Falling Dawn (II)

Chapter 1

"Good morning, beautiful." Tom woke me with a beaming smile on his face and a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. How could he look so stunning so early in the morning? A glance at the clock revealed that it was already quarter to eight. The alarm should have gone off at six thirty. As if reading my mind, Tom explained, "I turned off the alarm. You looked like you had some catch up on sleep to do."

"Jetlagged?"

"Nope, not at all. I had the best sleep in a long time, Engel." He placed a loving kiss on my lips, handed me my clothes from the floor and then the coffee.

"I could get used to this!" I whispered.

"You should."

I was dressed just in time before Emma and Sam stormed into my bedroom.

"Look, mum!" They shouted in unison.

"Tom gave me season tickets to the Swans," Sam shouted. They were his favourite football team.

"And I got a really pretty necklace that comes with a certificate," Emma tried to outplay Sam. "What did you get, mum?"

"I got the man," I answered, pining for Tom. He shouldn't have given the kids such expansive gifts. But I loved the fact that he thought about bringing them something.

"Are you together, like boyfriend and girlfriend?" Sam asked.

"Are we?" Tom repeated, challenging me.

"Do you want us to be?" I asked Tom, who answered with wild nodding and that wicked smile of his.

"I guess we are then," I exclaimed. I hadn't been sure how they would take the news, but the cheerful screams said it all.

"So, are you going to live here with us?" Emma questioned him, but I could hear a definite hopeful undertone.

"No," Sam mobbed her, "mum sold the house. We're moving to a smaller place."

Shit, I should have told him last night. But I didn't want to ruin the moment. The way Tom looked at me spoke volumes. "Later," I whispered. To avoid a situation in front of the kids, I reminded them to get ready for school and then took them quickly over the road to the bus stop.

When I returned, Tom had set the kitchen table beautifully with toast, jams, cereal and freshly squeezed orange juice. In the middle of the table sat a drinking glass filled with water and a single white lily in it. I was only gone for a few minutes.

Tom leaned deliciously over the table, with his gorgeous butt sticking out in the short khakis he was wearing. I sneaked up on him and placed my arms around his waist, while he hid an envelope behind the lily.

"What's it with you and envelopes? Have you invested in a courier service?"

Tom turned around and kissed me. "All my current investments concentrate on you."

"Oh, so I'm an investment now?" I mocked him.

"With the best prospects, indeed."

"So, what's in the envelope?"

"Not so fast, darling girlfriend. I like to talk to you about moving house first." And gone was my good mood. I felt comfortable discussing almost everything with Tom, but not money issues. He'd think that I want him to help financially. But I didn't.

We both sat down at the kitchen table, across from each other. Tom stretched his legs out underneath the table, so they touched mine. He then lifted them and placed them on my lap, while drinking his coffee with pleasure and making himself a jam sandwich. I copied him.