L&L Chapter Thirty Two
Author’s Note: Thank you so very much for my friend Kathy (kittie8571) who is the Beta of this story!
Chapter Thirty Two: You and me living in a cabin
Ennis’s birthday started, without much surprise, with a nice, family dinner at the Twist mansion. They were all seated around the big oval table in the dining room; Uncle Daniel had been telling them about his disastrous - yet extremely hilarious - affair with a French actress back in the 80’s. Everybody was laughing, including Matilda and Edward, and Jack felt Ennis reach for his hand under the table.
“Of course that was why they called me Mr. Passionata during the 90’s.” Uncle Daniel finished.
“Thanks for sharing that jewel with us, Uncle Daniel.” Robert raised his glass to the red haired man, while Veronica, who was seated next to him, tried desperately to breath between laughs.
“Those were the days.” Uncle Daniel and Robert shared a toast.
“Can I please say a few words?” Jack asked, waiting for the small group to quiet down. “I really want to thank you all for your presence tonight. After all, we do have two good reasons to celebrate. The first being Ennis’s birthday and the second being my dear Matilda’s goodbye party, since she’s going on holiday for an entire month!”
Matilda and Edward smiled happily.
“The last time we were apart for this long a time was on her honeymoon, so…” Jack paused smiling. “I’m going to miss her very much.”
Matilda stood up and gave him a big kiss and patted his hair affectionately.
“This is definitely my favorite part of the year. And now it’s even more special. Happy birthday, honey.”
Jack raised his glass and people seemed to wait for him to continue with his speech, but Jack had nothing more to say. Actually, he was looking pointedly at Ennis, waiting for him to speak.
“I don’t like to make speeches.” He looked around the table. ”But I guess in this family, everything is celebrated with speeches, so I'll have to get used to it. Basically what I wanted to say was that… A year ago I didn’t know any of you. Actually, a year ago I was packing all my stuff, daydreaming about the Magnet firm and picturing the number of ways to spend all that money. I didn’t have that many more goals to achieve in life after being accepted at the Magnet firm and I saw nothing wrong with that. Thankfully in the duration of this year, I’ve learned about what I was missing in life. I’ve found here a new life, with friends and family, and it’s been far too long since I had anything like that. There are no words to thank you all and I’m not very good at showing how grateful I am but… I’m very happy to have met you all.”
Everyone was silent. Matilda was on the verge of tears; there was a tear shining in the corner of her eye. Jack looked pleased, so Ennis thought that the speech had been decent. Their lips touched just as Ennis was moving to sit back down again.
“Now I must give Ennis his gift, because he has been waiting impatiently for it.” Ennis raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t that excited. “Here it is.”
It was a white envelope. Everybody was looking pointedly at it, wondering what possibly could be inside of it. Jack wasn’t known for surprises, that was Ennis’s sort of thing, but he was a very generous person, especially to the ones he loved. He was a forceful lover in all things in life. He didn’t do anything by half, he was a Scorpio after all.
“I’m almost afraid.” Ennis murmured, opening it carefully and slowly, enjoying the impatient look in Jack’s eyes.
“Just open it already.” Jack incited.
Ennis was actually getting a bit nervous about his present. Jack looked so excited about it that he feared for his own reaction. He just hoped that he liked it just as much. His fingers trembled a little when he read the colored paper, Grey Mountain Getaways, written in block green bold letters.
“It’s a romantic getaway to Texas.” Jack explained.
“What a great idea.” Veronica, who had moved behind them to get a peak, exclaimed.
Ennis looked at the paper and felt deeply confused.
Why was Jack paying for a cabin in the middle of nowhere?
The romantic getaway turned out to be quite different from what Ennis had imagined. The cabin was private and nestled in the woods. It had a queen size bed, a wood burning fireplace, Jacuzzi, fully-equipped kitchen and a beautiful deck. At least that was what Jack had told him while they were driving.
But that wasn’t the only difference in this cabin. Jack had told the owner that he and his business partner were on a hunting trip and wanted to have as much privacy as possible. Jack, ingeniously, had added that their licenses were new and that they feared for the safety of anyone else. The owner, an old Texan man used to all kinds of odd requests, had assured him that unless they called, no one would even come close to the lands surrounding the cabin. Ennis was forced to laugh at Jack’s overexcited attitude about it.
“That means that we’re going to have all privacy needed. Quite different from the ranch, hmm?” Jack asked excited.
“You did remember that it’s pitch cold this time of the year, right? If you think this is cold, wait till we arrive to wherever that cabin is.” Ennis looked at the GPS, their destination was still rather distant.
“Come on! You’re the Texan, this was supposed to be nothing to you.” Jack looked at the snow outside excited.
“I don’t remember the last time I experienced a Texan winter.” Ennis smiled a bit at the sudden memories.
“Of course you don’t, you were fifteen years old.” Jack commented, still looking outside the window.
“How do you know that?” Ennis asked intrigued. “I don’t remember ever telling you that.”
“I…” Jack hesitated, he didn’t want to reveal his perfect idea yet. “I called the ranch and they helped me with this idea.”
“Mr. Deacon?” Ennis eyes weren’t on the road anymore.
“Of course he doesn’t know I’m coming as your girlfriend.” Jack murmured the last part.
“My girlfriend? What about the hunting trip and business partner thing?” Ennis was finding the whole thing amusing.
“What kind of business partners go everywhere together? I’ve already been twice there this year, on vacation with you! I wasn’t planning on telling anything to Mr. Deacon, but he overheard us on the phone and I said the first thing that came to my mind.”
“The first thing that came to your mind was getting me a girlfriend?” Ennis paused shaking his head but still amused. “Somehow it doesn’t sound right.”
“Yeah? Well, I was desperate. I told him I was treating you to a vacation here with your… girlfriend.”
“What am I going to do next time we visit them?”
“You’re going to tell Mr. Deacon that you broke up with her.” Jack sounded oddly serious about the issue.
“Don’t give me that tone! You’re the one who came up with imaginary girlfriends. Not me! I've had enough girlfriends for a life time.”
“You better.” Jack playfully punched him on the shoulder.
“I’m driving here! Don’t make me stop just to kick your ass.” Ennis’s Texan accent made Jack laugh.
“As if you had what it takes!” Jack teased.
“That’s it.”
Jack felt the car turned to the right and it came to a stop with a loud noise. He grabbed the edge of his seat, suddenly worried about a possibly crash. Of course it never happened, the car stopped quickly and Jack realized that they were parked on the side of the road.
“What the hell?” Jack asked, confused and a little infuriated.
Jack didn't get the chance to further his protests. Ennis was on his side of the car in a heartbeat, tickling him on his waist and belly. Jack was forced to laugh, while trying to keep Ennis’s hands away from him.
“It’s seems I do have what it takes.” Ennis said smugly, when Jack admitted defeat.
“You just caught me off guard.” Jack tried to regain his composure. “I let you win this time. After all, it’s your birthday trip.”
“I don’t know if I love or if hate that cocky attitude the most.” Ennis’s hand caressed Jack’s neck, he was almost sitting on the other man’s lap.
“You love it.” Jack’s hand mimicked his and Ennis felt the usual pull to kiss him.
His lips descended slowly, touching softly, reacquaintancing with Jack’s. They hadn’t kissed since they caught the plane that early morning, although it felt as if it had been far longer. Jack’s mouth opened in invitation and Ennis leaned forward in the seat. They were far too old and too tall to share the passenger’s seat, but they were still managing. Jack’s hands were playing with his hair now and he could feel the soft vibration of pure appreciation coming from Jack’s throat. If Jack didn’t lose his hair fetish anytime soon, Ennis was destined to grow bald.
“Love it.” Ennis murmured against wet lips.
“Of course you do.” This time Jack pulled him closer and closed the distance between them.
Ennis voiced his appreciation, trapping Jack between his body and the car seat. His hand reached to feel the skin underneath. He had a hair obsession of his own, he liked to caress Jack’s belly hair, the black path from the belly button to the confine of his trousers.
“Ennis.” Jack didn’t sound as affected as he was, which was clearly disappointing. “We can’t…”
Ennis seemed to snap from a lustful dream at the recognition of Jack’s words, he stood back a little and looked outside the windows. They were in the middle of nowhere Texas, inside of an old rented car. It was far from safe. And he should have been the one to realize that. Jack was definitely rubbing off on him.
“You’re right, sorry.” Another short kiss and he finally gave up.
“Nobody is more sorry than I am…” Jack finally commented, when Ennis moved back to his seat. “I was about to fulfill my Ennis in the car fantasy.”
Ennis looked at him perplexed. Jack was always vocal about his wishes and he rarely knew when to be quiet. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on driving to their destination.
“Maybe when we arrive?” Jack commented, looking outside of his window.
Ennis sighed. Maybe this trip was going to be the end of him. They were isolated from the rest of the world, surrounded by the land that he loved the most. He felt oddly energized, aware of everything around him. Not even the cold weather seemed to be a problem anymore, he felt warm. A warmth that came from the inside of his being.
“Where the hell is the damn cabin, anyway?” Ennis cursed, trying to hide the overwhelming excitement.
“Isn’t it a beauty?” Jack commented excitedly as they got out of the car.
“It sure is! There is nothing like this back from where I’m from.” Ennis agreed.
The big wooden house had been restored recently. It didn’t look like a cabin due to his size, but it was built in the same old style. Just like Jack had said, it was surrounded by miles of nothing but nature. The house seemed to be energized by a modern generator and some solar panels on the roof. Pure white snow was covering everything in sight and Ennis spared a moment to wonder what would happen to them if the generator decided to stop working.
“I’ve been to a few ski resorts but this is going to be completely different.” Jack bent down and touched the snow.
“Sure, I’m going to be your room service for the duration of your stay.” Ennis reminded him playfully.
“You know, I have been trying to do some simple dishes lately. Matilda taught me a thing or two while we stayed at the mansion.” Jack sounded deadly serious.
“Please! My clients didn’t like this sudden trip, imagine their faces when they find out I’ll spend another week or two at the hospital.” Ennis chuckled.
“You could be a little more supportive. I did learn some tricks with Matilda.” Jack kicked a bunch of snow in Ennis’s direction.
“I can’t wait to taste your rat’s poison.” Jack tried to hit him with a ball of snow. Luckily Ennis dodged it in time. “I meant to say your delicious attempts to cook.”
“You shouldn’t joke. I intend to make you eat every single one of my attempts.” Jack warned.
“Ok. I get it, I get it. No jokes about your cooking.” Ennis tried to escape another snow attack.
“You haven’t seen my improvement!” Jack said out loud.
“That’s enough. I’m freezing out here.” Ennis protected his arm and moved to the source of the snow balls.
“Ok. Ok.” Jack raised his hands in defeat. “Let’s move inside.
“Finally.” Ennis’s arm circled Jack’s waist. “Revenge.”
A handful of snow hit Jack on the head and Ennis's laugher filled the surroundings. The freezing old snow melted quickly against Jack’s skin and he groaned in pain.
“I swear I’m going to kill you.” Jack screamed running after Ennis.
“Yeah, yeah.” Ennis reached the door first, but he didn’t have the key. “Oops.”
“You thought you could escape, didn’t you?” Jack asked as Ennis turned around, no longer facing the door.
“That was my plan, yeah.” Ennis prepared himself to be hit with snow.
“Well bad luck,” Jack pressed him against the door and stuck a cold hand inside of Ennis pullover.
“Damn it.” Ennis cursed out loud, forcing Jack to retrieve his hand.
“I guess we’re even.” Jack smiled and opened the door, waving the key at Ennis’s face.
The door opened and the warm air from the inside hit them in the face. At their right was a cupboard where they placed their shoes covered in snow and mud. Ennis noticed that there were a lot of winter sports equipment placed at the end of the room.
“Does that come with the house?” Ennis pointed at the ski shoes and snowboards.
“I especially asked for it! You need to see me on a snowboard.” Jack stated smugly.
“Really?” Ennis asked curious.
“I can do some really cool moves.”
“You’ll easily impress me, I’ve never tried any of the winter sports. I watch them on TV and I read about it in magazines, but I’m a couch expert. Never did anything in the snow besides snowmen and that was when I was younger.”
“We’re going to have a lot of fun.” Jack stated happily. “I’ll make you try everything.”
“I’m sure we will.” Ennis hugged Jack closer.
“We really need to recharge our batteries. The whole situation with Helen hasn’t left my mind for a second. I’m sure Collin is backing her up in all her mad schemes. He knows that if she’s caught he can easily back away without being connected to any of these accidents. He’s the big boss of the Valvardsy firm, he feels untouchable.” Jack rested his head in Ennis’s shoulder. “I need to be at my best game to beat him.”
“Just forget about the firm for a while.” Ennis’s hand caressed Jack’s hair. “We have this whole place for ourselves, you have plans about cooking for me and forcing me to try dangerous freezing sports…”
“That sounds lovely…” Jack chuckled.
“Seriously? You’ve taken me away from my work to the land I love, to enjoy this amazing winter. I’m sure it’s going to be great.”
“What am I doing talking about work, right? We have animals to hunt!” Jack stepped away pointing at the collection of guns and stuffed animals in the walls.
“By the way, if we were on a hunting trip, where is the other bed?” Ennis asked, looking inside of the nearby divisions.
“There’s another bedroom upstairs, of course!” Jack rolled his eyes.
“I guess you did think of everything.” Ennis was a little impressed.
“Now…” Jack stepped closer with a seductive smile. “Let’s try the Jacuzzi.”
“Yeah, we were in the middle of something a few minutes ago.” Ennis remembered.
“It’s in the upstairs bedroom.” Jack’s arms rested around Ennis’s neck.
“Then let’s go.” They proceeded up the stairs, holding each other's hand.
They spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in the hot water.
“I wish life could be like this, always.” Jack murmured.
They were spending the late afternoon in the closed up balcony. Outside, the night was calm, with just enough breeze to make the trees tremble and the snowflakes spin in the air. The snow was falling softly but steadily. Jack felt peculiar, because although he could see it, he couldn’t feel it. They were protected by the surrounding glass and couldn’t feel any of the cold. They were, actually, seated together, sharing the same chaise lounge. Jack was resting between Ennis’s parted legs, his back leaning against Ennis’s chest, with Ennis’s arms resting on his waist. They were still wearing just the grey cotton bathrobes that were in the bathroom and were causally sipping from the same can of beer.
They were both as relaxed and sore at the same time, after so many hours of making love, and Jack realized that this was exactly what he had been thinking about when he had asked for the cabin in Texas. There was something else about this land . . he was surprised that he could feel some connection, although he had never been here before meting Ennis. Maybe he was just sharing the same contentment that Ennis felt. Seeing his partner happy always made him happier.
“Actually, it could be always like this if you really wanted.” Ennis took a sip of the beer. “You are a millionaire after all.”
“I would probably get easily bored, plus I have the firm to take care.”
“You know I love my job so I probably wouldn't be available all the time to entertain you.” Ennis chuckled.
“See. It couldn’t always be like this.” Jack’s head rested on Ennis’s clavicle. It wasn’t comfortable but he lacked the energy to change positions.
Another five minutes of comfortable silence, interrupted only by the occasional drinking and kissing, passed by.
“I’m happy you brought me here. I hadn't realized just how much I missed the Texan winter.” Ennis took a second to reestablish his thoughts. “I’d forgotten how much the winter meant to me. When I was in law school, I could never afford more than one trip a year, so because my father needed me here in the summer, I could never come in the winter. I used to spend Christmas on campus.”
Jack squeezed his hand and Ennis smiled.
“It’s ok. I was so happy to be in law school, I barely noticed I was losing precious time with my parents. And Christmas in Texas is truly breathtaking; I’m surprised I’d forgotten about it for a while.” Ennis was looking outside at the falling snow.
“I’m happy I brought you here then.” Jack whispered.
“I love you.” Ennis whispered back.
“I love you too.”
After dinner, which consisted of Jack’s poorly made salad, Ennis dozed off on the couch for a few hours and when he woke up, Jack was talking with someone on the phone and the clock in the small living room was showing 1 am.
Ennis stretched his muscles, his whole body complaining about the lack of proper rest. Jack seemed to have ended his call and moved back to sit next to him.
“How are you feeling?” Jack’s hand came to play affectionately with Ennis’s hair.
“Odd. I rarely fall asleep like this. It shows just how tired I’ve been.”
“You were sleeping so soundly.” Jack smiled.
“You shouldn’t have let me sleep on the couch.”
“I was about to wake you, but I got a call from Edward.”
“How’s Matilda?” Ennis asked, resting his head against the sofa, his eyes still closed.
“She didn’t react well, but at least she’s not taking the next boat back. She’s giving it a chance. Edward was so excited!”
“I’m glad.” Ennis opened his eyes and smiled lazily.
“I owe it to Veronica. And to you.”
“To me? I hardly deserve such praise.” Ennis stood up and helped Jack do the same.
“Oh, but you do. Edward was talking just now about this success and I was thinking to myself that I wasn’t taking Veronica seriously at first. I thought she was just a nurse, so what could she know?” Jack followed Ennis to the bedroom. “But you were sure from the start that she could really help us.”
“Somehow, because I had a stupid date with her before we got together, you’ve grown to dislike her a tiny bit.” Ennis entered the bed and opened his arms for Jack.
“Maybe, but I was a bit prejudiced because she wasn’t a real doctor. And I like to think I’m above that, so it disturbed me a little.” Jack rested on Ennis’s embrace.
“We all have our own prejudices. It’s complicated but it’s the fact that we acknowledge them and make an effort to change that makes the real difference.”
“You know, this also came to my mind after reading another part of my mum’s diary.” Jack sighed. “I was reading a bit while you slept.”
“You should take this time to rest as well.” Ennis hugged him close, mostly due to the cold sheets.
“I couldn’t sleep so…”
“So what part made you think?” Ennis asked, curious.
“Just more details about my grandmother’s dislike of my father’s religious beliess. My mum’s already secretly dating him at the part I’m reading.”
“You've read that far?”
“There were a couple of years when she barely wrote anything and then when she fell for my father, she started writing again.” Jack explained. “I just never thought they were so prejudiced. Some of their remarks are particularly cruel.”
“You know I don’t like religion much. It’s been nothing but a reason for death and pain in our world.”
“You can’t think like that, honey. Religion has also been a source of hope and love for many people.”
“I’m surprised to hear you say that.” Ennis raised his head to look at Jack properly. “You weren’t too keen on your father's beliefs.”
“I’m not saying that religions as we, humans, have created them are right. But it’s important to believe that there’s something else. Call it Mother Nature, the universe, the powers that be, the force… whatever. There’s something connecting us all. And I’m sure it doesn’t care if we're black or white, rich or poor, gay or straight, fat or thin, tall or short… it only cares if we're acting in conformity with our heart.”
“Those are beautiful words.” Ennis’s eyes shined in the darkness. “Incredible how you can still surprise me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.” Ennis hugged him again. “Just rest, baby.”
He was surprised at how Jack could still surprise him sometimes. He hadn’t expected to hear such a profound reflection coming from Jack. He was indeed an amazing man and Ennis was very lucky to have him as his other half.
“Goodnight, honey.” Jack whispered.
“Night, baby.”
They spent the next day trying out some of the sports equipment Jack had rented. Jack was indeed a marvelous skier. He had technique and, obviously, a lot of practice. Ennis was surprised at how smooth his movements were, as if he were floating on top of the snow. He made it look easy, yet Ennis could barely move. He was barely standing still on top of the skis.
Jack kept skiing around him, doing little acrobatic movements and complaining about the quality of the snow. Apparently he could do much better if they had been at a ski resort. He already looked like pro, his movements rhythmic and steady, his body moving fast but gracefully. It was mesmerizing and Ennis understood why Jack wanted to show him his abilities. He left Ennis wondering just how many guys he had impressed with those moves.
Actually, that thought was making Ennis a little bit jealous. It had passed through his mind before, but he had never had the courage to ask about Jack’s past experiences. He didn’t feel ready to hear about Jack’s previous boyfriends. He was still coming to terms with his own sexuality and his own previous experiences would pale in comparison with Jack’s. He had been in denial before he met Jack, while Jack had been experimenting with his own real preferences. He felt that perhaps now he could ask a bit more. Just as Jack kept smiling smugly while passing him by skiing, he got the courage to finally ask.
“You look like you’ve done this before.” Ennis tried to catch Jack’s attention.
“What?” Jack stopped next to him, throwing the nearby snow in all kinds of directions.
“Impress someone with your skiing techniques.”
“You mean other guys?” Jack looked like he was going to fall of his skis.
“Yeah.” Jack looked stricken with the question, not offended but honestly surprised.
“I have once I guess.” Jack was struggling to find the right words. “I was at a ski resort with some friends from law school.”
“You don’t want to talk about it?” Jack looked confused and embarrassed.
“You want details?” Now there was a challenging tone on his voice.
“Maybe, why not?” Ennis smiled.
“Really?” Jack asked intrigued.
“Yeah.” Ennis answered simply.
“Well, there’s not much to it. He was a senior at law school and I had a small crush on him for the longest time. He was at the resort that time and we kind of hooked up. Of course, I did make my moves on him, you know…” Jack was testing how much Ennis really wanted to know. “It was all a silly thing. He had really conservative parents and plans for a political career. I was a bit heartbroken when I realized that he didn’t take it as seriously as I did. I was quite young, but it lasted a few weeks. It was typical.”
“Hmm.” Ennis looked thoughtful. “I don’t know why I kept pictured your previous boyfriends more like European royalty and less like jerks.”
“Trust me ____ they were all common people. And they were all disasters.” Jack frowned. “I wasn’t really lucky. Until I found you, I guess.”
That warmed Ennis’s heart, but he wasn’t fooled. Jack knew exactly what to tell him to put him at ease. He honestly believed that Jack was telling the truth about the importance of those guys now, but he knew that finding out what had they done to ruin things up could work to his advantage.
They skied a bit more, moving in the direction of the lake. It was difficult to ski on that land; it wasn't a ski resort, so there was mud and rocks everywhere. But yet they were having great fun and Ennis was actually getting better. Jack was already saying that he was a natural on skiis.
When they finally reached their destination, they took off their boots from the skies and sat together near the half frozen lake, sharing body heat. They were both tired from all the exercise and they wanted to regain their breath before making the journey back to the cabin.
“What is it?” Ennis asked, because Jack looked a little bit distracted.
“I had a dream a few months ago. I was near a lake like this, throwing rocks. And one in particular always came back to the spot where I’ve picked it up. I would throw it and then it would be back in seconds. I was getting so desperate and frustrated, but then you helped me. You touched it and it became full with colors.” Jack explained. *(see Author's Note)
“I think you shouldn’t eat chocolate before bed.” Ennis smiled.
“Let’s do it!” Jack stood up and search for something.
“What?” Ennis asked confused.
“Let’s throw a rock together.” Jack answered searching for one big rock.
“Are you crazy? For what?”
“We’ll write our names on it and we'll throw it together.” Jack was excited.
“Are we teenagers again? What? Should I sculpt our initials in a heart on a tree?” Ennis was amused.
“Come on, just do it.” Jack was struggling to make the pen write in the stone.
“When you got something on your mind…” Ennis shacked his head.
“Come on.” Jack offered him a hand and helped him stand up.
Jack put the rock between their hand and counted to three. They moved together and the big rock jumped in the air to hit full splash in the middle of the lake. Jack looked all excited about it. Ennis looked at the water, looked at all the rocks surrounding it and tried to understand the deeper meaning of it. Their names together on this rock, which would probably last forever in the bottom of the lake. There was something permanent about it. At least there was the wish that it would last forever.
They were making a snowman outside. Jack had shot some of the guns in the air, just as he had done during all the previous days. He didn’t want anyone to suspect that they hadn’t hunted anything during the days they spent in the cabin.
“I loved the time we spent here.” Ennis put some dirt on top of his snowman’s head.
“Is that me?” Jack asked, contemplating the snowman.
“Now that you mention it... It does look like you.” Ennis pointed at the round belly of the snowman.
Jack glared at him and moved to the house. Ennis quickly followed him.
“Come on Jack.” Ennis grabbed Jack’s arm. “You know I’m joking, you’re awfully skinny.”
“Apparently not enough.” Jack turned away from Ennis’s kiss, a smile threatening at the corner of his lips.
“It was a silly joke. Everybody commented on how fit you were at my birthday party, I thought it was safe to make jokes.” Ennis tried to coax Jack into kissing him, with no results.
“You thought wrong.” Jack looked away with a smirk, but made no efforts to free himself from Ennis’s arms.
“What can I do redeem myself?” Ennis asked.
“You can take the next two days off and come with me to Sweden. Now that I’ve made up my mind I can’t wait to go and just do it.” Jack looked worried.
“I’ve already promised I would do that.” Ennis hugged him closer. “What else?”
“You could pack up all our stuff.” Jack asked hopefully.
“You’re really tricky.” Ennis smiled.
“Just because I’m feeling generous, you can also kiss me.” Jack closed his eyes in expectation.
“What a sweet punishment.”
Ennis kissed Jack, feeling like this had been the best birthday ever.
Author: A sweet chapter to welcome all my readers to 2010! Hopefully with more updates. Unfortunately things are pretty much the same. I don’t have enough time for this wonderful hobby, but I refuse to give up.
* Jack’s is referring to the dream in chapter twenty one.
On the next chapter: Finally the truth about Hanna Olson is reveled. But first Ennis and Jack must elaborate a complicated scheme in order to approach the enigmatic Hanna Olson!