Later that night, Ben and Anne were lying in Ben's bed after making love another time and they looked at each other with soft smiles on their faces. Anne was on her side looking at Ben who was lying on his belly looking at her with a satisfied male smile on his face. She reached out, brushed his shoulder, and trailed her hand down his back before leaning over to kiss his shoulder.
"Hmmm, you wear me out, Anne," Ben said sleepily. Then he yawned and rolled over to his side so that he faced her and reached his hand out to brush his fingers over her breast.
"I'm not going to be able to walk tomorrow," she told him. The comment elicited a laugh from Ben. She rolled onto her back, and he cupped the breast he had been brushing. She was suddenly nervous about asking him, but Lily said that she should ask him tonight. In her logical mind, she needed to know where she stood, too. "Ben, I have a question."
"What, Baby?"
"What do you think of our relationship?" He sighed, removed his hand, and rolled onto his back to look at the ceiling. He was no longer smiling, and she could feel his withdrawal emotionally as well as physically. She bit her lower lip and sighed in disappointment. "I mean, does this, do I, mean anything to you? Or is this just sex to you?"
"Anne. Of course it isn't just sex." He rolled over and looked at her again. "If you’re wondering if I expect more after the week is over, I don't. I know that this is just for this week only. I'll always remember our time together this week as the best time I've had with a woman. You're such a wonderful woman, Anne. I hope you know that."
"After this week, that's it." She stated it rather than asked. She could not look at him and did as he did seconds earlier; she stared at the ceiling. He was silent for a long time, his eyes sad as he thought of how to answer her. Finally, he rolled onto his back again and looked up at the ceiling.
"Yes."
His answer didn’t surprise her, but she was surprised by the stab of pain that went through her chest and the water that pooled in her eyes. Not wanting him to see how much his answer hurt her, she rolled on her side so that she faced away from him. A tear rolled over the ridge of her nose and dropped onto the pillow. After a few minutes, she felt him move behind her until he was wrapped around her, spooning her. His arm crossed over her side and pulled her back against him. Then he kissed her shoulder and the back of her head.
"Let me love you for the rest of this week, Anne. Don't push me away now. I need you the rest of this week. Anne?" She did not answer him right away as she struggled to be able to talk without letting him know that she was silently crying.
"Ok. I'll be yours for the rest of this week." She was surprised that her voice did not give him a clue to how she was feeling.
"I have a question for you, Anne." His breath brushed her shoulder.
"What is it?" Her voice was soft, barely reaching his ears.
"Do you think having a child is a good reason to get married?" She never expected that question. If he had not been holding her so tight against his front, she would have turned around to look at him.
"No, I don't. My mother married my father when she found out she was pregnant with me. It didn’t last long. It was over before I was born. Knowing my father the way I do, I'm glad it didn't work out. If my mom had remained married to my father, she would never have married my dad."
"I never knew that Jim wasn't your natural father," Ben spoke softly behind her. "You're so close, and you call him 'Dad.'"
"That's because he is my dad. My father wanted nothing to do with me when I was born. Jim married my mom when I was a baby and adopted me. My natural father came around and caused problems when I was a teenager, wanting a relationship. For a while, he was in our lives, but not now. I haven't seen or heard from him in years. If I never see him again, it will be fine with me, although, I'll see him again eventually. I really don't like talking about him, Ben. Why did you ask me if I thought a baby would be a good reason to marry?"
"I had a couple of past girlfriends who tried to trap me with claiming that I was the father of their baby. That's all."
"What?" Her voice rose is her shock, and she tried to turn around. He held her tight, and she settled back down.
"Chelsea was one. She knew that I was planning on breaking up with her. The relationship was going nowhere, and she just downright scared me. So she made up the story that she was pregnant. There was no pregnancy, thank God. When I asked to see the doctor's report, she crumbled and finally admitted there wasn't going to be a baby. My last girlfriend tried passing another man's baby off as mine. While I was out of the country on business, she hooked up with an old boyfriend and became pregnant. When he refused to marry her, she told me the baby was mine. I went to the first doctor visit with her and got the baby's due date. Doing the math, it would not have been possible for me to be the father. Plus I always use protection. I confronted her about it, and she admitted that the baby was the other guy's."
"That's awful, Ben. I don't know how a woman could do that to a man. How did you feel about the baby when she told you she was pregnant?"
"Trapped. I felt trapped. I already knew we would be breaking up. I had heard it from friends who saw her out with the other guy. But even before I went on the trip, I knew that I did not want to see her anymore."
"Don't you want to have children?"
"Yes, I would. Someday, when I find the right woman, I want to have children. But, I won't be tricked into getting married by a woman who only wants me for my money. Do you want children?"
"Yes, when I find the right man."
They laid in silence for a long time, and Anne felt herself drifting off. She did not know if Ben was asleep or awake. His breathing was even.
"Anne."
"Yes, Ben?"
"I'm glad that you’re here this week, that I found you again."
"I'm glad, too. Goodnight, Ben."
"Goodnight, Anne." He kissed her shoulder then settled back down behind her, curled into her back. Anne drifted off to sleep never seeing the sad eyes that watched her.
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