All in a Dream: Meeting My Sons (part seven) RPF

         I awoke before Tom in the morning so I went to take my shower. He was up by the time I exited the bathroom.

            "Good morning, Darling!" He greeted me cheerily and kissed me.

            He then told me he wrote down what he wanted for breakfast if I wanted to place our room service order while he showered. I looked over the menu, made my own selection and called to place the order; it would take about half an hour. I got ready for my bookstore visit while I waited for breakfast. It arrived just as Tom finished up in the bathroom. I accepted the cart, brought it to the table and set the table. I started eating and Tom joined me. There was little conversation while we ate. I was due at the bookstore for ten and our flight to Orlando was scheduled to leave at three in the afternoon.

            I was nearly finished eating when Tom asked if I was OK.

            "I'm just a little tired, that's all. I am very ready for this tour to be over so I can go home and sleep in my own bed."

            "I'd like to go home and sleep in your bed too," He said with a wink.

            I giggled. He had a way of making of me feel better without doing much at all. We finished eating and I moved to sit on his lap and kiss for a while. After several minutes of deep, passionate kisses, Tom finally broke away from me. "If we keep this up, Darling, you're going to be late because I won't be able to control myself much longer."

            I laughed again and moved off of his lap. I went to the bathroom and put on my makeup. Once I finished, I gathered all of my toiletries and packed them up. I made certain everything was repacked in my suitcase and carry-on bag. Tom promised he would get my bags and leave nothing of mine behind. He would be meeting me at the bookstore when I was finished so we could have lunch at another airport VIP lounge for the last time.

            I kissed him lightly on the lips and then left. I arrived at the bookstore on time and my time there went by quickly. There were only a few questions about my relationship with Tom; most people either didn't know or didn't care. Once it was all over, I said goodbye to Joanne who wished me luck in the future, then I was on my way to the airport with Tom. We had lunch in the lounge and waited to board our flight.

            This plane ride was only a little longer than going from Houston to New Orleans. We didn't really talk much; just sat there holding hands. I was feeling tired and distracted. I don't know if Tom was just respecting my silence or really that nervous about meeting my sons. Once we arrived, departed the plane, and retrieved our bags, I led Tom to the parking garage where I had left my mini-van. My ex had no need of it; he still had the one we'd had when we were married, so I drove myself and used the parking garage. I'd been gone two weeks so hopefully the parking fee wouldn't be too expensive.

            We loaded our bags into the back of the van. I took a few minutes and dug a pair of shorts out of my suitcase. I unbuttoned my blouse and removed it since I was wearing a pale pink tank top underneath. I climbed into the back seat and closed the sliding door while Tom got into the front passenger seat. I tossed him the keys and asked him to start it and turn on the air since it was so hot in the vehicle. He did as I requested while I proceeded to change out of my pants and into the shorts. I then climbed over the seat into the driver's seat when I finished.

            "That feels so much better!" I declared as I put on my sunglasses and fastened my seatbelt.

            Tom just smiled as he fastened his own seatbelt. "You're not wearing any shoes my dear."

            "That's perfectly all right. I drive better without them."

            I then put the transmission in reverse and carefully backed out of the parking space. At the garage exit, I gave the attendant my ticket and my credit card; the bill wasn't too crazy. In a few minutes, I got my card and receipt, so I exited the garage. I followed the signs to get on the eastbound toll highway that would take us home. Once I had merged into traffic, I turned on the radio to one of the digital catalogs I had stored so I could listen to music I enjoyed. I started absentmindedly singing along while I watched traffic. When the song ended Tom complimented me on my voice. I felt embarrassed. "Singing isn't really that difficult. Any moron can do it."

            "I beg to differ. Any moron can attempt it, but it takes natural talent and skill to do it well. You have a beautiful voice and hit all of the notes and do it correctly. Why are you always so quick to depreciate yourself when I give you a compliment?"

            I was silent. I didn't know how to respond. I didn't know why I did it. For years I always felt people's compliments weren't genuine; they were meant more to placate me. I didn't feel pleased with my accomplishments; I felt like a child who got a pat on the head while someone superior to me said, "nice try but I can do better." The only compliments I had ever taken to heart were people who didn't know me but loved my writing. They knew nothing else but my written word and the story I told and they enjoyed it. This was the only explanation I had and I offered it to Tom.

            When I finished he reached over and placed his hand on my thigh, "Darling, I wouldn't compliment you if I didn't genuinely mean it. I'm not that kind of person. I don't think I'm perfect or superior to others. I'm just a man who lucked out in getting paid to do something I enjoy and others apparently enjoy my efforts as well. I often don't understand the big fuss a lot people make over me; it can all be rather embarrassing at times. I do like the opportunities it has given me to meet some wonderful people; you included. I was very fortunate the day I met you."

            It didn't happen often, but he succeeded in making me blush. "Why were you a flight from Atlanta Georgia to New York City that day anyway?"

            "I was going from LA to New York where I was supposed to catch a flight to London. Our plane was having some mechanical problems so we ended up landing in Atlanta. All of the passengers were being placed on whatever flights to New York had available seats and I just happened to end up on yours. It was such a strange coincidence really because I'd been reading your book since I got to the airport that morning. Someone at the meeting the day before had given it to me and told me I should read it. I hadn't really planned to do it when I saw the title, but I had accidentally packed my other book in my checked suitcase so I had nothing to do. Once I started reading it, I was hooked. I kept thinking that I really wanted to meet the person that wrote it because it was a wonderful story. Then I ended up on a flight sitting next to you. I'm convinced it was fate that brought us together. After we talked the whole flight, I just wanted to know you better; I also didn't like the fact that you were traveling alone to places you'd never been before. That was not wise of Joanne; she could have gone with you instead of taking separate flights and such."

            I found his revelation a bit overwhelming. I couldn't believe I'd made such an impression on him. I'd never felt I was anything special. I'm not a great beauty and I was a still overweight, even though I had lost quite a bit in the last year. I never thought of myself as a genius because there was so much I didn't understand, but I was always willing to learn something new. The only thing I really had going for me was my writing skills. I am a pretty good storyteller; it had always come naturally to me. The writing ability was something I practiced over the years at every opportunity, so it improved over time. My Granny had told me when I was no older than seven that I had a natural storytelling gift that The Great Spirit had given me and I should never be ashamed to share it with the world. As I grew older, I realized what a wise woman my Granny really was.

            We were both silent the rest of the ride home. I sang along to a couple more songs. Tom smiled at the sound of my voice, but didn't compliment me again. At last, I pulled the mini-van into the driveway of my house. I didn't go into the garage because clearly my ex was parking in it since his van was not in the driveway. We both got out and went around the front of the van and held hands. He looked appreciatively up at the house. It was two story, Spanish style complete with a red clay tiled roof and cream colored stucco siding. "Are you ready?" I asked him.

            "As ready as I'll ever be I guess," he replied.

            "Don't worry so much. They're just kids; they don't bite. Well, they usually don't; the little one will if you really make him mad enough and screaming doesn't work."

            He laughed and then followed me as I moved forward to the front door. I opened it and went inside; he closed it behind us. No one was in the living room so I called out, "Anybody home?"

            I heard four voices scream out in near unison, "MOM'S HOME!" As four boys came running from the back of the house for hugs and kisses.

            The youngest, Jerrome, got to me first. Since he was only three, he got scooped up for his hugs and kisses. His six-year-old brother, Matthew, didn't want to be left out, so I had to put Jerrome down and pick up Matthew for hugs and kisses. Gabriel was thirteen and Michael was eleven; both were way too big to be picked up so they just got hugs and kisses on the cheeks.

            "Did you bring us presents?" Matthew asked after I put him down.

            I laughed. "As a matter of fact, I got you each a little souvenir from every city I visited."

            He got excited. "Where are they?!"

            "In my suitcase. I left it in the van for now."

            Gabriel volunteered to go get it. I gave him the keys and the three older boys rushed out to get our luggage.

            I turned to Tom. "I'll introduce you properly after they've gotten their trinkets. When those kids hear you got them souvenirs, you better fork them over or they'll pester you to until you do."

            He chuckled. "So is that what you were doing every time you left me in the lounge after we ate?"

            "Yes I just got them something small and cheap with the city names on them. The younger two have toys and the older boys got figures or magnets of landmarks. I got them all postcard pictures too."

            Before Tom could respond, my ex came out from the back of the house with his bag over his shoulder.

            "Glad to see you made it home safe. I need to get going, I have some place to be later," my ex said as he headed for the door.

            "Thank you for staying with the boys while I did the book tour."

            "No problem. They're still my kids. You've waited your whole life to finally get published so I know how important this is to you."

            He stopped at the door as the boys were coming back in with all the bags in tow. I told them their bags were right on top in my red suitcase with their names on them. I also told them to give their father a hug before they dug into the bags. They stopped and obediently lined up to give quick hugs before going back to their goody bags.

            "I'll see you boys in a couple of weeks," he said, standing in the open doorway.

            He then finally turned and acknowledged Tom standing behind me, "You're Tom Hiddleston right?"

            "Yes I am," Tom replied awkwardly.

            Instead of shaking hands and being polite, my ex just shook his head and said, "So watching all of his movies and writing about him wasn't enough. You had to bring him home with you."

            Before I could reply, he turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him. I heard him go into the garage from the outside door and open the main door to back out his van. I saw him pull out of the driveway from the side window. I asked Gabriel to go into the garage and push the button to close the door. He begrudgingly obeyed.

            Once he returned, I got their attention for a few minutes. "I would like you boys to meet Tom. He's going to be staying with us for a couple of weeks."

            I then pointed to each one of them in turn and said, "That's Gabriel, Michael, Matthew and Jerrome."

            He greeted them and they briefly said hello. Michael eyed him for a few moments before asking, "Are you our Mom's boyfriend?"

            Tom looked to me with a slightly panicked expression; I just shrugged and said, "Well answer the boy. Are you Mom's boyfriend?"

            He chuckled and replied, "Well yes, I guess that's what you'd call me. Your Mum and I definitely have a relationship."

            Michael looked confused, "Mum? What does that mean?"

            I laughed and said, "That's the British way of saying Mom."

            Matthew then took an interest in the conversation and looked up at Tom intensely before saying, "You look like the guy on Mommy's computer wallpaper."

            It was my turn to be embarrassed. I forgot all about my collection of Loki computer wallpaper. Tom moved to sit on the sofa and Matthew got up to sit next to him. "Whatever would he be talking about Mum?"

            "I have a collection of Loki backgrounds on my computer and phone."

            "Oh so you have photos of my character."

            Gabriel finally pulled his nose out of the California fact book I'd bought for him and said, "You played Loki in those movies?"

            "Yes that was me."

            "COOL!!" He loudly exclaimed.

            Before they could get crazy, I told them to go put their things away and I'd order pizza for dinner. Matthew continued to stare at Tom thoughtfully before saying, "Are you going to live with us now?"

            "I'm going to stay with your family for a couple of weeks and then I have to go back to London for a week, maybe two. After that I'm going to come back until September. Is that OK with you?"

            "Yes it is. London is where the Mary Poppins stories take place. Where is London?"

            "It's in a country that's an island across the Atlantic ocean, called England. Would you like to learn about England?"

            His little blue eyes sparkled at the thought of learning about a new place. He loved learning new things; he was the only one of my children that really got excited about learning. "I'd love to," he replied.

            "When I come back from London, I'll bring you books about England so you can learn all about it. Then when your Mum says it's OK and you're ready for it, I'll take your whole family to see it. Would you like that?"

            He squealed delightedly and hugged Tom. He then hopped down and ran up the stairs with his toys in his arms to tell his brothers that Tom wanted to take us to England someday. Jerrome still sat in the floor playing with his cars and planes. Tom moved to stretch out on the rug, lying on his stomach to play with him. Jerrome didn't seem to mind at all. I went off to the kitchen to place a pizza order with some place that delivered. I definitely didn't feel like going back out today.

            Half an hour later, we were all seated around the kitchen table eating and laughing. The boys were questioning me about the places I'd been to.

            "I didn't really have time to play tourist and explore fellas, sorry."

            "Did you at least get to see the Pacific Ocean?" Michael asked.

            "Yes I did that. My hotel in Southern California was on the beach. My morning bookstore thing got canceled so we spent the morning on the beach."

            His face lit up. "Are the waves really bigger than the Atlantic?"

            "Yes they are. Someday I will take you out there and teach you to surf. Is that a deal?"

            He gave me an enormous smile and squealed, "YES!"

            We all laughed. Then Tom interrupted and said, "It's my understanding that a certain little boy turns four on Friday. Did Mum already make birthday plans?"

            "No I haven't had time. My kids would rather go do something fun than have a party anyway."

            "How about a weekend at Disney World to celebrate?" he asked.

            I stared at him. "You're joking?"

            "Not at all. We can stay at one of the resorts and spend the whole weekend there. You boys like Disney right?"

            They all squealed with delight. "Then I guess we're going to Disney this weekend," I said.

            Gabriel then asked if they could go outside until it started getting dark. I told them it was fine as long as they played in the backyard and stayed away from the pool. They all ran outside to play. I put away leftover pizza and loaded the dishwasher. Tom offered to help, but I declined. I was a little annoyed with him. I knew I needed to catch up on laundry and other chores this weekend, but he goes and promises my kids Disney World. He watched me quietly. I started the dishwasher and turned to go to the laundry room.

            "You're mad at me, aren't you?" He called as I disappeared down the short hallway to the laundry room.

            I remained quiet I assessed the laundry situation. I took the full basket out from under the second floor laundry chute, replaced it with an empty one and took it to the washer to load it in. I was surprised there wasn't more dirty laundry in need of washing. When I turned around to leave, I found him leaning against the door frame completely blocking the doorway. I stopped and gave him a dirty look but he refused to budge. "You're not leaving until you answer me."

            "Yes I'm mad. Can I leave now?"

            "Why? It's your son's birthday and they want to have fun. You said they love Disney, so I thought they'd love to spend a whole weekend there and would get a real thrill out of staying at a resort. I have to confess that I kind of already made the arrangements last week when you told me about his birthday. I honestly thought you'd be happier about it."

            I sighed. I was being an idiot and I knew it. I just hated admitting it. Tom finally stepped aside and I walked past to get my suitcase and go my room to unpack. "They're only young for a short time; might as well enjoy it," he called after me.

            I stopped at the foot of the stairs and glared at him, "Mr. Hiddleston, you have an annoying way of often being right!"

            He laughed as I went on my room; the master suite was on the first floor. I had just reached the door, when I heard Matthew run in and beg him to join in their Nerf gun war. Tom took his hand and followed him outside. I opened my bedroom door, put my suitcase on my bed and removed all of my dirty laundry. I took it the laundry hamper in the walk-in closet, then went back and unloaded the rest of it, putting everything away quickly. I then stuck the suitcase in the closet before going outside to join my kids and my new boyfriend in their fun.

            We came back inside when it was too dark to see. Everyone was hot and sweaty, but full of laughter. The boys got cold drinks while they took turns taking showers. Once they were all bathed and in bed, Matthew came to Tom with one of his Mary Poppins books and asked if he would read to him. I thought Tom was going to melt on the spot. A six year old boy he just met today wanted a bedtime story from him. Tom gave him an enormous smile, took his book in one hand and Matthew's hand in the other while he followed him down the second floor hallway to his bedroom.

            After I got Jerrome settled in bed, I stopped in the doorway to check on them. Tom was perched on the edge of Matthew's bed reading Mary Poppins. Matthew was under his blanket with his eyes closed. I asked if he was asleep. "No Mom! Keep reading please."

            Tom chuckled and reminded him he was stopping at the end of the chapter. Matthew agreed on the condition Tom promised to read a couple more chapters tomorrow night. He agreed and continued reading. I laughed softly and went downstairs so I could shower. I had gotten quite hot and sweaty while we were running outside and playing with the boys.

            I stripped down to my panties, grabbed

a clean pair and went into the bathroom. I took my hair out of a ponytail and began brushing out my hair. By the time I finished, Tom entered the bathroom completely naked. He came up behind me, wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck. He then looked around the room and said, "Wow! Nice bathroom."

            "Yeah, great master bath, big kitchen and a pool; I was sold on this house instantly."

            "When I decided to come take a shower with you I was hoping you'd have a free standing shower stall that would be big enough for both of us...I didn't expect anything like this. That shower is big enough for both of us and a few more."

            I laughed and went over to it and turned on the water. I took off my panties while I gave the water a few minutes to get warm. He followed me. The tile on the floor and walls of the shower stall were Travertine and the traditional pale brown. The shower head was in the middle and there were water handles on each side; you could enter either side as it was open on both ends. In the center was a large window like opening with columns on each side framing the garden tub on the outside of the shower stall. There was even a chandelier in the shower area itself.

            I stood under the hot water and got drenched. Tom wasted no time joining me under the water and began kissing me while the water soaked him. His lips soon wandered down onto my neck and he pushed me over to the opening. He stopped and sized it up. "Damn, if only it was a little lower. It'd be the perfect sex perch."

            I laughed as he turned me around the other way and pushed me against the shower wall. "I guess we'll just have to do it this way."

            He began kissing me again while he pinned me firmly against the wall and raised my left leg to put it around his waist. I felt him slide inside of me and I moaned into his kiss. He pumped into me for several minutes before he began pulling me down; he ended up sitting with me on his lap, resting on my shins. We kept going at it; never breaking our rhythm. After several minutes I came closer to orgasm and Tom held me tighter against his body and pumped furiously. We finally came together, moaning in unison.

            He let go of me and I got up. I said nothing, just quickly washed myself. He got up and washed himself too. When we finished, I turned off the water and got towels out of the cabinet. I handed him one as I dried off. I put on my panties and fixed my hair. He wrapped his towel around his waist and followed me out of the bathroom. I went to the closet to find pajamas; my walk-in closet was large enough that it had big dresser-like storage drawers on a couple of walls inside. It was plenty of room for the things that I didn't hang up. I passed on the short sets I usually slept in and went for a short red satin thin strapped babydoll. When I exited the closet, Tom was perched on the edge of my bed in nothing but his underwear. He looked up as I exited. Judging by the look in his eyes, he approved of my pajama choice.  I walked around to the other side of the bed and got in. I still hadn't spoken to him since we had sex in the shower.

            "Are you mad at me again?" He asked.

            I leaned over and kissed him tenderly. "Not at all. Why did you think I was mad?"

            "Well we just had some incredibly good sex and you haven't said a word to me since."

            I could feel myself blushing. "It was a little awkward. I've never had sex in a shower before."

            "Neither have I," he replied.

            I lay down and stared up at him, contemplating his sexiness. Finally I said, "Turn out the light and lie down. I'm tired and need some sleep. Those kids hardly ever sleep past eight."

            "So it's OK if I sleep here?"

            "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

            "I just thought...with the kids...you might want me in a guest room."

            "Only the older two even know about sex and believe me, it doesn't occur to either of them that their Mother does it. Besides, if you want to stay around, they might as well get used to it. They typically don't come in here in the mornings anyway. They just make enough noise to wake the dead so it's not necessary."

            He laughed and turned off the lamp, then lay down next to me. I pulled the blanket up and moved closer to cuddle. He put his arms around me and held me close. He kissed me gently and said he loved me. I was so tired that I was already dozing off to the sound of his steady heartbeat.

Chapter 7

All in a Dream: Meeting My Family (part six) RPF

        I got my Tuesday bookstore visits out the way. We had dinner at the airport in the VIP lounge while we waited for our flight to Phoenix. By the time we arrived, we were both so tired, we went straight to bed. After that event was out of the way, it was on to Dallas Texas. At my Thursday afternoon event, there were plenty of questions about the photo and Tom. I stuck to my standard reply of he was a wonderful man and that was all I had to say about it.

            Friday morning was more of the same at a different bookstore. I was there for nearly three hours. Near the end I received a text from Tom telling me he had picked up the rental car and it was an SUV. I responded that yes I knew that; it was what I requested.

            "Oh, OK. I'm outside, can I come in?" He texted back.

            "Are you sure you want to cause a riot?" I sent back.

            "I feel like being mischievous."

            "You better talk to Joanne about being able to get us out of here if you're going to do that."

            He didn't send back another message so I thought that was the end of it. Less than ten minutes later, I could hear the crowd behind me erupting in vocal noise and cameras snapping. I turned around to see the cause of the commotion. Tom was approaching with an enormous grin on his face. I stood up to greet him; he gave me a hug. He then waved to the crowd. I heard girls in the crowd chanting "kiss him."  He leaned into me and said, "You heard them darling. Let's give them what they want."

            He then kissed me on the lips. I could hear the cameras going off like crazy. He then broke the kiss, waved to them all again, took me by the hand and led me back the way he came. We made it outside safely and into the waiting SUV. I got in first and he handed me the keys. Our luggage had been loaded in already so there was no need to go back to the hotel. I followed the GPS directions to I-35 East and headed South toward the town where my family lived.

            We stopped at my favorite fast food chicken place just outside of Dallas to grab some lunch to eat on the ride. I had the Cajun chicken strips meal with seasoned French fries. Tom had ordered the mild strips with fries. He asked if he could try a bite of mine since he'd never had Cajun style chicken before. He took a small bite and immediately commented on how spicy it was.

            I laughed and said, "Of course it is, it's Cajun baby! Didn't you have any Cajun food when you filmed that movie in Louisiana?"

            "No, I can't say that I did."

            I laughed again and said, "You might as well get used to it. I make Jambalaya, Dirty Rice and Red Beans and Rice. My chili is not on the mild side either. I've got a Cajun quartet at home."

            "So your ex-husband was Cajun then? I think that's the most I've learned of him yet."

            "That's still not a subject that's open for discussion Tom."

            "He must have done something terrible to you that you refuse to talk about him. Maybe someday you'll tell me."

            "Maybe someday, but that day isn't coming anytime soon."

            I turned on the radio and we continued eating in silence. I'd sing along when a song I liked started playing. It was a classic country station so I knew quite a few of the songs. Tom just relaxed and listened to my voice. At one point he told me I sang very well, but that was all that he ventured to say. We finally arrived at the highway I needed to turn off of the interstate to get to my sister's house. They all knew I would be in today, but no one knew exactly what time. In another half hour, I pulled into my sister's driveway. Her SUV and my Mom's mini-van were both parked out front. I shut off the engine and quickly exited the rental. I didn't even make it to the porch until the front door flew open and my nieces came running outside to greet me. We hugged and everyone was talking at once.

            "I told you I'd be here for your graduation!" I told Dianna as I hugged her fiercely.

            "I'm so happy you made it!"

            I then turned to hug Andrea. "I swear you're taller than I am now! When did that happen?"

            My Mom and sister than came out of the house while Tom got out of the rental. He just stood there waiting patiently to be introduced. I rushed up the stairs to the porch and hugged my sister and Mom. I than gestured to Tom to come up the stairs. He took my hand while I said, "I'd like for y'all to meet Tom. He's my boyfriend."

            "Good to meet you Tom," my Mom and sister said in near unison.

            We all then went inside and spent the next few hours talking; catching up and talking about graduation the next day. It was during that time that my nieces figured out he was Tom Hiddleston, the actor who played Loki in the Marvel movies. They got all excited and went into fangirl mode wanting to take selfies with him. My sister started to admonish them for it when Tom said it was OK and they could do a selfie each. Needless to say both photos went right up on Facebook. They then dragged me off to their room under the guise of wanting to show me what they planned to wear. They really spent the time grilling me about how he and I met and gushing over how incredibly lucky I was and awesome it was to be dating a celebrity. I told them he was wonderful but I could do without the paparazzi. I then showed them the photos that were all over the internet. They'd both been so busy the last few days they hadn't seen them. I explained it wasn't a whole lot of fun to not be able to just go on a date without people taking your picture and yelling out rude questions that were just none of their business.

            We eventually gravitated back into the kitchen where my Mom and sister had started making dinner. I sat at the table and snapped beans while Tom was sharing stories with my sister about Scotland. I finished the beans and put them on to cook just as my brother-in-law and nephew got home. Everyone talked for a while longer while we finished cooking dinner. Tom seemed to be enjoying my family. He talked and laughed with everyone as if he'd known them all for years.

            I have to admit that not long after dinner was over and the kitchen was cleaned up, I began nodding off at the table. My Mom insisted that Tom and I take her bed and she'd sleep on the couch. I tried to argue and say I'd be fine sleeping on the couch, but she wouldn't hear of it.

            "Honey, you're exhausted and I'm going to be up for a while yet. You've both traveled a lot in the last couple of weeks and need a comfortable bed to sleep in for a couple of nights," she stated stubbornly.

            "That's definitely true. My jet lag has jet lag! I am never agreeing to another tour like this again. Two cities in one week is my limit from now on."

            I then said goodnight to everyone and went to my Mom's bedroom; Tom followed me. I realized I hadn't brought in our bags so we went out the back door and got our suitcases out of the rental. Once we were back inside, we both changed into our pajamas and went straight to bed even though it was only about eight o'clock. We were both exhausted.

            We both slept for twelve hours straight. Tom woke up before I did and went straight to the bathroom to shower and dress. I went straight to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and doughnuts. My nieces and nephew were still asleep by the time Tom was out of the shower so I went to shower and dress before they got up and started getting ready. The graduation ceremony wasn't until one in the afternoon, but I knew they would spend a couple of hours getting ready and the graduating class had to be there at least half an hour early.

            By the time I got out of the shower, everyone else was awake and my brother-in-law was making breakfast with Dianna and Andrea helping. It was sausage and pancakes; he made the sausage while the girls were making pancakes. Tom was sitting at the table drinking coffee and talking to my Mom. He was wearing blue jeans and a light blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I loved it when he wore blue shirts; it made his eyes look so much bluer than usual. I got a second cup of coffee and joined them at the table.

            The girls soon served everyone breakfast. They were very pleased with themselves when Tom complimented them on their pancakes. After second helpings, more coffee, orange juice, talking and laughter, the girls went to shower and get ready. I helped Mom clean up while Tom talked to my sister and brother-in-law. Before my Mom went to her room to get dressed, she leaned over and said, "Hang on to this one honey, I really like him and he treats you well." She then kissed my cheek and went to her room.

            I started to join Tom at the table when I was summoned by my niece to help with hair styling. I spent the next hour helping to dry and style hair while they did their own makeup. There was going to be a big potluck reception in the gym after the ceremony for the graduates and their families so no one was eating lunch. There were only about thirty kids in her graduating class; an advantage to living in a small town. Plenty of relatives and friends were expected to show up for the ceremony though. Tom was a little bit nervous that he was going to cause a commotion and take the attention off of the graduates. My brother-in-law loaned him one of his Stetsons and told him just to go up in the bleachers in the back and no one would be likely to notice him.

            When it was time to go, my Mom, my nephew Kenny, and Andrea rode with us in my rental. Dianna went with her parents about fifteen minutes before we left. Mom led the way to the school gym where Tom and I went in as quickly and casually as we could manage. I immediately saw where they had it marked for the guests to sit, so I led Tom all the way to the top of the bleachers. No one paid any attention to us. There were very few people sitting all the way up there even as it got closer for the ceremony to begin. Most people wanted to be closer so they got the best camera angles for pictures. Tom just didn't want to draw attention to himself because the event was about my niece and her classmates. He tried to get me to go down to where my family was sitting, but I refused to leave him there alone. Besides, a man sitting there alone might draw more attention than if he were with someone. I also had a zoom on my camera so my pictures would turn out just fine.

            We made it through the ceremony without drawing a crowd. When it was over, I asked Tom if he wanted to leave. He said it was fine to stay now that the ceremony was over; he just didn't want to cause a problem before or during it. We caught up with my niece and I hugged her and congratulated her; she introduced us to her friends. We all got something to eat. Some of the people caught on to who Tom was and shyly asked for autographs or selfies. He ended up posing for a picture with the entire graduating class. Dianna was on his right while her best friend was on his left. He actually had a good time socializing with everyone. No one was rude or did anything inappropriate.

            It was almost sunset by the time we went back to my sister's house. We all sat around on the back porch and in the yard drinking beer and wine coolers, eating leftovers, listening to music and talking until midnight. Once it got dark, the torches and bonfire got lit. Tom got a little tipsy and was dancing in the yard with my nieces and a couple of their friends who had come over. He finally convinced me to join them so we were all dancing in the firelight like a group of drunken idiots.

            When we finally went to bed that night, I don't know if Tom fell asleep or passed out. The last thing he said to me before he was out was that my family was great.

            He slept until almost ten the next morning. I was up by half past eight. Mom was the only other person awake. She and I sat at the kitchen table talking and drinking coffee. I told her all about how Tom and I had met on the flight from Atlanta to New York City and he ended up staying with me because he didn't think I should travel alone. I told her about all of the long conversations we'd had, how he couldn't wait to meet my kids, how much we had in common, and what a wonderful man he was. I left out how much sex we'd had. My Mom asked if I was in love with him. I said I didn't know for sure yet, but it sure seemed to be heading in that direction. She told me to be careful and not make the same mistake I'd made before. I assured her that Tom was entirely different from my ex-husband. He was kind, considerate, compassionate, ambitious, and genuinely cared for me. There was no way I was repeating that mistake with Tom. My Mom just reminded me not to rush into anything this time.

            It was then that Tom woke up and came into the kitchen. He immediately got a cup of coffee and joined us at the table. He was still in his t-shirt and pajama pants; he hadn't bothered to get dressed. The three of us sat there and talked for a while. Other people gradually began waking up and coming out for coffee or orange juice.  We soon had breakfast and then Tom and I went to shower and get dressed. We spent the day relaxing while my nieces and nephew went to hang out with their friends. My sister had to work that afternoon and my brother-in-law went to help his brother with something. Tom and I watched movies with my Mom. Since no one was going to be home for dinner, we just had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Tom and I ended up going to bed by nine since we would have to leave early in the morning.

            We were up at five the next morning and showered and dressed. Mom got up too so she could say goodbye. We packed everything and put our luggage in the rental. We then spent almost half an hour having coffee and doughnuts before we left. It was nearly a four hour drive to Houston and I wanted to be there by noon or a little after so we would have time to get lunch before I had to be at the bookstore for two. Mom and I finally said our tearful goodbyes and I climbed into the giant black rental SUV to drive to Houston. Tom promised I would be back to visit soon and bring the boys. He'd make sure of it. We finally pulled out of the driveway and onto the highway to make our way to I-45 South to Houston.

            We arrived at the bookstore shortly after noon and found a restaurant nearby to have lunch. We took our time and had a pleasant lunch together. He kissed me before I went off to the bookstore, promising he'd find a way to amuse himself without drawing a crowd. This session was rather uneventful. Apparently our photo was old news to most people because only a handful of people said anything to me about it. Two-in-a-half hours later, we were on our way to the airport where we'd turn in our rental to take a short flight to New Orleans. It was a little over an hour by plane while it was over five hours to drive.

            Since our flight was at six, we decided to wait until we were in New Orleans to have dinner. There was a restaurant there called Saints & Sinners that I wanted to try so Tom made reservations for eight-thirty while we sat in the VIP lounge. It wasn't long until we boarded since there were no delays. I ended up falling asleep with my head on Tom's shoulder for the whole short flight. We went immediately to our hotel to check in and took our bags to our room. I checked the map on my phone and discovered we were only a block away from the restaurant so we decided to walk. We had twenty minutes to get there so I didn't have to time to change into Tom's favorite dress. I was still wearing the burgundy button down, three-quarter sleeve blouse and black pants I'd put on at half past five that morning. We headed out to walk to the restaurant. I was grateful I was wearing low heeled loafers and not my four-inch high heeled sandals since Tom was walking quickly through the crowd. He held my hand tightly and I tried to stay close so we wouldn't get separated.

            We made it in to the restaurant in time and didn't have to wait long to be seated. Tom ordered his usual glass of red wine while I had a hurricane. I convinced him to try the red beans and rice with sausage which was what I ordered. We enjoyed our dinner, drinks and more conversation. This was the last stop and our last night in a hotel room alone together. Tomorrow night I would sleep in my own bed. Tom was actually a bit nervous about meeting my kids. He would only be able to stay with us for a couple of weeks before he absolutely had to go to London to take care of some business. He promised me it wouldn't take more than a week; two at the absolute most, but he thought that was a stretch. He would then be free to spend the rest of the summer with us. He had no obligations until the second week of September where he would spend ten weeks filming a movie.

            "Ten weeks? What exactly are those dates?"

            "September fourteenth until November twenty-third. Why Darling?"

            My heart sank. I thought I was finally going to have someone to spend my birthday with. I could feel myself tearing up, but I didn't want to make a big deal about it and I certainly didn't want to make him feel bad about it. I replied as casually as I could manage, "No reason. I just wanted to know the exact dates. I wasn't joking when I said I'm an obsessive planner."

            We had finished eating. I took the last of my drink in a generous gulp. "Are you finished? Can we go now?"

            "Yes, I am," he replied as he signaled to the waiter who had already brought our check some time before. Tom had slipped his credit card in the folder already.

            The waiter took it and returned shortly with the receipt for Tom to sign. He scribbled his signature, took his card and the other receipt while I got up and headed for the door. The waiter thanked us for our visit and wished us a good night. I was out the door ahead of Tom. He caught up to me quickly and grabbed my arm. "What's wrong Darling?"

            "Nothing at all, what makes you think something's wrong?"

            "I'm not a total moron..." he then froze mid-sentence. I could see the revelation dawning in his eyes. He went on, "Oh Darling, I'm sorry; your birthday is on the fourteenth."

            He took me in his arms and hugged me to him. "Don't worry sweetheart, we'll still celebrate. Your birthday is on a Saturday, so maybe you can get someone to watch your kids and you can fly out to be with me for the weekend. Their father gets some weekends with them right?"

            "Yes, he does."

            "Well maybe he can take them that weekend and you can fly to London on Friday morning, or Thursday night and we can spend the whole weekend together. Does that sound like a birthday plan?"

            I smiled and kissed him. "It sounds like a wonderful plan. You and England on my birthday; it just may be the best birthday I've ever had."

            We then walked on to our hotel. We were no sooner in the room with the door locked than Tom started kissing me and undressing me. Once he had me naked and on the bed, he undressed himself and lay next to me with his upper half on top of me and continued kissing me. Eventually his lips wandered onto my neck and down to my breasts. He spent a good deal of time wandering between the two, kissing, licking and sucking. Finally his lips moved on south until they reached my pelvis. I spread my legs wide and felt his tongue slide over the shaved folds of skin until it slipped between them to caress that little nub that gave me such intense pleasure. He fondled and teased it with his tongue for quite some time. Eventually he brought me to an intense orgasm that had me moaning loudly. He sat up on his legs, grabbed my bottom and lifted me up. I wrapped my arms around him as he pushed me back against the headboard of the bed. "I thought we'd end this in the same position we started it," he whispered in my ear.

            He then plunged himself deeply inside of me and I moaned loudly. His thrusts were hard, fast and deep. I couldn't help but keep moaning as he hit every place inside of me that felt good. He kept it up for quite some time before he came close to his orgasm and really began pounding me furiously. The bed actually banged against the wall with every thrust he made. His body was lightly covered in sweat. I screamed his name as my body erupted in the most intense orgasm I'd had since we'd begun having sex. His soon joined mine and he loudly moaned my name too.

            We both sort of slid down the bed and collapsed onto our backs. He was breathing so hard he couldn't speak. I rolled onto my side and put my left arm around him; I could feel his heart racing still. After several minutes, he finally managed to say, "That was by far the best one yet."

            I giggled and said, "Yes it definitely was."

            I kissed his cheek and then reached over him to turn off the lamp. It took a bit longer than usual, but I could tell by his slower breathing he had fallen asleep. I laid my head on his chest and soon fell asleep too.

Chapter 7

All in a Dream: San Francisco to Los Angeles (part five) RPF

We slept in since it was my Sunday off. When we finally awoke, we made love then had a leisurely breakfast. We eventually made our way downstairs to the waiting limo that would take to us to a park near the ocean. Tom had made the car arrangements since neither of us knew our way around the city. We spent over three hours walking along the surf and sitting in the sand talking. We discussed our lives and our families. I told him all about my wonderful sons who were with their father while I was on this tour. He asked about my marriage, but I still refused to discuss it; it was still too painful. He wisely chose not to pursue the issue. I also let him know that while we were in Dallas I would be driving down south to attend my niece's high school graduation. He was actually looking forward to meeting some of my family.

            We left when Tom informed me that my arms were looking a bit pink. I laughed and told him that his face was too. Since we skipped lunch, we stopped at a bakery on the way back to the hotel and purchased an assortment of pastries. I ate a cream cheese and apple filled one in limo.

            At the hotel, we watched television, talked more and then took turns showering and getting ready to go out for dinner. He had made reservations for six at a restaurant just a short walk from our hotel. If anyone was going to photograph us together, this would be the perfect time. We had a private dining area, just like when we'd had lunch. I enjoyed spending time talking and laughing with him. No man had ever made me so happy in my life.

            Nearly three hours later, we returned to the hotel, made love yet again and fell asleep entwined together. We would have to get up early to catch our flight to Los Angeles. I was only scheduled to be there Monday and Tuesday; my flight to Phoenix Arizona was Tuesday evening at eight o'clock. I would be in Dallas by Thursday morning and by Friday evening I would be at my sister's house. My niece's graduation was Saturday and I didn't have to be in Houston before Tuesday morning. I was planning to rent a car and drive Monday because it wasn't that far. Tuesday night was a short flight to New Orleans and Thursday morning was a short flight to Orlando. I would be home in time for my youngest son's fourth birthday.

            We made it to the airport without incident and were waiting in the VIP lounge for our flight to be called. "Well Darling, it looks like we're internet stars again," Tom stated before showing me a photo someone sent to him from Instagram.

            It showed the two of us walking hand in hand on the beach in San Francisco. You couldn't clearly see our faces as it was a full body shot. I shrugged. "You can't even see my face. Is that the best they could do?"

            Before Tom could respond we heard the announcement that our flight was now boarding. We collected our things and went to the gate. We stood nonchalantly in line, with him behind me but not touching me or anything. We sat together on the plane of course; Tom reassuringly held my hand as usual. I was grateful it was a short flight. I still hated planes. We were in the limo on our way to the hotel when I got a call from Joanne. She said nothing about the photo, but told me my morning bookstore event was cancelled so I was free until three o'clock and to enjoy my hotel.

            I hung up the phone and turned to Tom, "It looks like we're together until this afternoon. 

Apparently the bookstore I was supposed to be at this morning had an electrical fire last night and the place got pretty messed up. It was too short notice to change venues so they just cancelled it. I'm free until three."

            "Oh, well, I'm sorry their place got messed up, but I'm happy for extra time with you."

            We arrived at the hotel. When we got out I realized it was beachside. That's what Joanne meant by "enjoy your hotel." We checked in and went to our third floor room. It had a beautiful view of the ocean. I wasted no time going out onto the balcony. Tom soon joined me. "So shall we spend the morning on the beach?" He asked.

            I grinned. "Sounds like a wonderful plan to me!"

            I rushed back inside and hurried into my swimsuit. It was a pink, black and white Hawaiian floral print bikini; I wore a hot pink surfer's rash guard shirt over it. I told Tom I had burned my back so bad the summer before I had blistered, so I always wore one of these shirts now. He helped me put on sunscreen too. When we got downstairs, we discovered a beachwear shop in the back of the lobby, so we stopped in and purchased beach towels. The hotel provided lounge chairs for guests.

            We spent the morning having fun in the water. I told him someday I was coming back to the Pacific Ocean to learn to surf. We left at noon so we could have time to shower and eat lunch before I had to leave at two; this bookstore wasn't too far from the hotel.

            This time I had a surprise at the bookstore. Someone had taken a photo of Tom and I on the beach where our faces could clearly be seen and plastered it all over social media. I was getting congratulations and questions about dating Tom from nearly everyone I met. I would simply reply that he was a wonderful man and that was all I had to say on the subject. I was grateful when the two hours were over and I was on my way back to the hotel.

            When I got to our room, Tom kissed me and said, "Looks like the word is out my love."

            He handed me his phone and showed me the picture. It had clearly been taken just before we left when we were walking back to the lounge chairs holding hands. Our faces were clear in this picture. I was surprised none of my friends had sent it to me. I then realized I still had my phone on silent from the flight. I picked it up and looked at it; I had fourteen text messages and four voice mails. I went through all of my messages. Yes everyone had seen the photo; it was all over every social media site on the planet. Joanne was insisting I say something about it. What in the world was I supposed to say? Yes I met Tom Hiddleston on a flight from Atlanta to New York, we talked and he decided to join me and screw my brains out on my book tour. Why was it anyone's freaking business? If I want to bang Tom Hiddleston, then I should be free to do it for as long as he's willing to. If I end up marrying the man, that's our business too.

            "Joanne wants me to say something about it," I stated.

            "My agent feels the same," he replied.

            "Why is it the public's business?"

            "It's not Darling," he replied, then kissed me.

            I sent Joanne a text message that said, "It's not the public's freaking business. I refuse to say a thing on the matter."

            She responded within minutes. "So our official position is that we don't have one?"

            I texted back, "My official position is the general public can kiss my ass and mind their own damned business. I do what I want!"

            She just texted back OK. Tom had been reading it over my shoulder and he burst into laughter at my last text. "I knew there was something about you I loved. It's not just that beautiful body either!"

            I smirked and said, "Shall we get ready for dinner?"

            "Of course we should. I'm starving. No more hiding than my love?"

            "No, not that I really was to begin with; people are going to do what they're going to do and I just really don't care. I get to be with you and that's what matters to me."

            "I rather like that attitude. Let's get ready to go out. Will you wear that black sleeveless dress for me again?"

            "It was the nicest dress I brought. I didn't really anticipate going out much; I don't even know what possessed me to bring it along, but I did on a whim."

            "I'm glad you had that whim."

            I then took the dress and went into the bathroom to wash my face, change and apply some makeup. He changed into a suit while I was in the bathroom. When I emerged, he let out a low whistle of appreciation then took me into his arms. "You look absolutely stunning. That dress shows off all of your curves and your cleavage very nicely. You smell wonderful too; Obsession again?"

            "Of course dear; it's my favorite fragrance."

            He released me from his embrace so I could put on my heeled sandals. We then left our hotel room. On the ride he told me he'd already made reservations at the restaurant we were headed to while I was at the bookstore. He'd been there a few times before when he was in town and assured me I would like it. When we got out of the limo we were greeted by a couple of photographers snapping pictures of us like crazy as we walked to the door. They must not have known who I was because they kept screaming out "Tom, who's your new girlfriend?"

            He ignored them as he took my hand and led me inside. I gave them the most arrogant "eat your heart out" look I could muster. If they were going to plaster my photo everywhere, I might as well make people jealous. This restaurant actually had a VIP section for anyone who could afford it. I recognized a few other celebrities seated at other tables. I casually followed behind Tom to our table as if I did this sort of thing daily and was not at all impressed by the people I was surrounded by. Inside I was practically fangirling like a teenager. I got a few approving stares and smiles from men I walked passed; some liked the view so much they turned to see the other side as I walked past. At least that was how it appeared in my peripheral vision as I refused to turn and look. I also heard the sound of a few of those men getting lightly slapped.

            We were soon seated and browsing the menus. After placing our orders, Tom sat sipping his wine, while I was drinking water.

            "I'm sorry about the paparazzi outside Darling."

            "Why are you apologizing? Did you call them and tell them where you would be dining tonight?"

            "No of course not."

            "Then it isn't your fault and you have nothing to apologize for. I'm sure we'll be old news in a few more days. Some pop music diva is bound to do something incredibly trashy that will get her gobs of attention and everyone will forget all about you."

            "Don't you mean us?"

            "No, I mean you. They didn't even know who I am."

            "Does that bother you?"

            "Why in the world would it bother me? I don't care if people ever connect the dots and put us together. I care more about what you think of me than complete and total strangers."

            "I think you're a wonderful woman and the more I know about you, the more I love you."

            "The feeling is definitely mutual," I replied.

            He then moved on to asking me about my niece and her upcoming high school graduation so we discussed my family until our food arrived and for a good deal of the time we were eating. I loved talking to him. He actually listened to me and asked thoughtful questions. He never once made me feel boring or dumb.

            Once we finished our dinner and walked outside, we were relieved to find the paparazzi had left. We got in the limo and headed back to the hotel. I asked if he was sure he wouldn't rather go out to a club or something.

            "We can if you want to Darling, but I rather like having you all to myself in the evenings. I enjoy the quiet of watching movies and cuddling or having conversations; just the two of us. Then making love and going to bed. I know all of this hopping from one city to the next so quickly must be very tiring for you."

            "Yes, it is rather tiring. I enjoy time alone with you as well. I've never been a fan of noisy clubs to be honest with you. I've never really been a party girl. The theater and opera are loud enough for me. I'd much rather curl up on the sofa and watch movies or have a hot cup of tea and read."

            He silently stared at me for several minutes. I was getting uncomfortable so I finally asked if everything was alright. He replied, "Oh, it is fine Darling. I just think I've met the woman of my dreams."

            We kissed passionately. We then arrived at the hotel and went up to our room. We both changed into pajamas and curled up on the sofa to find a movie to watch. It was the perfect end to a perfect night. I even went so far as to tell him so when the movie was nearly over. "Oh we're not at the perfect end yet Darling," he responded.

            The movie was soon over. "So what is the perfect end then?" I asked innocently.

            He picked me up and carried me over to the bed and made love to me. When it was all over, sometime later, he kissed me tenderly and said, "That was the perfect end my love."

            We kissed again, and then I fell asleep with my head lying on his chest.


Chapter 6