Chapter 44 Section VI

It was the most special night of Decker's life.He had never felt this emotionally invested in the flesh, nor had he had such respect—or should I say awe—for the person with whom he shared it.After making love to Beth a second time, he took another shower and got dressed.At this moment, he felt a strange emotion, a sense of completeness, a sense of belonging, as if the union of their bodies had produced another invisible and mysterious union.As long as he was around Beth, he could feel her in him and him in her.He didn't even have to be close to her, to touch her.He could feel it all just by looking at her.

He sipped a Dos Aix while he grilled Beth's favorite bone-in steak.He looked up at the sky, the stars had begun to twinkle, and the color of the night sky was very much like Beth's eyes.He looked toward the back of Beth's house again, and the tree-covered hillside below stretched away into the distance, finally melting into the lights of Santa Fe.A sense of satisfaction that he had never felt before flooded his heart.He looked through the glass door into the lighted kitchen and vaguely saw Beth preparing a salad.She was humming a little tune by herself. She noticed him looking at her. "What are you looking at?"

"Look at you." She smiled happily. "I love you," Decker confessed again. Beth came over, opened the door, leaned forward, and kissed him.The kiss was like sparks bursting from her and falling on him. "To me, you are the most important person in the world." At this moment, Decker finally got rid of the emptiness that had plagued him for many years.He thought back to his time in Rome a year and three months ago and his 40th birthday, to the boredom and inner emptiness he had endured.He longed for a wife, a family, a home, and now he was about to have it all.