This chapter picks up with Rick and Cassie returning from their Canadian Thanksgiving vacation. Thanks to everyone who's been reading the story so far. Please remember to practice safe sex, unlike my fictional characters. I'll ask you again to forgive me for any typos or grammatical errors I missed. Please feel free to add comments at the end. Good or bad I read them all and try to learn from it.
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I let Cassie doze off in the passenger seat as I drove us home from Whistler Tuesday afternoon. All morning she'd been giving an encore exhibition of her remarkable snowboarding talents. Some of the kids watching came over to talk to me between her jumps but they lost interest in me soon as it became clear she was the only one capable of doing fancy tricks on her snowboard. It had been the final step in the slow process of her rebirth as the woman she'd been before her terrible accident. Cassie had always been beautiful, affectionate, and the sweetest girl in the world but now she was confident, outgoing, and utterly fearless when her snowboard was strapped to her feet.
When we got home I left her sleeping in her seat as I quietly brought our snowboards and luggage up to the 8th floor apartment we shared with her friend Lei. I woke her up with a kiss when there was nothing left to carry savoring the faint sweet taste of the cherry lip balm she wore whenever she snowboarded. She stopped near the trunk and gave me a puzzled look when I walked right past her. Glancing at the empty roof rack, she knew what I'd done and chased after me with an absurdly cute scowl. Laughing I let her catch me and accepted her playful slaps as my penance for being devious enough to unload the car by myself. She tried to make me promise to never do it again but I held my mouth tightly shut until she opened it with a kiss.
Lei was home when we got there and wanted to hear all about our trip. She looked heartbroken for us as Cassie told her about the dinner that never was at the Dumont family home. Thankfully the rest of our trip had been amazing and Lei's somber expression was replaced with a smile as we told her the rest. I kept interrupting Cassie's story in my excitement to tell Lei how it felt to watch the woman I loved on her snowboard without a trace of fear remaining. In the end, Cassie gave up trying to tell it and let me have the honor. She shook her head laughing as I described her tricks, as if I was making half of it up but I assured Lei the whole story was true.
After unpacking Lei offered to cook dinner for us so Cassie and I sat down in the living room and began sending out my resumes. I had a bunch to send and now that I was authorized to work in Canada for as long as I wanted I was sure I'd find a job. Cassie asked what one I liked best and I showed her the one for an account manager at a local investment firm. She didn't know much about stocks and investing so I logged into my account with an online trading company and used that portfolio to teach her a few things. At first I didn't think she'd find it interesting at all, but I could see how intently she listened to what I said. This was important for our future and the future of our children so she wanted to learn more about it. Following the stock market was something I did without thinking, checking throughout the day as part of my regular routine. When I was done my lesson I asked if she had any questions and she shook her head saying she was happy knowing our money was in good hands with me.
That night we went to bed exhausted from our busy long weekend. We didn't make love for a change, something rare enough in those days that it stood out. Going to bed without sex was rare, going to bed without goodnight kisses never happened. Cassie couldn't wait to see the kids at the hospital in the morning. I knew she needed a full night of sleep to be at her best but she lay awake in my arms kissing me and wishing me good luck for my upcoming interviews. I was confident in myself but her unwavering faith in me made me feel like I could do no wrong.
The following night, Marc, Julie, and their two children came over to our apartment for dinner. Cassie had invited them the week before Thanksgiving and rushed home after work to cook with my help. I had picked up everything we needed earlier in the day and together we had everything ready by six-thirty. Lei joined us for dinner and filled Marc and Julie in on her new job. Julie seemed more interested in talking about Tim but I knew Lei wouldn't want to say much with me in the room so Marc and I excused ourselves to eat our dessert in front of the TV giving the girls some privacy.
Marc had some things of his own to share and told me what happened when we left early on Sunday. At first I thought he was joking when he said Matthew had asked where aunt Cassie and uncle Rick were as soon as they'd sat down to eat. He swore he was telling the truth and that his father's face had turned red with rage as Marc stammered though an apology for teaching his son to call me that. Needless to say it made an already awkward meal even more uncomfortable. His father has left the table as soon as he finished his dinner and wasn't seen for the rest of the night. Before they left the following morning their mother had begged Marc to do something to make things better. I asked if that meant he'd been sent here to assassinate me and he laughed loud enough that the girls came to see what was so funny.
Cassie sat down next to me and listened to the same story holding my hand tightly. Julie confirmed that every word her husband spoke was true and understated if anything. She said that she'd felt so uncomfortable that she wanted to drive home that night but Marc convinced her to stay by reminding her the kids were already tired and needed to go to bed. Knowing I was threatening to tear this close knit family apart was a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. If Mr. Dumont refused to listen to his own son and his wife of thirty years then what hope did I have?
"Are you okay?" Cassie asked from her seat on our bed later that night. She was wearing a flimsy pair of panties and a tank top that showed off her breasts beneath. Looking at her how couldn't I be okay?
"I'm fine," I said sitting on my side in a pair of boxers.
"You got really quiet after they told us what happened on Sunday," she said shifting closer to me.
"I was thinking," I said.
"You know I want to know more than that," she said smiling.
"All right sweetie," I said with a deep breath. "What my presence has done to your family tears me up inside," I said gladly accepting the tight hug she offered me. "You heard what Julie said, because of me she felt uncomfortable around your father."
"That's his fault not yours," she said swinging her legs around so she was sitting on my lap facing me.
"I feel helpless to do anything about it," I said in a beleaguered voice.
"I know my love," she said kissing me softly on the neck. "I love my family but they need to learn to accept you because we'll be together for the rest of our lives. You've done your best, more than I could possibly ask, and you don't deserve to be treated like you're not good enough for me. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Are you trying to make me cry?" I asked smiling at her.
"No," she said smiling back. "But you can if you want."
"I think I'll make it," I said with a lingering kiss that made her squirm in my lap.
