Chapter 16

After eating their second breakfast at the cafe they had discovered the day before, they drove to the town where Erin had lived as a child. She had wanted to go to the church where her parents had been buried and deal with some of the things from her past. Jack waited for her at the car and watched as she sat knelt on the grass and talked.

When she came back to him, tears were streaming down her cheeks and he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm free," she mumbled into his chest. "They can't hurt me anymore."

He kissed her cheeks and then her lips. "Let's go get some ice cream to celebrate."

Fifteen minutes later, they had shared a banana split at the small ice cream shop in town. Erin's childhood friend Mary now owned the shop that had belonged to her parents. She had joined them and Jack had contentedly listened to their chatter.

When they had gotten back in the car and had started across town, rather than driving toward home, Erin had questioned him and all he had told her was that they were going to make some good memories. Standing with him in front of the house outside of town, she said, "Jack, what are we doing here?"

Earlier in the week he had had a private detective check on the house where Erin had been raped by Rod. It had been up for rent. After talking with the female real estate agent and explaining why he wanted to rent the house, he had managed to rent it for the weekend. The detective, an old friend of his, had worked on it the day before getting things ready for him.

He took Erin in his arms and brushed her cheeks with his fingers. "Since we were coming here for you to deal with your parents, I decided that we would come here, too."

"Jack, I --"

He kissed her lips. "Let's just go inside. Okay?"

After a moment, she nodded and they went up the front steps and Jack took the key out from under the mat.

When they were inside the small foyer, Erin said, "This place used to feel as big as all out doors. It's amazing how things change as we grow-up."

He agreed and had her take his arm and close her eyes. Leading her to the bedroom where Rod had raped her, he turned on the CD player that had been placed against the wall between the two windows. As an Irish ballad filled the room, he removed the single red rose in the vase beside the player and, moving to the center of the floor, placed it on one of the pillows on the mattress covered with white cotton sheets. He then lit the candles that were sitting in the two windows.

Satisfied, he told Erin she could open her eyes.

"Oh, Jack," she whispered as she looked around.

He could see the tears forming in her eyes and he went to her. Taking her hand he said, "I want to make a good memory of this place for you."

She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him. "Jack Travers, you are the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me."

"Then you won't mind if I take you to be my wife?"

"Oh, Jack!" She kissed him, again. This time, her lips lingered and she pressed her tongue against his mouth.

Moaning softly he played his tongue against hers. His hands squeezing her buttocks, he began to sway with the music. She followed his lead and rubbed her groin against him igniting glowing embers throughout his body; causing his cock to swell and press against his jeans. When he gasped and broke their embrace, she nibbled on his neck and unbuttoned his shirt. Her lips left burning sparks across his chest and down his abdomen.

"Honey, I'm gonna' break."

Giggling she knelt down and undid his jeans. When he had stepped out of them, she helped him out of his shorts. Running her fingers along his shaft she looked up at him and whispered, "I love you, Jack Travers."

He placed his hand against her cheek. "I love you, too, Erin Kelly."