Eva

"Give that to Eva. It's a list of people who can finish all the jobs I was in the middle of doing."

They shared a glance. "What happened?"

I finished my coffee and grabbed my bag. "Don't want to talk about it. I'll see you later."

I'll be honest, it felt worse than my separation from my wife. That had been mutual, as we'd parted as friends. Eva had flat out accused me of cheating and... that was it. The fact I wasn't, and she had no evidence, should have pissed me off. Could have gone marching to her door and tried to talk to her. But she was that upset with me, I just didn't think she'd listen.

So I focused on my job. I was a professional, and would have continued the work at Eva's, but I didn't think she'd accept it any longer. So I just got to work on the list of other jobs. Worked all day, every day. No point doing anything else. And the less time I spent at home, the less chance my parents could ask questions. Barely had breakfast with them, made my own lunch, though Mum always made sure a plate of dinner was left in the oven for when I got back.

If I wasn't working, I was at the gym. If I wasn't doing that, I caught up with some friends I didn't see all that often. They could see something was wrong with me, and knew it had nothing to do with Emma. I must have seemed bad to everyone as even Emma was summoned to talk to me. Seeing her just made me feel even worse. But we sat outside in the backyard at my home and I told her everything that happened. Despite her being my future ex-wife, I knew she'd listen to me and not judge.

"Where the hell did she get that idea from?" she finally asked.

"I honestly don't know, Emma. Everything was fine one day, and then it seemed like, the very next, she'd convinced herself I was a complete prick and just like her ex-husband."

"How long ago was that?"

"Three weeks, I think." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know," I muttered, "I miss her."

She hugged me, and I'll admit, that did make me feel better. "You're a good guy, Mark. I don't know her, but she's obviously got her wires crossed somewhere. It'll work out," she said softly.

"I hope so."

The week leading up to Christmas sucked. I'd had all these ideas to do with Eva, really make it a big deal for her as it would have been our first one together as a couple. Those plans now laid in ruins. So I focused on work again. It was around three days before that Mum knocked on my door late at night. I sat up on my bed and said she could enter.

"You look like shit," she said, humour in her tone. Still, it made me chuckle. Then she handed me what looked like an invitation. "Just read it," she said to my curious look. It was an invitation to a party on Christmas Eva at Eva's house. That had been a bit of a tradition growing up, one household hosting a party for both adults and children to attend. They'd always been good fun. Guess tradition had continued even after most of the families had sadly fallen apart.

"The Taylor family? That include me?" I wondered.

"She said you should come along."

"Really?" I retorted, unable to keep the sarcasm at bay, "Last time we spoke, she didn't seem particularly enamoured by me, Mum. In fact, I distinctly remember her accusing me of cheating on her, then suggesting I leave her alone."

She took my hand, making sure I stood up, before wrapping her arms around my broad frame. "Please come along. All you've done nearly all month is work."

"Nothing better to do," I muttered, "No wife, now no... girlfriend..."

"Are you going to make me beg, Mark?"

She was almost pleading with her eyes. And I found it very difficult to refuse my mother at the best of times. She still had me wrapped around her finger. I sighed again in defeat. "Fine. I'll join you."

Kissing my cheek, she wished me goodnight. Once she shut the door, I laid back on my bed. I dreaded to think of the reception I was going to get. The fact she said I should attend suggested she was just being neighbourly. I figured she'd spend all night avoiding me. Frankly, it would suit me just fine.

I finished work early on Christmas Eve, walking into the house to find the family in the middle of getting ready. There was going to be swimming, so I put on my swimming shorts underneath my dress shorts, a nice polo shirt, and some shoes. Joining everyone in the living room, I wasn't excited about going at all. Must have appeared on my face, my Dad laying a hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be okay, son. Don't worry about a thing."

I had to bite back at least half a dozen comments. I didn't really want to go, but Mum had asked, and I had a feeling Dad would drag me there if I refused. Didn't feel like starting a family fight on Christmas Eve, so with a fair amount of trepidation, we walked up the street toward Eva's place.

The side gate was open, walking around towards the backyard. There were a few people already, friendly greetings taking place. Soon as they were over, I grabbed a drink and hovered in the background. I was already thinking of an exit strategy. I didn't really feel like lying under Eva's glare for any longer than necessary.

Still, there were a few blokes around, so I did end up chatting to them. What I didn't expect was the arrival of Emma, Rachel and a couple of guys. She'd sent me a message that she'd met someone, but I'd ignored it, not in the right frame of mind. I wasn't surprised she sought me out and introduced me to her potential boyfriend. Seemed like a good guy, so I shook his hand, introduced myself. He seemed to know who I was, and we ended up chatting for a few minutes. Emma watched on, smiling away.

"How are you?" she asked quietly as he disappeared to get them drinks. I shrugged. Not sure what else to say. "Have you spoken to her since?"

Couldn't help but snort at that. "She told me exactly what she thinks and feels, Emma."

"You're not... regretting..."

"No, Emma. I haven't changed my mind regarding that. I mean, I think we'll always have regrets, but no, I'm just going to... I don't know, figure something out."

I'd had a few beers by the time food was served up. I joined the line of people picking out what looks like a veritable feast. Well, I guess one positive is that I'd get to taste Eva's cooking again. I'd definitely missed that. I was just about to start serving myself a few things when I heard a voice behind me.

"Mark," it said softly.

I almost jumped out of my skin, and I noticed the eyes all looking in my direction, the entire backyard going silent. "Fuck," I muttered.

"Mark," Eva repeated softly.

I turned slowly to see her a couple of steps away, looking rather nervous. And quite upset. Any other time, I'd have taken her in my arms, reassured her, made her feel better. But my defences were up and I didn't know what to think or feel. "Thanks for the food," I managed to say.

"You did always like my cooking."

I managed a slight smile. She took a step forward, I stepped back. She noticed and stopped, looking even more upset. I could hear the silence around us, feeling all eyes on us. "Mark, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know... I know you'd never do what I said."

"But you still said it, Eva. You still compared me to him. How could you even think I'd be anything like him? The guy is an absolute fuckwit. I still remember every word you said to me, Eva. What you said about him, and then what you said about me that night. Do you have any idea how much that fucking hurt me? I thought you trusted me, at the very least. I was clearly wrong about that. I was wrong about everything."

"No!" she exclaimed, stepping forward, "Mark, I was wrong. I was... falling for you, falling in love with you, and it scared me. I was so scared to fall in love again after so long."

"Jesus wept, Eva, you think you were the only one scared? I've just left my wife after five years of marriage. Yet my one constant thought since that night we met again has been you and only you. My one constant thought since that night you visited for the first time since I moved home was you. I looked forward to every Saturday as I knew I'd spend the entire damned day just basking in your presence, and all the hard work I was putting in meant the world if I just earned a smile on your face. Then add that to the fact we were pretty much dating, definitely an item, as they'd call it. I was spending more and more time here, then add to that I'm absolutely head over heels in love with you and..." I paused. Her face lit up in a smile. Then I went over what I'd just said, and what she'd said, and whispered, "Oh..."

"I'm a fool," she whispered, stepping closer to me, "I've obviously talked to them. They all think I'm an idiot. I'm definitely a big, stupid idiot." I heard more than one muttered voice in agreement. "I just had so many bad memories, then I got scared, and I put two and two together to get six. I've missed you so much, Mark."

I sighed, running a hand down my face. "Eva, the one thing I know more than anything is just how much I love you."

"I love you too, Mark."

I dropped the plate on the table behind me and kissed her. She started to cry. I barely held my emotions in check. Fairly sure there was applause, though I think I've seen too many romantic movies. I pulled her tight to my body, savouring the taste of her mouth, the feel of her body against mine. No idea how long we kissed before we came up for breath.

"Wait here," she whispered, disappearing inside. She returned a minute later holding a small box. I noticed her hand shaking as she offered it to me. "An early Christmas present." I took the lid from the box to find a keyring with three keys. Glancing at Eva, she smiled. "One for the front screen door, one for the front door, one for the sliding door there. I'm hoping, between Christmas and New Year, that you'll move in."

"You're serious?"

"I'm tired of living alone. I want the man I love with me. Would you like to move in with me?"

I turned back to my parents. "I'm moving out again!" That made them laugh, at least.

I put the keys in my pocket before kissing her again. She leapt up so she could wrap her legs around me, both of us chuckling away as I heard conversation start up again. Resting her forehead against mine, I noticed the tears leave her eyes. "Forgive me?" she whispered.

"Of course," I whispered back, "One proviso."

"Anything."

"Please talk to me next time."

"I will. I promise. I..."

"We're both scared, Eva. It's a big thing this. You should feel my heart beating right now. Enough to put me in the ICU." She giggled before holding me tight in her arms. "Eva, as soon as my divorce is finalised, we'll talk about marriage. Deadly serious about that. That's how much I love you, and want to be with you. I'm talking rest of my life sort of thing."

"I look forward to that day, Mark."

Eva had likely met Emma at our wedding, so I figured I should probably introduce them properly. Emma was smart, putting two and two together, the fact she was Steven's mother. She gave me a look. "Does he know yet?"

"I'll let him know in the new year," Eva replied.

Emma hugged her. "Look after him for me," she said.

"Just like your new fella will look after you," Eva said softly.

"If he doesn't, Mark will surely kick his arse." Emma gave me a look. I replied with a wink.

Eva didn't leave my side for the rest of the night. No chance I was heading home that night. My sisters hugged me and Eva before Mum and Dad did the same, Mum inviting Eva to join us the next day. "I was expecting your invite. I have enough to feed him breakfast, so we'll be down mid-morning."

"Have fun tonight!" my Dad exclaimed, making me groan though Eva giggled away. I helped her clean away all the plates and garbage before she asked if I wanted a late night swim. Even better was when she suggested the swim take place without clothing.

Soon as we were in the pool, we were all over each other again. The look in her eyes told me she wanted one thing only. Sex in the pool sounds great but can be awkward, so we cooled off before getting out, patting ourselves dry, before I took her hand and led her towards her bedroom.

We made love into the next morning. Eva just wanted my cock inside her, and I wasn't going to complain about that. Watching her ride me through one orgasm then the next was certainly a Christmas treat. I thought there'd be tears. Instead, there was just a constant smile on her face, and I knew I was returning it.

"I love you, Eva," I whispered.

"I fucking love you... and your big dick!"

I would always like hearing both things from her.

Waking up the next morning with Eva in my arms was the ideal Christmas present. I let her know that, watching her turn around in my arms. She apologised, as that was her idea. She'd been desperate to speak to me for at least two weeks, but she'd spoken to my parents, everyone in the neighbourhood. She knew she'd hurt me. "I'll keep apologising until..."

I kissed her softly. "Forgiven, Eva. These are new feelings after so long. To a point, I do understand."

"You're nothing like him. I know that. I've always known that."

I cuddled her tightly, reassuring her it was okay. Might take a couple of weeks to get back to where we were but we'd get there easily. We now knew how we felt about each other. That was the important bit.

After breakfast, we dressed and headed to my place, Eva taking a bag as she'd bought presents in preparation. I had presents under the tree for the family, but once they were opening theirs, I headed to my bedroom and took a few into the living room for Eva. Her face lit up when she noticed. "I live by the theory that I should always live in hope," I said.

I'd never been big for hugely expensive gifts, preferring gestures that meant something. The one thing I did get Eva was a necklace and bracelet duo, something she could wear for me when we headed out on dates. She loved it, of course, as the stone in the necklace and the smaller stones in the bracelet were her favourites. As I'd told Mum, I knew everything about her.

Dad and I started the barbecue around midday, Mum and my sisters preparing everything else. Eva hovered near me the entire time. "What are your intentions with my son, Miss Ricci?" Dad asked, fairly sure he was joking, but one can never tell with my father at times.

"Well, once he moves in with me in the next few days, I'm going to keep him satisfied in more ways than one."

Dad almost spat his beer everywhere at the insinuation. Eva wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning down to give her a soft kiss. "Well, I think I might just have to return that idea and then some, Miss Ricci."

"God, it's a good thing you're moving out if this is what it's going to be like," Dad muttered, "Still, good to see you both so happy with each other."

"Worked out for the best in the end, Dad. Thanks for the kick up the arse to get me up to Eva's last night."

"Your mother and I knew, of course. Had to keep it under wraps. She was desperate to tell you."

"Hope it was a good Christmas surprise, Mark," Eva said softly.

"Hmmm. Waking up with Eva Ricci in my arms on Christmas morning? Trying to think of anything better.... Nope, got nothing."

The one sound I remember from lunchtime is laughter. Everyone was in a fantastic mood, my sisters were excited about all their presents, and pleased to see their big brother smiling again. Not upset I was moving out, as I was only moving up the road, so I would be much closer than before. Mum was sad I was going so soon, though understood I needed to move onto the next chapter of my life.

I started moving in on Boxing Day. Didn't take everything, just my clothes and a few mementoes. As I always took the time between Christmas and New Year to myself, I offered to restart the work I'd started. As soon as those words left my mouth, Eva dropped to her knees and thanked me with a blowjob in the kitchen. After I'd cum in her mouth, she swallowed it all down, rose to her feet and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, sweetie," she said, "I'll watch you and definitely give you motivation to work hard."

Hard at work the next day, her motivation was walking outside naked, resting back on her lounger. She stayed in the shade until the sun was nice and hot. She insisted she apply sunscreen to me first before asking me to do the same to her. No surprise I ended up eating her out to a couple of orgasms, my fingers bringing on one more, until I got back to work. We ate lunch together, made love in the garden, then I kept on working. And that was how things went until New Year, and the garden feature she wanted was pretty much finished after a few days of hard graft.

We attended a New Year's party at a neighbour house, attending as an official couple for the first time. Everyone remembered what had happened only a few days before, so there was plenty of chatter about Eva finally figuring it out, while I was asked plenty of pointed questions as to when I'd ask for her hand in marriage. They knew I was still legally married, but Emma had given our relationship her complete and utter blessing, insisting she was going to attend and be involved with the process. I think Eva fell in love with her a little bit for that offer.

"Now you know why I married her," I whispered, "But I really want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you."

"How much?"

"I am so utterly in love with you, Eva, it still scares me a little bit."

"Me too," she whispered back.

After a couple of weeks living with Eva, it was like we'd lived together for years. She learned very quickly I wasn't a lazy slob. The only thing I'd never been good at was cooking, though I had no problem helping out, and ensuring I picked up the slack elsewhere. She assured me she loved cooking regardless, and loved watching the man she loved enjoy what she placed in front of him.

Her parents visited within a month of my moving in as they hadn't the time during the Christmas break as she did have a lot of brothers and sisters. Her family was huge. I had worried about that, but she was more worried about our reunion than anything else. They knew who I was, and while there were one or two awkward questions, particularly the age gap, they accepted our relationship, accepting me into the family with open arms.

I made sure life never got dull. I worked hard, so did Eva. We both tried to keep our life exciting, though also loved nothing more than lazing around the house from Friday to Sunday night, doing little more than spending the entire time making love, or taking breaks from making love. The honeymoon phase of our relationship seemed to be never-ending. Whenever we hit even the smallest of bumps, we made sure to talk it out. Eva still had the scars, so I tried to be understanding. What she needed at times like that was unending affection, and I had no problem giving it. A lot of cuddles and kisses, and she was feeling better within a few minutes, most of the time.

At the back of my mind, I was counting down the days to my divorce. So was Eva, the calendar in the kitchen having the date of our court date circled where it should be granted. Emma and I stayed in communication, and I'm sure many would have found it strange that we invited Emma and her new partner around for dinner. Same guy I'd met at the Christmas Ever party. His name was James, and he was a top bloke. After dinner, we sat down and chatted about everything. Immediately obvious was the fact he was utterly smitten with her. Then he said something that made me laugh.

"She said if I break her heart, her soon to be ex-husband will come kick my arse. Seeing how you two are still so friendly..."

"Weird?"

"No, I've seen plenty of marriages end bitterly. Get things like kids involved and it's just ugly. Sure, having dinner and drinks, and now sitting talking to you... how long until your divorce is official?"