Chapter 19

She held him for as long as she could. She sat next to him, pulling his head unto her shoulder. Every time he tried to pull away, she would shush him, give him a squeeze and he would just readjust himself settling more snuggly again her. Before long he was asleep. Sleeping without a burden he had carried for such a long time.

Jessie woke him as they landed and guided him to the limo.

Luke stretched his arms and legs in the back seat of the car. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes. He met Jessie's smile with a sheepish one of his own before falling silent.

"Do you want to drop me off at my place?" he said finally.

"Can we stay at my place tonight?" Jessie asked.

"I just don't think I will be up for being social tonight Jessie. It would probably be better that I just head home."

"Nope. As you said to me once, if you want to stay up and brood in the corner, I am pretty sure that I have corners. But they're my corners and I want you with me."

"But..." Luke tried to reply.

"But nothing. I've already told the driver to head to my place. So it's decided."

"All right." Luke conceded glumly.

"And as you also mentioned previously, I will not take exception to your exuberance," Jessie responded dryly.

Luke couldn't help but smile.

At her place, he lay on his side with his back to her. His body pressed to the edge of the bed, almost teetering to fall to the floor. She slid in next to him, her arm immediately wrapping around his waist from behind. Her body cupping his.

"Tell me what's wrong," she whispered into his ear.

"Nothing is wrong," Luke responded.

"Then tell me what you're feeling."

"I wish I could say I was feeling nothing. I'm feeling just plain old embarrassed. And maybe a little stupid too." Luke admitted.

"Stupid? Embarrassed? Why?"

"I didn't mean to blubber like a school girl. And all that stuff I said. I just wish I could go back in time."

"Go back in time and change nothing. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Nothing to feel stupid about. Luke, I don't know how you survived. How did you ever become the person that you are now? Coming from that. It breaks my heart thinking that you were a little boy that no one wanted. I want to find your parents and strangle them both."

"You do? Do you really understand?" Luke asked.

"As well as I can. You need to know that I don't want to do anything, or want you to do anything that will take away from your identity. You are not a ghost haunting me. You are real," Jessie stated emphatically.

"I just don't know where that leaves us? Where do we go from here?"

"We'll figure something out. Like you fought for us before I'm fighting now. Money is a stupid reason to hurt what we have. But we don't need to figure it out tonight. Tonight I just want to be next to you," Jessie said.

Luke turned to her, wrapped his arms around her, and clutched her to him.

"I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too. You know you are only the second person I can remember ever saying that to."

She pressed herself tightly against him trying to absorb all the sadness.

They never separated throughout the night. Through the nocturnal twists and turns they still clung to each other.

She drove them into work that morning. And before she let him out of her car she asked, "If you were rich and I was not, and we were married, would it be your money or would it be our money?"

"I... I really don't think it's the same... I really don't know," Luke finally said.

"Think about that today, when you have the time," Jessie said before giving him a quick peck and driving over to her building.

He thought of nothing else.

Was it chauvinistic that he would expect a woman to be able to treat his money as hers without qualms? If he was rich and he bought Jessie a car. It would not bother him in the least if she returned the favour with their money. It was their money. Who else would he want to share it with?

But they were talking millions. Millions of dollars that she earned well before him.

Peter came by. He knocked on the door startling Luke out of his musings. Peter was the head of the Quality Assurance department.

"Luke, I just wanted to introduce our new QA supervisor, Ellen Garrett. This is Lucas Bennett, our resident development manager design guru."

If there is a God, and Luke hoped and prayed there was one, he or she had a horrible sense of humour. When things were at a crossroads, there was fate throwing up yet another obstacle.

"Hi Ellen," Luke said, standing and offering his hand. "It's great to see you again."

"Luke, how are you?"

"You guys know each other?" Peter asked.

"Yes, we were coworkers many winters ago," Luke said with a smile.

"5 years," Ellen answered.

"Well, I'll let you finish up your tour. Welcome. Maybe we can do lunch one day?" Luke asked.

"That would be great."

He watched her leave. She tossed him a smile over her shoulder as she walked away.

All he needed now was for his parents to show up. It would help to make the day truly memorable.

Ellen looked great. She was still pretty and had a beautiful smile. She was no Jessie. She would never be a Jessie. She couldn't make him laugh. She couldn't make him cry. Ellen just didn't inspire that depth of feeling in him. But she was nice. He hoped she was happy.

It was a quiet night at his place. Luke and Jessie had decided to turn in early. It gave them an opportunity to talk.

"You'll never guess who started working for us today," Luke said innocently.

"Who?"

"Ellen."

"Ellen who?" Jessie asked again.

"Ellen. The original brunette. The old friend. You know, Ellen."

"What! That Ellen. The old girlfriend. She doesn't work for you, right?" Jessie ground out.

"No, she works in another area."

"Will you be able to work with her?"

"Oh yeah. It was nice to see her. But that was it. It was just seeing an old friend. Nothing more."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. She wasn't you. You have nothing to worry about."

"Better not be. I would hate to have to show you what I can do with an axe and certain parts of the male anatomy."

Luke reflexively cupped himself even as he laughed.

"So Jessie what do we do about the money thing?"

"Well, just to let you know. I called my father. You may be getting a phone call from him."

"You didn't! Now your father definitely hates me. I tattled on him to his own daughter." Luke groaned.

"No, I only told him that you were upset. And I knew it had to do with him. So he mentioned what he said to you. Which was a lot harsher than what you told me."

"I didn't want you to be in the middle," Luke said quietly.

"Luke, a lot of what he had to say was just protective b.s. Although the money wasn't an issue with Paul and Mel. With them, it was how impossible that his unworldly little Mel would fit into the playboy Paul's life. Dad means well. Really he does. But I asked him the same question I asked you. Before Grafix, was the money he made something that he prevented mom from using. When she bought him the first edition Mark Twain, was it something that she had to buy with her own money? Her allowance? Needless to say Dad did not have an answer for me," Jessie chuckled.

"He told me that it was easy to accept Paul." Luke said severely.

"It was easy. Once he gave him a chance. Just like it will be easy for them to accept you."

"I want to set a spending limit. Or some kind of limit." Luke threw out.

"What?"

"You can't buy me a gift worth more than $200. And the same goes for me," Luke said.

"I really don't know if I can do that. I'll try if you force me to it," Jessie confessed.

"Why not?"

"I can't think of anyone else that I want to give things to."

"But Jessie love. I don't need them. I don't need stuff like that. If you had to work day and night to keep your fortune, I would tell you get rid of it. It's not worth it if you're not with me."

She smiled unsteadily. Would she ever completely trust that her wealth was not part of the reason that he was there.

"All right. We'll try the limit. I can't say that it'll work. But let me add something. When I plan a trip or something like that, I want to take care of everything. And if its money that we're spending on us, then it's our money. I don't want you thinking that you have to buy this thing and that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well if you want to go away for a weekend, and we're at that point in our lives, then it's our resources. It's not your account and my account. Your salary and my salary. I am willing to follow the gift rule. But before I concede to that request, if I am taking you out to dinner, then I am paying for everything. Understood?"

He nodded. Sometimes dating a strong woman resulted in just nodding.

"Jessie, you're right, this doesn't have to be resolved today. I think we need to play it by ear. Let's try the limit and see how it works. It can't hurt. Deal?"

"Deal."

Luke was a little more focused on work when the call came through on his line.

"Luke, its Doug Hill."

"Hello Doug. Jessie said you may be calling."

"Well, that daughter of mine pointed out how unfair some of my questions were. I guess I am just an over-protective father."

"I can understand that. Doug, I won't hurt Jessie. She means too much to me."

"I just wanted to make sure that you guys weren't blind to what the issues were."

"I appreciate that sir. But some things we need to deal with when they pop up. We can't tackle everything now."

"So my daughter tells me. I can't promise to not voice my opinions, but I will try to temper it."

"I guess that is all we can do. I want to be with Jessie. I want to be with her during the good times and the bad. And by the way, I think so."

"You think so?"

"Your last question to me was if I could handle Jessie being rich when I am not. The answer is 'I think so'."

"Oh."

"I can tell you that we are working on it. I don't love her money. I love her. I told her I don't want a yacht or a car. Those things mean nothing to me, even less, if she isn't there to share them. We are taking a day at a time. We'll deal with every issue together. Be it monetary or not. I am not going to compete with her. I'll get her the things that I think she'll like. I'll take her to places that I think she'd like to see. That is the only re-assurance I can offer you Doug."

"Well I wish that I was omnipotent. I would love to have the future spelled out in the palm of my hand. To warn you guys what to avoid and how to navigate and how to be happy. But I don't have it in my power to do that. So I think what you're saying is all I can do as well. Take it one day at a time," Doug stated. He didn't sound happy.

Luke never knew parents could care so much. Rather than upsetting it was surprising.

"Sir, I love your daughter. I have only said that to someone twice in my life. I knew the first time when I said it, that I wasn't saying it to the right person. But there is no mistaking it now. I love your daughter. And if I need to sign a pre-nuptial, if we need separate accounts. I'll find a way to make it work. Because I know Jessie wants me in her life. And I know she has to be in mine." Luke said firmly.