AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Twenty-One
Rose and James were sitting by
the fire. She looked around the spacious apartment, thinking, Damn. I’m the
luckiest woman alive. She heard a giggle and turned around, arching her
head back. Abby was standing hand in hand with Klaus, pulling away from a
chaste kiss.
"Oh, get a room!" Rose
cried. Abby blushed and came to sit with her mother, stepfather, stepsister,
and half-brother, Michael.
"Ma?"
"Yes, Michael?"
The four-year-old turned around
and looked at her with solemn eyes. "When the new baby is born next month,
will you stop work and stay home with me?"
She smiled. "For a
time," was all she would say.
"Daddy," he said,
turning to James. "Will you go on working?"
"Mmm-hmm," he said
drowsily. He shifted closer to his wife and laid a hand on her swollen belly.
She picked it up and brought it to her lips. Ignoring their audience, she took
hold of his chin and led him toward her. His lips brushed against hers and
shivers ran down his spine all the way to his gut. He put his hand behind her
head, forced it gently to him, and they kissed. She opened her mouth to his,
and deep in her throat, she made a sound. A sound of joy. This was where she
wanted to be. She was happy, she was safe, and she was loved. Finally, the
once-stiff knot that had been her heart was gone, and with that, her heart went
on.
The End.