Slow Love

Chapter 36

The next few days we talked and playand laugh and love deeply. We leave to go to NYC for an appearance onthe Fallon show and meet with some publishers. I prepared a sample ofthe book and off we go. We are only there a few days. I do someshopping at some of my favorite shops and he goes to Electric LadyStudios to record some music while we are here. It looks like we havea solid book deal with, Publisher Spiegel & Grau, an imprint ofRandom House. We have a fantastic time.We return to the house at Turks and Caicos. Next up is a show at theSXSW in Texas the 17th of March.. We get a few days beforewe have to prepare for that. All my personal stuff has been packed upin Cincinnati and waiting on me in MPLS. I have a Realtor listing atmy house. I left furniture in it to stage it so it will sell quicker.I have everything I need now. I just have to go to Cincinnati andsign paperwork and transfer my bank account and close out the safetydeposit box. That should only take a day. My plan is to leave theweekend of the SXSW show and go to Cincinnati do to all that, and flyfrom there later that day to Texas. Bonnie and Steve have helped metremendously and they will store my car for me and use it if theyneed it until they can drive it up. They are the closest thing I haveto family and I love them like they are. I'm going to bring them tojoin us in Europe to sightsee and visit with me. I would love to stayawhile longer this trip but he will not like me being gone overniteso we'll have to cram it all in while I'm there taking care ofbusiness.

All goes well in Cincinnati. Bonnie andSteve are happy for me. They are looking forward to the wedding. Iasked Bonnie to be in the wedding but she decline because Steve wouldhave to sit alone. She totally understood why I asked Cathy to be mymaid of Honor. Bonnie is a great gal. I think she understands why Imade the decision I made. She has been through thick and thin with meand as always, been my BFF. I'm on my way to Texas on a commercialplane. It gets in at 9:45pm and Kirk is picking me up. All I have ismy purse and this briefcase so no baggage claim. When I get to thepickup area, there's my man with Kirk. I missed him today. We loadinto the back of the limo. This is really nice and we can spread out.There is a driver besides Kirk and they are in the front seat. Theglass is up but we did not have enough time to do much before we gotto the hotel. When we get to the hotel, I told him, I need to putthis briefcase in the hotel safe. He looked at me funny and I said, 'there is too much for the safe in the room.' He said, "Baby, what'sin there? I said, "Jewelry, bearer bonds and some T-bills, youknow, stuff like that." He looked at me like I just smacked himupside the head with a ball bat. I said, "Can we do this?" Hesaid, "Baby, I had no idea." I said, "Sweetheart, I told I didnot need your money and all I needed was your love and you." So we get into thehotel and saw the manager on duty and he took care of it for me. Onthe way to the room, he just looked at me, you know like that, andsaid, "Baby, what else don't I know?" I said, "Well, I'm notsure." I opened my purse and pulled out one of those black creditcards with no limit and my name on it and said, "I have one ofthese too." There he went, you know, awestruck again. I had to snaphim out of it when the door opened at the penthouse. We go into thepenthouse and I take my shoes off and fix a cup of coffee. I sit downon the sofa and he's still looking at me like, you know. He finallysays, "Besides a pocket journalist, what else do I have?" I satthere thinking and said, "What do you mean? You have me and all ofme." He said, "You really maent it when you said you did not needmy money, right?" I said, "Sweetheart, I want for nothing when itcomes to material things. What I wanted was to be loved and loved byyou. That was all." He just shook his head and said, "I had noidea." Oh and by the way, "The Realtor texted me that he has twooffers on my house already. One being a really solid one that shouldclose." So I may have to go back to Cincinnati to sign off on that,but I signed paperwork to be an absentee seller so I may not haveto." He just stares at me while I'm sipping my coffee like he isouter space. Wait until I tell him how much the house is listed for.It will happen again. This is priceless. I hate to say anything else.I love it when he does that. I move over closer to him and he putshis arm around me and says, "Baby, I don't think I've ever beenwith anyone that did not need me for something other than my love."I said, "Now you do. Sweetheart, I have a house, car, money,clothes, jewelry and most of the nicer things in life. I had not onebut 2 successful careers. What I was missing was someone to love melike you do. That was all I needed." I just looked at him with mycome hither eyes. He came crashing into me kissing me all over. Hesaid, "Baby, I don't know if I want to know anymore. I'll have tothink about it." He has me flat out on the sofa on top of me and Ilook up him and said, "Did all that scare you?" He just grabbedme and laughed uncontrollably saying, "Baby you are too funny. Ilove, love, love you!" I said, "Sweetheart, maybe I should takeyou shopping sometime?" He just roared laughing at this point. Hewas laughing hysterically and so was I. He finally got himselftogether and said, "Baby, God sent you to me for that reason, tojust love you unconditionally." I said, "And you to me. I loveyou, I always have." We went to the bedroom and he had some funundressing me. He took my dress off to find that really nice surpriseset I got at the lingerie shoppe across from the cafe. He looked itover and was in a trance. You know, like when he saw me in thatdress. He likes this so much. I love to indulge him this way. I hadto wear that all day and I am so happy to finally get it all off. Hetook his time but it felt so sensual every piece he took off of me.Well, you know the rest. Afterwards, we took a long bath. It felt sogood. We just relaxed in the tub. It was so peaceful with him holdingme. I almost fell asleep. We got out and dried each other and putlotion all over. He says, "Baby, you do have a nice tan." Isaid, "Told you." We went to bed and he gathered me up and wejust laid in each others warmth and love. He always has thatbackground music on. This time, I heard a song I'd never heardbefore. He sung it in my ear. It was one of those new song about me.What a pretty song. I drifted off to sleep.