Page 39 of After the Red Carpet
She giggled. “I’m glad it worked out. It would seem that art and life can sometimes harmoniously coexist. Thank you for doing this for me.”
“This is what I should have done in the first place. It’s for us and it’s exactly how it should be.”
“I love you. Funny timing, you calling. I was just thinking about you.”
“Oh yeah?” Finn said. “What were you thinking?”
“Something I can’t say over the phone. I was actually about to call you. Any chance you’ll be able to get home for dinner tonight? I was hoping for a romantic night with my husband, and it can’t wait. I’ll make something special.”
“If we stay on schedule, I should be able to get out of here by seven, eight at the latest. Can we do dinner on the later side?”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“ELLA, I’M HOME,” FINN CALLED.
“In here,” she replied.
He walked into the dimly lit dining room to find a beautifully set table covered with glowing candles, rose petals,and two plates beneath silver cloches. Ella was standing in a sheer white dress, her long spirals flowing freely, and the green amber necklace that Finn had bought her in Sweden dangling from her neck. “Wow! You are stunning. I’m sorry I’m late. I got here as soon as I could,” he said, giving her a peck.
“You’re worth the wait.”
He blushed and kissed her again. “I hope dinner isn’t spoiled.”
“Everything is perfect. I made salmon in a caviar sauce. Do you remember?”
He nodded. “That’s what I had prepared for us that night in Sweden.”
“That was the first time we shared our dreams for the future. You said there was no fantasy we couldn’t make a reality as long as we were together.”
“I still believe that. More than ever.”
“Me too,” she said. “Before dinner, will you dance with me?”
“I would love to.”
She turned on the music, and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” floated into the room. “Our wedding song,” he said, taking her hand. They swayed with their bodies pressed closely together, staring deeply into each other’s eyes, their faces practically touching. When the song ended, Ella’s eyes filled with tears.
“What is it, my love?” he whispered.
She smiled through her tears. “We’re having a baby, Finn. I’m pregnant.”
“Oh my God,” he mumbled. He smiled brightly, took her face in his hands, and gently pressed his mouth to hers. “That’s the best news I’ve ever heard. I love you so much, Ella. With all my heart.”
AFTER A SUCCULENT DINNER, DURINGwhich they were too giddy to even speak, they wandered into their bedroom hand in hand. Finn touched her cheek. “You look so beautiful, so radiant. It must be true that pregnant women glow.”
Ella smiled, turned around, and lifted her hair away from her neck. “Will you take my necklace off?”
He unfastened the chain and placed it on her vanity. He blew on the nape of her neck, and she let her hair down and turned toward him. Without a word, he gingerly pulled her dress over her head and then dropped down to his knees, slipping her underwear off and putting his mouth on her until she squealed. “I need you,” she said, pulling him up. She quickly unbuttoned his shirt and helped him out of the rest of his clothes. He picked her up and carefully laid her on the bed, gazing deeply into her eyes, stroking the side of her face, and kissing her intimately.
After making love, Finn caressed Ella’s shoulder, unable to peel his eyes off her. Eventually, in a faint voice, he said, “I love you so much I don’t even have the words for it. You make me happier than I ever thought was possible.”
“I feel the same way about you. That was so beautiful. Something was different between us.”
“I’ve never wanted to be so gentle with someone. I was so lost in you.” He shook his head. “I can’t explain it, the way I feel about you. It’s so deep. All-encompassing.”
She pecked his lips. “We made a baby.”
He smiled. “How did you know?”
