The Promise

Chapter Fourteen

Morning came, but Isabella found herself still in the loving embrace of her sweet Thomas. She released a sigh of pleasure as she took her time waking up, just lying there enjoying the rhythmic rise and fall of Tom's chest. The room was peaceful and she tried not to think about what was going to happen today. She wasn't ready just yet.
Without warning, the bedroom door swung open and Lana stood there in her fuzzy robe and slippers, smiling a little too brightly for so early in the morning.

"Good morning, lovebirds!" She announced quite loud, dragging it out as long as she could.

Tom's eyes snapped open and he sat up a bit startled at the sound of Lana's voice. He looked alert, but a little confused about what was going on.

"Lana!" Isabella scolded. "Couldn't you have done that a little quieter?"

"Yes, but what fun would that have been? Breakfast is ready. Get your asses up," she said and then waved at them before walking away, leaving the door wide open.

Tom relaxed back against the bed, still feeling a little dazed as he tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

"Well, that's one way to wake someone up," he muttered. "How did you sleep?"

"Good. I was exhausted. You?"

"Like a baby. You're like a drug to me."

"You mean a drug that puts you to sleep? Are you trying to say I'm boring?" She said, teasing him.

"No, that's not what I meant!" He said, stuttering a little at his faux pas. "That was supposed to be romantic. Didn't do much for you, did it?"

"Not really," she deadpanned.

"Well, we can't all be Shakespeare, I suppose," he said with a smirk, hearkening back to when she had said it last.

Isabella stifled a laugh as she gave him a light punch on the arm. She attempted to get out of bed, but he grabbed her and pulled her beneath him, giving her a smile before kissing her softly on the lips. He had planned to not be the one to initiate any contact, but he couldn't help himself. He loved how pure she looked first thing in the morning. He wanted to ravage her with kisses, but he held back.

"What was that for?" She asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Because I wanted to. No real reason."

"Well, you're welcome to do that again anytime you want," she said, resting her hand on his cheek for a moment. "I was beginning to think you didn't like kissing me anymore."

"Oh, no, please don't get the wrong idea. I was simply being respectful of everything you're going through. Trust me, if I had my way, we'd stay in bed for hours," he said, a lascivious smile on his face.

Her face instantly reddened at the idea. It was awfully tempting.

"Raincheck. Places to be, people to see, after all," she said, rolling out from under him and getting up.

They walked into the kitchen to see everyone up and sitting down for breakfast.

"Good morning," said Tom and Isabella to everyone and they all responded in kind.

Rosemarie held up plates of food. "Please, sit! This morning, we have a special breakfast for you!"

In front of Tom, she placed what looked like a platter of food. There were all kinds of things and he knew right away what it was.

Tom put a hand over his heart. "Oh, Rosemarie. You made me an English breakfast. You didn't have to go to all this trouble," he said, warmed by the thought she put into it.