Rough Drafts (3 page)

For
many years, Candace had faced days like today, days that tried her patience and
her resolve. That was a
never-changing
reality in life. It used to hail sleepless nights and restless mornings. Now,
with Jameson next to her, the stresses of daily life seemed to ease. It was not
perfection. At times, her hectic schedule frustrated them both and led them to
bicker over
menial
issues. Some weeks,
days of forced separation wore on the senator. She was
sure
that the time apart proved difficult for Jameson as well. The
obstacles, the upheavals, and the challenges could scarcely compare to these
moments. “I love you,” Candace whispered.

“Mm.
Jinx…stop licking me,” Jameson answered in reply, clearly in the middle of a
dream.

Candace
chuckled.
“Lunatic.
”

***

Michelle
rolled over and looked at the alarm clock when she heard the doorbell. She
looked at her sleepy-eyed girlfriend. Melanie threw a pillow over her head and
groaned. Michelle chuckled. “Don’t get up,
babe
,”
she teased as she reluctantly pulled herself from the bed.

“If
that’s J.D., I’ll kill her,” Melanie grumbled from beneath the pillow.

Michelle
rolled her eyes. She could not imagine who would be knocking on her door
without calling on a Saturday morning. Her best guess was her neighbor, Mrs.
Stanley. She stretched and threw a sweatshirt on as she made her way to the
door. She looked out the front window toward the porch and blinked rapidly.
“Jonah?”

***

“Morning,”
Candace said when she felt Jameson move in her arms.

“I’m
sorry,” Jameson said.

“For?”

“Falling
asleep.”

Candace
smiled and kissed Jameson gently. “We were both tired.”

Jameson
looked at
Candace,
who was still in her
skirt and blouse from the previous day. “Why didn’t you change?”

“I
didn’t want to wake you,” Candace said. Jameson grumbled. “Jameson, it’s fine.”
Jameson pulled herself up and smirked. “What?” Candace asked.

Jameson’s
smirk
gradually transformed into soft
laughter. “You’re crinkled.”

“Crinkled?”
Candace raised an eyebrow. “Not the compliment your wife generally looks for,”
she pointed out.

“It’s
cute,” Jameson commented. Candace narrowed her gaze at Jameson. “What?” Jameson
asked.

Candace
smirked. Jameson’s hair was standing up at various angles. “I suppose crinkled
is no worse than pointy,” she said.

Jameson
pursed her lips. “Who are you calling pointy?” she asked.

Candace
chuckled. Jameson took the opportunity to straddle Candace. “And, just what do you
think you are doing?” Candace asked.

Jameson
grinned mischievously before leaning into Candace’s ear. “Oh, I just thought I
would smooth things over,” she whispered as she allowed her hand to travel over
Candace’s breasts.

“Lunatic,”
Candace said as her eyes closed in response to Jameson’s touch.

“Mm.
You love lunatics,” Jameson reminded her.

Candace
opened her eyes and pulled Jameson in for a kiss. “Guilty as charged,” she
confessed.

***

“Not
that I am not happy to see you,” Michelle said as she led her younger brother
through the door. “But, what the hell are you doing here?” she asked. Jonah
shrugged uncomfortably. “Jonah?” Michelle asked with growing concern.

“I
tried to call,” he said. “I
tried
to call
Mom and J.D. too. I just…I can’t face them.”

Michelle
was puzzled. “Face them? What did you do? Get arrested or something?” she asked
her brother.

Jonah
shook his head and sighed dramatically. “No. Worse,” he said as he looked at
his feet.

“You
flunked out of grad school? What?” she urged him as Melanie walked in the room
still slightly disheveled and sleepy.

“I
got my girlfriend pregnant,” he said bluntly.

Michelle
stood dumbfounded. “You have a girlfriend?”

Melanie
grinned uncomfortably. “I’ll make the
coffee.
”

***

“Jesus,
Jameson,” Candace moaned.

Jameson
continued her sensual assault. The one part of short separations that Jameson
did look forward to was the inevitable reunion. Making love with Candace was
sometimes the only way that Jameson felt she could adequately convey the
emotions she held for her wife. Two years had not diminished the desire she
felt for Candace. In fact, it seemed to grow with each passing day. It amazed
Jameson. She looked down at Candace’s flushed cheeks and smiled. “I love you.”

Candace
reached up and cupped Jameson’s face in her hands. “I love you too,” she said,
pulling Jameson to her for a passionate kiss.

“Where
was I?” Jameson asked lightly. “I think I was,” Jameson stopped to place a
sensual kiss on Candace’s neck. “Yeah, that was it. Right there,” she
whispered. Her hands fell along Candace’s sides slowly as her kiss trailed over
Candace’s throat. Jameson lifted her hands and addressed the buttons on
Candace’s silk blouse one by one until it fell open. “Beautiful,” she sighed.
She lowered her lips over the swell of Candace’s breasts and gently removed
Candace’s bra.

Candace
looked down at Jameson as Jameson’s lips hovered over her breast. “Jameson,”
she called desperately.

Jameson
kissed her way across Candace’s chest, delighting in the softness of Candace’s
skin before finally taking a nipple gently into her mouth. Candace’s hips
arched instinctively and her hands wound themselves in Jameson’s hair.
Jameson’s touch was delicate yet demanding. She understood Candace’s needs
without any direction. Tenderly, her fingertips swept across Candace’s abdomen
as her tongue continued to taste the pink flesh beneath it. “So, so beautiful,”
Jameson sighed. She looked up at Candace and was met with a loving expression
painted with desire. Jameson dropped her kiss lower, tracing patterns over
Candace’s stomach and hips until she reached her thigh. She heard Candace moan
her name breathily and began to trail her kisses inward. The sound of a cell
phone buzzing a few feet away startled her.

“They’ll
call back,” Candace said.
 
Jameson took a
deep breath. She softly tasted Candace and was met with an urgent moan. A
second later, she heard her ringtone in the distance. “Ignore it,” Candace
demanded. She moved her hips in time with Jameson. Jameson lost herself in
Candace. She felt Candace’s fingers weave through her hair and pulled Candace
closer to her. “Oh God,” Candace called out as Jameson slipped inside of her.
Jameson tried to ignore the phone now blaring in the distance. Whoever was
calling, was certainly persistent. She began to thrust rapidly, feeling a sense
of urgency. She could sense Candace’s need as well as her frustration at the
interruptions. Jameson willed herself to tune out the signature beep of the
answering machine.

“Mom?
Are you guys home?” Michelle’s voice came through.

“Jesus,”
Candace groaned. Jameson tried to keep her focus, but Michelle’s voice was
unsettling and she slowed her pace.

“Ummm.
I tried your cell phone and J.D.’s. What are you two doing? Never mind. Forget
I asked that. Listen, Jonah showed up at my door this morning….”

Jameson
pulled back just as Candace sat straight up in bed. “What?” Candace asked
aloud.

“Seriously,
are you guys there? Can we like…I don’t know, do dinner or something? This one
is outta my league, Mom.”

Jameson
collapsed her head on Candace’s stomach as Candace collapsed back onto the
pillow with an exasperated breath. “Guess we’ll be having company,” Jameson
said.

“I’m
sorry,” Candace apologized.

Jameson
kissed Candace’s belly and sat up with a smile. “Sorry?” Jameson chuckled.
“Don’t be. We’ve had almost a year of quiet from those three. It was bound to
happen sooner or later,” she said.

“This
is not over,” Candace said with a smirk.

“Promises,
promises,” Jameson said playfully as she made her way off the bed.

“Where
are you going?” Candace asked.

“You
have to call
Shell back
. I am going to
take an ice cold shower and then drink a pot of
very
strong
coffee,” Jameson answered. Candace grabbed a pillow and threw it
over her face, grumbling something inaudible. Jameson laughed. “Well, we could
conserve water,” she suggested.

Candace
slowly removed the pillow from her face. “Jameson Reid,
are
you propositioning me?” she asked. Jameson winked. “I thought you
were headed for a cold shower?” Candace reminded her.

“Well,
I’m betting that if I play my cards right, the water will turn cold before
we’re done,” she said. Candace laughed. “Go call Shell,” Jameson said.

“Don’t
start without me,” Candace lifted her brow.

“I
wouldn’t dream of it,” Jameson said as she headed into their bathroom.

“Uh-huh,”
Candace replied before
going
to the
phone. “Jameson! I mean it!”

“Don’t
worry,” Jameson called out. Candace heard the water starting. “I’ll save you
all the hard to reach places!”

Candace
laughed. “Certifiable,” she said. She took a deep breath and picked up her cell
phone. “This ought to be interesting,” she mused as she dialed her daughter’s
number. “Or extremely unsettling.”

“You okay?” Jameson
asked Candace. Candace forced a small grin in response. “That’s what I
thought,” Jameson commented. She moved toward Candace and pulled her close.
“I’m sure it is nothing
earth-shattering
,”
she tried to reassure the woman in her arms.

Candace
sighed. “I know. If it were any of the kids….”

“I
know—except Jonah,” Jameson finished Candace’s thought.

Jonah,
while he the youngest of Candace’s children, was also the most independent.
Marianne, the oldest, constantly sought her mother’s approval. Michelle, the
middle child, was the most like her mother. She lived the closest and spent the
most time with Candace and Jameson. Jonah was on the opposite side of the
country. Jameson had come to understand Candace’s children in a way that she
sometimes was not sure even Candace could. She also was attuned to Candace’s
emotions where her children were concerned. There were several things about
Candace Fletcher-Reid that Jameson had come to believe defined her wife.
Candace loved her job. She was born for politics and Jameson admired her wife’s
work ethic and passion for her work. Candace reveled in being around people.
She enjoyed meeting all types of people. Jameson enjoyed watching Candace
interact with everyone from the president to the waitress at the local diner.
She marveled at Candace’s affable nature. It was one of the parts of Candace’s
personality that Jameson found the most fascinating and alluring. More than her
career, more than pressing the flesh as Candace called it, Candace loved her
family. That was the part of Candace that Jameson loved beyond anything and
everything else. There was no doubt in Jameson’s mind that Candace would walk
away from her career
altogether
if she
thought it was necessary to secure her family’s happiness. Candace never played
favorites with her children, but Jameson did know that Jonah held a special
place in Candace’s heart. Candace had confided that in Jameson after their
first Fourth of July barbecue.

“I’m glad Jonah felt comfortable with Toby and
Doug,” Jameson said.

Candace smiled. “He’s comfortable with you.”

“You think so?” Jameson asked. Candace just
continued to smile. “I’m glad. I had a good time with him tonight,” Jameson
said. Candace leaned in and captured Jameson’s lips in a tender kiss. “What was
that for?” Jameson asked. “Not that I am complaining,” she added.

Candace snickered. “It was hard sometimes for him
growing up with the girls,” she told Jameson.

Jameson laughed. “Yeah, well, I can understand
that—believe me. Growing up in the middle of two brothers seriously sucked sometimes.”

“I can imagine,” Candace said.

“He’s your baby,” Jameson said knowingly.

“Yes,” Candace admitted quietly.

“What is it?” Jameson wondered. She detected a bit
of melancholy in Candace’s tone.

Candace smiled. “I almost lost him,” she explained.
Jameson listened intently. She knew that Jonah had been delivered by C-section,
but she didn’t know the details. “It was a difficult pregnancy for me,” Candace
said. “It was a difficult time, actually. The kids don’t know that. Jonathan…he
was seeing one of the secretaries in his office. I knew it. He was gone all the
time.”

Jameson felt her jaw tense as she listened.
Jonathan Fletcher’s extramarital activities were no secret. Candace had shared
plenty of stories about her marriage to the man with Jameson. She could sense
that there was more than simple infidelity behind the sadness evident in
Candace’s eyes.

“That was bad enough. Me? I was struggling.
Struggling with his cheating. Struggling with myself,” Candace said softly.

“You mean your sexuality,” Jameson guessed.

“Yes. That and what was I going to do with my life.
That was no way to live with three kids,” Candace said. She saw Jameson’s face
fall and chuckled. “Not my being a lesbian,” Candace clarified. “I mean living
in a marriage that was broken,” she said. Jameson nodded. “I was so excited
when I found out I was pregnant with Jonah,” Candace said whimsically. “I
always wanted a big family. The stress…it took a toll. I had high blood
pressure. I was sick for almost the entire time I carried him. Thank God for
Pearl. When I went into labor, it was
nearly
four weeks early….I could just feel something was wrong. He was turned. It was
hours of pain before they finally decided to take him. Thank God they did.”

“What happened?” Jameson asked.

“They call it a cord compression. Jonah’s heart
rate dropped considerably. He was so blue when he was first born. And, he was
small. I’m telling you, Jameson, I’ve only been that frightened twice in my
life.”

“Twice?” Jameson asked.

“Yes. The day Jonah was born and I heard those
doctors talking as they rushed to deliver him, and the day Michelle told me you
were in the hospital.”

Jameson smiled and pulled Candace closer. “But see,
we were both fine.”

“Mm. Yes, and you are actually quite a bit alike,”
Candace laughed.

“You think so?” Jameson was surprised.

“I do. You both march to the beat of your own
drum,” Candace said. “You are both content working on a project alone. You are
also two of the most sensitive and sincere people I know. And, you are both
incredibly funny.”

“Don’t forget good-looking,” Jameson joked.

“That too,” Candace agreed. She sighed. “Jonah
isn’t just the baby, Jameson. He had
a terrible
time when he was small.
Lots
of
illnesses. He had braces on his legs for a year to help him walk. It hardly
slowed him down, though,” Candace laughed. She paused and took a deep breath.
“After he was born, the doctor told me in no uncertain terms that I should
think long and hard before attempting another pregnancy.”

“Did you want to?” Jameson asked.

Candace shrugged. “I don’t know. Back then, I was
lost. Those three were the only thing that kept me sane for years. They
were…they are my life.”

“I know.”

“Jonah was always the maverick. He was small for
his
age,
but more determined than either
of the girls to be the best at everything he did. It didn’t matter if it was
sports or biology. He has a good deal of his father in him,” Candace observed.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s true. He has a great deal of
you too.”

“I guess he does. He never wanted to be coddled. I
admire him. He’s always defied the odds. He’s my miracle.”

Jameson smiled. “And, he is your baby.”

Candace huffed and then shrugged. “Yes, I guess he
is.”

“Candace,”
Jameson called gently.

Candace
sighed heavily. “I know. I know,” she said. “I know he is safe and that is the
most important thing. I also know that if he came home like this,” Candace
closed her eyes.

“Whatever
it is, we’ll deal with it. Whatever we have to do,” Jameson reassured her wife.

“Remember
you said
that,
” Candace said lightly in
an attempt to relieve her own tension.

Jameson
saw Michelle’s car begin to make its way up the driveway. “I’m sure it’s
something that eventually we will laugh about—whatever it is.”

“I
hope you are right,” Candace said.

Jameson
smiled.
Me too.

***

Jameson
handed Michelle and Melanie each
a beer
before continuing to pace in the kitchen. Candace and Jonah had made their way
into the study and closed the door. Jameson kept glancing out of the room and
down the hallway, occasionally taking a sip of the coffee in her hand.

“J.D.,”
Michelle called to her. “Sit down. I think they are going to be a while.”

Jameson
turned and looked at the two younger women seated before her. “Should I pour
something stronger?” she asked with a gesture to her coffee mug.

“Maybe,”
Michelle answered truthfully.

Jameson
frowned. “Shell? Just tell me he is okay,” she pleaded.

“Physically,
he is fine,” Michelle said. “J.D., sit down.”

“Oh,
this is really not good. You want me to drink and sit.”

Melanie
tried not to laugh. Michelle smacked her girlfriend lightly.

“Shell?”
Jameson urged.

“Aw,
shit,” Michelle threw up her hands. “Jonah’s girlfriend is pregnant,” she said
in one full breath.

“Jonah
has a girlfriend?” Jameson asked.

“Are
you sure you two aren’t related?” Melanie chimed with a chuckle. Jameson and
Michelle both shot the architect a glare. “What?” Melanie asked. “The first
thing you both ask is if Jonah has a girlfriend? Not really the hot issue
here,” she reminded them.

Jameson
shook her head and turned back to Michelle. “Shell…When?”

“When
did he get a girlfriend or when did he get her pregnant?” Michelle joked.

“Cute,”
Jameson responded. “You know what I mean.”

“I
don’t know all the details. He was so tired when he got here that he passed out
after telling us the basics,” she explained. “Do you think Mom is going to
freak?”

Jameson
glanced down the hallway again. She had no idea what she had expected Jonah’s
news to be. This was definitely nowhere in her imagination. She doubted it had
entered Candace’s mind either. Jonah had never mentioned
dating
anyone. She sighed and rubbed her brow
in thought. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Your mom doesn’t freak out easily,”
she reminded Michelle.

“Yeah.
I know. I can’t believe she’ll see this one coming,” Michelle offered.

Jameson
sighed heavily. “No, I don’t think so,” she admitted.

***

Candace
watched her son wiggle in his chair. It took her back to a time when Jonah was
much younger and she had caught him with matches and firecrackers in the
backyard. She smiled at the man before her and placed her hand on his knee to
still his movements. “Jonah,” she said.

Jonah
shifted his gaze nervously to meet his
mother
.
His eyes began to fill with tears and he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

Candace’s
gaze narrowed in concern. “What are you sorry for?”

“I
screwed up,” he choked slightly.

“Jonah,
it can’t be that bad. What are you so afraid to tell me?” Candace asked gently.

Jonah
took a deep breath. “I’ve been seeing someone for a while,” he began. Candace
smiled. “I didn’t want to say anything yet. I mean, it’s not like we were
getting married or something,” he continued. Candace waited. Jonah sighed
again. “I didn’t plan on it, Mom.”

Candace
closed her eyes for a moment and then looked directly at her son. “Jonah?”

“She’s
pregnant, Mom.” Candace took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m sorry. I know you
are disappointed in me.”

Candace
nodded and then smiled. “Does she have a name?”

“What?”
Jonah asked.

“This
person you have been seeing. I assume she has a name.”

“Oh…Laura,”
Jonah answered with a small grin.

Candace
noted the expression on her son’s face. To her knowledge, he had never dated
anyone seriously. She could see a sparkle in his eye at the mention of his
girlfriend’s name. “And, how does Laura feel about this?” she asked him.

Jonah
shifted again. “Scared. She wants to have it,” he said.

Candace
nodded. “And you? How do you feel about that?”

“I
don’t know,” he confessed. “I barely know how to be a boyfriend. How am I going
to be someone’s dad?” he asked his mother tearfully.

“I
suppose the same way we all do everything—on the job training,” she chuckled.

“You
don’t seem mad,” he said in disbelief.

“Mad?
Jonah, you are a twenty-four-year-old man, not a sixteen-year-old boy,” she
pointed out. “I’m concerned. There’s a lot to consider,” she told him.

“Your
campaign,” he said quietly. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

 
“My campaign?” Candace laughed. “I’m not
worried about that in the least,” she assured him. “Being a parent, Jonah…That
is a lifetime commitment. It changes everything. Believe me.”

“I
know,” he said.

“How
do you feel about this girl, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I
think I love her. I don’t know. Can you love someone in six months?” he asked.

Candace
smiled broadly. The innocence in his voice and his expression belied his age.
Jonah had always been focused on activities and school. She guessed that this
might just be his first experience with love.
 
“You’re asking me?” she winked at her son.

“What
do I do?” he asked her.