#shiparker

It waskilling him that Demelza just sat there at the table, holding Jeremy in her lap,tears streaming down her cheeks, her bottom lip trembling.  “Saysomething!” he pleaded.

The fingersof her free hand trailed along the edge of a bone china plate before her. “Idon’t know what to say.”

“Do youlike it?” he asked, now unsure. The china set in a delicate floral pattern hadmade him think of his wife the moment he saw it and he knew she had to have it.

“Yes,Ross, I do very much.”

Thanks for asking! I wish more folks would take me up on this!

He’d hoped Dwight’s assessment of Helen’s condition was wrong, but in the end the doctor had been correct. Ross and his family would have to part of the MacGowans in the morning.

“I havea pressie for you,” Philip announced after finding Alice resting on the chaiselounge in the upstairs sitting room.

Sheturned her head to look at him, barely able to muster the effort. Her recoveryfrom her ordeal had been painfully slow. “Christmas yesterday.”

“Itwas,” he said, producing a tiny gray and white French bulldog puppy frombeneath his overcoat, “but this had to wait until today.”

“Oh,”she gushed, reaching for the squirming little dog and immediately showering itwith kisses. “Why, Philip? You hate dogs.”

“I wish this moment could last forever,” Demelza murmureddreamily. “Just like this…forever and ever.”

Ross was curled around her, pressed against her, legs and armstangled with hers, his face tucked into the crook of her neck so she could feelevery breath he took. They were both naked beneath the blankets, but Demelzawasn’t cold, though it was the middle of December and the air smelled like itwould freeze again overnight. She was warm, inside and out. Ross had made loveto her – and it was that, she had feltthe difference in him, in the way he touched her now, though he’d never beenanything less than attentive to her in their bed play before. This time he hadbeen different. Attentive, and tender, and hungry,and he had whispered words of love and devotion against her mouth and skin. Ithad been love-making, and what she had known before had been a pale shadow ofit. Love-making, because Ross lovedher. He loved her; he had said so. He had sat beside her on the bed and toldher that he loved her, and she’d shared the news she’d been afraid to sharebefore, and Ross had been so glad.

“Hmm? Why’s that?” Ross mumbled, his words a hum against herneck.

“I’m so happy,” Demelza said. Suddenly there was a lump in herthroat, and hot tears pricking at her eyes. “I’m so happy, Ross.”

He must have heard the sob choking her voice, for he lifted hishead and looked at her, and then he kissed the corner of her eye, and hercheek, and her mouth.

“I don’t want to stay in this moment forever,” he breathed. “Iwant to see what this becomes.” He rubbed his hand across her abdomen. Thecalluses of his hand tickled a little, and she hitched a breath. Ross knew ittickled her; he did it again, and then left his hand resting still above theslight swell of her belly. “Don’t you?” he asked. “I want to see it.”

“Yes,” Demelza nodded. “Yes, I do. But…” She couldn’t expressherself well enough, but Ross smiled, and curled around her again, and she knewthat he understood.

Be bold and daring, LET THEM BOTH LIVE. Don’t go...

Trrrruuuuuuuuu. I rather make my characters suffer through hell that ends in redemption and happiness than an end one of them dies and why I always get so angry at things like this and drop the whole thing like a hot potattoe. Aka I like happy ends and won’t apologise for it.