AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Sixty-Two
Two Weeks Later
Rose was in the park, watching her children
at play and thinking about what charity event to get involved with next. There
was always the gala for starving artists. It would be a perfect cause and maybe
it would even drag Jack away from the office. She sighed as she thought about
her husband. It had been a whole week since they had said a full sentence to
each other. He had been so busy. She wished he'd take time off and spend some
time with her and the children. She was feeling more lonely every day.
"Why, I didn't expect to run into you
here on my lunch hour," a male voice spoke up from behind her. Rose turned
around to face Cameron. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Hello, Cameron." Rose thinly
smiled as he came and sat by her.
"What are you doing here, Rose?"
"I thought I'd take the children out for
some fresh air." Rose shrugged. "It's such a lovely day."
"Indeed."
Rose looked at Cameron and wondered why he
had enough time to take off and Jack didn't. She decided to ask.
"Cameron...why do you have time to leave the office at all hours of the
day and Jack doesn't? I don't understand."
Cameron shrugged. "I don't know. For
some reason, the employees and partners have taken a liking to Jack and only
want to deal with either him or James. But he really should take time off for
family. The family business can wait."
"He doesn't even draw anymore."
Rose looked at the ground, a single tear falling from her eyes. "It's like
he's a different person...not the man I married at all."
"Well, Rose...people change every day.
Maybe Jack did, too. You know, you two were just kids when you married."
Cameron put a comforting arm around her. "Plus, with a family to
support..."
"Rose? Cameron? What are you doing
here?" Jack appeared behind the park bench.
"Oh, I just arrived, and Rose was here
with the children. I decided to sit down and keep her company until it's time
to go back to the office." Cameron forced a smile, inwardly cursing his
cousin's arrival.
"Rose, are you crying?" Jack asked,
spotting Rose's tears.
"She's just a little melancholy,"
Cameron answered.
"Cameron, if you don't mind...I'd like
to talk to my husband alone, please." Rose looked at Cameron.
"Sure." Cameron quickly hid his
disappointment. "I hope you feel better, Rose. I hate to see you so down
in the dumps." Cameron tucked a red curl behind her ear before getting up
and strolling out of the park, his back turned so no one could see his scowl.
"What's the matter, Rose? Why are you
crying?" Jack asked, sitting next to her and taking her hand.
"Because I miss you, Jack. I mean, you
never have time for us anymore. It's always the office. I've tried to
understand. I really have."
"Rose..."
Rose held her hand up. "No, let me
finish. Jack, I'm afraid. I'm afraid for our marriage. I mean, we haven't even
really talked to each other for a full week, and before that it was just a
couple of words."
"Rose, I know that I've been neglecting
you and the kids, and I'm sorry. But the office...there's just so much work to
do..."
"I'm just saying I miss you, Jack. I
miss you terribly, and so do the children. At times, this week especially, I
feel like I'm not even married." Rose sobbed again. "I just want my
husband back! Is that so wrong?"
Jack sighed and placed an arm around her
shoulders. "No, Rose. That's not wrong at all. Believe me, I miss you and
the kids, too. You five are all I think about. I'm surprised they even remember
me as their father. They probably see more of Cameron than they see of
me."
"Daddy!" Lindsey spotted Jack
sitting next to her mother and rushed into his arms, followed by the other
three children.
"Daddy!" Tommy reached his arms up
for Jack to take him.
"They remember you after all,
Jack." Rose smiled, picking up Daniel and Molly.
Jack smiled and hugged his children close. He
had almost forgotten how good it felt to hold them in his arms and hear them
call him daddy.
"Hey, guys. I've missed you so
much." Jack laughed.
"Are you staying, Daddy?" Molly
asked, her blue eyes pleading for him to say yes.
Jack hesitated. He still had a lot of things
to do at the office. Plus, there was an important meeting with one of the
clients. Looking at his family, his family that he'd missed so much, he made up
his mind. "Of course I'm staying. Let me just call Cousin James and tell
him that he and Cameron are going to be handling things by themselves today.
The rest of the day belongs to you guys."
"Yay!" The four children cheered
happily.
"Thank you, Jack." Rose grinned
happily for the first time that week. She felt secure again. She felt like she
had gotten her family back.
Jack smiled. "No. Thank you, Rose."
Jack leaned in and kissed her gently.
*****
That night, Jack and Rose lay in each other's
arms, each caught up in their own little world. Rose was the first to break the
silence.
"Jack...I was thinking. There's this
charity ball next Friday. It's for starving artists. I thought that since
you're an artist yourself...maybe you'd like to attend." Rose nervously
smiled up at her husband.
"Go to a party with my beautiful wife?
Of course...and especially when it's for such a worthy cause." Jack smiled
happily. "And I promise, Rose, nothing will stop me from taking you. From
now on, family comes first. The office is just going to have to wait."
Jack kissed the top of her head.
Rose smiled happily up at Jack, knowing that
he meant every word. "And Rose...I just wanted to apologize to you for not
being here for you and the children. Cameron told me about the Cal
confrontation...I'm sorry...I should have been the one there with you...not my
cousin."
"That's okay, Jack. In fact, I'm kind of
glad Cameron did take me. I saw a whole new side to him that night. For the
first time he reminded me of you." Rose smiled. "Maybe you're rubbing
off on him."
"Maybe." Jack laughed. "But
don't expect him to begin drawing portraits anytime soon, though."
"Don't worry. I won't." Rose kissed
him lightly and cuddled deeper into his embrace. For the first time in months,
she was truly happy.