Archives for August 2019

Rachel looked at the antique engagement ring on her finger as she and Ben snuggled up together in bed. The boys could not have been more excited at the prospect of Rachel marrying Ben, much to Rachel’s surprise and relief. The ripples of the lake reflected on the ceiling of the upstairs bedroom. She laid her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

“I am so happy tonight. I love you, Ben.”

She leant up and kissed him.

“I love you too. I promise you; I will always love you and protect you and the boys.”

“You are such a good man. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

“I am the lucky one, not only do I get to spend the rest of my life with the woman of my dreams, but, I get three sons in the mix too. I think I am the one who hit the jackpot.”

“Would you ever want to have more children? We’ve never discussed it.”

“If you want to.”

“You don’t want one of your own?”

“As far as I am concerned, those boys will be mine.”

Rachel kissed him again.

“I’ve always wanted a little girl.”

“What if we get another boy?”

Rachel laughed

“Four boys, wow.”

“Why don’t we practice?” Ben said with a playful tone in his voice.

Rachel lifted the blankets off her as she climbed on top of Ben, straddling him. She lifted her nightdress, the moonlight illuminating her pale skin. Her dark hair resting over her shoulders. She was the most beautiful thing Ben had ever laid eyes on. He reached up and brought her mouth to his.

She reached down between them and guided him in. Ben sat up and pulled her into his lap as he held her tightly. She began to rock her hips, the sensation of being so tightly connected, only added to the intimacy. She was slow and deliberate in her movements as they made love. She could feel Ben wanted to hold her from below. She pulled out of their kiss.

“Here,” she whispered, “give me your hands.”

She grabbed his hands, and she guided them to the underside of her butt. Ben felt her body tense.

“I’m okay; kiss me.” She instructed.

Ben did as he was told. He grabbed her butt harder than he had intended and felt her tense again. He began to move his hand away.

“No, don’t, please. She said. “I need you to touch me there.”

Ben smiled at her.

“You are so beautiful.” He kissed her again.

He could feel the tension leave her body as he kissed her.

“Ben, I’m close.” She said.

“Me too, you go first.”

“I love you, Ben.”

He could feel her body finish before he could hear her quietly moan, careful not to wake the boys. The noise of her in ecstasy pushed him right over the edge. He held onto her tightly as their orgasm raged and slowly wained. She kissed his shoulder and then laid her head on it, as they both caught their breaths. They stayed wrapped in each other’s arms. Rachel picked up her head and listened. Ben heard it too, a crying child.

“It’s Luke,” Rachel said. “He probably had a nightmare.”

Rachel let go and climbed out of Ben’s lap.

“Let me try?” Ben asked.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Ben put on his boxers and a t-shirt and walked out of the bedroom. Rachel got up and put her nightdress back on as she walked to the bathroom to freshen up. She stopped outside Luke’s bedroom door and listened to Ben talking to Luke. She had been right; it was a nightmare.

“Nope, nightmares aren’t allowed in this house. It is a very special house, you know? Nightmares are afraid of this house because it is where happiness lives. Did you know that?”

“No. Then why did I have one, the monster was so scary.”

“No, he was scared, not the other way around.”

“Are you sure?” Luke asked sceptically.

“Yes, you are safe here. I promise. No more nightmares. Here I will turn on the closet light for you.”

Rachel heard Ben get up and pull the cord for the light in the closet.

“I used to sleep in here with this light on. Go back to sleep and maybe we will go fishing tomorrow.”

“For real?” Luke asked.

“Yes for real.” Ben chuckled.

“I want to catch the biggest fish!” Luke said excitedly.

“Well then you need your rest, go back to sleep, okay bud?”

Rachel heard Ben’s footsteps come closer to the door.

“Ben wait!”

“What bud?”

“I can’t go back to sleep without a hug.”

Rachel heard Ben turn back around. She took the chance to scurry back to bed herself. She climbed back into the bed she and Ben were sharing. Ben joined her a minute later.

“Did I do, okay?”

She looked over at him.

“I’m busted, huh detective.” Rachel said playfully. “You were great with him. Thank you.”

Ben laughed, and Rachel curled up next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair as they watched the ripples of the lake reflect on their ceiling. They both drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms, content and happy to be with each other.

Ben woke to the sound of the boys running through the house and the smell of coffee wafting up from the kitchen. He instinctively reached over Rachel, knowing that she must have been in the kitchen making coffee. He pulled her pillow over and buried his nose in it; her scent clung to it.

“How about the real thing?” She said, standing next to his side of the bed with a cup of coffee in her hand.

He rolled over and wrapped his arm around her. She quickly set the coffee on the nightstand.  Ben pulled her into bed. She landed on top of him. He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“You are even more beautiful today than you were yesterday, and I don’t even know how it is possible, but it is,” Ben said.

Rachel leant down and kissed him, feeling his body fully wake.

“The boys are awake and already outside.” She said.

“They’re outside, you say?” Ben had a mischievous grin.

He kissed her again. She got off of him and went and opened the large double doors to the upstairs porch so she could hear the boys.

“Hey guys, stay out of the lake. I am going to get dressed, okay? I’ll be down in a minute. Tommy watch Luke, I mean it.”

“Alright, mom.”

Rachel turned around and walked back inside, leaving the doors open so she could hear the boys. She slipped her nightdress up overhead as she walked to the bed, with a mischievous grin on her face. She laid down, and Ben came up over her. She put her hands around his neck and kissed him. He made love to her as quietly as they both could for the second time in under twelve hours.

Rachel freshened up and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She would get properly cleaned up for the day after breakfast. Ben walked in as she finished brushing her teeth.

“We need milk so that I can make breakfast.” She said.

She kissed him on the cheek.

“I’ll go get dressed and go back into town to get some.”

“Thank you. Do you want pancakes, crepes or French toast?”

“Someone worked up an appetite.” Ben joked.

Rachel laughed.

“It doesn’t matter to me, whatever is easiest. It won’t take me long to run into town. Black coffee is a little rough; I won’t lie.”

“Okay.”

Ben heard Rachel bound down the stairs to start breakfast. He pulled on his jeans, t-shirt and slipped his sandals on. They had been blessed with another hot day.  Ben walked downstairs to see Rachel setting the table for breakfast while the boys played. The had found frogs at the edge of the lake and were enthralled with them.

“I’ll be right back. Is there anything else we forgot?” Ben asked.

“Just this.” Rachel tapped her cheek.

Ben walked over and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, really kissed him.

“Hey now, kiss me like that, and these boys are never going to get breakfast.” Ben joked.

Rachel laughed, and the sound melted Ben.

“If I don’t go now..”

Rachel pushed him out of her arms.

“Don’t be long.”

Ben drove into town with the windows down, and his radio turned up. He had not been that happy in a long time. He walked into Margo’s small grocery store and picked up two gallons of milk.

“Hi, Ben.” Margo said, “you forgot the milk yesterday. I was going to run it out to you, but I wasn’t sure with your company.”

Ben knew talk of Rachel would be all over town by lunch. It was a small town.

“It’s okay. Do you know if there is a florist in town?”

“Rae’s opens in about twenty minutes. Are you looking for anything special?”

“No just wanted to get some flowers.”

“Are they for your lady friend?”

Ben smiled shyly.

“Yes.”

“Well, I will tell you what, you tell Rae I sent you over. He’ll take good care of you. That girl of yours is very pretty, Ben. Were those her boys with her yesterday?”

“Yes.”

Margo smiled and rang up the milk.

Ben set both gallons of milk on the floor in the front seat and the bouquet of pink roses from the florist on the front seat as he headed back towards the house. He passed a black SUV on the way back to the house, and a few old pickup trucks hauling fishing boats. He drove back without a care in the world, thinking about taking the boys fishing out on the lake later in the day. He pulled back up to the house and grabbed both gallons of milk and the bouquet of roses. He walked into the house and noticed it was quiet. He walked into the kitchen, to a scene of chaos.

There was broken glass everywhere, and the kitchen table had been flipped over. Flour was scattered across the floor, showing that a struggled had happened in the room. There were bloody handprints on the floor. Ben dropped the milk and the roses in the hallway outside of the kitchen. The two glass jugs shattered as liquid exploded out in every direction. Frantic, Ben started screaming for Rachel and the boys running through the house. No one answered. He ran out onto the back porch and called out for Rachel and the boys. Silence.

Ben’s hands shook as he pulled out his phone to call the local police. He dialled 911 on his cell, he put the phone to his ear but didn’t hear anything. He pulled it away to see that he didn’t have a signal. He walked back into the kitchen watching where he stepped, careful preserve the scene for any clues. He picked up the receiver from the phone on the wall; it was dead. He hung up and took off for his car. He was going to have to go back into town for help. Ben got out onto the porch when he heard whimpering. He stopped.

“Boys? Where are you guys? Come out right now. You’re safe.”

Lukas emerged from underneath the porch.

The boy was dirty and red in the face from crying. Ben reached out for Lukas.

“Come here man. Where are your mom and your brothers?”

“The bad guys took them.”

Ben knelt to Luke’s eye level, “What bad guys, do you know who they were or where they were going?”

“No.” Luke cried.

Ben hugged the little boy tightly.

“Mommy told me to hide when the bad men came.”

“Good job buddy, you did good. Come on we are going to go get some help.” Ben helped Luke into the SUV and buckled him in. Ben turned the SUV around and headed back into town.

“Luke, did you see what the bad guys looked like?”

Luke shook his head.

“They make mommy fall asleep. They carried her.”

Ben pushed his foot on the accelerator a little harder.

“Luke, did you see bad guy’s car?”

“Yes. I want mommy.”

“I know, buddy. What color was the car?”

“It was black.”

“The same color as your daddy’s?”

“Yes.”

Ben remembered the black SUV he had passed on the way back to the house from town. It had seemed out of place now that Ben thought about it.

“What it like a truck?”

“Yes. I want mommy,” Luke sobbed.

“I know, buddy.”

He reached back and touched Luke’s leg.

Ben pulled up to the police station and grabbed Luke out of the back seat. He carried Luke in with him. He identified himself as a detective and recounted the story for the local police. The police put out an APB for a black SUV.  He called Rachel’s sister to let her know what was happening. She was going to set off to meet Ben in town. He also placed a call to Marty. Ben and Luke went back to the house with the local police so they can gather evidence from the scene.

Four hours and six rest stops into what should have been a two and a half-hour drive; Ben pulled off of the two-lane highway up a dirt road. Rachel had agreed to go away for a few days while Derek’s face was all over the news. Becky was too close to her due date to leave the boys behind, and leaving them with Rhett was not an option for the moment. Rachel hoped that a road trip with the boys would not be too much for Ben, but he seemed to be enjoying himself most of all.

“I used to come up here with my brothers and my dad when I was a teenager for a few weeks every summer.  My grandfather built this house. My grandparents lived here their whole married life. It’s tranquil up here, peaceful. My brothers usually grab it on weekends in the summer.” Ben said as he pulled into the long driveway.

The old farmhouse came into view around the bank of trees. It stood proudly with its sharply pitched roof and a big wrap-around porch. Although it was old and full of character, it was well kept. Ben pulled Rachel’s new SUV up to the front of the house. He grabbed the luggage and Rachel grabbed the box of groceries they had stopped to buy back in town, five miles back down the road as the boys ran off towards the lake behind the house.

“No swimming guys. Tommy, please hold Luke’s hand.” Rachel shouted towards the boys.

Ben smiled.

“What?” Rachel asked.

“I used to do the same thing. The lake is pretty shallow for about twenty feet.”

“Luke has only just learned how to swim; it just makes me nervous.”

“I get it. Why don’t we go settle in? We are the only ones up here; no one will bother them.”

“Okay.”

Rachel stepped up onto the old wooden porch, noticing the well-worn porch swing. Ben opened the front door and stepped inside as Rachel followed. The old farmhouse had a welcoming, lived-in feel with a tall staircase off to the left that led up the second floor, and to the right was a living room, the furniture, clearly second hand. Directly opposite, the front door, were a set of double doors. Ben put down the suitcases and walked across the foyer to open them both. Two old screen doors sat in front. Rachel walked up next to Ben and looked out at a small lake behind the house. From the front of the house, you couldn’t see it. The water reflected on the ceiling of the foyer, as the breeze blew threw the house. It was late-September, and one of the last properly hot days.

“Ben, this is so beautiful.” Rachel said as she looked out over the lake. Seeing the boys splashing and looking at the small fish in the lake.

“It is, isn’t it? I don’t come up here a whole lot, I never find the time. What would you like to do first swim, unpack, relax?”

“How about see the rest of the house and put the groceries away?”

“Okay sounds like a plan.”

Ben showed Rachel the three bedrooms upstairs along with the bathroom that had a clawfoot tub, large enough for her and Ben to fit into. Ben grabbed the small box of groceries they had bought as he made his way down the hallway to the kitchen. Most of the appliances would be considered vintage at this point, but Rachel found it charming. As they put away the few groceries they would need for the weekend, Rachel took stock of what they had bought.

“I think we forgot the milk at the store.” Rachel said, looking around for it.

“Maybe I left it in the SUV.” Ben turned and walked out to go to find it.

He returned a minute later empty-handed.

“I must have left it on the counter at the store. There’s a chance Margo might run it up here after the store closes, if not I will run into town and get some tomorrow morning. Do we need it for dinner?”

“No, I bought lamb chops we could cook them on the stovetop or grill them. Is there a grill?”

“Is there a grill? There is a grill. It’s so old and so well seasoned, I think it is as old as I am. That is the granddaddy of grills.”

Rachel laughed.

“I didn’t know grill talk got you so hot, pun intended.” She laughed again.

Ben laughed too, from the gut.

“Well we only have one rule here, everything stops to take in the sunset on the back porch. We have about 25 minutes or so. Are you game?”

“Absolutely, let me just marinate these lamb chops.”

“Do you want some help?”

“No, thank you. How about you go start that sexy grill. It will time out perfectly.”

Tommy and the boys ran into the kitchen.

“Mom, can we swim? Please?”

“I’ll keep an eye on them, while I am starting the grill,” Ben said.

“Alright. Just for a little bit, it is going to get dark soon.”

“Come on, guys; I’ll show you your rooms. I put your suitcases up there already.”

“Such service!” Luke said, very matter of fact.

Everyone laughed.

Rachel set to starting dinner watching the clock that hung on the wall; she wanted to see this amazing sunset that everything stopped for. Hearing her boys squeal and laugh was like salve to her wounded soul. She finished just in time; after the sunset, they would be ready to grill. The veggies she had bought to go with were cleaned and chopped, and the lamb chops were marinating. She washed her hands and walked out of the kitchen out onto the back porch.

Ben had transformed the porch from charming to luxurious; There was another swing that faced the lake, it now had cushions on it, so did the deck chairs. The citronella candles had been lit as the particles floating through the air above the lake glowed orange. It was like stepping into a dream. Ben turned as he saw her walk out of the back door.

“Ben, this is gorgeous!” Rachel said.

“Wait, wait.” Ben handed her a glass of red wine as he gestured to the swing.

Rachel sat and sunk into the plush cushion. The air had cooled considerably as the sun began to set. Ben grabbed the blanket he had hung over the back of the swing and set it over her lap before he sat next to her. Rachel leaned into Ben and looked up at him. He stroked the side of her face and kissed her gently.

“My grandfather started this tradition. No matter what were doing here at the lake, everything stopped for these ten minutes or so. It brought everyone together before the night’s festivities got started. Usually, the grown-ups would have a drink or two. I remember the first time I was offered a drink; I felt like a man. My grandfather handed me a scotch, it was more water than scotch, but man, I didn’t care. I’ve had a lot of great memories out here.”

“That’s sweet. How old were you?”

“Maybe fifteen. As I got older, there was less and less water. I can’t smell scotch till this day without thinking of my grandfather out here on this porch.”

“That is amazing. It is a treasure.”

“It is, and so are you. Before you came into my life, I thought I had everything, and then you came along, and your boys and now I couldn’t imagine life without you.”

“I love you, Ben.”

“I love you too.”

“We should call the boys up; it’s getting chilly.”

“Nah, let them play. They’ll come up when they get cold.”

Rachel smiled and took a sip of her wine and laid her head on Ben’s shoulder as she watched the sun setting and her boys having the time of their life, she was so very happy.

As the last of the daylight faded, Rachel called the boys up to wash up for dinner. She went upstairs with the boys to get them washed and redressed as Ben set to grilling dinner. Rachel changed into a cotton sundress for dinner and pulled her hair down, so it fell softly around her shoulders. She came out onto the back porch hearing music playing. She recognised the artist right away. It was Etta James; it was the first song they had danced to in Ben’s office, back in Chicago. Rachel smiled; Ben’s sentimentality warmed her heart.

He walked up to her taking her into his arms.

“You look amazing. Will you dance with me?”

“Thank you. Of course.”

They began to sway to the music.

“This is how we do things “lake style,” Ben said before he leant down and kissed Rachel.

Before they knew it, they were standing still in the middle of the back porch not dancing but kissing. It was the type of kiss that made the whole world float away.

“Ewww Mom,” Evan said.

Rachel pulled away embarrassed as the boys came back up onto the porch. They had come down before Rachel and had already been out in the yard catching lightning bugs. Luke brought the jar up onto the porch proudly.

“Look, mommy; we got so many!” He said proudly.

“Wow, that is super cool.” Rachel said as she bent down to inspect the jar of insects.

“Dinner’s ready,” Ben said as he put the lamb chops onto the big plate and finished pulling the vegetables off of the grill.

“Go wash up again, guys.” Rachel said as Luke handed her the jar of bugs.

She set the jar down on the railing of the porch.

After dinner, which they ate out on the back deck with the noise of the frogs and crickets serenading them. Ben and Rachel curled back up on the swing, as the boys went back to catching bugs. It was getting late, but the boys were having so much fun. Rachel swung her feet onto Ben’s lap as he happily rubbed them for her. They were both completely relaxed. The moon reflected off of the lake as they swung slowly.

“Thank you for bringing us up here. Look how happy the boys are. You are a good man; I love you, Ben Carter.”

“Rachel, I love you too. I was hoping that I would get to bring you here someday. It means a lot to me. I have spent some wonderful and some tough times here. I know it sounds stupid, but it feels like this house was magic for me, it seemed to heal broken hearts, cures loneliness, and so much more.”

Rachel leant forward and rubbed the side of Ben’s cheek.

“My brothers and I would camp out on this porch when it got sweltering. We had so much fun out here.”

Rachel lent back as Ben rubbed the arch of her foot and Rachel moaned.

“That feels great.” She said.

“Rachel, I want to ask you something.” Ben looked at her.

“Okay?”

“Sitting here on this porch with you, the boys playing the yard, this is what life should be. I’ve waited for a long time for the perfect woman to come along. I didn’t think she existed until I first saw you. The more time I spend with you, the more in love with you I fall. I want to spend the rest of my life falling for you every day. Rachel, will you marry me?”

Rachel was speechless.

“Ben, I don’t know what to say.”

“I know I sprung this on you. I’m sorry, it just felt right. You don’t have to answer right now.”

“Okay”

“Okay, you’ll think about it?”

“Okay, I will marry you, under one condition, the boys must consent too. If they aren’t ready, then we will have to wait.”

“Are you serious? You’ll marry me?” Ben could not believe Rachel had said yes. It was his dream come true.

“As long as the boys are okay with it, yes.”

Ben slid Rachel’s feet off of his lap and stood up. He reached out for her, and she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ben pulled her close as he kissed her.