Lost and Found - 38 The Finale?

38 - The End

Friday 8^th October 2010

                “Are you ok Dad?” Amelia watched her father struggled with his bow tie with a sense of déjà vu. He puffed in anger as fingers that hadn’t fully recovered from his stroke failed to complete the knot. “Let me do that!”

She deftly tied the cravat then stepped back and brushed the dark suit lapels of imaginary dust, “you look handsome Dad, really handsome!”

He laughed, “isn’t it me should be saying that to you?”  Her father seemed nervous, since his stroke he hadn’t spoken in public, and the thought of a speech did seem to scare him.

Saying that so much had happened over the last eighteen months, Amelia had never imagined that Sol and her father would talk amicably ever again, but time seemed to be a great healer, coupled with her father’s interminable guilt. In the end Sol had insisted that he stop trying to make up for the past, he knew that this relationship was important to Amelia and had worked hard to salvage something. Then her father had given her...them, the Manor house. Despite Sol’s reluctance, they’d spent the last summer decorating and renovating the house into the family home they’d dreamed of. A hot tub now looked over her mother’s kitchen garden, the electrics, the furniture were all changed.  Oh and they’d installed a generator, remembering the disaster of that Christmas.

The plan was that after the wedding they’d move in, make the house their own. But the only room they hadn’t touched was her old bedroom. Neither of them could bring themselves to go there, let alone change it.

                “Come on then old man, our car is here.” She turned back to her father, and in a slight deviation from tradition, Amelia offered Max an arm and led him out to the car. Usually his walking was good, but the occasion seemed to be getting the better of him.

The drive from the apartment to the small village church passed uneventfully. There was no one to wave to them as they passed, the majority of the residents were waiting for the bride and groom at the church.  Pulling up outside, she aided her father in through the doors.

Every pew was full and all eyes turned to watch the two of them stroll down the aisle. No eyes were more intense than those of Sol, taking in every inch of her as she strode towards the front of the building in such an appreciative manner. Sol her beautiful, loving husband, holding their equally beautiful son Ethan in his arms.

Standing at the front of the church, she squeezed her father’s hand and leaned in close to whisper, “she’s here!”

They both turned to see Sylvia, hanging on the arm of her son, at the entrance to the church, her smile lighting up the whole building as she acknowledged every single person in the entire congregation. Amelia’s only role as ‘best man’ was to hand the rings to her Dad, after that she slipped back a row and took the straining Ethan into her arms. Sol’s arm slid around her and he leaned in close to whisper, “no tears! You promised!”

She nodded, then hissed back, “I did...and I won’t!”

His knowing chuckle infuriated her, but that was just typical of him. So much had changed since she’d followed him to Santiago. They’d spent two days doing very little other than stay in bed, but once they did leave the hotel, they’d had nothing but fun. He teased her incessantly, but she loved that.  Half the fun of bickering so much was the making up! They had such an easy relationship, complimenting each other so well. She’d never imagined she could be this happy. There were bad times, him working in London, her in the country helping Cole set up his dream resort, but there’d been the great times too, evenings together in front of the fire, parties in his town house, holidays together...and uncountable hours in bed. They both still melted at 'that look' from the other, and making love was as explosive as their differences of opinions could be.Yep they’d had ups and downs, but she wouldn’t change a moment, especially now that Sol’s mini-me Ethan had arrived.

The service passed uneventfully and a truly happy couple turned to leave the church as Mr and Mrs Parkin.

                “Wish we’d done it this way now?” Sol leaned to whisper in her ear again, knowing that his breath against her flesh covered her in goosebumps.

Amelia shook her head almost violently, “I wouldn’t change a single thing about marrying you...it was perfect!” And it had been. After a few weeks of loving their way around South America, they flew to LA, his publishing contacts got them invited to lots of Hollywood parties, then they rented a soft top Cadillac and cruised to Vegas. After winning big at Roulette, he turned to her.

“Let’s get married!”

“Now?” she’d asked, “here in Vegas?”

He’d nodded, and suddenly something that might seem tacky became the perfect solution for a mixed up couple who’d spent so much time struggling to be together, a couple with little family. So in a white 60’s style minidress bought in the only boutique she could find late at night, she stood beside a suited Sol and became his wife, only Elvis and another couple as witnesses.

Stepping out into the night and seemed surreal, but she was officially Mrs Tanner, and Sol spent hours showing her exactly what that meant. They returned to London seven weeks after she’d left as husband and wife.

Sol was smiling at her as he watched her face light up with memories, “perfect hey?”

She nodded just as Li and Daichi joined them in front of the graveyard, darling little Suki toddling between them, at just over a year old she was an early walker, and into everything.

                “Should have been your wedding!” Li’s little dig was good natured, but she still hadn’t really forgiven her friend for eloping. Li’s life was hectic, she’d just finished her follow up book and it had been as successful as the first. The family had only got back from a US book tour the previous week, but Li had wanted to be at this wedding for her friend more than she needed to relax and deal with jetlag.

Sol and Daichi settled into an easy conversation as they buckled the kids into pushchairs and headed to the pub, the location of the wedding reception ahead of the two girls who with arms linked strolled along the road without a care in the world.

The atmosphere in the Red Lion pub was always friendly, and today, with the dining room opening into a marquee, a large hog roasted over the open fire, the conversation as well as the wine and beer was free flowing.

 Amelia watched her Dad, cuddling Ethan as he talked to friends and for the umpteenth time that day couldn’t believe how things had turned out. Here she was with her father, her closest friends, her new stepmother...and of course her beautiful baby, and the love of her life...her husband. Those terrible years were worth it for that moment alone.

Later that evening they had made it back to the house. Li and Daichi were staying with them for a few days, but it was the first time that they’d slept in the house as a family, in its complete state.  Though they‘d had many trips supervising the progress. The separate wing that Alex had used had been converted into a self contained three bed property, they weren’t thinking of renting it out, but it was there for emergencies, friends, and if the newlyweds wanted to  move in. That left their completely changed five bed home with a huge family room, modernised kitchen, and beautiful bedrooms. Ethan’s pale blue nursery was Amelia’s favourite place and she was settling him to bed when Sol found her.

Wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck he whispered, “So you remember what we promised ourselves?” 

She froze rigid as the memories of that night in Vegas threaded back to her busy mind. Hours after their impromptu wedding, they’d been lying in their bed, curled up together replete and content.

                “Do you know what I really want?” Sol had asked, breathing against her shoulder, his teeth digging into her flesh gently.

                “No what?” She’d rolled over to face him.

                “I want to exorcise the demon of your bedroom!”

She’d spluttered in amusement, “The demon in my bedroom? That sounds like a porn film!”

            

                “NO! I want to take you back to that attic bedroom and have a pleasurable experience that doesn’t end in shame or disaster. Maybe then I can think about going back to your house.” He’d not taken the news that she wanted to live in the house her father was bequeathing her very well.

                “Is that really all that’s stopping you wanting to live there?”

He nodded, “do that and I’ll live there!”

Laughing she turned in his embrace, the memory still as fresh as when it had happened eighteen months ago. “You haven’t forgotten then?”

He shook his head with a wicked smile on his face, “I want teenage sex in your teenage room...only THEN will I grace the new Master bedroom!”

After spending the rest of the evening with their friends, Sol was locking up the numerous doors and securing the house once Li and Daichi had headed into the adjoining home to sleep. Amelia ran upstairs and checked on Ethan. Finding him fast asleep, she grabbed his monitor then made for the stairs to the attic. As she crossed the landing then headed up the steps, she discarded item after item of her clothing, shoes, stockings, jacket, dress, in her childhood bedroom she paused for a moment, shaking her head to clear the demons that she shared with her husband. She had barely reached the bed when the door swung open with a bang.

Giggling she glanced up from beneath the duvet to see Sol stood there, his eyes flaming, jaw tense with passion, his arms laden with her clothes.

                “You tease Mrs Tanner, you tease!”

Dramatically throwing them to the floor he marched across the room to her sliding off his tie and shirt as he came. As he reached the bed, Amelia sat up and helped him slide off his trousers before he climbed under the gingham duvet next to her.

                “You promise so much Mr Tanner!”

He laughed as he pulled her under him, towering over her, “this is not just a promise.”

It was perfect, shattering bad dreams and awful memories of a night when they were dragged apart as young naive lovers, leaving the new, mature and mutually besotted adults to make love in ways they’d only dreamed over the last ten years.

As Amelia collapsed replete against Sol’s hard muscular chest, he wrapped his arms around her, still inside her, still possessing her. She groaned and he laughed, “Too much for you Mrs Tanner?”

At his cocky response Amelia laughed out loud, “Never Sol Tanner, but the aim of this was an uninterrupted time in this bedroom right? “ When he nodded, she reached for the baby monitor and showed him the rainbow of lights that meant their son was crying. “Who’d have thought that it’d be not my father, but his grandson that disturbs our take two?”

Sol was already lifting her to her feet and turning to join her, “before we even started this I knew it wasn’t essential. This house feels like home, and I’m more likely to remember that wonderful Christmas, here, just you and me, than your father dragging two rampant teenagers apart.”

Pulling on his shirt, she led him out of the room, as he added, “in fact, what could I have offered you at eighteen? Maybe this way things have finally worked out for the best!”

Turning she looked up at him, “really?”

He nodded, “all the false starts, all those years apart didn’t quench the fire, merely fanned the flames. Lack of money and frankly being two kids in a big hard world might have seen the end of our love years ago.”

She pondered the thought as they both made for Ethan’s room. Quickly she settled him, then let Sol scoop her up and carry her to their Master Bedroom.

As he dropped her on the duvet he could see she was still contemplating his earlier words.

                “You think too much Mrs Tanner! Let me just add that I have no intention of ever telling Max that, I like the humble and eager to please version of your father...” He leaned forward and kissed her ear, “I just wish it was reciprocated by his daughter!”

Wrestling over him to sit astride his body she laughed, “Really? Humble? Eager to please?”  She was slowly unbuttoning her shirt very slowly as she watched him, and when he could take no more, he threw his hands up in surrender.

                “I give in! I love you just the way you are Scorching-Hot-Meal-ia!”

                “Good!” she announced finally throwing off the shirt, “because the feeling is mutual husband darling!”