With Love; Now & Forever (17 page)

lost
Austin, I can‘t control my dreams but I can control my actions. I loved Austin. ”
Ana smiled, “I don’t think he would ever be offended. I think you need to take some time to gain your composure and then ask him out for dinner, or coffee
as a friend
, start out slow and see how it goes. You already told me that he is one of your best friends, you do everything together, that’s the biggest thing that happy marriages boast about and you two already have it. Trust me, he’s not going to think you’re insane. It doesn‘t sound like he‘s going anywhere, you‘re allowed to take time to grieve.”
“I hope so.” Jennifer sighed. “I think about Austin so much but I can’t ignore that the past few years it was Stavros who was my everyday friend, my confidant.”
“You’ll be fine, promise. Now, I have to go, I promised Rick I’d go up to my room in fifteen minutes to get ready for tonight.”
Both women stood and embraced. “Thanks so much, Jennifer, for everything. You are such a wonderful friend and I don’t know how to ever repay you.”
“I do! Have your wedding to Rick here! Promise?”
“Boy, you are just like a dog with a bone, you keep gnawing and gnawing.” Ana blew out her breath and dropped her shoulders in resignation. “Yes, if and when Rick and I get married, I would be honored to have it here!”
The afternoon seemed to fly by and although she was nervous about tonight, it was more about seeing Georgia for the first time since that night when she was sixteen than the impending confrontation with Barry. A part of her still wanted acceptance from Austin’s mother whom she had at one time hoped would be her mother-inlaw.
She sighed, “Silly, Ana, silly. You’re a grown woman with a successful business and your net worth is over a hundred million dollars! You don’t need acceptance from her or anyone else!”
“Giving yourself a pep talk, honey?”
She let out a startled scream as she whirled around to confront Rick.
“That was totally unfair and mean, given the
circumstances! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
“Sorry but I did knock, I heard you talking and just assumed you were talking to me. I’ll know better next time, maybe I’ll wear a bell around my neck.” he teased as he drew her up in his arms.
She was wearing a soft, baby blue cashmere sweater with a pair of black cotton slacks that fit her curves in a snug and flattering way. Her hair was gathered up softly at the nape of her neck and held with a clip, simple pearl studs adorned her ears. And, he noted pleasantly, she smelled of fall, the floral woodsy smell that always reminded him of home and comfort.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “I’ve missed you so much! Every time I’m away from you, it feels like an eternity!”
He was too busy to answer as he nuzzled her neck and nipped lightly at the velvet skin.
“You keep that up and we are going to miss our own shindig.” she purred.
“Tempting, very tempting, but we are too close to the prize to pass up the brass ring.” he grinned as he pulled away.
“Brass ring? Prize? What in the world are you talking about?” she murmured, trying to entice him back into another kiss.
“Never mind, it’s just a saying, I think.” he tried to control his thoughts as she licked his bottom lip. “Let’s focus on you, did you get any rest? Do you feel ready for tonight?”
“I feel pretty good, a little nervous about seeing Georgia again but looking forward to getting this over with Barry. I want to get on with my life.”
“Don’t worry about Georgia, we’ll be there to support you. To be honest, I think she’s mellowed over the years, the few times I have met her she was very friendly and affable.
“God, I hope you’re right. Let me get some shoes on and let’s go down for dinner, I’m starved!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
T

he sensation was light, tentative along her hip. Under any other circumstances, she would just blow it off and fall back to sleep but memories

of her last encounter with an invisible visitor caused her to become instantly awake and wary. She didn’t have to wait long, another caress, this one along her side, caused her to jerk her eyes open and look at the area she’d been touched, but all she saw was blackness.

That was strange, even with the heavy drapes drawn, she should be able to see something. Even in the darkest of night she was able to make out shapes and objects in the room, mid-afternoon she should be able to see even more but she saw nothing, as if she had fallen into a void, a black hole.

She cried out as pain shot through her arm, the contact no longer caressing, the unseen visitor now punching and pinching her and the panic welled up into her chest as she tried to move but couldn’t. It was if she were encased in an unseen coffin or tunnel, her arms pinned to her sides by a hard, unseen tube. As she began to pant with terror, she felt her breath bounce off of the invisible wall and tickle back across her face. Trying to calm down, she leaned her head back to look up towards the head of the bed and saw what appeared to be a hole with light flowing in and she could see the headboard of her bed. Her first impression was that she was stuck in a black, metal straw, she could see the top and when she looked down, she saw the end of her bed but she couldn’t up or down, or side to side. Claustrophobia kicked in and she began to hyper-ventilate, believing she was trapped, unable to move or save herself, that she would slowly suffocate or be squeezed to death before someone would find her.

She tried to focus her thoughts,
this can’t be real, this can’t be real,
but the transient abusing her would unexpectedly touch or punch her and she would get distracted, losing her focus. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and began her words of protection. She felt a calm wash over her body and she began to feel stronger, more sure of herself and she felt the abuse lessen.

“I know this is you, Barry. Trying to scare me, are you? Well it’s not going to work! After tonight, everyone is going to know what you did to me, to Austin and you will have to go! I don’t want you and I don’t want you
here
! This is my life, you leave me alone
now
!”

She laid still for a minute, keeping her eyes closed and concentrated on her breathing but nothing stirred and she wasn’t touched again. She slowly opened her eyes and saw her prison had disappeared, a trick of her imagination.
Some trick
, she thought,
had me pretty convinced
.

She got up, intending to go tell Rick what had happened but stopped herself. He was trying to focus his energy so that they could get rid of Barry, once and for all, so that they could be together. Nothing really bad had happened and she was able to take care of it. It would only distract him if she told him, so she decided to keep it to herself. When this was all over with, she would tell him then. For now, she would just rest and prepare for tonight. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again, she picked up a book and curled up on the bed with a quilted throw over her lap. She started to read Rick’s first book,
my future husband
, she thought with a smile.

The afternoon seemed to fly by and although she was nervous about tonight, it was more about seeing Georgia for the first time since that night when she was sixteen than she was about the impending confrontation with Barry. A part of her still sought acceptance from Austin’s mother whom at one time, she had hoped would have been her mother-in-law.

She sighed, “Silly, Ana, silly. You’re a grown woman with a successful business and your net worth is over a hundred million dollars, you don’t need acceptance from her or anyone else!”

“Giving yourself a pep talk, honey?”
She let out a startled scream as she whirled around to confront Rick. “That was totally unfair and mean, given the circumstances! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“Sorry, but I did knock. I heard you talking and just assumed you were talking to me. I’ll know better next time, maybe I’ll wear a bell around my neck.” he teased as he drew her up in his arms.

She was wearing a soft baby blue cashmere sweater with a pair of black cotton slacks that fit her curves in a snug and flattering way. Her hair was gathered up softly at the nape of her neck and held there with a silver clip, simple pearl studs adorned her ears. And, he noted pleasantly, she smelled of fall, the floral woodsy smell that always reminded him of home and comfort.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “I’ve missed you so much! Every time I’m away from you it feels like an eternity.”

He was too busy nuzzling her neck and nipping lightly at her velvety skin to answer.
“You keep that up and we are going to miss our own shindig.” she purred.
“Tempting, very tempting, but we are too close to the prize to pass up the brass ring.” He grinned as he pulled away.
“Brass ring? Prize? What in the world are you talking about?” she murmured, unable to focus on his words and trying to entice him back into another kiss.
“Never mind, it’s just a saying, I think.” He tried to focus on his own thoughts as she licked his bottom lip. “Let’s concentrate on you, did you get any rest? Do you feel ready for tonight?”
She controlled the knot that emerged in her stomach and smiled. “I really couldn’t sleep but I feel pretty good. A little nervous about seeing Georgia again but looking forward to getting this over with, concerning Barry. I want to get on with my life.”
“Don’t worry about Georgia, we’ll be there to support you. To be honest, I think she’s mellowed out over the years, the few times I have met her, she was very friendly and affable.
“God, I hope your right. Let me get some shoes on and let’s go down for dinner, I’m starved!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“S

tavros!” Ana squealed when she walked into the dining room and saw the tall, dark presence already sitting at the table.

She raced towards him and threw her arms around him as he was beginning to stand.

“Anastasia! Good to see you again! I trust you are well? Things got a little out of control, I hear and I hope that this evening finds you peace that you deserve.” he hugged her back, squeezing tight before releasing her.

“I hope so too, will you be joining us this evening?” she asked, hoping that his strong presence would help ease the discomfort she knew Jennifer would experience with her mother-in-law.

“Yes, I have been asked to join.” his eyes flicked over to where Jennifer stood talking animatedly with Lissa, before meeting Ana’s eyes again. “I wish to be her support tonight.”

“I am so glad, she is starting to realize that she needs you, possibly even more than a friend. I don’t think you will have to wait too much longer.” Ana giggled, looking over at her friend.

“Is there something you wish to tell me, Anastasia?” he gave her his half smile, raising his eyebrows.

“No, just some words of advice, if she asks you out for dinner or coffee, cancel whatever you have scheduled, even if it’s meeting with Royalty. It’s important.” she squeezed his forearm as if in warning that he better heed her words.

“I would cancel flying to the moon for her, she is my life…” his eyes rested on Jennifer again, desire and love filling them for a moment before he regained his composure. “But let us focus on the now, may I escort you to your seat?”

“Not this time, Stavros. I’d like the pleasure.” Rick came over from where he had been talking with Jennifer and Lissa and took Ana’s elbow, guiding her away. Both men nodded at the other, affection and respect filled both sets of eyes.

“Then please excuse me, I see two ladies I would like to visit with before dinner is served.”
“You’re not cooking tonight?” Ana asked as Rick pulled out her chair.
“No, I decided I needed to be out here tonight, to offer support to my friends.”
“Thank you, it’s appreciated very much.” she smiled and nodded.
“If you’ll excuse me…” Stavros bowed, then moved towards where Lissa and Jennifer stood in the corner.
“He is a good guy, I am glad there is someone here to help Jennifer. They’ll make a good couple.” Rick commented, his eyes watching the interaction between Stavros, Lissa and Jennifer.
“What do you mean, ‘They’ll make a good couple’? Did you find out something?” Ana stared at Rick, hoping that she hadn’t been too obvious earlier.
“Yeah, I talked with Austin while I was preparing for tonight. He was worried about you and Jennifer and wanted me to know that his mother knew more than what she is probably going to let on tonight. He also wanted me to know that there is a connection there between Stavros and Jennifer, that they are destined to be together, her second chance. He wants me to help her when those feelings of guilt stop her from moving on, to let her know that Austin gives her his blessing.”
“He’s an amazing man, isn’t he?” Ana whispered.
‘Yes, he is. I’m sorry that you went through what you went through but selfishly, I’m glad too, we would have never met if you two had gotten married.” Rick admitted softly.
“Rick, I’ve learned not to focus on what used to be or what could have been. I don’t know what would have happened between Austin and me, it is what it is. All I know is that I loved him, once, a very long time ago and now I am in love with you. I want to be with you. I am saddened at the thought that Austin’s life was cut short and that Jennifer had to become a widow and I could focus on the losses and be miserable and sad. But I choose to focus on the positive. I learned at an early age what true love feels like with Austin, now I have met a beautiful person who is quickly becoming my best girlfriend and I have met the man of my adult dreams, a man that I fell in love with when I didn’t believe it was possible to fall in love, I’ve learned it is possible to have more than one soul mate. You are someone who gave me hope for my future.” Ana’s eyes welled up with tears as she grasped for Rick’s hand, clamping on tightly.
“I love you, Ana.” he whispered.
“I know, and I love you too, Rick.”
“UHHMM!” Lissa cleared her throat as Stavros seated her across from Ana and Rick. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No, just two people telling each other that they love one another.” Rick smiled.
“Good. Not enough of that going around in this world, in my opinion. Don’t let me interrupt.”
“Actually,” Jennifer cut in, “we should begin with supper. Georgia will be here in an hour and we really should have this wrapped up.”
“Shall we then?” Stavros asked, poised above Jennifer’s chair, waiting for her to take her seat. Jennifer smiled, sat down and picked up her wine glass.
“To a successful, interesting night. Here’s to Ana being able to exorcise her demons! Oops, I mean Barry! No disrespect, Dad!” she giggled.
Ana, relieved at Jennifer’s acceptance of the situation, raised her own glass. “To new, old and now life long friends. May we always stay in touch, even when ghosts aren’t involved!”
“Here, here!” Lissa said, everyone raising their glasses as feelings of love and compassion filled the room.