maria asked.

“No,” Max immediately replied when he saw the glint in his wife’s eyes. “They deserve their privacy. We’ll find everything out soon enough.”

“OK,” Liz lamented, “I guess you’re right. But I’m dying to know what’s going on!”

Less than a mile away, Max was leading Jackie outside onto the deck. “What are we doing out here in the dark besides freezing to death?” she said through chattering teeth.

He pulled her into the circle of his arms, rubbing his hands over her small body to ward off the wintry chill. “Beginning when I was old enough to stay up until midnight on New Years Eve, after the ball dropped Mom always brought me outside.” Max gazed up at the thousand points of light that illuminated the black sky that veiled the heavens, in awe at the sight as much now as he’d been the first time Liz had begun the ritual. “She said that wishes made upon the stars in the first night sky of the new year were the most special ones of all. She said those dreams always had the best chance of coming true.”

“Then can I wish I was inside where the heat is on?” Jackie said, burrowing further into his embrace, seeking his warmth. “I’m kidding,” she added when she saw the look on his face. "OK, I’ll be serious. I hope that graduation comes quickly because I’m tired of school. I hope you’ll get the final approval for the job at Riverton as soon as you finish your Masters in May, and that Debbie will hire me when my internship is done. I hope that we’ll be able to see each other as much as possible even though we’ll both be really busy.” A devilish smile lit her face when she continued. “And I’m hoping you’re going to show me how your magic powers can make it warm when you’re out in 25 degree weather!”

He laughed and said “OK! I can take a hint!” He removed his jacket and waived a hand over it, transforming it into a large, sheepskin lined blanket. As he wrapped it around them he asked, “is that better?”

“Much,” she said when she felt it surround them, enclosing them in a cocoon of warmth. “OK, now tell me yours,” she prodded, settling tightly against him again.

“Well, yours are pretty good, but I might be able to come up with one more.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he exhaled, searching for the words he’d been rehearsing all day. Looking down upon her open, expectant face, his heart swelled with love and it gave him the courage to continue. His hand caressed her face as he began. “I love you more than anything in this world…”

“More then fudge brownies with chocolate ice cream on top?” she interrupted, teasing him about his favorite pig out food.

“Yeah, even more then brownies and ice cream,” he answered tenderly. “When I’m with you I feel like anything is possible. You are my everything,” he sighed, running his thumb over her check, unconsciously mimicking the same act he’d witnessed his father perform for the past several years. “I can’t imagine my future without you in it, and I don’t want to either.”

His ardor brought tears to her eyes, and she passionately whispered “you’ll never have to Max. You are the love of my life; I never want to be without you either,” before joining their lips.

He pulled back after a moment, still cradling her face in his hands. “I don’t want this year to end without making my wildest dream come true.” The blanket surrounding them disappeared as he dropped to one knee. He reached out to take her hand, and her free one flew up to cover her mouth as she began to understand what was happening. “My wish for this year is that it won’t finish without you becoming my bride. Jacqueline Amelia Whitman, make my life complete, and say you’ll marry me?”

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks and she trembled uncontrollably as she knelt down to face him. “Yes,” she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck, “yes I’ll marry you! Yes…yes…yes…” she continued in between his kisses, until speaking was no longer an option.

Breaking for air, he patted his pockets and muttered “damn it.”
Her puzzled look prompted him to explain sheepishly, “I left the ring inside.” Grasping her hand, he pulled her to her feet, led her inside his apartment, and sat her on the couch. He hurried away, and after a few moments returned with a midnight blue velvet box nestled in his still shaking hands. He sat next to her, chuckling when she thrust her left hand toward him. “Did you think this was for you?” he joked.

“I’ve been waiting for this for four years,” she said, trying to sound serious but her giddiness making her fail miserably. “Put it on!”

“Yes Ma’am!” When he opened the box her answering gasp made him beam.

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she said in a hushed tone as he slid the dainty antique reproduction onto her slim finger.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered, wiping at the tears that were once again cascading down her cheeks.

She threw herself at him and the two of them wept and laughed alternately between kisses and words of love, all the while Jackie keeping her left hand visible so she could view her ring. Max joked that maybe he should glue it to his forehead so she’d look at him instead, whereupon she informed him that the only way the ring was leaving her finger was if some alien hocus pocus made it disappear. The gauntlet thrown down, Max assaulted her with a tickle attack but was surprised at how adept she was at eluding his grasp despite the advantage of his size, strength, and that he was using both hands. In a ploy to divert her attention he suddenly stopped tickling her and began kissing her passionately instead. Pressing her back to lie prone on the couch, he hovered above her and let his lips wander over her face and neck until at last he felt her arms and legs surround him, locking together around his back in a familiar sign of her surrender.

“Ah ha!” he exclaimed, grabbing her left arm and unwinding it from his neck. “Gotcha!” His victory was short lived, however, because when he turned his triumphant gaze from her ring finger to her face the smoldering look in her eyes told him she was done with the game.

“I like the ring Max,” she said huskily; “can’t you think of something else you’d like me to take off instead?”

He fell immediately under her spell and all thoughts of teasing her about the ring vanished. His eyes darted between her face and her chest, and dropping his hold of her arm he waived his hand down the row of black buttons that held her sweater closed. As the fabric parted and her lacy black undergarment came into view, the thickness in his voice made a thrill shoot right through to her bones. “I think I’ll take the ‘instead’ route, if you don’t mind.”

“I definitely don’t mind,” she sighed as his lips descended onto hers and she felt his hand brush over the silk of her bra. A few seconds later the front clasp popped open and then she felt his hand encase her naked breast, and a few seconds after that his mouth followed.

While they had agreed to wait until marriage to have intercourse, all other aspects of sex had been well explored between them, so soon wandering hands and wayward lips were evoking needy pleas and pleasured moans. When they finally climaxed at the hand of the other, their eyes remained locked to witness the rapture that filled their hearts as well as their bodies.

Max held her like a porcelain doll as they lay entwined on the couch, talking about their future quietly between kisses and soothing caresses. “Max?” she queried as her nails danced over his chest, “did you give any thought at all about a date?”

“A date?” he repeated absently, more interested in sampling her neck at that moment than talking.

“For the wedding.”

“Well I was kinda thinking I’d go with you.”

She rolled her eyes as he began to laugh. “You are so lame,” she said before he silenced her with a deep kiss.

“Why, did you have a date in mind?” he asked when he finally pulled away.

“A date?” she questioned, her train of thought completely lost.

“For the wedding,” he said, clearly amused at her reaction to his attentions.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, blushing at how easily he was able to distract her. “Well, did you want a long engagement or…”

“No,” he interrupted; “the sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned. But if you want to wait…”

It was her turn to interrupt him. “No, I don’t want to wait at all. I’d marry you tonight if you wanted.”

He smiled broadly before kissing her. “While that is a very tempting offer, Miss Whitman, I don’t know how well us eloping would go over with our mothers.”

Jackie giggled at the thought. “You’re right; my mom would be upset but I think you’re mom might have a stroke!”

Max had to laugh in agreement. “I love you Baby, but I do NOT want to have THAT conversation with her!”

Smiling, she continued. “Then what about soon after graduation? Like the beginning of June?”

“Are you sure you can handle your final semester and planning a wedding at the same time? Sounds like an awful lot of work.”

“Well I’ll have lots of free time because my fiancée will be busy with school too,” she said with a wink. “And I’ve never wanted a big wedding. You have a really small family, and mine will be about thirty people, and our friends…so we’re talking about, what, fifty to sixty people? Well have it at my parent’s Yacht Club, my boss will design the decorations, you know our mothers and Aunt Maria will be involved…all I have to do is get a dress!”

Max smiled at the thought of her floating down the aisle in a fluffy white gown. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out,” he said with a kiss to the tip of her nose.

“Is any of that OK with you? Because we could always…”

He lay his finger on her lips with a grin. “I think it’s perfect. You name the time and place and I’ll be there. With my mother.”

Their laughter quieted only when their lips met, and soon, no laughter could be heard at all.


PART C

“Why don’t you leave her here tonight?” Maria whispered as Liz tucked a blanket around her sleeping daughter.

“You don’t mind?” Liz said as they exited the room.

“Of course not. It’s too cold to drag her back out there tonight. This way you and Max can sleep in a little.”

“But then you and Alex won’t be able to sleep in,” Liz reminded her.

“I don’t care; we get to sleep in whenever we want. We’ll take her to IHOP in the morning for pancakes before you come over for the football games,” Maria offered. “Besides, how am I going to teach her all the finer points about having the name ‘Maria’ if she doesn’t stay with me once in awhile?”

Liz chuckled at her friend. “Well, if you really don’t mind, some extra sleep would be nice. Just be sure to get the pancakes with the whipped cream smiley face to avoid a tantrum.”

“Who’s- Noelle’s or Alex’s?” Their laughter carried them into the living room in time to see a car pulling into the driveway. “Oh! Homer and Jackie are here!” Maria exclaimed as she started to jump up and down. “They’re here!”

“Babe, calm down,” Alex said, taking hold of her shoulders to ground her. "You weren’t this excited when I proposed to you!”

Liz, on the other hand, had gone completely silent. Her husband immediately sensed her nervousness and moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “You think she said yes, don’t you?” Liz whispered to him, terrified at even the remotest prospect that her baby boy might get hurt.

A kiss to the top of her head and a reassuring squeeze around her middle was all he had time for before their son walked in the door, Jackie trailing behind him.

Ready to explode from the anticipation, Maria blurted out “well?” before they had a chance to speak.

In response, Jackie simply held out the hand that was now adorned with a beautiful engagement ring. Pandemonium ensued as everyone hugged and cried and laughed, overjoyed at the prospect of the wedding to come.

As things began to calm down, Jackie looked at her aunt and uncle and asked, “do you think it’s too late to call my mom and dad?”

Alex laughed as he tossed her the cordless phone. “Jacks, your parents have been calling every ten minutes for the past hour. I think it’s safe to say they’re still up.”

Jackie turned to look at her fiance’. “My parents know?”

“Yeah, I kinda, ah, asked them for permission Christmas night.”

“You mean my mom kept quiet for a whole week?” she laughed, dialing the phone. “That’s got to be a record…hi Mommy! Is Daddy there too? Hi Dad! Well, I’ve got some big news…”

Everyone in the room was able to hear the squeals of Paula’s delight coming through the receiver as her daughter shared her happiness. Liz stood with one arm around each of the men in her life, excited at the prospect of adding a new member officially to their family. “Sweetie, I know it’s early to ask, but did you talk about a date yet?” she asked her son.

“Yeah, we’re thinking right after Jackie graduates. Neither one of us wants too wait long.” He smiled as his fiancée repeated the same information to her mother.

“When is that, the end of May?” his father queried.

“End of May?” Maria interjected. “We don’t have much time! Jackie let me talk to Paula!”

Alex could be heard muttering “oh boy” as his wife began running down a laundry list of items that would need to be addressed with her sister-in-law. He walked over to his clearly amused niece and slung an arm around her shoulder. “Sunshine, let me apologize now for everything that’s going to happen in the next six months.”

“Actually Uncle Alex, I’ll be counting on Aunt Maria’s help. Yours too Aunt Liz.”

Max chuckled, giving his wife a squeeze as he addressed his soon-to-be daughter-in-law. “I think you’re going to have to stop calling us ‘Uncle Max’ and ‘Aunt Liz”, Jackie. It’s not going to sound too good to strangers!”

Alex began whistling the tune from ‘Deliverance’ and they all laughed. “What would you like me to call you then,” she asked them.

“How ‘bout we leave that up to you Sweetie,” Liz answered. “You can call us Liz and Max, Mom and Dad, Guenivere and Lancelot…”

“What?” her husband said with a laugh.

“Romeo and Juliet,” Maria added, joining the conversation after her phone call had finished. “We can discuss names later, the matter at hand is the wedding. Your mom and I thought we should all meet as soon as possible,” she said gesturing to the two women, “so I told them to come over an hour earlier tomorrow, OK?”

“We’re going to Jim and Sarah’s to watch the Rose Bowl tomorrow,” Max said.

“Maybe we could stop here first,” Jackie replied and Max nodded his consent.

“Honey, don’t you think you should be letting Jackie and Max take the lead on this; it is their wedding,” Alex said, poking her in the side for emphasis.

“Seriously Uncle Alex, we don’t mind,” his niece said as she grasped Max’s hand. “We’re going to need help. We’re both in school; and even though we don’t want anything elaborate, it’s still going to take a lot of planning. And since Aunt Maria is offering…”

“More like commandeering…OUCH!” Alex exclaimed, receiving a poke in the side for himself. “Geez Honey, could you cut your nails before you do that again?”

“Am I going to need to do it again?” Maria asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I think it’s time for us to go, before blood is shed,” Liz joked before leaning over to kiss Jackie goodbye. “We’ll see you tomorrow Sweetie. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Me too, Jackie,” her husband added with a kiss. “Welcome to the family.”

Max beamed at his parents, forever grateful for their unwavering support. “I’ll be home soon; see you in the morning.”

They kissed their son goodbye before moving to their friends. “Call us when you get back from IHOP Maria,” Liz said as she kissed them both goodbye and left.

When they got home they went straight for their room and began to get undressed for bed. “I love my baby, but an uninterrupted nights sleep sure sounds good doesn’t it Max?” Liz called over her shoulder as she shimmied out of her jeans.

“Uh huh,” he said absently as he stopped his disrobing to watch her. She had her back facing him but was standing in front of a full length mirror, so he was able to see all sides of her glorious body as it emerged from under the layers of winter clothing.

“Maria was funny about the wedding plans, wasn’t she?”

“Funny…” he echoed without thought. How did she manage to stay in such amazing shape, he wondered as his eyes roamed over her. Everything was tight and supple and luscious.

“Alex was a little embarrassed I think.”

“Alex…” He enjoyed the sight of her pulling her turtleneck off and her hair settling in disarray over her shoulders and dancing around her breasts. His mouth dropped open a few seconds later when she slipped out of her bra, leaving her clad in only a very small pair of black lace panties. When she leaned over to collect something that had fallen to the floor he snapped out of his stupor and began ripping his own garments off. She caught sight of him in the mirror and turned around as he was yanking his shirt over his head. “Max why are you…”

When his face reappeared she had no need to finish her question- the look in his eyes was one she knew well. It meant she was about to be ravished. It meant she was about to be devoured. It meant she was about to become one happy, happy camper.

After nearly tearing his boxers from his body he stalked over to her and ripped her panties off with one powerful pull. As he grabbed her ass and lifted her up his lips found hers and she held on tightly, expecting to feel their mattress under her momentarily. Instead he pressed her against the wall and she gasped in surprise. “Bed’s too far,” he muttered as his mouth quickly traveled down her throat, over her chest and then latched onto a nipple.

As a low, needy moan escaped her she raised one leg and hooked it around his waist, trying to pull his proud hardness into contact with her rapidly moistening center. His fingers were in the way though, searching out her favorite spot, instantaneously turning her moans into pleas for him to join them when he reached it.

He accommodated her with one hard thrust, building a rapid pace that would have made it difficult for her to keep her balance if she wasn’t digging her nails into his shoulders and he wasn’t mashing her body into the wall. Her cries of pleasure let him know she didn’t mind, however, and he picked up the pace knowing he couldn’t hold out much longer. At the sound of her climaxing wail he let himself go, his body humping into hers in completion as he whispered her name over and over into her ear.

The shaking of their limbs finally made them separate and they limped over to their bed, falling together into a tangled mass that made it impossible to tell where one body began and the other ended. They fell asleep a few quick minutes later, their exhaustion not preventing wide smiles from adorning both their faces.

Liz awoke the next morning to find her husband propped up on his elbow staring at her. “Happy New Year gorgeous,” he said, leaning down to kiss her lips gently.

“Happy New Year my Max,” she said in a throaty morning voice, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him down to her. “It’s nice to be able to sleep in a little, isn’t it?”

“Mmmm…although I prefer doing this to sleeping,” he murmured as his lips slid down her neck.

“You’re right…this is nice…oh!” The exclamation came when his tongue tickled the crook of her neck, a favorite spot of hers.

He left the spot abruptly to return to her lips, speaking only when the need for air broke them apart. “I was thinking…last night was a great way to end the year…and what better way to start this new year…” More kisses swallowed her reply; but the way her body melted into his, the way her hands ran over his back, the way she hungrily answered his kiss was all the response he needed.

His lips traveled down her jaw and up to her ear where the sound of his husky voice caused a shudder to run through her body. “I want to touch you…”

He used his fingertips only to slowly survey the hills and valleys of her body, tickling, teasing, and taunting her into a quivering mass. Her body arched when she felt those fingers parting her folds, and when the fingers were replaced with his tongue her giggles and sighs became moans of delight. They quickly changed to whimpers of despair, though, when he pulled away from her before she found completion.

He hovered over her, staring down into her lust-laden eyes while dipping his hips to rub his arousal over her, glorying in the desperate pleas that both her mouth and her movements made. When he spoke, the thought that his smoky voice could be considered a sex organ flitted through her mind, until what he actually said registered with her and her need to please him skyrocketed.

“I want you to touch me Liz.”

Her eyes widened and then she was pushing him onto his back and straddling him. He groaned as her wetness made contact low on his abdomen and he gripped her hips in anticipation. Leaning over him, she returned his stare for a moment before whispering words of her own.

“You don’t mind if use something other than my hands, do you?”

She tossed her hair over her head and dragged it over him as she used her tongue to trace the well-defined muscles of his flawless body. Max didn’t know which was more erotic; the feel of her silken strands sweeping over him and making it impossible to see her intended targets, or that of her lips and tongue tasting every inch of him, moving on a path that was leaving him desperate with desire.

He gasped when he suddenly felt her tongue flat against the base of his cock, and then moaned when she began licking at him like he was an ice cream cone. Up and down, up and down, then rimming the tip several times before taking him all the way into her mouth and breaking his control entirely. He cradled her head and pumped his hips, driving himself deeper down her throat while her name poured like a libation from his lips. It didn’t last too long, however, and her name turned from a husky moan to a needy whimper as she ceased her attentions and stretched out over him.

Her legs cradled his hips and his rock hard erection slipped between her folds, immediately causing her hips to begin rocking along his length, stimulating them both and causing a riot of sensation to pass between them.

“Liiizzz…” he hissed, “I can’t…take this…anymore…” He roughly gripped her hips and tugged her up, giving her barely enough time to adjust before he was thrusting up and pulling her down onto him fully.

“Ooohhh…Mmmaaaxxx…uh…” Each time she plunged down the words were forced from her lungs, thrilling him with the deep, desperate sound of his name. It was almost as exciting as the sight of her riding him with abandon, her own ecstasy clearly written across her face. Watching her as they made love, and especially as she climaxed, was the single most pleasurable thing he’d ever experienced, and he wanted that pleasure again right now.

One hand released its grip on her waist and his thumb found its way to her sweet spot, bringing on a loud wail that turned his eyes jet black. “Look at me…” he rasped out, and as she tried to focus his finger began to do double time. “Cum for me Liz…now…”

With two more jerks of her hips she was there; her face rapturous as her orgasm ripped through her, his name torn from her lips with each climatic shudder of her body.

As she ended he began, and she watched him through nearly-closed eyes as he gave himself over to her in the most beautiful way imaginable. Watching him in release was like viewing the poetry of their love in motion, and it never failed to leave her wanting more.

They lay together for a long while; Max clutching her to his chest, taking advantage of their alone time to enjoy languid caresses and soft kisses and words of adoration.

Eventually they rose and after having some more fun in the shower together, they made their way to Alex and Maria’s house to watch the bowl games. When Noelle spied Max stepping through the door she wiggled away from her brother’s tickling hands and made a beeline for her father. “Daddy! Daddy! I had happy cakes with Ree Ree and Alex!”

Max stooped down to scoop her up into a bear hug. “You did? Were they good?” he asked, smiling at her adoringly.

“Yesss!” She replied enthusiastically. “Me an’ Alex made funnies in the whip cream with our fingers!”

“I’ll bet Aunt Maria loved that,” Liz laughed as she leaned over and planted a smooch on the little girl’s cheek.

“Not so much,” Alex said, greeting his guests. “Apparently I’m an incorrigible brat.”

“Did you miss me?” Max queried Noelle as he rubbed their noses together. “Because I sure missed you!”

“Yes Daddy, I miss you,” his daughter sighed before reaching her little arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. “I luf you Daddy.”

Liz smiled at the sappy look her husband wore while he hugged their baby tighter. “You realize she could get anything in the world out of him right now, don’t you?” she said, turning to give Maria a kiss hello as she approached the group.

“Noelle, repeat after Ree Ree,” Maria said with a smile at the scene. “Diamonds, Daddy. I want diamonds.”

Max chuckled as he set the toddler down on her feet. “Anything you want, my little princess. The world is yours.”

“Tell him you want Alex to have a Mercedes,” her uncle said is he began tickling her, sending her squealing through the house with him chasing after her.

“Liz! Max!” Paula’s voice called from the living room. “Is that you?”

Liz stepped around the wall divider and found her son watching a football game with his future father-in-law on one side of the room, and Paula and Jackie sitting at a table under a sunny window on the other side. Liz threw her son an air-kiss as she crossed the room. “We’re finally going to be in-laws, Paula!” she said, hugging her friend hello.

“I’m so excited Liz!” she replied as Maria joined them. “You have perfect timing; we were just starting to talk about wedding plans.”

“Let’s get crackin’,” Maria said with a clap of her hands.

Max entered the room, stopping to survey the scene right before Noelle ran past him giggling, Alex following closely on her tail. He caught her quickly and carried her over to her brother, who immediately joined in the tickling fun.

Everything Max had ever wanted or loved or hoped for lay before his eyes- family, friends, laughter, togetherness, true love. His gaze drifted over to the center of his happiness. Everything he had ever dreamed of during those eighteen years of separation from her had come to fruition because of her. Every good, true thing in his life emanated from her love of him, her trust in him, her acceptance of him. His heart was so full he thought he might burst from so much joy.

Liz felt him staring at her and when she turned to look at him, the look on his face took her breath away.

I love you, they whispered through their connection, though it was unnecessary. Their past, present, and future could all be seen in their eyes, and it all happened because once upon a time, a boy loved a girl.

And he always will.

THE END