A Place to Belong Ch. 03

As Ty's weigh dropped down onto Marti, she felt the tension draining from his body. Barely able to lift his head, Ty said, "I like your new look baby." Then he drifted off to sleep.

Marti lay under Ty, enjoying her own release. The comfort of the moment caused her to close her eyes, promising herself it was just for a moment.

When Ty and Marti woke up, it was well after dark. They decided it was time for supper. After a quick shower, Ty helped Marti back into her new outfit. During the process, he told her how much he liked her hair and how beautiful she looked. He also explained that he had really considered taking her right there in the bar, but was afraid Janice would fire him. Marti knew Ty was teasing, but it was nice to hear him say it anyway.

After dinner, Marti and Ty sat down together on the couch to watch tv. After a few shows, when she realized how late it was, Marti started to get her things together to leave. But before she could go, Ty asked her if she would like to spend the night with him. Marti was a little surprised. She had never stayed overnight at his house. Realizing that there was really no reason to say no, Marti happily accepted. She had plenty of clothes since Micki had given her so many that afternoon. And Ty had already given her an extra toothbrush earlier -- so all the basics were covered.

With a strong feeling of rightness, Marti sat back down and let Ty draw her back into his arms. It had been a really good day and it felt really nice to end it right where she wanted to be.

Over the next few weeks, Marti and Ty spent every possible moment together. In fact, the only time they weren't together was when he had to work for Janice. Ty had helped Marti begin working on the small loom he had bought her and she had actually finished a few small neckbands. They weren't perfect, but Marti loved the intricacies of the process.

It was during one of Ty's photographic assignments, though, that he and Marti found something even more appealing to Marti. The assignment sent them to a nearby town, taking pictures of their newly opened historical district. This particular "village" was set in the time period of the early settlers from England. There was everything there from a blacksmithing area to a restored school house. But the thing that most interested both Marti and Ty was that almost every house had a loom -- a full sized floor loom, used to make blankets and bed covers.

Marti watched, fascinated, as the women working the looms used the shuttle to create patterns in the material. It didn't take long for Ty to find out where the looms had been built. Almost as soon as they were finished taking the photographs, they set off to find the loom maker.

It took a few visits before Marti found the loom that she wanted. It took a few more visits before she got the hang of the entire process. But once she did, she knew she had found something she really enjoyed. Ty bought the loom for her and set it up in one corner of his large living room. In the evenings, Marti would often sit at the loom as Ty worked with his photographs, developing the pictures, sorting the negatives and processing the results of his efforts.

Although Marti sometimes went back to her apartment, it was becoming more and more depressing to do so. She loved being at Ty's house where she felt more free and open. She had continued to visit with Janice and Micki at least once a week. And it just seemed to Marti that more and more of her new life was where ever Ty was.

Even their families were becoming more and more enmeshed. Marti's father had met Ty several times over the course of their relationship. He had been a bit suspicious of Ty at first, questioning his motives. But, in time, Hugh had come to respect Ty and had genuinely seemed to accept him.

So, it didn't come as a surprise when Ty suggested one week that Marti invite Hugh and Katie over for a cook-out. In fact, it seemed like a great idea to Marti. After all, the two couples had gone out on several occasions and had really enjoyed each other.

On the following Sunday afternoon, Ty set up the grill and got the meat ready as Marti put together a salad and some bread. Hugh and Katie arrived in mid-afternoon. Katie and Marti had discovered that they both loved to fix desserts, so Marti was pleased when Katie showed up with a bag full of ingredients and a new recipe. They headed off to the kitchen while Hugh settled into a lounge chair to have a beer with Ty.

After a delicious supper, the four of them sat around the table, sharing stories from their lives. Katie had worked as a flight attendant and could tell amazingly funny antidotes. The more time Marti spent with Katie, the more she knew why her dad had fallen so hard for Katie. She was a delightful person.

When it was time for them to leave, Hugh kissed Marti on the forehead. He looked down at her and opened his mouth, then shut it. Marti looked at him in confusion. "What's the matter, Dad?" she asked.

"Nothing dear. I'm just really happy for you, that's all. I was so worried when you left the mill. But you look so good. You have so much more self confidence and you seem so much happier," Hugh said. Then he squeezed her tightly to him and kissed her again before turning to leave.

As Ty and Marti waved to Katie and Hugh, Marti wondered what was going on with her dad. She turned to ask Ty if he knew, but stopped when she saw that Ty wasn't looking at the disappearing taillights of her dad's car. He was staring directly at her. And he was staring intently at her.

"Marti, I need to talk to you," Ty said, in a very serious voice.

Marti completely forgot her concern about her father. "What's wrong, Ty?" she asked.

But instead of answering, Ty took her hand and led her back into the house. Sitting down on the couch, he pulled Marti down beside him. Turning his body to face her, he took her hands in his. "Marti, remember back when we first met and you offered to be my mistress? You said you would stay with me as long as I wanted and all? That you didn't want any permanent commitment? And that when it was over, it would be ok?"

Marti hadn't realized that it was possible to feel like your heart was physically breaking. In all her wildest dreams, she hadn't seen any sign that Ty was growing tired of her. She hadn't been paying enough attention -- how could she have missed this? Blinking her eyes furiously to keep the tears at bay, Marti could only stare at Ty. Thousands of thoughts flooded through her mind. How could she ever have thought Ty would want to stay with her forever? What was she thinking? Her insecurities came crashing around her, making her want to scream in pain. It was too much. How was she supposed to handle this?

Trying to act as though she wasn't falling apart, Marti forced a smile to her lips. "Yes? I remember. Is it over?" She knew her voice sounded brittle, but she couldn't help it. And she would have said more, but her mind wasn't really working clearly. She stopped herself from saying anything else to keep from sounding like a babbling idiot.

Ty looked down at her hands. "Yes, Marti. It's over. I can't do this any longer."

The blood pounding in Marti's ears made her realize that she was precariously close to passing out. She didn't want Ty to see her like this, but the more she tried to pull away her hands, the tighter he seemed to be holding them. She watched in confusion as he slid off the couch. Her mind vaguely wondered why he was in the floor -- after all, she was the one who wanted to pass out and fall on the floor.

When Ty looked up at Marti she was even more confused. His beautiful eyes were shining, his lashes damp from what looked like tears. Marti tried to focus on his words as he began speaking. "Marti Hampton, from the moment I met you in that bar, I have wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I have waited patiently for you to come around. I have wooed you and I have romanced you. I have tried to show you how much I love you. But you have continued to hold me at arms length. I can't do this anymore Marti."

It was difficult for Marti to follow Ty's thoughts. She had thought he was about to break up with her, yet here he was telling her that he loved her. She stared at him, not comprehending what her was trying to say.

"Marti, Marti," Ty said, sounding somewhat agitated. "Marti, I want to marry you, silly girl. I am tired of this charade. I am tired of not being able to tell you that I love you because you are afraid of commitment. I have tried to be good and wait for you to come around, but I can't wait any longer. Marti Hampton, I love you. Will you marry me?"

Nothing that Ty could have said could possibly have confused Marti more. "Marry you?" she repeated.

Licking his lips, Ty said, "Yes Marti, marry me...."

Shaking her head, Marti said, "You want to marry me?"

Obviously holding himself in check, Ty said, "Yes, woman. I want to marry you. I had you invite your dad out here tonight so I could ask his permission to marry you. And he gave us his blessing."

"That's why he was acting so weird!" Marti exclaimed.

Ty cleared his throat, "No offense meant to your father, baby, but I've asked you to marry me. And you still haven't given me an answer."

Marti looked incredulously at Ty. "Are you sure?" When he nodded his head, she continued, "Of course I'll marry you! I love you so much!" Marti threw herself into Ty's arms, kissing him as tears of joy flowed unchecked down her face.

Marti was so excited that she barely heard Ty's next question. But she was pretty sure that the words Ty whispered in her ear sounded an awful lot like, "Can we have a baby?"

Epilogue

Marti carefully folded her latest blanket into a small square. Wrapping ribbon around the square from all four sides, she admired how it sweet it looked the little bundle looked.

It had taken a few months, but Marti had gotten quite adept at creating all sorts of weavings. She now had several looms and turned out everything from bed coverings to wall tapestries.

After winning a few blue ribbons at various county fairs, Ty had convinced Marti to sell some of her creations. He had taken photographs of her best works, helped her set up a website and suddenly, she was making money from her new pastime. And Marti loved it.

Over the course of the past year, she had made several very special gifts. But none were quite as special as the one she was holding in her hands at that very moment.

Walking through the house, she placed the blanket on the dining room table. The table was set, ready for dinner. But it was not an ordinary dinner. This was a very romantic dinner. There were candles, fresh flowers, the fine china and even the expensive crystal glasses they had gotten as a wedding present. Marti smiled, pleased with the results of her work. She moved the blanket, placing it on Ty's dinner plate. Even he couldn't miss it there!

When Ty got home, he opened the door quietly. He didn't want to disturb Marti in case she was sleeping. He was a little worried about her. She hadn't been feeling too good lately and she had been awfully tired. He had told her that he was concerned that she was overdoing it, but maybe he needed to insist on her seeing a doctor.

As he turned the corner to the dining room, he frowned at the table. Had he forgotten an anniversary? A birthday? As he raced through all the possibilities, he couldn't remember anything special about this date. Shrugging, he wandered into the kitchen.

Marti was standing by the sink and saw him walk in. "I didn't hear you come in!" she said as she rounded the counter and hugged him tightly. He never tired of feeling her arms around him.

But Ty didn't have a long time to enjoy the feeling of his wife's arms. She was too busy dragging him to the table. When he sat down in his chair, he looked down questioningly at the blanket on his plate. "Did you finish a new one? Who is this one for?" he asked.

Marti beamed at him. "Open the card," she said.

Ty saw the card on the bundle. Pulling it free, he opened the card. It took a moment for the words to register in his mind. The card simply said, "It's a girl!"

Suddenly all the pieces fell into place. Ty jumped up and grabbed Marti, kissing her fervently. "A girl? A baby? Are you sure?"

Smiling up at him, Marti nodded her head. "I love you, Ty." And standing there in Ty's arms, there was absolutely no question in Marti's mind that she was exactly where she belonged.