Sylvain Reynard - Gabriel’s Redemption

“No, we’re not.”

“Happy anniversary, Mrs. Emerson.”

“Happy anniversary, Mr. Emerson.”

He reached into his jacket pocket and removed a distinctive blue box, tied with a white satin ribbon.

Julia stammered.

“I’m sorry, Gabriel. I have a card for you but I forgot your gift back at the house.” She rubbed at her forehead. “I hope I’m not getting pregnancy brain.”

“Pregnancy brain?”

“Dr. Rubio says it’s common for pregnant women to experience short-term memory problems. It’s probably due to hormones.”

“I don’t need a gift, but I’m grateful you thought of me.”

“It’s a Star of David on a silver chain. I know you don’t wear jewelry.” She gestured to his wedding ring. “Except for that. But I thought maybe . . .”

“Of course I’d wear it. Thank you, Julianne, that was very thoughtful.”

“I’m sorry I forgot it. Thank you for your present.” She gazed at him warmly as he handed her the box.

When she opened it, she found a diamond solitaire pendant suspended on a long platinum chain. She looked up at him quizzically.

“It matches Grace’s earrings.” He stood behind her, gesturing toward the necklace.

“It’s beautiful.” She touched the stone as he fastened the chain around her neck. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for putting up with me,” he whispered, kissing the place where her neck flared into her shoulders.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a hardship. We have our ups and downs like any couple.”

He straightened, taking her hand in his. “Let’s try to make sure our ups are greater than our downs.”

* * *

After they’d spent time loving one another, they curled together on the bed.

Julia fingered the necklace that rested just above her expanded breasts.

“Are you scared?” she whispered.

The corners of Gabriel’s lips turned up. “Terrified.”

“Then why are you smiling?

“Because part of me is growing inside you. I get to see my beautiful wife carry my child.”

“In a few months, we’ll have a family.”

“We’re already a family.” He reached out to stroke her hair. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m tired. I nearly fell asleep in one of my seminars this week. I’m finding it difficult to stay awake in the afternoon without caffeine.”

His expression grew concerned. “You need to get more rest. Maybe you should come home and take a nap before your seminars.”

Julia yawned.

“I’d love to, but there isn’t time. I just need to start going to bed early. Which means we’ll need to have sex right after dinner.”

“And so it begins,” he mumbled.

“Don’t start with me.” She pushed at him playfully and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a tender kiss.

“I hope it’s a girl.”

Julia was surprised. “Why?”

“I want someone I can spoil, like you. A little brown-eyed angel.”

“That reminds me. Until we find out the sex of the baby, I don’t want to call the baby it. I know some people do that because there’s no gender-neutral pronoun in English. But I don’t like that.”

“I love it when you talk about grammar. It’s sexy.” He kissed her. “We’ll just call her her or the baby.”

Julia’s hand drifted down to her abdomen. “What makes you so sure the baby is a girl? I think we’re having a boy.”

“He’s a she. And we’ll have to come up with an appropriate name.”

“Such as what? Beatrice?”

“No,” he said softly. “There’s only one Beatrice. We could call her Grace.”

Julia was thoughtful for a moment.

“I’m not ready to decide on a name, although Grace is a possibility. I think he’s going to be a boy, though. So for now, we’ll just have to call him Ralph.”

“Ralph? Why Ralph?”

“It’s a good, all-purpose nickname. I would have called him Peanut, but that’s what we called Tommy before he was born.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Your mind is fascinating. Now go to sleep, little mama. Morning comes very early these days.”

He kissed her forehead before turning out the light. Then he held his wife in his arms.

* * *

A few hours later, he awoke to the feel of a hand stroking his naked chest.

“Darling?” His voice was thick with sleep.

“I’m sorry I woke you.” She moved closer, pressing her thigh in between his.

He felt her lips press light kisses over his pectorals and up to his neck.

“Can’t sleep?”

“No, I can’t.”

Her hand brushed over his abdominal muscles before descending lower.

She kissed him and he responded warmly. His sleepiness and fatigue seemed to melt away as she moved her hand up and down.

“You have something I need.”

“Are you sure?” His hand caught her wrist, pausing her movements.

She hesitated.

“Julianne?”

“I’m sorry for waking you up, but I really need to have sex. Right now.”

“Right now?”

“Right now. Please.”

He removed his hand and threw back the bedclothes.

“Do with me as you will.”

Instantly, she moved to straddle him. He reached up to cup her heavy breasts as she leaned down to kiss him.

“Invite me inside,” he murmured, as he pressed up against her.

“Do you need an invitation?”

Gabriel stared into her eyes, which had widened with excitement.

“I could spend the rest of my life inside you and die happy. You’re my home.”

Julia paused at the sudden vulnerability that flashed across her husband’s face. She lifted her hands to cover his, pressing into her breasts.

“You’ll make me cry. And I’m emotional already.”

“No tears, please.” He squeezed her more tightly.

“Then come,” she whispered, bringing their hips into alignment.

He slowly entered her.

“Home,” he whispered.

Julia didn’t try to blink back the tears. She let them fall.

“I love you so much.”

He responded by licking and sucking her breasts, teasing her and spurring her on. Within minutes they were pushing and pulling, their skin warm and alive with excitement.

“Is it good?” Gabriel ground out, his hands dropping to her hips.

Her eyes were closed, her rosy lips parted. When she didn’t answer he placed a tender hand to her face. “Julia?”

Her eyes fluttered open. “It’s good,” she panted. “So good.”

His large hands gripped her hips, urging her on.

“Faster,” he murmured.

Julia responded by lifting herself and quickly slamming down, over and over again, until they both collapsed from near exhaustion.

January 31, 2012

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Professor Katherine Picton stood in the lecture hall at Harvard, surveying the crowd. She’d delivered her paper presentation a half hour after Professor Jeremy Martin offered his. And she’d fielded questions from the audience and received a very smart paperweight as a gift from Professor Greg Matthews, on behalf of the Department of Romance Studies.

She hadn’t had the opportunity to greet the Emersons yet. She was eager to do so. They’d invited her to their home for dinner so she could escape Greg’s more experimental culinary choices.

“Ah, there you are!” Professor Picton’s crisp British accent cut through the hum of a dozen or so conversations.

She strode quickly down one of the aisles, straight to where Julia was still seated, while Gabriel stood next to her, chatting amiably with Julia’s supervisor, Professor Marinelli.

“Katherine.” Gabriel greeted her smoothly, kissing her cheek.

“Gabriel and Julianne. Good to see you both.”

She turned to Professor Marinelli. “Cecilia, delightful to see you, as always.”

“And you.” The two women embraced.

“Now then, have you spoken with Jeremy?” Katherine turned her blue-gray eyes on Gabriel.

“No.” Gabriel was terse.

“I think it’s high time you two buried the hatchet. Don’t you?”

Cecilia gazed between the two other Dante specialists and politely made her excuses, choosing to flee to another part of the room where an argument was not about to break forth.

“I don’t have a problem with Jeremy.” Gabriel sounded offended. “Jeremy has a problem with me.”

Katherine’s eyes snapped.

“Then you won’t mind if I bring him over here.”

She marched her small figure up to Jeremy Martin and spoke to him rather directly.

Julia stood uneasily, wondering what was about to happen.

It was obvious that Professor Martin did not wish to speak with Gabriel. Julia watched as he looked in their direction, then looked back at Katherine, shaking his head.

Katherine appeared to scold him, but only for a moment, before the two professors walked in the direction of the Emersons.

“Here we go,” Julia whispered, taking Gabriel’s hand.

“Emerson.” Jeremy’s voice was stiff, as he approached.

“Jeremy.”

Katherine looked between the two men and frowned. “Well, get on with it. Shake hands.”

Gabriel released Julia’s hand in order to shake the hand of his former friend.

“For what it’s worth, Jeremy, I’m sorry.”

Julia looked up at her husband in surprise.

Professor Martin appeared taken aback as well. He shifted his weight, his eyes traveling from Gabriel’s to Julia’s and back again.

“I understand that congratulations are in order. You’ve been married about a year, I think. Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Julia interjected. “Thank you, Professor Martin.”