Chapter 42

"Today is going to suck."

"I'll try to come back before August, and then I'll come back in August so I can watch the girls compete in the finals."

As Cathy and Christopher are pressed into each other facing each other, he is stroking her hair and caressing her face lovingly. "It is still going to suck."

"No less so for me. These girls definitely take hold of your heart, don't they?"

Christopher nods his head with big eyes and kisses her. "I have three girls that have a hold of my heart. Actually, four, including my niece Katie."

Cathy's eyes tear up, as her heart feels heavy. "I really am going to miss you all very much."

"Me too." There is a moment of tender desire between them and Christopher's hand starts caressing downward. Just as he is about to reach the promise land there is a knock at the door. Christopher smiles and brings his hand around to her back. "Yes."

"Are you awake?"

Cathy and Christopher smile divinely and Cathy says, "Come in." Not three seconds later there are two wonderful little girls flying into bed with them.

"We want to take Cathy to Waffle World before she leaves today."

"Okay, go get dressed."

"It won't take long since we only have to put dresses over our underwear." They put on their white cotton dresses.

If these last few days of grandeur and glory have to end, Christopher is glad they ended on such a beautiful note. After the girls got out of the pool last night they put on their intimates and cuddled with Christopher and watched a family movie.

As the girls run to get dressed, Christopher sits up and looks at Cathy who is now lying on her back with her hands behind her head under only the sheet. "Last night you told Karen that you were my fiancée."

Cathy sits up and acts a little guilty. "I know and I'm sorry, but she was just bugging me."

"I want you to be my wife so I don't have a problem with that. I do kind of feel like you took a moment from me."

"I'm sorry. I really am. It just slipped out. Even though I know the adoptions would go easier if we were already married, I don't want it to be about that."

"Even if we sped it up because of that it would still be about love and passion."

Cathy is looking torn. "I just don't know. I mean I know it is going to happen and I want it to happen, but we've only been together a month."

"We've known each other almost a decade, but I know what you mean. Yes, I have always been attracted to you, but until Sarah set my heart free I never allowed myself to truly feel, because I thought if I started feeling about one aspect of my life I would have uncontrolled feelings about my life such as being molested as a child or the war.

"Of course, now that I understand about my feelings about the war, in that I felt like I abandoned my brothers and sisters, not because of specific things that happened to me and around me there. I didn't go into it with an idealized hero view; I knew it was going to be vicious and life changing. As for the molestations, now that I'm healing today with a greater understanding of things I feel as if that little boy is healing too.

"But I don't want to get sidetracked from my point. I'm kind of glad that you stopped me from asking you to marry me." Cathy has a strange look on her face, almost pained. "I was unprepared. If the Rangers found out I went into something unprepared they'd say shameful, shameful. My point being is that it won't happen again. What is your ring size?" Cathy lets out her breath and smiles and hugs him.

"Come on!"

"Girls, we still have four hours before she leaves."

"Besides going to Waffle World we want to buy her a present to remember us by."

"My darling girls, I don't think she could forget about you two if she tried."

Cathy nods her head vigorously in agreement. "Daddy! Please! We still have the hundred dollars you gave each of us, and we want to buy her something small to keep with her."

"You mean like a bracelet with a charm on it that stands for Sarah and another one that stands for Hannah?"

The girls look at each other and smile. "Yeah. Can we, daddy, can we?"

"I think it is a brilliant idea." Since Sarah is standing the closet he grabs her and attacks her with tickles and a million little kisses.

As if having two girls outnumbering him wasn't bad enough, Cathy joins in as they team up against him. All of a sudden he stops and says, "Oh, wait a minute!"

"What, daddy?" asks Hannah, expecting a ploy.

"I don't think Cathy has been tickled."

"No!" Cathy screams as the tables get turned.

Finally out of breath, Christopher lies diagonal across the bed with his legs hanging off. Cathy is lying on her left side facing him with her legs curled up on the bed. Sarah is lying on her tummy on top of Christopher from his lower left side with her head on his chest as she is trying to laugh and catch her breath at the same time. Hannah is lying over Cathy at her waist with her arms on Christopher with a smile of divine happiness on her pretty face and a glitter of hope in her beautiful blue eyes.

"Can we take the hotrod today?"

"Well, Hannah, I think we can manage that. You like my hotrod Chevelle?"

"I think it is a pretty red color and I like the way it sounds."

"Yep, she's definitely meant to be your daughter." says Cathy. Hannah nods prettily.

"Sarah, go check on Nana and see if she needs anything."

"Come on, Hannah."

"Coming, Sarah."

As Cathy and Christopher are waiting for the girls to get back he asks her, "So my beautiful girl, do you want to pick out your wedding ring or do you want it to be a surprise?"

"Hmm, I think I would like it to be a surprise. Besides, I can just return it if I don't like it."

"Humph!" Cathy laughs, wraps her arms around his right arm and curls her legs up and cuddles into him. She is once again in her simple jeans and one of her own Harley shirts. "Hmm." he says looking at her shirt.

"What?"

"It has been a while since I have ridden. I think I might go buy me a bike to keep here. Hmm."

"She says she is fine and will take some lunch if we want to get it. I told her we would have dinner tonight with her since I get to stay another couple of nights."

"See what I mean?"

Cathy nods her head and smiles.

"What, daddy?"

"That you have a beautiful heart."

"Do I have a beautiful heart, too, daddy?"

"Definitely, my Hannah, Hannah. It is even more beautiful than your tushy is cute."

"Daddy!"

"Well! Actually, I'm pretty lucky that all my pretty girls have cute tushies." Hannah is trying to look back at hers.

"You girls got your money?" The look they give each other is priceless as they run upstairs to get it. "Since you don't have any pockets, you want me to hold onto it for you?"

As they are heading out the door they hand it to him. Once they are in the car Cathy is looking at the house and she starts to cry. "I'm going to miss this place and all of you very much." Sarah and Hannah come from the backseat and hug her the best they can.

"You girls got your seatbelts on?"

"Yes, sir!"

Christopher hits the gas and squeals the tires in the driveway. Both of the girls smile but Hannah gets a sheepish grin on her face. Once on the freeway heading towards Hartford Christopher opens up his hotrod for a second.

"How fast were we going, daddy?" asks Sarah.

"One hundred miles per hour."

"Wow!" says Hannah, looking at Sarah.

"First stop Waffle World, and then onto the jewelry store."

They take their time and enjoy every moment they possibly can together. The girls have once again turned into chatterboxes. After they are good and stuffed, they cut across the road and go to a jewelry store.

Like all girls, as soon as they walk in Sarah and Hannah's eyes glass over. "This is your idea, so you two deal with the saleswoman." he says it so the saleswoman hears him and he nods to her.

"What are you two lovelies looking for today?"

"We want to get our mom a bracelet and then some charms to put on it that represent us." Sarah has come so far in dealing with people. Even though she wants to be a writer for now, Christopher can easily see her taking over one of his corporations.

"What kind of price range are we thinking?"

"We have a hundred dollars each."

"Wow, that sure is a lot of money for little girls!"

Christopher leans over to Cathy and whispers, "Distract the girls for a second." First Christopher says so the girls can hear him. "Plus, I want to put a charm on it so I'll put some money in, too. Is that okay with you girls?"

"Yeah, that is great idea, daddy." says Hannah.

"Of course, daddy." adds Sarah.

As Cathy is distracting the girls he waves the saleswoman over. "Let them pick out whatever they want and act like they can afford it, and then I'll pay it off to the side."

"Yes, sir."

"You girls pick out what you want and keep momma over with you so I can look for a surprise for her."

"What about the charm for you?"

"You two pick it out for me."

As the girls are doing that Christopher goes and looks at wedding rings. Every once in a while he sees Cathy trying to look over, so he makes a big show of it of getting in the way and frowning. Cathy frowns right back.

In Christopher's heart and mind he is trying to find something that is as beautiful as Cathy is inside and out. He is failing miserably and begins to understand that it isn't possible, so he will have to get as close as possible. After Christopher has it narrowed down to six, he looks over at the girls and it appears they have found their choices.

As the saleswoman is doing her thing Christopher walks over and grabs the girls by placing his hands on their heads. As Cathy starts to follow he says, "You just never mind." She sticks her tongue out at him.