Chapter 85

They all said their goodbyes early the next morning and Pearl and Rhys sat down on the couch, thankful for the silence.

"They loved you. Absolutely adored you. My dad is already planning another visit in February, and normally I have to beg him to leave the house." Rhys said.

"I'm glad. That makes me very happy." Pearl said. "And I don't know what you said to Britney but my mom told me to tell you that she was impressed with how well Britney's demeanor changed at the end of her visit. Ha! I'm so proud of you and who you are." Rhys put one hand on her leg, and one around her shoulders. He kissed her neck and moved his hand to her face. "I need to be inside you." He whispered. He learned her back onto the couch and pulled her pants down, leaving her shirt on and pulling it up to expose her breasts. He suckled each nipple and bit softly down, making her gasp.

He stood up and dropped his pants to the floor and took his t shirt off. She loved his body and his tattoo. She had figured out that it was a tribute to Tolkien some time back, Rhys had been a huge fan as youth. She stared at the naked man standing there, about to take her. He was perfect. He crawled on top of her and slowly started to enter her. "I'm sorry I can't wait." He said as he pushed with more force.

"Rhys, I stopped taking the pill. In New York. I stopped because I read it could take a long time, years even, for me to be able to conceive after stopping. I just wanted to let you know." She said, afraid of his reaction.

"Are you for real?" He asked, stopping for a moment. "Yes. I can go back on it, though. I don't want to make it an issue."

"An issue!?" He said "I'm so happy. I want to stay in bed all day and try to prove whatever article you read wrong. God, I would love to get you pregnant. For you to have my child." He said and started moving inside of her again. She felt heat move throughout her entire body. For the first time in her life, she felt truly loved and valued. He had wanted a future and a family with her. It was the most intense thing she had ever felt.

He ran his hands to her bottom, lifting her toward him, plunging deeper inside of her. She grabbed his neck and kissed his mouth, biting his lip. "It feels so good being inside you." He said, forcefully moving her hips up and down as he thrusted into her. She could feel her climax come and her walls pulsating and clamping down around him. It felt so good. "I can feel you cum all around me. I'm going to cum too." He said. But he stopped. He looked into her eyes. "I love you." He said, pausing for only a moment before thrusting himself into her again, bringing his orgasm and emptying himself into her, never breaking eye contact. He put her face into his hand and continued to move into her, pushing deeper and deeper until he was completely spent. He stayed inside of her and kissed her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and hugged him with her entire body. They laid there like that for a few minutes and then gathered their clothes and went to the bedroom to do it all over again.

Pearl woke up to the doorbell ringing, Rhys was asleep on top of her. She moved him gently to the side and put on some clothes. It was late in the afternoon and the nap had disoriented her. She ran to the door and opened it to see a man in a suit standing there that she didn't recognize. "Pearl Clarke?" He asked. "Yes. Why?" She asked. He handed her an envelope. "This is a formal notice to appear. Your presence is requested at the reading of Mr. Thomas R. Powell's will on Monday, January 5th."

"Wait, what?"

"Your name is mentioned in the will, so you must be present. Here's my card. I am the family attorney. Call me if anything comes up. Good day."

It was Sunday. What was going on? Thomas Powers? She sat at the kitchen island and opened the envelope. It was a letter explaining what the man had said.

"Hey. Sorry I napped so hard. Family is exhausting. What's that?" Rhys asked. She handed him the envelope. He read it and picked up his phone. "Yea. It's Holden. I need you to be here next Monday. Is that possible? Great. I will call you tomorrow and fill you in then. Thank you." He put the phone down and looked at Pearl. "Whatever this is, we will figure it out. My attorney will be here Monday to help you." He said, putting his arm around her.

Some things no one can help me with, she thought.