A New Life Read Online Free PDF

me.”
    “And, I’m not going to. It’s a surprise.” He pulled a silk tie out of his pocket.
    “Are you putting that on? Must be fancy for you to wear a tie.”
    “Yes and yes, but first I’m going to blindfold you with it. I told you, it’s a surprise.”
    It was a little disorienting riding in a car in total darkness. I couldn’t tell which direction we were headed and I even felt a bit panicked for a moment. But then, I decided to just relax and let Zach lead the way. I had to trust him completely. After about fifteen minutes we parked and he helped me out of the car. He gently removed the tie and fastened it around his own neck.
    I glanced around, trying to get my bearings. It only took me a moment to realize we were at the Four Seasons hotel in Boston. We had stayed at a Four Seasons for part of our honeymoon—we couldn’t afford to stay there the whole time—and the one real meal we ate in the restaurant was the best meal I had ever had in my life, fresh-caught salmon on a bed of wilted spinach with garlic mashed potatoes. We ate peanut butter and guava jelly sandwiches in our room for lunch and yogurt and fruit or salads in the restaurant for every other meal. We couldn’t afford to both stay there and eat three meals a day.
    I always told Zach that I wanted to go to the Four Seasons in Boston for just one meal, but it was never in our budget. “This is way too expensive, Zach. Let’s go somewhere else, there are a ton of restaurants around here.”
    “No, let’s stay. You deserve a fancy night out, Grace. You deserve to be pampered and treated like a princess once in a while.”
    “You really want to get laid tonight, don’t you?” I asked with a laugh.
    “That’s my plan,” Zach smirked.
    His plan worked like a charm. Dinner was amazing and driving home satiated and sleepy, I finally felt at ease—with Zach, with myself, with being away from Henry for more than an hour.
    “What do you say we make a little stop?” Zach asked as he pulled off the road that snaked along the shore, taking a right down toward the water, instead of a left into our neighborhood. The Boston skyline winked and glimmered at us as we drove down the small side road into inky darkness. Zach parked next to a little jetty and tilted his head toward it. “Remember that night?”
    I remembered. It was right after we got engaged. We were walking along the beach at dusk and found ourselves on this jetty. We climbed on the rocks and just stared out at the water, holding hands, not even speaking as the skyline lit up and we were draped in darkness. There was no one around and it was completely silent, except for the crickets singing. Zach pulled me on top of him and we rocked together, somehow not falling off. “I remember,” I whispered.
    “Leave your underwear in the car and follow me.”
    I was really grateful I was wearing a miniskirt; I simply pulled off my underwear and climbed out of the car. I didn’t even mind the chilly air blowing off the water, leaving a trail of goose bumps on my skin. Zach had me against the pile of rocks in a second, sliding his hand up my skirt. His finger worked into me and I let out a little moan. I felt myself softening up to him. He kissed my neck and whispered, “Just relax. It’s just you and me in this moment. Smell the salty air, feel the velvet night. Just breathe.”
    He stroked me a little more and dropped to his knees, lifting my skirt a bit so he could fit his head under it. After a moment I pulled him up. “Now.” I undid his belt buckle. I couldn’t believe I was ready so quickly.
    I unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and they dropped around his ankles. I yanked down his boxer briefs. I hadn’t felt that level of desire, that urgency, since before giving birth.
    Zach hiked my skirt up and slid into me. The tightness gave way and it just felt blissful as he lifted me. I wrapped my legs around his waist. “Oh my God, Grace, you feel so good. I’ve missed you so much. I