Love Story, Lubbock Style

On their way to rehearsal, Ali asked James if he had plans for Christmas.

"Yes and no. My family has a big meal then opens presents on Christmas Eve, so I'll be with my brother Pete—Ryan's dad—and his wife, Becky most of the day and night. Other than that, no."

"Would you possibly care to join us for Christmas dinner?"

"I'd love to, but don't you have other family in town?"

"No. All of my family is still in Oregon. I moved out here with my husband, and Lubbock has been home ever since. Hannah was born here, and it's the only place she's ever lived. We've gone back to the Portland area several times, but no, we'll be on our own unless you come over."

Ali had a standing invitation to Helene's home, but after her husband passed away it was too painful to see her, her husband, and her children together as a family. They had two boys, and neither of them got along well with Hannah, so she politely refused each time her friend asked.

"Then I'll be there," James told her.

"You're welcome to come earlier, but I don't want you to feel like you need bring a gift. Or anything, for that matter."

"As much as I'd enjoy that, I don't want to intrude on something so personal."

Hannah hadn't said anything until that very moment.

"James? You won't be intruding. I promise."

He smiled as he said, "I believe you, Hannah. I'm just not sure that's such a good idea."

He was the disappointment in her face then said, "But next year for sure."

Hannah not only smiled, she laughed. And when James looked over at Ali, she smiled, too.

"I'm going to hold you to that, James," she said with a little laugh.

In his best Groucho Marx voice and along with with a Groucho hand gesture, James said, "Well, as long as you hold me!"

It wasn't very funny, but Ali was so happy she laughed then grabbed his hand.

"What? Was that too much?" James asked as he looked down at her hand.

"It was...sweet," Ali told him.

"I don't get it," Hannah said, causing her mom and James to chuckle.

The finished rehearsing the entire first act then agreed to meet there again the following day at the same time. Ryan had an idea of how to turn a small area in one corner of the building into a hospital room and shared his idea with everyone else.

"I have a friend who sells medical devices," Ali said. "I know she has hospital supplies. Let me check and see if we could maybe get a bed and some other stuff for the final day. No promises, but I'll ask."

James was amazed by the way Ryan saw things. He was able to envision a scene the way James was able to imagine a fully designed website before he did anything. It was extremely unlikely that Ryan would ever direct a real movie, but for a 12-year old boy, he was very impressive. Even Hannah told him she thought he was a kind of 'young genius', and that sent Ryan into some kind of Seventh Heaven as he launched into an explanation of how the rest of their time would be spent.

They rehearsed each day through the 23rd then agreed to take the next two days off. They would begin rehearsing the final act on the 26 and 27th then follow up with the third act. They would take New Year's Day off then come back and have a dress rehearsal on the 2nd. Depending on how that went, they would shoot the movie on the 3rd or 4th leaving them three more days until the boys had to be back in school.

When they pulled into to Ali's driveway, Hannah thanked James then got out.

Once they were alone, Ali asked James a question.

"I was kind of wondering why you haven't kissed me since..."

Before she could finish, James answered her.

"I've wanted to. I just didn't know if it was okay to kiss you in front of Hannah. But I've definitely wanted to."

"It's okay, James. She likes you, too."

"Can I at least try and make up for it?" he asked as he leaned closer.

"Please do," she said very quietly just before their lips pressed together.

They'd kissed, but they'd never 'made out'. And this first kiss quickly turned into something close to making out as tongues soon touched then swirled as soft little moan's from somewhere deep inside a 43-year old woman who was starving for love.

When they realized they had to stop, James smiled and asked if that made up for things.

"It was a very nice start," Ali told him as she tried not to laugh.

"I see," James replied as his eyebrows lifted up a little.

"Maybe we can find some time to be alone sometime," Ali then said, a look in her eyes that told James she had more than kissing on her mind.

"I'd love that, Ali."

"Me, too," she said as she leaned over and kissed him before saying she should probably get inside.

Before James got out to open her door he said, "Would you maybe like to have dinner with me tomorrow? At my place?"

Ali's body tingled then felt like it was on fire.

"Do you mean with Hannah, too?" she asked not wanting to be too obvious.

"That would be fine, but it might be nice if you and I could, you know, be alone for a little while."

Ali's smile said it all.

"Yes, it would be nice," she replied. "And Hannah's old enough to be alone for several hours now, or she could even spend the night at a friend's house."

"Spend the night. I like the way that sounds," James said as he gently touched her face.

"It does have a nice ring to it, huh?"

He kissed her again then got out an opened her door. Ali put her arms around him, kissed him for several seconds, then asked what time she should be ready.

"How about six?"

"Six is perfect," she told him before they kissed one more time.

The next day's rehearsal called for the leading man and leading lady to kiss for the first time. It was supposed to be a brief peck, but passion got the best of them, and it turned it something more.

"Sorry," James said to his nephew while still looking into Ali's eyes.

"Are you kidding? That was perfect! That's exactly what this scene needed!" Ryan said with a ton of enthusiasm.

He was close to Hannah who said, "Your uncle and my mom make a very cute couple."

He looked up at the taller, older, beautiful 14-year old girl and told her he agreed. Hannah didn't say anything, but as she looked at him, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe one day there might be something between them, too. But when she thought about having to bend down to kiss him, the thought lost its appeal very quickly.

Hannah's best friend was very excited to have her staying over that evening, and when Hannah explained why she was there, her friend wanted to know everything about the handsome, younger man her mom was dating. James, and then other boys, became the focus of their discussion which lasted until sometime around 2am.

What Hannah didn't know was that by that time her mother and this handsome, younger man had made love twice and was now fast asleep in his arms. After their first time, Ali told James about her frantic call to Helene and how that conversation had gone.

"I totally love her!" James said as seriously as he could when Ali mentioned Helene's encouragement for her friend to 'get it'.

"Yeah. She's has some very good advice," Ali agreed as she pulled him closer again.

She later told him that it had been 38 months since the last time she'd made love.

"That's both sad and amazing," James replied. "The sad part is obvious. The amazing part is that you are so beautiful, it's hard to imagine you not, you know, finding someone."

Ali went on to try and explain how she felt about finding 'someone' and the 'right someone'.

She rolled over on top of him, smiled, kissed him, then said, "And it was definitely worth the wait."

James had some things he wanted to tell her, too, but she'd needed him again so badly that his thoughts could wait. But when she was snuggled up agains him he told her.

"I have never once wanted a woman to stay with me. And the thought of settling down or even the dreaded 'R' word, scared the dickens out of me."

Ali laughed then asked him if anything had changed.

This time, he really was serious when he spoke.

"Everything has changed, Ali. Everything."

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh."

"So being in a...relationship...isn't scary anymore?" she asked, her eyes hopeful with anticipation.

"Not if it's with you," he told her as he brushed her hair back then kissed her softly.

She smiled but didn't say anything, so James asked, "How about you? Are you over your fear of being with someone so much younger?"

Ali smiled again then said, "Considering how I still don't know exactly how much younger we're talking about...yes."

"So were I to tell I was, oh...let's say...28. You wouldn't freak out?"

"Oh...my...goodness," Ali said when she finally heard the number.

"You okay?" James asked.

"Had I not gotten such strong support from Helene, I think I might have just had a heart attack," she replied with a sweet smile as she ran her long nails through his thick, dark hair.

"So...you're okay?"

"Of course. You're young and gorgeous and..."

She ran her hand up and down his torso then added, "And so hard."

Ali looked at him then asked, "The bigger question is, 'Are you okay'?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Very."

"So the way I look at you and the way I hold you isn't enough?" he quietly asked as he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"I'm 43, James. Not 33. Forty-three."

"Is that supposed to change how I feel about you?" he asked.

The look in his eyes told Ali he was possibly hurt that she'd even needed to ask, and now she felt terrible.

"I hate feeling insecure, but 15 years is well, a lot of years."

James put his hand on her face, smiled at her then said, "Ali? Honey? I don't care at all about that. The only thing that matters is the way I feel when I'm around you. No one, and I mean no one, has ever made me feel like this before. EVER."

He kissed her forehead then gently said, "Okay?"

"Yes. Okay. That's all I needed to hear...sweetheart."

With that she was able to fall asleep happy and contented, free of the constant nagging in the back of her mind that James might be too good to be true. He was that good in every way, but more importantly, she knew that he was being truthful. She still couldn't understand how or why luck or fate had smiled on her like this, but it had, and that was something she could no longer deny.

The change in their relationship after that was dramatic. They no longer made any attempt to hide their feelings. The two of them held hands almost constantly and while they kept the public displays of affection to a minimum, they never hesitated to kiss one another for any reason.

Hannah noticed it the first time she saw them together after her sleepover, and she mentioned it to her mom.

"Are you still okay with this?"

"Mom, I am SO okay with it. Okay?"

The double 'okay' made her mom laugh then reach out and hug her daughter.

"Are you guys in love?" Hannah asked when he mom let go.

"I don't know, honey. It's very early, but I can very easily see that happening."

Ali waited for a moment than again asked, "Is that okay?"

The very grownup response surprised Ali.

"Mom? Anything that makes you smile and laugh like you did today is very okay with me."

Then for effect, Hannah again added, "Okay?"

"Yes. Okay!" he mom replied before hugging her daughter one more time.

"So are we buying presents for James?"

"You don't need to do that, Han."

"I want to."

"That's fine, just don't expect him to buy you...us...anything."

Now it was her mom who said it.

"Okay?"

Hannah laughed then hugged her mom again and told her she loved her.

"I love you, too, Hannah banana."

Even the name her daughter now hated didn't bother her at all. She was just so happy to see her mom smiling like her old self again.

After a fantastic Christmas Eve day and night with Ryan's family, Pete asked when his little brother was going to bring his new girlfriend around.

"Yes, James. When am I going to meet this mysterious older woman of yours?" Becky playfully asked. "Ryan says she's beautiful, and I want to see just how beautiful she is!"

Ryan had talked about Mrs. Summers...and Hannah...a lot, and it seemed like his mom and dad should know them both by now.

"Soon. I promise," James...promised.

"Is this getting serious?" Pete asked as everyone sipped some eggnog after opening presents.

James saw the way Ryan was looking at him and asked what was going on.

"You said not to get too serious with any girl too fast, Uncle James."

His uncle reached over and mussed up his hair again then said, "No. I told you not to do that."

Ryan laughed then said, "So...are you?"

"Yeah. I think I just might be," James told all of them.

"Well, as I live and breathe!" Becky said, a look of quasi-disbelief on her face. "James Young is falling in love!"

"Hey! He didn't use the 'L' word," Pete said, thinking he was defending his younger brother.

"I haven't used it myself," James told them, "but I gotta tell you, I think I just might be."

"Then bring her over here ASAP!" Becky told him in no uncertain terms.

"Wait. You just met her, Jimmy," Pete said.

"No one knows that more than I do, Pete. But if this isn't love, then I can't wait to find out how much better the real thing is."

His big brother stared at his younger sibling for several seconds then, with a little shake of the head said, "I'll be damned."

Ryan jumped up and ran to get the 'swear jar' his mother had set out after Pete promised to clean up his language.

"You owe a dollar, Dad!" his son announced.

Pete laughed, fished a dollar out of his wallet, and dropped it in the jar.

"That was worth every penny," he said, causing everyone to laugh.

James arrived at Ali's the next morning at 9am, something he wouldn't do for just anyone. Then again, Hannah was no longer little and waking up at 4am wanting to open presents. She was still asleep when James pulled in, and that gave him and Ali some time to engage in a little of making out, one of their new favorite pastimes.

Hannah was very happy to see him there when she finally came downstairs.

"Merry Christmas," James told her when she walked in.

"Merry Christmas," she said back with a smile. "To both of you."

They talked for a few minutes before Hannah mentioned presents.

"Oh, right. Let me go get mine," James said, surprising Ali as he jumped up.

"You didn't have to do that, James," she told him.

"I know," he replied with a wink. "I'll be right back."

Once he was back inside, Hannah handed him a box that was very neatly wrapped with a large bow on it.

"Mom and I, well, mostly Mom, bought this for you," she told him.

"It feels heavy," James said as he shook it.

"Open it!" Hannah told him as she sat down and waited.

"Are you kidding?" James said when he saw the genuine leather jacket. "This is...insane!"

"Do you like it?" Ali asked hopefully.

James stood up, pulled it on, and said, "I love it. Thank you!"

He leaned down and kissed her, and while he didn't see it, Hannah was smiling from ear to ear.

"So...your turn," he said as he handed one to Ali and another to Hannah along with a card for both of them.

"You first, Mom!"

Ali carefully opened the card, and as she read it, her eyes filled with tears.

"Thank you, James," she said after reading the words about how her presence in his life was the greatest present a man could ever receive.

"You missed something," he told her as he pointed to the bottom of the card where there was a smaller card stapled to the big one.

"The bearer of this card is entitled to one new, free website at the time of her choosing."

"Oh, my gosh! James! This is...amazing!" Ali said before kissing him and thanking him.

She still hadn't opened her present, and Ali instead Hannah open hers.

Inside there was a beautiful cashmere scarf and matching gloves in an off-white color.

"James. These are...gorgeous!" Hannah said as she threw the scarf around her neck and pulled on the gloves and struck a Greta Garbo pose that made everyone laugh.

"Can I hug you?" she asked.

"You don't have to ask, Hannah," he told her as she came over and hugged him.

"I love them. Thank you, James."

"Okay, Mom," Hannah said, the scarf and gloves still in place.

"I'm not very original when it comes to gifts," James said by way of apology as Ali unwrapped hers.

It was the cashmere sweater that was part of a set, and he decided to divide them up to avoid having to think too much.

"It's beautiful!" Ali told him as she held it up in front of her.

"Just not very..."

Ali interrupted him with another kiss, and Hannah said, "We share clothes all the time now, so we can both use all of these things."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. We love them," Ali told him, and it was all she could do not to say, "And I love you, James Young."

But she did say, "And we love you, too."

"Well, I also love you guys," he replied before pulling Hannah over to his other side and putting his arms around them both.

Ali leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "This is so nice."

"I second that," Hannah said as she did the same thing.

"And I third that," James told them, drawing a little laugh. "I must be the luckiest guy in Lubbock. I have a beautiful girl on either side of me, and I'm happier than I've even been in my life."

Ali had tears in her eyes again as she looked up at James and told him she was, too, her former life with another man she loved aside.

"Me, three!" Hannah added, lightening the mood and making her mom laugh even as she tried to dry her eyes.

"Merry Christmas, honey," James told Ali once she dabbed away most of the wetness.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," she said back before kissing him softly.

Hannah waited then pointed to her cheek.

James and her mom laughed as he leaned over and kissed it.

"And?" she asked, causing her mom to open her eyes wide.

"I love you, too, Hannah," James replied before Hannah said it back and all them hugged and laughed.

James spent the rest of the day with them helping the girls he loved make dinner then ate it with them, and later that evening they all watched It's a Wonderful Life.

Once again, Ali Summers was teary eyed, and when James looked at her she said, "It really is a wonderful life."

"With you and Hannah it, yes it is," he agreed as he softly kissed again.

****

The movie was shot on the 3rd and 4th of January as James and Ali ferried the crew around town. Ryan made smart use of a local park bench, a small stream, and some other quaint places to shoot each scene, and Ali's friend came through in a big way. The final scene looked like a very realistic hospital room where, after the leading man's cancer came back, the beautiful, older nurse who'd fallen in love with him was by his side and holding his hand when he took his final breath. Ali's tears weren't just convincing. They were real as she not only recalled her first, devastating loss, but imagined another with this amazing, younger man she now loved.

The experience was emotionally draining for her, and once Ryan called, "Cut!" for the final time, she knew she had to tell James how she felt.

"I...I couldn't bear to lose you," she said as tears continued to fall.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said as he reached up and dried her eyes.

"You better not. Not after making me fall in love with you."

"I've been in love with you since the moment I first saw you," James told her.

Ali now had tears streaming down her face, and again, was completely unaware that her daughter, and the rest of the 'crew' were watching.

"Kiss her!" Adam called out.

Without prompting, Ryan, Carlos, and Hannah joined in and started a chant.

"We can't tell our fans no, can we?" James asked the older woman he loved.

"No. They're very loyal, and that just wouldn't be right."