Joshua's Folly (14 page)

It was the perfect first kiss.

It
was
her first kiss.

It was about to get better.

He pulled away, only slightly, to look upon her for a moment. Her eyes opened and her head tilted back inviting him for more. He didn’t hesitate. His lips came down onto hers, this time with much more pressure as his hands delved into her hair and her arms wrapped around him, their bodies pressed together in a perfect fit. The kiss was still slow and tentative, simply enjoying the feel of their lips pressed together, exploring the taste and texture of one another.

Then their arms wrapped even tighter around each other and his lips came down onto hers this time with the passion they felt for each other readily evident. Their lips opened to each other as the kiss deepened and their tongues met. They became completely lost in the moment and Marisa neither noticed nor felt the passing of time.

He kissed her softly and sweetly, then hard and passionately, then delicately, yet fervently. It was the best moment—a moment in her life that would be indelibly imprinted upon her mind. As far as first kisses go, she was pretty sure it didn’t get much better than this.

That evening all Marisa could think about was when she was going to have the opportunity to kiss Josh again. They’d stayed at the old oak tree for over an hour that afternoon, kissing. They couldn’t seem to stop, nor did she want to stop. In high school the other kids called it making out. Marisa now understood the allure of ‘making out.’ Their first kiss may have taken awhile to happen, but they’d made up for lost time in spades, and it had most definitely been worth the wait.

After several bedtime stories, they tucked Bethany into bed. They changed into comfortable clothes and snuggled up on the couch for a movie. Marisa rested her head in Josh’s lap. She stared at the screen for the first five minutes, seeing nothing. Finally, she turned and looked up at him, her heart racing as if it was their first kiss all over again.

He was already looking down upon her, running his fingers through her hair, a small smile on his face. “All I want to do is kiss you,” he mumbled.

“Okay,” she said, making him laugh softly at her willingness.

“I can’t think about anything else.”

“Me either.”

Slowly, he picked her up, bringing them face to face. Their lips met and seemed to fuse as if they were a match, as if their lips were meant to be together and had been searching for one another for a very long time, the perfect fit. At first the kiss was slightly heated, and somewhat fast and furious. Then it turned slow and deep, their mouths opening to each other, their tongues intertwining, softly exploring. When Josh showed no sign of ending the kiss anytime soon, Marisa relaxed in his arms as they sunk into each other, filled each other, their mouths falling into a tender rhythm, a gentle cadence, a soft, slow never-ending dance.

They kissed throughout the entire movie, never even coming up for air. “I think I just found a new hobby,” he whispered.

“I can’t stop kissing you,” Marisa garbled.

He was too busy kissing her to respond, but she felt his lips turn into a slight smile. When the movie ended, Josh mumbled against her lips, “Guess I’ll have to catch that movie another time…”

Marisa giggled. “I’ll never be able to watch that movie without thinking about this moment.”

“This moment? Don’t you mean the last two hours?”

They both laughed, but their lips never parted.

And so the evening went.

At breakfast, Marisa asked, “Any interesting news this morning?” as she cut her blueberry muffin into three sections and lathered each piece with a ridiculous amount of butter.

Josh pretended to study the newspaper. “Woman dies of heart attack at age twenty-four from over-indulgence in her dietary habits.” He looked up sheepishly.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Yeah, what are you goin’ to do about it?”

“I’m
goin’
to eat my muffin and make you watch every bite.”

Josh chuckled and shook his head. “I give. Please don’t torture me.”

Marisa slowly, deliberately, lifted the fork to her mouth.

“No, don’t do it, please, for me, don’t do it,” Josh begged.

She scooped the mouthful of buttery-soaked muffin into her mouth and chewed as if in ecstasy. “Mmmm…”

Josh cringed, acting mortified by her actions. “Please, make it stop.”

Bethany giggled mercilessly at their behavior as they repeated their antics with each bite.

They both wore the same silly smiles on their faces this morning. After last night’s kissing…session, how could they not? Marisa knew her life had suddenly taken an amazing turn. It seemed as though neither one of them could contain their happiness. Endless possibilities suddenly stood before them. The future looked bright. They didn’t speak of it, but Marisa knew the future could hold a life for them, together. A life filled with each other, with love and laughter and children. It was only the beginning, but the thought crossed her mind, repeatedly. He seemed as eager as her.

“What’s the debate today, Daddy?” Bethany finally asked.

“Ah, we’ve been neglecting our debates, have we not, Marisa?”

“That we have, Josh.”

“I have one for you. Eyes open or eyes closed?”

Marisa stilled, smiling at him. “Is that really in the paper?”

“Maybe,” Josh answered lightheartedly.

“I like to keep my eyes open, except while I’m sleeping,” Bethany announced.

“That’s because you are a smart little girl, Bethany,” Josh told her, amused. “Marisa?”

“Eyes closed.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“That’s all.”

“Me too. We both win.”

“Yes, we do. I think Bethany should win this one though. Let’s give this debate to her.”

“Agreed. Good job, Bethany,” Josh told her.

Bethany clapped her hands with delight as Marisa and Josh just smiled.

When they went out for their ride that afternoon, they came across a wide field with tall yellow weeds as high as their waist. Marisa looked at it longingly.

“I’ll tell you a secret. It’s a dream of mine to run through a field like this. Whenever I drive past any piece of land remotely resembling this, I swear, it calls to me.”

Josh promptly dismounted. He stood at her side, his hand outstretched. “I think it’s time you fulfill that dream.”

Marisa rolled her eyes and guffawed loudly. “Josh, I’m too old to do such a thing. I’d feel silly.”

“Let me get this straight, you can tickle me mercilessly and you can play tag, but you can’t run through a field? You disappoint me, Marisa.”

“I’m trying to make you forget the fact that I’m just a young California girl who sometimes likes to act silly.”

“Listen, that fun-lovin’ young lady is who I’ve fallen for. She can’t disappear on me now. I happen to love silly.”

Momentarily transfixed by his words, she clasped their hands together, squeezing tightly. “Since you put it that way.”

“I did it nearly every day of my childhood. It’s an experience no one should miss—and you have some catching up to do.” They stood at the edge of the field as if they were about to run a race.

“What about snakes?” Marisa asked with trepidation. At the same time, her heart raced with childlike excitement. She could hardly believe he was willing to run across a field with her.

Josh shrugged. “They’ll hear us comin’ and slither away.”

Anything that slithered wasn’t good in her opinion. “You’re complacent because you grew up here.”

“Which means you’re safe,” he reasoned.

“Guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Ready?” he said with a smile.

“Ready,” she answered unable to hide her grin.

They took off running through the soft weeds, the tall sprigs being trampled under their feet as they went. They laughed and whooped and hollered all the way, the wind blowing through their hair. They jumped, they sprinted, they pounced their way across the field and in the end, they tumbled to the ground together, laughing and catching their breath. They rolled through the tall grass and ended with Josh on top of her as they suddenly started kissing crazily. They rolled and kissed, he on top of her and then she was on top of him, the kisses becoming more and more heated. They came to a stop with him on top of her, the tall weeds surrounding them, giving them privacy, their own secret place. His lips left her lips and trailed down to her neck. Josh slowly traveled back up to her lips and kissed her longingly. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being loved by Joshua. He kissed her with a passion she’d never experienced before, that completely overwhelmed her, leaving her besieged with emotions that made her cling to him, wanting more—so much more.

Josh hesitated, looking into her eyes. Marisa was soft and compliant in his arms, completely his for the taking and he knew it. Several things made him pause. The first being, if he took her innocence—and he was positive that she was innocent—Mary would never forgive him. The fact that Marisa was Mary’s cherished foster daughter changed things drastically. He couldn’t betray Mary’s trust. She’d sent Marisa here knowing he’d watch out for her. He would not take advantage of her. His decision was not just for Mary, but out of respect towards Marisa also.

Secondly, and more importantly, this isn’t what he wanted for her or for himself either. She deserved better than this and he wanted more than this. If this relationship was going where he thought it was, then he wanted to do it right from the beginning. He wanted a strong, firm marriage—and this was not the path towards his goal.

“Marisa, we need to talk,” Josh said quietly, his lips still on hers.

“Talk?” she whispered, lost in the moment, her eyes slightly glazed.

Slowly, he turned onto his side and she did the same till they were facing each other. He held her hand, lacing their fingers together. Her eyes were wide and trusting. “This was so unexpected, I hardly know what’s hit me.” She looked upon him with adoration, he could see it in her eyes, he could feel it in her touch. He’d never experienced this before. “The thing is, I don’t want a heated mistake, as tempting as it is…” he smiled at her. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t want you, I do,” he whispered as he stroked her cheek. “But I want so much more than that—more for you, and more for me. To be honest, I don’t want another failed marriage. I want to do it right this time around. Frankly, I want the wedding night where the man and woman come together for the first time. It should be special—sacred, not a frenzied roll in the grass. I can’t do that to you.”
Mary would kill me in the most gruesome way possible—and enjoy it too.
They were quiet for several moments, simply gazing at one another. At her expression, he added, “Am I scaring you?”

“No. I like that. I want that too. Thank you…no one has ever shown me so much respect.” She took a deep breath. “Josh…”

“What is it?”

“I want you to know, I cried the day you married. I cried myself to sleep that night, because you belonged to someone else and not to me.”

“What?” Shocked, Josh fell silent for at least thirty seconds. “I don’t understand. I didn’t even know you then,” Josh said, surprised by this revelation, yet touched much more than he was letting on.