Tuscany Trip

"No, not really," Khaat laughed. "Ronata, don't let me get to you. My husband made me an endless list of promises he never kept--one of which was to come here someday because he knew it was my dream trip. But he changed. And 2 months ago, a day or so after I gave birth to Abbey prematurely, we split up. Most of the time it doesn't bother me. But every so often, I think of him and miss what I wish could have been. It really has nothing to do with you and Steven. It's brand new for me, and, well, sometimes it just feels really fresh for me. You two have to live your lives without my interferance. Don't let me bring you down."

Ronata looked at steven then to Khaat "thank you for telling me, but its not you, He is just alittle smothering , for lack of a better word , I guess he scared me that he was moving a little fast , in everything " she said before he could hear them "I do like him but I fear hes not seing me but a substitute for his dead wife , I guess I need to know that its me he wants and not his wife back" she moved to her room and sat down on her bed she didn't want to spoil there day she was very confused and she faught not to cry she knew she was stronger than that but at the same time she had felt somthing for him.

"I do understand. Why don't you both stop trying to be so serious and just have a good time? I mean, you're in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Just enjoy being here and having fun, and let the relationship take care of itself. It will you know. It'll be fine. Personally, I think you're just trying too hard--both of you. Just relax and enjoy being in love."

Steven walked up to hear Khaat's words he smiled and nodded "I agree " he moved to the door to Ronatas room moving in he took her hand in his "come on, you can't sit in here all day" he said and moved her back into teh main area "ok what this plan for the day" steven asked still holding onto Ronata's hand as he stood in front of Khaat and Brian.

He suddenly stood up right as if rembering somthing "ow one more thing Ro, " he said turning he kissed her on her lips a long lingering kiss on that he knew he would not forget , slowly he pulled back waiting for teh slap but it didn't come instead he saw a smile on her face " Ro you are you , janet is gone nothing and nobody can take her place, you are you a wonderful woman in your own right, if i act alitle goofy around you its becaase as Khaat said , and I'll admit it now in front of whitnases , Its because I love you Ronata Volkmann" he said finally breathing out now he had told her how he felt.

Brian came in, and felt just a tad awkward coming in on such a personal confession. Romance just was not his thing--at all. He was not going to ask any woman to share his life when his life was already so dangerous, as difficult as it made things for him. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to be in love, but his fear of leaving someone so dear to his heart alone if he didn't come home someday was more than he could bear. And children? Secretly, more than anything he wanted to be a father. He loved kids, and he knew he could be a great dad. But he took more chances than any of his men, and he just never figured he would live to old age. So he blocked any thought of love or kids out of his mind.

His mind were drawn back to Khaat and he looked at her. She was looking at him, and she nearly laughed out loud at his awkwardness. She managed, barely, to stifle it with a lot of work. She walked over to him.
"Come on, shy guy. Nobody's proposing to you. Its safe to come back in from the surf," she said to him gently. He let out a visible sigh, and she laughed.

"Sailing?" he asked her.

"Oh, wonderful," she said. "I should change."

"Take a change with you. I really like that dress. It looks like it was made for you."

"Who wears a dress to go sailing?" she frowned. "But since you like it, I'll take it with me."

"Fine. I'll work on putting together a basket of food for us while you get ready."

"You're amazing," she said, heading upstairs, not wanting to interrupt Steven and Ronata any more than Brian did.

Ronata was taken a back but Stevens sudden declaration of his love for her she could do nothing but smile at him "we'd better get read for sailing " was all she could say her mind reelingfrom what he ahd said and done all in a matter of moments . she u8nder stood he loved her and deep inside her if she was to admit it she loved him too but eh wanted prof it was her he wanted and not just a substatue to janet.

Moving from him she slipped into a light flowy white top then sat dowjn on the bed as she looked at ehr self , was she ready for such a comit ment whas he ready both quetions she didn't know the awnser to and now morethan ever she could have used her mothers words. But she was not there and it was down to her , recthing out she made the brush infront of ehr rise adn float to her waiting hand and she brushed her hair over and over.

Khaat went to her room and looked through the clothes she had with her. She chose a pair of denim cutoff shorts and a pink and white gingham halter top and white deck shoes with pink trim. She put the white dress and the matching white shirt in a beachbag with a bottle of sunscreen and her swimsuit. She brushed her hair out and pulled it back into a casual and quick ponytail with a pink fabric covered elastic band and as a last thought, she tucked in a pair of stylish white, avaitor shaped sunglasses--her favorite pair.

Then, thinking ahead, she went to Brian's room and pulled out a pair of his denim shorts, and his swim trunks and put them in her bag. She was about to leave when she saw his deck shoes sitting on the floor. She hastily tucked them in the bag. She was hoping he would change into the shorts and get some sun. She liked how handsome he looked when he had a good tan. Well, that, and she also liked his well toned, muscular physique. She caught herself thinking about him in just the shorts and the deck shoes, and it made her laugh. Her mind sometimes went in some strange directions.

She headed downstairs, hoping Ronata remembered her swimsuit in case they decided to go swimming off the boat. And, if she was lucky, the boat had fishing gear. She and Brian hadn't been fishing since they last fished with Remus.

Ronata slipped everything she needed into her bag including a swim suit and sun screen. she was here to enjoy her self and not worry about things steven would just ahve to learn that about her. standing up she wiped a tear that had formed and reshed hed her self upwalking out oif ehr room to see steven changed also , he wore alight pair of trousers and shirt thougb Ronata thoug he could have chose a diferant one than the striped in he wore she thought it made him look like a deack chair but she guessed once they were under ewway he would lose it soon enouph.

" I see were ready" she said her romanian accent now flowing out with her words as she stood a little way from brian for the moment , she still didn't know what to make of his declaration.

Khaat followed Brian to the car. They were going to have to take separate cars because Lamborghinis were not known for their backseats. Brian opened the door for her and let her take her seat. He shut the door and then tucked the basket and Khaat's tote in the trunk.

He got in the car, promising to Steven to lead the way to the sailboat. He fired the ignition and pulled the car out of the drive, heading down the beach road. "What's getting to you, Babe?" he asked, knowing her far too well. "Steven and Ronata. I love them both dearly, but their moodiness is making me crazy. They're either on cloud 9, or they're in the pits. They dont' know any midground. It really is frustrating. I don't know what else to say to either of them. Ronata was so pleasant when I interviewed her, and she has her moments. But she really is a very emotionally fragile woman, and she's having a really hard time adjusting to the kind of crowd I hang around with. I don't know what to do."

"Why do you have to do anything?" he frowned. "The issue is hers, not yours. As I see it, she either needs to eventually adjust or start making other friends, or end up isolating herself. She's the one who isn't adjusting. Not you. My best advice is for you to change nothing. Do nothing differently. You arent' rejecting her, are you?"

"No. Not at all. "

"Then don't do anything different. Be yourself. She'll get the hang of it, believe me. Steven has learned how to pull himself together. So, whatever is making her insecure seems, to me, to be between the two of them. Let him help her work it out."

She smiled. "You are very wise, Brian Quinn, do you know that?" He laughed heartily.

steven opened the door to the second and sipped ronatas bag into the boot .he could tell somthing botherd her as he slipped into the drivers seat "ok spill what up you have had aface on you like thunder since we left the house" he said as he drove folowing Brain he glanced at Ro seing ehr stil silant "come on its not that bad, Im not that bad am I ? " he asked honking his horn he pulled over to the side of the road "Ronata if your scared of what I said I said it because I ment it , ether get over it of we will turn this car around and go back and once there i will tan your back side till you ether go back home or come right to your senses " he sat facing her as she slowly looked at him and spoke "you would not dare" she said Steven raised an eyebrow and she shook her head as she saw him move closer to her.

Steven moved closer to her unstraping her he pulled her over his knee and began smaking her bottom at first she fought him but then her cries changed to laughter and he stopped letting her slip back into her seat, her face was a picture , pink cheeks and a pout which slowly turned to a grin and then a laugh with a smile "ok that better now come on were falling behind Brian, ow don't be scared all the time were not dementors relax , I m told you how I feel and that I was willing to wait till you were ready" he said and she smiled a wide genuine smile this time.