I Remember (Remembrance Series) (22 page)

I began to melt into his arms as his lips found mine, again. “I love you, too. You’ve captured my heart, Gregory.”

My lips continued to move in synch with his, as his arms held me closer. “Thank you,” he said between kisses.

“For what?”

“Jordan, you’ve just made me the happiest person on Earth.”

“So, you’ve fallen for me?” I said, teasing.

Gregory continued to hold me close, as his lips trailed back to my ear. “I fell for you a long time ago.”

How did he always know the perfect words to say?

The intensity of his emotions left me breathless. “Shouldn’t you be heading home?”

“I don’t want to go, but I do have an early meeting, tomorrow.” He finally admitted.

“Then you should get back home.”

“Call me when you get back so I know you got home safely.”

“That’s not a problem. I would love another chance to talk with you before going to sleep. But, only if you promise to dream about me.”

“Only if you dream about me.”

“Don’t you know that I already do?”

As I watched Gregory drive off, something felt different inside me, like a piece of my heart was going with him.

I walked into the kitchen to see if Mom needed any assistance. “You two were talking for a long time out there,” She said, smiling.

“Sorry about that.” “So what do you think of him?”

“He’s nice. Someone your dad would approve of and so far, so do I. However, you better watch out.”

“Why?”

“I think Gregory is falling in love with you.”

“Why do you think that?”

“He couldn’t take his eyes off you the entire time he was here. The only other time I have ever seen that look, was in your father’s eyes, when we first started dating. By the second date, we knew we were in love.” Mom’s eyes started to tear up, recalling those wonderful memories.

“So how do you feel about him, Jordan?”

Why of all questions, did she have to pick this one?
“I knew I cared for him as a friend; but after last night and today, there’s something deeper, still yet to be explored. It is hard to put into words, but I feel I’ve known him for an eternity. Is that normal?”

Mom walked over and gave me a hug. “That’s what love is, Jordan.”

“I feel so guilty about dating so quickly after you losing Dad.”

She looked me in the eyes. “Love can be a funny thing. Just like life. It doesn’t follow a set of rules; it comes and goes as it pleases. But, when it is true, it will sneak up on you and capture your heart completely.”

“But I promised Dad to watch over and protect you to the best of my ability. I feel like I am not living up to my word.” My eyes started getting moist around the edges.

“We both want you to find happiness with someone special in your life. You are doing a fabulous job helping me around the house and keeping me company. Just because your father is gone, doesn’t mean you have to put your life on hold. My heart feels the loss, just as yours does, but it will always hold the memories we shared; and, in time, it will heal. All I ask of you, Jordan, is to stay close and keep me a part of your life.”

“I can stay as close as you want. You are my mother and my best friend in life, always!”

“I feel the same way. Just remember, that doesn’t mean we cannot open our lives up to others.”

I gave her a big squeeze. “Thanks for being so understanding and easy to talk to.”

“My pleasure. So, are you going to see Gregory again, soon?”

“He wants to have dinner this week, if our schedules allow. If not, then we will wait until the weekend. I almost forgot, he may know of some movers and a possible storage location for my stuff.”

“Did you decide to store your things in Orlando?”

“I think so. It would definitely be cheaper to keep things there, for now.”

She thought about things a second. “That would be more cost effective; and with all the storage facilities down there, you will probably get more competitive pricing. Besides, we both know your living here is not a permanent thing. It would not be right to ask you to keep up your commute or to find a new job.

“Enough talk for tonight. It’s late and you need your sleep. Don’t you have an early morning meeting?”

“I do. I need to be on the road by 6:00 AM to allow for traffic.” I gave Mom a quick hug and hurried into my bedroom. “Goodnight, Mom.”

“Goodnight, Jordan.”

I had just finished changing for bed when Gregory called. “Hey, what took you so long?”

“Sorry, I had to stop off and get some gas on the way back. I was almost on empty. You were worried about me?”

“Of course. I miss you,”

“I am home; however, there is one small problem.” Gregory’s tone was very serious.

“What’s that?”

“I think I may have left a part of my heart with you.”

Teasingly, I replied, “I guess I will have to watch after it, then. But, only if you watch after the part of mine you took with you.”

“Hmm, I can definitely handle that. I could stay on the phone with you, forever; but, you have an early drive ahead of you and I have a meeting to finish preparing for.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had work to do? I would have gotten you back on the road, sooner.”

“Don’t worry about it, Jordan. Most of my notes are already prepared. I just need to review them before going to sleep. It shouldn’t take long.”

“Okay. Thanks for everything.”

“No. Thank you, for the wonderful meal and a fabulous weekend. Keep me close in your dreams, tonight, and call when you can, tomorrow.”

“You do the same. Goodnight, Gregory.”

“Goodnight, beautiful.”

Sleep came quickly. However, my dreams did not focus around Gregory; instead they were of our counterparts, Angeline and Daniel. I went further in my reverie, watching from a distance as they walked along the banks of a beautiful lake, picnicked in the tranquility of a park and joined their families for various adventures.

It was easy to feel the love they had for one another. I was consumed by the sense of peace and tranquility, until a disheveled stranger attempted to rob them on a stroll through town.

Daniel was quick to protect Angeline, fighting off the stranger and telling her to run. I caught a glimpse of the criminal’s face and he looked just like Tony. I started to hyperventilate in my slumber, as the vision morphed into this morning’s events and I cried out, “No, you’re hurting me!” in sheer terror at the top of my lungs.

Mom rushed through the door and wrapped me tightly in her arms, reassuring me it was only a dream. “Shh…you are safe, Jordan. Everything is going to be just fine.”

I cried on her shoulder for a few minutes, before regaining my composure. “Sorry about that.”

“After the morning you had, I am not surprised this happened. You suppress things until you dream.” She kept rubbing my back, reassuring me things would be okay. “Were you reliving the attack this morning?”

“Yes. I could see the monster’s face in my visions, taunting me. I could feel him clutching my arm tightly and all I could do was scream.”

Mom leaned back, giving me a once over. “Is your arm hurting?”

“It is throbbing a bit, why?”

“The blue coloring is now almost black. When your body is hurt, sometimes it can intrude on your dreams and awaken you. How about a couple of anti-inflammatory pills and an ice pack to help with the swelling and to dull the pain?”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom.”

I glanced over at the clock. It was two in the morning. I only had a chance at a few more hours of sleep.

The ice and medication seemed to work wonders and I drifted back to happier times with Daniel and Angeline. It wasn’t long before I felt the warm embrace of Gregory’s arms holding me tight in my sub-conscious and I melted into them, allowing no further thoughts to enter my mind.

Morning came quickly and I was grateful my mother made me breakfast and a lunch to take, so I could focus on getting ready for work.

I made it to the managerial meeting with time to spare. Caroline discussed some concerns about a couple of the departments then wished me well on my first day in my new position.

I took out my cell phone at lunch and noticed a text message from Gregory. “
I can’t stop thinking about you and I miss you terribly.”
Followed by a voicemail
“Hi, Sweetheart, I know you usually call after work, but I needed to hear your voice. I hope you are having a fabulous day. I love you and will talk with you later. Bye.”

I quickly typed out.
“I love you and miss you, too! I will call later. Busy and short-handed here, today.”

The rest of the day was demanding, but not overly stressful. I was able to leave the office as planned, but ended up in major gridlock on the Interstate.

I was growing frustrated with my progress when the phone rang.

“Are you still at work?” Gregory asked.

“No. I’m on the Highway, going nowhere,”

“Where are you?”

“I am almost to Altamonte Springs. Why?”

“Would you like to wait out the traffic and maybe meet somewhere?

My heart sped up at the thought of seeing him. “I guess I could do that. I normally don’t get back until after eight o’clock, anyway. What exit should I take and where do I need to go?”

I listened intently as he gave detailed directions on where to turn and how to take the back roads all the way to Sanford’s Mall.

I got off and called Mom to let her know that I would be stopping off in Sanford to let the traffic thin out before continuing home. She was not surprised to hear I would be spending the time with Gregory.

The back roads worked liked a charm and had me at the Mall in no time. As luck would have it, I parked in the only vacant spot, which was right next to Gregory’s Lexus.

Before I could turn off the engine, he was at my door. “How did you get over here so fast?”

He ignored my question

He pulled me into a warm embrace and whispered, “I missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, but we haven’t been apart for very long.”

He stepped back gazing into my eyes. “I know, but every second we are apart feels like an eternity to me. Now that I have found you, I don’t want to let you go.”

I was speechless.

My fingers began intertwining themselves through his hair as I pulled him closer until my lips were firmly against his.

I quickly took a step back, breathless and startled by my reaction. “Maybe we should go inside and grab a bite to eat.”

My heart was still racing from the level of passion felt in our kiss. “I think that’s a good idea,” he replied

Gregory spoke up. “I can’t remember the last time I had an old fashioned hamburger and fries.”

“That sounds yummy.”

I didn’t pay much attention to Gregory ordering his burger. My only focus was reaching my bank card quickly enough to pay the cashier.

“Hey…I asked you out tonight; so I should pay.”

“It is my treat this time and I won’t take no for an answer.”

He shook his head smiling at me, knowing he couldn’t change my mind. “Thank you for dinner, but the next one is on me. Aren’t you going to get anything?”

“I am going to get a protein shake from Smoothie Paradise. Find us a seat?”

I could tell his eyes were on me as I walked across to the other side of the Food Court.

To my amazement, he managed to find an empty booth that offered a little bit of privacy, so we could talk. He was already seated on one side and I slid in on the other.

“You are going to have more to eat than just the smoothie, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t sleep well last night and now I’m more tired than hungry. I’m afraid if I eat a big dinner, I might get groggy driving home.”

“I didn’t sleep that great myself I kept having nightmares about T…” He trailed off mid sentence and then quickly changed the subject. ”I wouldn’t want you falling asleep at the wheel.”

A chill went down my spine as he started to describe his dream. I’m sure that he was going to say, “Tony”. Did we have the same dream? It wouldn’t be the first time we discussed similar visions.

“How did your meeting, today? I still feel bad about you leaving so late last night.”

“Everything went as planned. We discussed how to use the new drive test equipment. I had a PowerPoint presentation on how to set it up and what kind of figures everyone should be getting when they are driving the area for signal strength,” He explained.

Gregory was about to take another bite of his burger when I asked, “So, essentially the equipment is to see how strong or weak the signal strength is and whether or not you need to make any antenna adjustments?”

“Yes, but how did you…?”

I smiled as I explained. “Remember, my father was an engineer. He worked as a civilian contractor for the U.S. Army, assisting them in the design of electronic systems. Plus, my favorite classes in college were all Physics and Math related.”

We finished eating and knew it was time for me to get back on the road. As we started out the door, Gregory wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close to his side. I had never been around someone who felt the need to touch all the time; it was very welcoming and made my heart race with excitement.