Much later, Laura took a deep breath before releasing her hold on JC’s shirt.  Without raising her head, she tried to get her balance to get to her feet.  JC reluctantly loosened his hold on her and supported her hand as she stood.  Once standing, Laura wobbled as she tried to get the world to stop spinning.

He quickly jumped to his feet as well and placed his arm around her waist to support her before she fell.  She still wouldn’t look up at him.  They started slowly toward the house, Laura leading with JC’s support.

Once they reached the house, JC didn’t hesitate to lead Laura straight to her bedroom. Pulling back the covers, he gently pushed Laura down to sit on the bed before kneeling in front of her.  Removing her shoes, he brushed the hair that blanketed her face behind her ear.  She still wouldn’t look at him; her eyes were almost swollen shut from being on a nonstop crying jag.

He stroked her cheek with his thumb before getting to his feet.  Walking to the bathroom, he retrieved a washcloth from the cupboard and wet it with warm water.  Going back into the bedroom, he noticed that Laura still hadn’t moved.  He leaned down and picked her feet up, forcing her to twist her body so it was easier to press her shoulders down to the mattress.  He then placed the washcloth over her eyes before he whispered, “Just rest, Laura, just rest.”

After shutting the curtains, he quietly closed the door behind him on his way out.  Making his way to the living room, he sank down on the couch, resting his head on the back and closing his eyes.  He thanked God that he was here, in the house, with Laura.  Sighing he swung his legs up and laid down on the couch.  Throwing an arm over his eyes, he fell into an exhausted sleep.  He wasn’t leaving until he mended their relationship and Laura was all right.
***

The next morning JC was in the kitchen preparing a meal that could be ready anytime that Laura was ready to eat.  He had checked on her several times during the evening and night hours.  She was dead to the world.

Finishing all he could for the moment in the kitchen, he sat down in the living room, mindlessly flipping channels.  Another hour went by, with another check on Laura, before he finally heard her get up and wander into the bathroom.  Then the shower came on.

JC prayed he could find the words to say to her when she came out.
***

Laura woke confused as to what day it was.  The clock said it was after nine.  She never slept that late and she couldn’t remember going to bed.  She sat up on the bed and noticed that she still wore clothes and not her pajamas.  Her head ached terribly; maybe a shower would help her wake up and understand what had happened.

Then all of a sudden she heard the television in the living room, JC was here.  He had apologized and they had cried together.  He had put her to bed and stayed all night.

“I must have been really tired – I had to have slept 15 hours.  No wonder my head hurts.”

After showering and dressing, Laura emerged from her bedroom and headed straight to the kitchen.  Without meeting JC’s eyes, who was standing at the stove, she opened a cabinet and grabbed the Advil bottle.  Shaking a pill into her hand, she filled a glass with water and swallowed the pill.

“Good morning, how are you feeling this morning?”  He asked in compassion.

She drained the glass of water, looking out the window over the sink before she answered, “Fine.”

“Why are you still here?”  She asked finally turning to lean against the sink.

“Because I love you and I’m going to make this right between us.”

“How can this be made right, JC?  I really don’t know how anything can be right again.  How can I reconcile the man that I fell in love with, the man I thought I knew with the man that you were that night?  How do you explain that, JC?”

“Let’s sit down Laura.”  He pulled out a chair for her, but she instead chose a chair across the table.

“I cannot tell you how sorry I am that I acted that way.  And I have no excuse other than the alcohol.  I knew I was drinking way too much, but I found out yesterday that Jake slipped something in one of my drinks which doesn’t excuse anything, but I had no idea what was going on.  I can promise you that I will never drink again.”

“But for you to have said those things, you had to have thought about them.  Is that how you see me, as someone only after your money?”

“No, never.  I can remember going to talk to Joey in frustration after you sent that check back to me in pieces.  All I want to do is take care of you.  The money that I have in the bank is an assurance that I can give you the life you deserve and that we will never have to worry about money as long as we live.  Heck our kids will never have to worry about money problems.  You are the first woman to want me for me and not for my money.”

“You’re assuming we will have kids.”

“No, Laura just stating a fact.  If we can’t have kids of our own then we will adopt, just like we talked about.  The love between us is the real deal, Laura.  We found each other against all odds.”

“What about waiting to be intimate until we are married?  That’s the reason this whole thing happened.”

“No, it’s not.  That night happened because I had too much to drink and listened to an idiot friend who has turned out not to be a friend.  Laura, the passion that we have between us…I can’t imagine anything better than after we are married.  Your kiss sets me aflame.  No one else in the world can turn me on with just a look or a brush of your fingers.  Your being a virgin is something that I am humbled by.  That you have spent your life waiting for me, for us to be married, that is a gift that I wish I could give to you.  If I could, I would take back every woman, every kiss, every thought that I had before I met you.  You are trusting me with the most precious gift a woman has to give a man and you have to believe me when I say that I treasure you and will do everything, EVERYTHING in my power to be the man that you want and need me to be.”  JC swallowed hard as he finished his passionate plea.

Laura’s eyes had not left his during his speech.  Her heart was certain he was telling the truth.  She slowly got up from the table and circled around to him, where he quickly jumped to his feet.  Her arms came up and encircled his neck.  His arms closed around her waist pulling her as close as he could as she rested her head on his chest.  His cheek rested on the side of her head, just breathing in the smell that was Laura, clean and sweet.  They slowly swayed back and forth in each others arms, letting their hearts speak.

Finally, JC drew back enough to reach into his pocket.  He pulled out an item that he would never take for granted.  Looking into Laura’s eyes, his own eyes asked the question that his lips wouldn’t.  Smiling slightly, she lifted her left hand and JC once again placed the ring on her finger, kissing her hand before kissing her lips.