Wheels of Love

Jenny rolled back to the house.

"It is now or never," Liam thought, considering this would probably be the only time he would be alone with her father today.

"I know I have not known your daughter very long, but in the short time I have, I have fallen in love with her. She means the world to me. We don't have plans to get married yet, but when the time comes, I'd love to have your blessing to marry your daughter. I can promise you that I'll do everything I can to protect her and keep her safe."

"Isn't it a bit soon to ask for my blessing? Why the rush? Did you knock her up?"

"No, Miles, nothing of the kind. I love Jenny and I can imagine myself spending the rest of my life with her."

Jenny's father nodded, studying Liam closer.

"Does she mean that much to you?" he asked Liam.

"She does, Miles. I know I don't have to tell you how special she is."

"Jenny, come over here," Mr. Grant yelled across the yard.

Jenny pushed her wheelchair back to the grill. Liam instantly stood by his girlfriend, protectively placing his arm on her shoulder.

"Jenny, do you love this man?" her father asked her.

"Yes, Dad, I do very much."

"Do you see yourself marrying him some day?"

"Yes," Jenny smiled. "Absolutely."

"Then, when the time comes, I'll give my blessing for you to marry Liam."

"Marry Liam?"

Jenny looked at his boyfriend and he explained to her. "I just asked your father for his blessing."

"Really?"

"Yep. I want him to know I'm serious about us."

With a shriek of excitement and joy, Jenny stretched her arms to hug her boyfriend.

"I love you," she said. Then she looked up at her father and said, "Don't be jealous, I love you, too."

"I only ever wanted the best for you, Jen."

"I know, Dad. But you and Mom were holding on too tight. I was suffocating. That's why I chose to move out and live with Kara," Jenny said, with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, baby. It's hard for a parent to let go of his child. There are not many things that I know for sure but I know that as long as you and Kara are both alive, you will be my single-most-important thing."

"I know, Dad. Thank you. You and Mom helped me a lot. I love you both."

Mr. Grant shook Liam's hand and said, "Take good care of my girl, Liam."

Without hesitation, Liam said, "I will, Miles. I promise."

"What's going on?" Mrs. Grant asked, approaching the group with a bowl of salad.

"Nothing is wrong, dear," Mr. Grant winked at his daughter, and she mouthed 'thank you' to him.

They all sat down and had lunch.

Jenny's parents fell in love with Liam. He was his usual charming self, the perfect gentleman.

At some point, Jenny's mother took her daughter aside. "He is a keeper, baby. Does he love you, wheelchair and all?"

"Yes, Mom, wheelchair and all."

"I give him my stamp of approval. Don't let him skip away. I've been praying for you and God has answered my prayers."

"Don't worry; I won't let Liam get away. I'm going to hold on real tight to him!"

Then, Liam and Jenny said their goodbyes and left for Tacoma.

Of course, Mrs. Grant packed some goodies for them to take on their trip. As they drove away from Middletown, Jenny thought to herself, "I'd love to spend the rest of my life with Liam."

They relished Mrs. Grant's homemade cookies on their hour-and-a-half drive to Northeast Tacoma. They were careful to save most of Jenny's mom's delicacies to share with Liam's family. They talked about many things along the way, and

"Why did you ask for my father's permission?" Jenny asked.

Liam shrugged. "It seemed the right thing to do. You know what I mean?"

Jenny shook her head, "No, not really."

Liam took his eyes off the road for a second to look at Jenny. "I'm twenty-seven. You are twenty-six. You love me, I love you. Being away from you is hard. You have become part of me."

Jenny's heart soared. "I was hollow inside before I met you. You've filled me, Liam."

"In more ways than one," he joked.

Jenny slapped his arms, "Oh, you!"

The rest of the trip they talked as if they were planning a future together, and they both went right along with it. It simply felt right.

"When we get to your grandparents', where will I sleep? Who will take care of me?"

"I have it all set up," comforted Liam. "I'll carry you to bed, and my mom will take care of your personal needs. Nana can take care of you if you prefer, but Mom is younger and stronger. They also made some changes in the house for your benefit."

"Liam! They shouldn't have."

"That's what I told them, but they didn't listen to me."

"How is your Mom doing at present?"

"She is doing fine. She is taking her meds and seeing a professional therapist."

"I'm glad she is okay. I was depressed too, you know?" Jenny said shakily. "I even took medications for a while."

Liam took one hand off the wheel to squeeze Jenny's hand. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you. What I mean is that I know how being depressed feels," Jenny gulped. "You need a lot of support from your loved ones."

Liam felt a familiar pang of guilt. "I could have done more for my mom."

They finally arrived at Liam's grandparents' house. The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, two stories tall, rectangular, and well-proportioned.

"Do you like it?"

"I do. It has a certain charm."

They have built a ramp to give easy access to the house.

"Aww, how sweet of them! I already like them," Jenny exclaimed.

Liam took the wheelchair out of the trunk, unfolded it, helped Jenny to sit on it, and pushed her up the path to the front door.

"Ready?" he asked Jenny, knocking on the front door.

"Not even a little bit, but let's do it," Jenny tried to laugh, but it seemed to get stuck in her throat. She smoothed her dress nervously.

"You look lovely," Liam took his girlfriend's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Liam! So glad you could make it!" Nana cried, opening the door before they could knock.

She sounded and looked genuinely happy.

Liam's mother, was behind her, and she was smiling, too.

"You must be Jenny," Nada said, taking both of the young girl's hands in hers. "You are so beautiful. Please, call me Nana."

Jenny nodded, broadening her smile. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, Nana."

"I'm glad to meet you, too," Nana said, leaning down to hug Jenny. She was the warm and fuzzy kind of woman.

"I'm Stella, Liam's mother," she said, kissing Jenny's cheeks.

"Nice to meet you, Stella. You have raised a wonderful son."

"Thank you. Please, come on in"

Liam looked behind and saw Jenny hesitating at the entrance.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"My wheels are pretty dirty," she said in a low voice. "I don't want to mess up your grandmother's floor."

"Nonsense, floors were made to get dirty," Nana said, resting importance on it.

Wheelchair obstacles such as rugs, sofas, and coffee tables had all been removed.

"My husband adapted the bathroom of the guestroom, so you can wheel yourself alongside the bath to get to the loo," Nana explained. "He is pretty handy."

"Oh wow, did you go through all this trouble just for me? You shouldn't have," Jenny's eyes got misty.

"Not at all," Liam's grandfather affirmed. He approached Jenny and shook her hand. "We did it for us. We want you to visit us as often and as long as possible. I'm Alfred. My friends call me Fred. I'm so glad to meet you, I've heard so much about you."

"I'm happy to be here. I have never felt so welcomed," Jenny said, sincerely.

"So, what do you think?" Fred asked Jenny, opening both arms. "Did I do a good job?" He sounded a little nervous.

"I think you did a perfect job. You, guys, are awesome," Jenny easily wheeled herself into the living room.

The hours of the day flew away. They had such a happy time. They played Scrabble and Jenny finally knew why Liam was so good. Fred was extremely competitive and played a mean Scrabble game up to the end.

Jenny had never hoped or dreamed that Liam's family would accept her as Liam's girlfriend so easily. She was in a wheelchair, after all.

After dinner, Jenny glanced behind her, but the living room was empty now.

"Where did everyone go?"

"Very subtly giving us some privacy, I suppose. Do you want to see my room?"

"I'd love to."

Liam guided Jenny through a wide aisle. They came to a stop in front of the last door.

"My room," he informed her, opening it, and pushing her through.

Liam's room faced east. Shelves of CDs and sound equipment covered one wall. An acoustic guitar rested on a stand, another lay on the floor. Shelves filled with books lined another wall. A desk by a window held a laptop.

"Your family was really nice to me. They made me forget I am handicapped. They didn't look at me the way other people see me."

"You are my girlfriend and the girl who makes me happy," Liam said. "That's all they care about."

Jenny shook his head. "I was worried. I wasn't sure they were going to like me. I'm disabled and I look like it."

"Are you kidding me?" Liam exclaimed in surprise. "Andrew's words are still messing with your mind?"

"Sadly, I'm not kidding," Jenny gently bit her bottom lip. "I can't tell you how much what he said fed into my insecurities."

"Okay, you are disabled, but you are also pretty good looking. And nice. And funny. They love you, you know. They are happy I am happy with the love of my life."

"That would be me," Jenny joked, pointing at herself.

"Of course it's you, silly! Who else could be?"

"Maybe they would prefer it if you date another girl," she said. "One whose legs work."

"Can't you get it into your thick skull that you are the one that I want!" Liam said firmly.

As the words left his mouth, he realized the truth in them. He didn't want to date any other girl. The truth, which he just realized that second, was that there was only one woman he loved.

And he was looking right at her.

"Liam..." Jenny started saying.

"Just shut up," he said to her. He lifted her from her wheelchair, gently lowered her into his bed, and pressed his lips against hers.

Jenny tasted his breath, warm and sweet, as he pulled her closer to him and ran his palm up her back and into her hair.

"Darn, Jen," he breathed, when their lips separated for a second.

"I know," Jenny said.

She had kissed a lot of guys in her life--not hundreds or anything, but a lot, for sure. And of all those guys, this was the most intense kiss she had ever been a part of. Her lips were tingling and she could feel herself shaking, her heart slamming in her chest like a hammer.

They fitted together so well, that she barely noticed that Liam's twin bed was only big enough for one person.

Maybe part of it is that they were in Liam's bedroom. It made the whole thing feel illicit in a way she hadn't felt in many years. She knew that any second, Liam's mom or grandparents could do the old one-knock-and-enter bit and catch them making out. Somehow that knowledge fueled the intensity, and suddenly they were ripping each other's clothes off.

They kissed a little bit more and then Jenny felt Liam spreading her legs. She felt herself tingling all over with excitement because she knew what he was going to do. She had never had a guy go down on her.

Jenny was trembling with anticipation by the time his tongue finally made contact with her clitoris. She didn't know what in hell Liam was doing down there, but it was the most incredible thing she had ever experienced.

Liam kept her on the delicious brink of orgasm for so long that when she finally came, it was an explosion of pleasure, like nothing she had ever felt before.

And just as the first waves of pleasure ebbed, Jenny felt another explosion coming, then a third.

When Liam finally lifted his head, Jenny was drenched, literally drenched, with sweat.

"Sorry, I'm all sweaty," Jenny said.

"I don't care," Liam said and kissed her on the lips and her sweaty neck and shoulder.

Jenny loved Liam's naked body. It might not be as perfect as some other guys, but she loved it because it was his.

They made love once and again, and then again until they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

***

When Jenny woke up the next morning, she didn't remember falling asleep. She lay in bed waiting for the haze to go away.

Liam was still asleep. He looked adorable. His hair was sticking up in all directions. He didn't snore, but Jenny could hear the sound of his deep breathing. She felt like she could watch him sleep for hours, but then she suddenly caught sight of the digital clock in the room reading 9:15 AM. She instantly flew into a panic.

"Oh, my God!" She practically screamed. "It's morning! I stayed here all night!"

Liam didn't react at first, because he was asleep. He rubbed his eyes, and then finally said, "Huh?"

"It's morning," Jenny repeated. "I spent the night in your room."

"So?"

"So..." she shook her head. He didn't seem to get it. "I don't want your grandparents to think I slept with you."

"I think they figured it out when you didn't go to your room last night."

"It's still weird."

"Jenny, I'm pretty sure my mother and my grandparents know we are having sex."

"Maybe, but not under their roof."

"Hey, this is my home, too."

"Maybe so, but it doesn't feel right to rub it in their faces. Help me to go back into my room. I can shower there. Maybe they won't notice."

"That doesn't seem very likely. Nana wakes up at like seven AM every morning to start breakfast."

"Damn!"

Liam could see the inner turmoil in her eyes, so he said, "I'll escort you to your room."

Jenny got back in her wheelchair, and slipped on a T-shirt and jeans. Liam was always amazed at how quickly she could get dressed.

Naturally, Liam's mother picked that moment to do the old one-knock-and-enter routine.

"Liam," she was in the middle of saying, "I washed your--"

And then she just stopped talking.

Jenny couldn't even bring herself to look up at Liam's mother.

"Jenny, I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I didn't know you were here!"

"Um, yeah," was all Jenny could manage to stammer. She couldn't believe she was 26 years old and she just got caught sneaking out of her boyfriend's room.

Liam looked at his mother, and said in a low voice, "Mom. We need some privacy."

"Yeah, sure. I'm sorry. I should have knocked. I'll be in the kitchen. Will you join us for breakfast?" Liam's mother asked, with evident embarrassment.

"We will, but we need to shower first," Liam said with a laugh.

"I'll go now," Mrs. Craig said, and she closed the door.

"Liam!" Jenny said. "Are you laughing?"

"No," he said, but then he chuckled slightly.

Jenny crossed her arms and tried to look angry, even though she was not. "You think it's funny?"

"Of course not," he said. He picked up her hand and held it on his own.

She gritted her teeth. "I'm going to go take a shower now."

Jenny took her time taking a shower and changing into a new outfit. The second she walked into the living room, she saw Nana sitting on the couch talking with Liam's mother.

When both ladies saw Jenny, they offered her a broad grin. They seemed thrilled by the news.

"Hi, Jenny!" Nana said, in an overly cheerful voice. "Did you sleep well?"

"I... did," Jenny mumbled. Her face was red as a tomato.

The rest of the day was full of innuendos and double-meaning jokes.

On the drive back, Liam and Jenny were acting goofy in the kind of way they hadn't acted in a long time. They just couldn't keep their hands off each other. It was annoying because Liam needed both hands to drive, but they really couldn't stop touching each other. At every red light, they kissed.

Amazingly, they made it back to Middletown without dying in a car crash.

Liam was looking at Jenny in a way that she didn't think any guy had ever looked at her before in her life. She had dated a fair share of men, but none of them had been that crazy about her, including Gordon. And she couldn't help but wonder why. Why did Liam feel so strongly about her?

"I don't get it," Jenny said, voicing her thoughts. "What's so great about me?"

"You're Jenny," Liam said, simply as if that explained everything.

And the funny thing was that it sort of did. Because it was exactly the same way she felt about him.

Liam stood with Jenny for the rest of the Sunday, and then he drove back to Tacoma.

CHAPTER 23

"These trips back and forth from Tacoma are taking a toll on our relationship," Jenny told her sister. "The last time we talked on the phone his voice sounded exhausted. He is not sure if he is coming here this weekend."

"Long-distance relationships are not easy. It is hard being away from someone you love," Kara opined.

"Yes, it is. Big time. Chatting, talking on the phone, or sending each other pictures, all of these things make me feel closer to Liam. But it's not enough. Not anymore. I want more than just a long-distance relationship."

"Okay, I could drive you to Tacoma," Kara offered. "I happen to be free this weekend."

"Thank you, Sis, but you'll end up hating me if you have to drive me back and forth."

"I would do anything for you, Jen. I love you."

"I love you back just as much. "

Liam is a great guy. He helped you to be the best version of yourself. This is the happiest I have seen you in a very long time," Kara said with a smile.

"Liam is the best boyfriend ever. I owe him so much more than what I've been giving him. I just don't know how to thank him for everything."

"Why don't you take your relationship to the next level?"

"What do you mean?"

"Turn your long-distance relationship into a marriage."

"What?! Are you out of your mind?"

"Liam already hinted that he wanted to get married when he asked Dad for his blessing."

"That's true. We talked about it during our trip to Tacoma. But it doesn't mean he is going to propose any time soon. I think he wanted to show that he was serious about us."

"Jen, do you love Liam?"

"Yes, I definitely love him."

"Does he love you back?"

"Yes, he does."

"Do you see yourself spending the rest of your life with him, having his kids and a future together with you?"

"Yes, I do, but..."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go and get your man."

"It's not that simple, Kara. For example, where are we going to live? Middletown or Tacoma?"

"You said Liam's grandparents own a big house. They even remodeled it for you."

"Yes, they did, but... I don't want to live in Tacoma, I love Middletown. I wouldn't live in a big city if I could help it. Besides, I'd be away from you and Mom and Dad, from my students... On the other hand, I couldn't ask Liam to leave his work, and his family to come to live with me here. It would be asking him to make the same sacrifice I'm not willing to make," Jenny let out a cry of despair.

"Have you talked about these things with Liam?"

Jenny shook her head. "No, of course not."

"It's time to take the bull by the horns, Sis. When things are meant to be they just happen."

***

Liam came into the house after a long, tiring week. He was especially looking forward to the weekend to spend time with Jenny.

He found that a small dining area had been set up at the end of the room. A dinner table with candles and flowers. A delicious smell was coming from the kitchen, making him realize how hungry he was.

"Mom? Nana?" he yelled. "Did any of you have a romantic dinner planned and forgot to tell me?"

"Nope, guess again," Jenny said, rolling her chair out of the kitchen. "Surprise!"

"Jenny? Wow!" Liam was speechless.

"I hope you're hungry."

"I'm starving. Where's everyone?"

"Your grandparents and your mother went away. We have the house for ourselves tonight."