Chapter 24

Larry found Rebecca in her room at her desk the next morning. He walked in and up behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Good morning."

"Morning. I made coffee."

"I saw that. How long have you been up?"

"A couple of hours," Rebecca said. "I couldn't sleep again."

"Well, I am going to get some coffee, check my mail, then get ready to go."

"All right. I am all packed except for my laptop."

"No computers on this trip. It's supposed to be a relaxing getaway."

"All right. Can I bring my camera?"

"Of course. I want to try it out." Larry said then walked out the door.

An hour later, they got into the car and Larry pulled out. Once he was on the highway, he reached over and took her hand. "I don't want you to think about anything this weekend. It's just about us."

"I'll try, but my mind doesn't stop."

"I know," Larry said. "By the way, I am taking you to a secluded cabin in the woods overlooking a lake. It belongs to a friend of mine."

"Really?"

"I asked him to stock it with the basics for the weekend."

"So, no five-star hotel?"

"No. Are you disappointed?"

"No. That sounds nice."

"It is. I use it for time to time. He was my neighbor when I was in my second foster home. We went to school together and we still keep in touch."

"Someday, I would like to meet your not so rich friends."

"You'll meet him tomorrow on our way out."

"I don't have too many people that I call friends. I haven't kept in touch with too many people from my past. I think I have more friends here than at my apartment."

"I hope you continue to get more."

"I don't know I could ever call the women I met last night friends. They seemed to only care how much money the men had or where they lived. That doesn't matter much to me."

"I realize that. I don't consider most of them my friends either. Unlike me, they never had to live in the real world. It was a big shock when the state took me away and put me in foster care. I learned pretty quick that I couldn't always get what I wanted."

"It must have been scary for you being so young."

"I think being young helped actually. I learned what the value of a dollar was."

"Do you still keep in touch with your foster parents?"

"I actually had three sets of foster parents. I stay in contact with two. The other one I don't. I had them arrested for child abuse when I was in college."

"Did they abuse you?"

"No, but they did to the other kids there." Larry said then got quiet.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

"So, tell me about this friend of yours."

"His name is Jake. He is in construction. He helps me on projects sometimes. He built his cabin when he was right out of college, but the land has been in his family for generations. The original cabin collapsed the previous winter."

"He sounds nice."

"Yes, he is. It's just a small cabin, but it's peaceful and quiet. I've come up here sometimes just to think."

"I'm tired of thinking."

"There's plenty to keep us busy. We can go hiking, fishing, go out in the boat, and swimming. Or just sit in front of the fireplace."

"That all sounds fun."

"Good because I enjoy doing all that," Larry said. "There will be no work this weekend. There is also no cell reception to get interrupted."

"What if there is an emergency like if one of us gets hurt?"

"There's an emergency radio at the cabin. It's only for emergencies though," Larry said. "I didn't tell my father where I was going. I did tell him not to call me for a couple of days."

"That's good." She turned on the radio. They listened to the radio and occasionally sung to songs until they took the turn off the main road. Larry put both hands on the wheel as he drove.

"You should have a truck for these roads."

"Yeah, I should get one."

"I always wanted a truck, but I couldn't afford one." Rebecca said then looked over at Larry. "And don't get any ideas. You don't need to buy me one."

"You're the one that brought it up."

"I'm used to speaking my mind. I forget that I can't say things that openly around you."

"Don't let me stop you from speaking openly," Larry said. "There's reasons for presents, like Christmas, your birthday, other holidays and anniversaries." Larry smiled.

"You're impossible."

"I know, but I will respect your wishes."

"Thank you."

They drove down the back road for a while then pulled up to the back of cabin. Larry parked the car and shut it off. They got out. Larry opened the trunk and pulled out the luggage. Rebecca took her camera bag. They walked around to the front of the cabin. Larry found the key under the mat and unlocked the door. He allowed Rebecca to enter first then he followed. Larry moved around her and took the bags to the bedroom in the back. He came back out and saw Rebecca looking around. "What do you think?"

"It's rustic, but I like it."

"Good."

"Does it have a working bathroom?"

"Yes. It's right behind there." Larry pointed around the fireplace.

Rebecca followed where he pointed. Larry walked over to the kitchen and checked what Jake had left him. He saw eggs, steaks, and some other food in the pantry. He heard Rebecca come out. He walked out to the other room. Rebecca stood be the fireplace. "I didn't expect that."

"What? The full bath?"

"Yes. It's beautiful."

"Jake's wife told him if he wanted her to come up here that he had to put it. It was a challenge because he didn't want to ruin the trees, but he figured it out."

"He did a good job." Rebecca picked up her camera bag and walked out the front door. She pulled out her camera and took a few pictures. "It's beautiful here." She said when she heard Larry come out.

"Yes, it is." He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you."

"I love you." Rebecca said then took a few pictures. "What do you want to do now?"

"I thought we could maybe take a little hike before lunch. Shelly made us a picnic lunch."

"All right."

"I'll get the basket." Larry said then let her go. He walked out to the car and got the picnic basket out of the back seat. He walked around the cabin. He took Rebecca's hand and led her down the steps and to a trail. They started up it. Rebecca stopped several times and took pictures along the trail. The trail ended on a hill overlooking the lake. Larry pulled out a blanket and laid it on the grass. They sat down and ate some lunch.

"So, did you ever bring any other women up here?"

"There was a few in high school, but none recently."

"Did you ever have sex up here?"

"No. Some of the girls wanted to, but I never did. I didn't lose my virginity until college."

"I lost mine in my junior year of high school."

"I didn't want to accidentally get a girl pregnant. That wasn't part of the plan I had."

"That's good. I didn't really have a plan to go to college until the second half of my senior year."

"I knew I wanted to go to make something of myself. I studied hard through high school and did anything I could to put myself through college."

"I got a scholarship for being on my school paper," Rebecca said. "School work came easy to me."

"I had to study all the time or at least I thought I did," Larry said. "Jake pulled me up here whenever he could. He didn't think it was good for me not to have fun."

"Jake sounds like he knows what he's talking about. I think I might like him."

"Yeah, he's a good guy," Larry said. "I guess, I always had a problem with working too hard and too much."

Rebecca reached over and took his hand. "That's why I was brought into your life."

"I know." Larry said then leaned over and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you." Rebecca said then kissed him. "I will do my best to make sure you don't work so much."

"I'm glad and I will do the same for you," Larry said. "Someone needs to keep us in line."

"We will keep each other in line. I am going to slow down, too," Rebecca said.

"There isn't any hurry for you to go back to work."

"I know. I want to at least wait until the investigation is over."

"You can take all the time you need," Larry said.

"I appreciate you saying that," Rebecca said. She stretched out and laid on her back on the blanket. "I wish we could stay here forever. It's so peaceful."

"Yes, it is, but we live in the real world. It's good to take a break from it from time to time, though." Larry said then picked up the camera. He looked at it, then aimed it at her and took a picture. He looked at the preview screen. He aimed again and adjusted the lens. He took another picture. "How do you do it so easily?"

"It takes a steady hand and confidence," Rebecca said. "And patience too."

"That's why I can't do it good. I don't have the patience for it."

"You can if you want it bad enough." Rebecca said then sat up. She moved behind Larry and put her hands on his. "Aim the camera, get it in focus then as you are exhaling slowly, snap the shot." Rebecca said softly in his ear. Larry raised the camera. He took a picture. They looked at the preview screen. "That looks good."

"Not as good as yours though."

"It takes practice," she said. She started to roam her hands across his chest. "Just like everything else we do." She whispered in his ear. She nibbled on his earlobe. "Practice makes perfect."

"Yes, it does," Larry said. He turned slightly and engulfed her mouth. He kissed her deeply. Rebecca moved her hands down to his pants. Larry caught her hands and stopped her. He pulled back. "I'm not prepared."

"I got it covered." Rebecca said then pulled a foil packet out of her pocket.

Larry and Rebecca made it back to the cabin almost dinner time. Larry put the picnic basket inside while Rebecca walked down to the lake. Larry grabbed two bottles of water and walked down to Rebecca. He sat down beside her. He handed her a bottle. "Do you want me to start dinner? Jake left some steaks for us."

"I'm not that hungry right now."

"All right." Larry said then took a drink of his water. "Is there something bothering you? You've been quiet since we left the picnic area."

"Did you ever think about having children?" Rebecca blurted out.

"Yes, someday I would like to. Why do you ask?"

"I didn't think you wanted children. Your work is so demanding."

"Since my career is established, I've often thought about having children, but I never found the right woman to have them with, until now. Do you want children?"

"I've often thought about it," Rebecca said. "Like you, I never met the right person."

"Is this coming from when I stopped you earlier and said I wasn't prepared?"

"Yes, that's one reason."

"I wasn't sure how to bring it up with you before. I thought you would think I was going too fast in our relationship," Larry said. "I've been cautious about what I want to discuss with you."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to scare you off. Rebecca, I love you very much. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I want to discuss having a future with you but I don't want you to think I am pushing you into something you're not ready for."

Rebecca turned and looked at Larry. "When I was in the hospital in the coma, you came and sat with me. I felt you there. I remember things that you told me. I probably know more about you than you know about me. I love you, Larry. I want to be with you. I want to have a future with you," Rebecca said. "You don't have to be scared to discuss anything with me. We have a connection. It may not have started under the right circumstances but we found each other."

Larry pulled her to him and held her. "I love you, Rebecca. I want to be with you. I don't want to be without you." Larry loosened his grip on her enough to engulf her lips. They kissed for several long moments before they separated.