* UNREQUITTED LOVES * (MIA)

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE…FAMILY LIFE

Toni was up early in the morning and Urs took care of him, then brought him back to their bed to pester his Mama until she sat up, laughing, and tickled him.

“Did your Papa put you up to this, Little Man? You are going to be just like him, I can tell already…that grin and the twinkle in your eyes when you’re up to something.”

Urs had vanished into the safety of the Loo and poked his lathered face out the door to grin at her.

“I taught him all the good stuff he knows. Get used to it, Love.”

Toni spotted his Papa in the Loo doing something that looked like it might be fun and reversed to slide off the bed, landing with a thump on his padded bottom then laughing as he picked himself up and toddled off at a swift waddle to join Urs.

Mia smiled as she rose and listened to them, Urs chatting with the little boy as if he understood everything that was said, telling him about shaving, Toni answering in an unintelligible torrent of sounds as he stared way up at what his Papa was doing, holding on somewhat painfully to the hair on Urs’ legs.

The whole procedure soon got boring and he wandered off, spotted the toilet with the seat invitingly up {men never learn!!} and tried to reach the water to splash like he did in the tub.

“No…Scheisse…Mia come and fetch your son!!”

She came in chuckling and rescued the inquisitive little guy before he could fall head first into the bowl.

“So now he’s MY son…and if you don’t want his next word to be the S word, you better curb your tongue…he mimics everything you do, you know.”

She held the little hands under the running water in the sink then dried them off and carried Toni on her hip, back into the bedroom for her robe before heading downstairs.

When Urs came down, all freshly shaved and dressed in his usual jeans and Harley tee they were in the Kitchen and his coffee was waiting for him, steaming and out of reach of little hands.

Mia ran her hands over his smooth face and hummed.

“Nice…and you smell good too. If you monitor the mess YOUR son is making I’ll make you an omelette…Yes?”

“Deal…and some black bread toast…and maybe some wurst on the side….”

“Thought you might be hungry….those late night workouts really stimulate the appetite, don’t they?” she said with a private smile that made his body stir with memories.

He shifted uncomfortably in the chair and she laughed, feeling powerful and feminine at the same time with the effect such a simple statement could make on this man she loved.

“You’re starting to show,” he said with a swift change of subject and a smile as he noticed what he had felt earlier…the smallest of bumps on her usually flat stomach.

“I should be able to feel her soon…another couple of weeks.”

“Her?”

“Our little Sophia…I don’t know of course, but I just always think of her as ‘Her’.”

“And if she is he? Will you be disappointed?”

She turned from where she was cracking eggs into a bowl and fixed him with a look that made his blood surge to his nether regions.

“No…because then we’ll just have to keep practicing. Piers is a nice name for a boy, don’t you think?”

“Are you going to tease me all day, Woman?”

He rose from his seat and came over to kiss her until she was limp in his arms, abruptly leaving her clinging to the counter and going back to Toni who was giggling as he watched his two favorite people play.

“….and that, my Son, is how you treat naughty Mama’s,” he said as he wiped the oatmeal off Toni’s chin with a smirk.

‘Mein gott it’s good to have her back…and even the teasing is wonderful…I’ve never felt so alive, so fulfilled…’

He dragged his gaze away from her as she moved about the kitchen, humming something he didn’t recognize at first, cutting a couple of links of wurst from the large coil and dropping them into a pot of water that was just on the boil. She looked up and caught him watching, smiled and danced a few steps back to the counter…and he recognized the track and laughed….Enrique’s ‘She be the One’….

‘She certainly is!!’

He kept the beat on the table top, which was a big mistake since Toni copied him as he always did but his mushy oatmeal kind of got in the way and splattered…all over Papa and the table.

By the time Urs had restored order, breakfast was ready and Toni was finished his, munching on a nice soft peach half that he took turns eating or squishing through his fingers.

“You’ve come a long way, Papa,” Mia said as she brought her smaller omellette to the table and joined her two men.

“When Toni first tried real food it made you gag to see the mess he made…now you just clean it up without any fuss.”

“He’s getting better…next step is a ‘Spork’…Baby, this is so good…I really missed your cooking.”

“…and I missed cooking for you…you really are a pleasure to feed…none of that fancy stuff, just good wholesome food and lots of it…any requests for dinner tonight?”

“Surprise me….I have some chores to do this morning…do you need anything done?”

“Yes, actually…Matt brought in that 50 pound bag of flour and I need it dumped in the bin in the pantry…I thought once Ciara is available to watch Toni I’d maybe make some butter tarts…if you promise to share with our guests.” She added the qualifier when he licked his lips and his eyes lit up with anticipation.

“Did I hear someone volunteering me for something?” Ciara said as she and Matt entered the kitchen. “Leibling you look well today…being home is good for you…your cheeks are getting rosy again.”

Urs motioned them into seats and poured coffee all around, grabbing the juice jug and raising his brows at Mia who nodded yes and mouthed ‘Danke’, not wanting to interrupt Matt who was going over the chores needing done today.

Ciara bustled about getting them their usual breakfast of Muesli and toast, patting Matt on his thinning hair as he waxed eloquent about the little wagon Tobias had made and how it made bringing in firewood so much easier.

While Mia went up and got dressed, Urs hefted the bag of flour first thing when he had finished his coffee, dumping the contents in the old fashioned bin that had a crank at the bottom for sifting into another container. He had just donned his jacket and announced he was going for the mail while Matt finished his breakfast when she came back down.

“Want to come with me, Liebe?”

Just as she had the past couple of days, she paled and shook her head.

“I…I should get started on the baking.”

He held her eyes until she looked away, embarrassed because she knew that he realized she was nervous about going to the mailbox.

“It can wait…get your jacket, Love.”

Mia sighed and reluctantly went to the mud room to step into her new boots and pull on the new jacket he had purchased at the same time, this one a flame red.

He adjusted her scarf and handed her a pair of lined gloves, giving her a hug and a whispered “I’m with you, my darling…I’m with you this time.”

Normally he would have jogged but today he shortened his stride and walked beside her offering his hand and squeezing hers when she accepted. It was such a little thing…just a walk to the mailbox but he could feel the tension emanating from her as they neared, heard the sigh of relief when the paper was in the box exactly where it should be and he waited while she sorted the mail…several times, since he was fairly sure she was having difficulty seeing through the tears that had welled in her eyes.

Finally she turned to him and smiled… “There’s a whole stack of fan mail for you…and I think another contract for me. We should have brought Toni…he loves to ride out here in the sled.”

Urs put his arms around her upper body and kissed her cheeks, then her mouth, smiling when he drew back.

“One step at a time, Love…we’ll take him out to feed the deer later.”

She smiled and took his hand for the walk back to the house.

“You don’t let me get away with anything do you?...at least not for long…how did you know I was nervous about coming out here?”

He chuckled.

“It’s my duty as a good husband to know what bothers you…and I don’t like the idea of you being afraid, not of anything.”

She peeked at him from the corner of her eye.

“You aren’t a good husband.”

He stopped in his tracks and stared at her, dumbfounded….and she took advantage of his dismay by throwing herself at him and laughing.

“You’re an amazing husband, the best in the world, not just good!!!” Her momentum made him stagger, his foot caught in a rut from the plow and they tumbled backwards into the ridge of snow that the blade had left at the side of the drive.

‘She’s back!!! She’s really back…even that wicked sense of humor is back.’

Mia rained kisses on his cold, rosy cheeked face as they rolled about in the snow, laughing, trying to stuff icy white powder down the neck of their jackets, uncaring that the security cameras were trained on them and the men in the office in town were at first puzzled then amused, then the supervisor suggested moving the camera to give them some privacy since the play fighting had changed to passionate kisses.

In the snow Mia yelped as he snaked one very cold, bare hand under her jacket and sweater to touch her skin.

“I love you, but your hands are like ice.”

“And I think we’re on camera,” he said and removed his hand, taking hers and helping her to her feet.

They walked back to the house, gloves on and holding hands, talking about Christmas and the plans they had to entertain their guests.

**

Nate and Sig were early, arriving just as the little family came back from the feeding station, both wearing bear paw snow shoes and Toni cheering them on from the comfort and warmth of the sled.

Sig got out of the car and waved, then Nate popped out from the other side and both Urs and Mia gaped as they saw him. Gone was the urban attire, the knee length wool coat and furry hat, the dressy boots that wouldn’t keep feet warm in the deep snow for more than 5 minutes. He wore a down jacket, a knit toque and heavy winter boots and pants, very similar to what Sig was wearing…and on the rack above the car two pair of skiis were clipped into place, one very new looking.

“You look amazing,” Nate called out to them as they neared.

“So do you,” Urs answered with a grin.

Mia was enveloped in hugs that lifted her off her feet, Urs was greeted with back thumps and even Toni, chortling happily about the new playmates, was lifted from the sled into Sig’s strong arms and talked to his new friend in his own special language as he was carried to the house.

**

Urs took Toni upstairs to the Loo, once more trying to get him to copy this most important act of emptying the bladder, but again with little success even though Toni had his own special little potty to use.

“We’ve got about 6 months to get it right, my son,” he said as he put fresh pull ups on the squirming little boy, and washed big and little hands to cart him back downstairs. “Your Mama will have my hide if we don’t get this accomplished before the new baby arrives. I do hope that this one is a girl …then Mia can handle the potty training.”

He turned Toni loose and joined the others in the Lounge, catching the conversation as they talked about the baby due the end of January.

“Trudi is a sweet child, a very pleasant nature and quite pretty…dark hair, about the same color as Sig’s and the most striking pale blue eyes…she has agreed to allow us in the delivery room…Urs you were there for Toni’s birth…is it as difficult to watch as some of the books say?”

Urs dared a quick glance at Mia who merely smiled and waited for his answer, then he faced his anxious friends and chose his words carefully.

“I wouldn’t call it difficult…you kind of forget about a lot of the mechanics of what is happening…it’s such a miracle, seeing this little being who has been safely residing inside his mother finally coming to join you in the world…and that first gasp of life…it fills your heart so you can’t breathe, can’t see anything but the little chest expanding as he draws in a breath of air…and then the nurse lets you hold him and there’s a bond that wraps your chest with love…that never goes away….I still feel like that everytime I hold Toni. I understand now why I’m still Mami’s little boy…I always will be, just like Toni will always be my first son.”

Nate’s eyes filled with unshed tears and he clasped Sig’s hand in his, sharing his anticipation and the love they already felt for this baby who would soon be their son.

“Have you been out shopping and cleaned the stores out of baby things yet?” Mia asked with a grin.

Sig laughed and Nate blushed…and she knew that she was right, that they had done a major shopping expedition immediately after getting the official announcement of impending parenthood.

“We tried to be logical but all the little outfits were just so cute. The doctor says the baby is big so we limited ourselves to a few of the really tiny things and some bigger ones.”

“Enough to do him until he starts Kindergarten, I think,” Sig said with an indulgent pat on his partner’s arm.

Toni came in the Lounge, dragging his one armed blue teddy behind him and approached the coffee table, looked at the mugs sitting on it and stopped, looking at Urs and chanting…. ‘NO! NO! NO!’ and grinning when Urs cheered.

“Good boy!! He’s so quick…but a little forgetful so watch your coffee, guys.”

A distraction presented itself in the form of Ciara coming to collect him for his dinner.

“Cee…biket!!”

“Yes, Liebe…Cee will give you a biscuit when you finish your peas and carrots,” she said as she picked him up and returned his baby kisses on the way to the kitchen.

Mia excused herself and followed them, going to chek on the roast she had in the oven for the adults’ dinner.

“So how is she, really? She looks good, a bit thin still but certainly better than when I first saw her in the Hotel. And how are you faring?”

“She’s getting stronger every day…and I’m still plagued by guilt about what happened but Mia doesn’t let me wallow…at least not much…sometimes I feel so guilty about being away, about taking so long to find her, about the moments when I was almost convinced that she was gone…but like she says, we can’t change the past and we’re coping, making plans, enjoying each other and looking forward to what the future holds.”

“And when all is said and done, that’s all that’s important,” Sig said with a loving look at Nate and a smile to his friend.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR

The last two days before Christmas Eve was filled with laughter and activity that left them all ready for early nights…though they didn’t manage to get actually in bed until midnight each night…somehow there was just one more story to tell or one more drink to finish or the fire was just too relaxing to leave quite yet.

Sig, Urs and Nate had gone skiing at the local resort, something that Mia felt was just a bit too much for her yet, making Urs hesitant to go until she stared at him. Paco and Rianne went with them, Rianne nursing a sore ankle from slipping on a patch of ice, so she was quite content to stay on the Bunny hills with Nate while the others went up the lift and schussed wildly back down the slopes.

Mia gave Nate the box of wee baby things, a loan, she said, that they could trade back and forth since she was sure that neither of them was about to be a parent for the last time.

And Urs introduced the two parents to-be to the wonders of the baby sling, that contraption that he had carried Toni in for hours when he was very small.

“He’s too big for it now, but when he was first born it was such a relief to have him tucked up against my chest where I could keep an eye on him…I took him everywhere and he would just fall asleep and was so comfortable…I missed the closeness when he got too big and we started using the back carrier.”

Both Nate and Sig tried it with one of Toni’s stuffed animals and pronounced it an amazing invention, one they would definitely need, so Urs loaned them his, judging that he could get it back in plenty of time for the new baby in July.

When he wasn’t busy with his friends Urs was putting the final preparations in order for New Years Eve, most secret, but some he told Mia about.

He announced that the extra fireworks he had ordered from Geneva had arrived and that the technicians would be coming on the 30th, staying over in the Hotel in town while they set up everything.

“We have so much to celebrate this year… I wanted it to be really spectacular,” he explained.

The tents in the churchyard would also go up on the 30th and Pastor Deter was nearly hysterical with delight at all the preparations being done at his quaint little church. The guild ladies bustled about cleaning and polishing the antique woodwork and planning just where they would stand to watch the display…and where they would put the masses of flowers which that nice young Buhler lad had ordered from the florist, a special order that was coming all the way from Luzern, would you believe?

Christmas Eve Mia was to sing in the choir for the midnight service, so after dinner they chatted for a while then went to their rooms to change for the outing.

As soon as they got in their suite Urs pulled some papers out of his back pocket and took Mia by the hand to sit her in front of the fire on the long, red plush sofa.

“This isn’t really a Christmas present but I wanted you to have it now. Just before the…incident I had you sign some papers, do you remember? You were busy and I was heading into town?”

She nodded, not sure if she should worry or not, but his eyes were smiling and his body relaxed so she just waited.

“I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, and I was worried that you would say no, so I did it without discussion. Everything I have is now ours, our other houses, the farm, even the Production company that Nate is working on for us…we are partners, in life, in business, in everything. Please don’t be angry with me…I want you to be protected, just in case…and I want to share everything with you, with nothing held back.”

He held the papers out and she glanced at them, stunned by what he had said, trying not to think about the ‘just in case’ part of his speech.

“You tricked me?”

“Ja…but only for something good…are you angry with me?”

“Oh, Urs…how could I be angry…you are the most precious, giving person, male or female I’ve ever met. You know the money isn’t important to me or the possessions…but the fact that you wanted so much to do this is. Just when I think my heart is full to bursting with love for you, you do something that makes it fill even more…”

She placed her hands on his cheeks and caressed his face, first with her fingers then her lips, gently, reverently, making him sigh as the tender feeling of her touch filled him with pure love.

“You are my lover, my best friend, my husband, the father of my children…because you love me, my life has meaning and joy that never ends. Before you, I was a shell of a person… you gave me a reason to exist…I love you.”

They remained clasped together until the sound of Sig knocking on the door made Urs jump up and glance at his watch.

“We’ll be right down,” he called out, grinning at Mia as she rapidly shed her clothes and pulled on the outfit she was wearing to the church.

“Scheisse…where in H**l is my other sock?” he cursed as he hopped on one foot putting on the sole black sock he had found.

“Under the bed, Liebe…” Mia said as she slid hoops through the holes in her lobes and knelt to retrieve the hidden sock. “Catch!”

He tried to but unbalanced and landed on the King sized bed, beginning to laugh.

Mia retrieved the sock again, this time from the carpet and straddled his legs pulling his foot up and sliding his sock on.

“You’re a little long in the tooth to need someone to dress you, Herr Buhler,” she quipped as she adjusted her skirt and grabbed her high heels from the shoe rack.

Urs had sobered enough to stand and drag his trousers on, slid into the shirt she held for him and threaded his belt through the loops while Mia did up the buttons, not on the cuffs of course. A quick tuck in, her little hand pulling up the zipper while he worked on the buckle and he was ready.

“Let’s go…women!…why is it you women always take so long to get ready?” he said, living dangerously as they headed down the stairs and earning himself a nudge in the ribs that made him laugh.

Matt had volunteered to stay home with Toni and was in the Den, watching a video with the Monitor beside him on the table. They promised not to be late and bustled out to the Audi, warmed up thanks to Sig and, with Ciara in the back between the two men, headed out…just a bit over the speed limit, but not a matter for concern since the roads were nearly bare.

“So Urs, why is it you aren’t singing at the service?” Nate asked and Urs smiled as he shook his head.

“I will be, but only in the congregation…this is Mia’s gig and I enjoy watching and listening to her singing with the others in the choir.”

They arrived in plenty of time. Urs kissed her lightly then she left to go around the side to the choir entrance, shedding her winter boots and donning her high heels and robe as the others were doing.

The 3 men and Ciara joined the family in the Buhler pews, a few cousins, Tobias and Keeshia, Paco and Rianne and a couple of other Tantes and Onkles. They listened to the organist until he began the processional, the congregation stood and the choir filed in.

Urs watched with considerable pride as Mia walked in demurely with the others and took her place, in front since she was one of the shortest members. She glanced at him, just once, while the organist began the intro for the first hymn and he had to cough to stop from laughing aloud…the cheeky woman blinky winked at him!!

Paco caught it too and the other parishoners must have thought the Buhler brothers were coming down with something since they both had coughing fits and covered their mouths. As always the service was a celebration of the birth of the Christ Child rather than a long winded sermon, a great deal of joyous music that the congregation was encouraged to join in, the celebration of the Eucharist, another few carols and then it was over, the pastor and the choir went down the centre aisle and out into the still night, pausing on the steps to thank everyone for coming.

“It’s nice to see she’s back to normal,” Paco said quietly with a grin as they waited for Mia to come from the changing room.

“Normal isn’t exactly the word I would use,” Urs said with an equally huge grin. “She’s even more of a tease than before.”

“So being trachtig hasn’t cramped your style then?”

Urs frowned at him.

“Not that kind of tease…though to be honest no, if anything lets say it’s even better…why are you asking? Are you and Rianne?....”

“Maybe…we’ll know for sure next week…I can’t figure it out…we were so careful…most of the time.”

Urs snorted a laugh and put his arm around his young brother’s shoulders.

“It’s that ‘most of the time’ that gets you…so how do you feel about it?”

“We’re both happy…we may just elope instead of waiting for Valentines Day.”

“Tried that…sort of… and half the Canton was at our wedding in town. Remember? Make your plans and don’t tell anyone, not even Rianne…just take her out to dinner one night and keep on going. There’s a Notary in Brienz that will marry you anytime, night or day for 500 Swiss Francs…Sebold is the name…I found out after we married.” Urs fished his wallet out and passed Paco a handful of Swiss francs.

“A wedding present…just be sure you’re back for New Years Eve.”

He had seen Mia coming around the corner of the building, chatting with Steffi and laughing and stepped away from his brother, holding his hand out to her.

“Ready? The others are in the car, warming it up.”

She pressed her hand to his forehead with a serious look on her face.

“I heard you coughing…you aren’t getting sick are you?”

He took her hand and kissed the palm, squeezing her fingers and chuckling softly.

“You know why… no, I feel fine…and…” he leaned down to whisper in her ear… “ and you are going to pay for all the teasing you’ve done today.”

“Promises, promises!!” she said as she laughed and raced with him to the car, resting her hand mostly on his thigh as they drove back to the farm.

**

It had been the usual boisterous Buhler Christmas, people of all ages everywhere in the usually roomy house, food that made the trestle tables groan, the seldom used, except for events like this, dishwasher earning the space it took up in the kitchen with load after load of empty dishes and utensils, a great deal of smiling and laughing until faces actually hurt and then, late in the day, the quiet, snuggle time of sated, happy people who cuddled with their loved ones listening to the many musical family members as they sang, played, strummed or blew on instruments.

For the little family on the farm the day had started early, just as it likely did in all the households with children…here the children were all grown up but still excited and the only actual child, Toni, had not been indoctrinated into the Santa mystic yet…but Urs was determined that he learn.

Stockings had been hung, for everyone, not just Toni, and once they had been promised coffee, all gathered around the mantle in robes and applauded as Toni delved into his first ever packed full treasure trove. He caught on quickly but for some reason was more interested in some of the appealing boxes, rather than the toys which Nate and Urs ended up playing with until Mia teased them.

Then it was time for the real presents and wrapping paper was ripped or folded carefully as was the custom of the receiver…joke presents, posh presents, many baby things for the soon to-be- parents, then the gifts from the heart…Tami had been by a few days before with a small gift-wrapped parcel and when Urs opened it he felt a lump in his throat at the memory of that nap he had taken with Toni and Mia when he first brought her home. It was lovely, enlarged and faded out on the edges so the dominant image was the three of them curled up together, resting in the safety of his arms…there was an aura of peace about them and when Mia looked at it her eyes welled.

“She captured just how I feel when you hold me…what a lovely gift.”

Mia had gifted Urs with one of the few portraits she had ever done, a study of Toni and his Papa, done in acrylics from a photo she had taken of Urs and Toni on the big bed, Urs head supported on one long fingered hand, gazing with love at the sleeping form of his son…it had turned out beautifully on the first attempt with no tweaking needed and she framed it simply with a large mat and a plain silver frame.

And of course there were new gloves for riding the bike in the spring, the boots that he never seemed to have too many of and enough jumpers and other garments to cause a comment that he would need to build a bigger closet…and one small box with the tag that read…’Do not open until Midnight, New Years Eve!!’

Urs main gift to Mia made her gasp when she opened it and found box after box, all wrapped and all connected as she was soon to see.

First there was a the soft and elegant full length Silver fox coat with shawl collar and perfectly matched pelts…then a box that contained a lovely formal suit that would be perfect for the special celebration, a princess style ankle length gown in white velvet with pearl beading on the fitted bodice and a short jacket completely encrusted with seed pearls and diamante in an intricate pattern…and the first copy of his opera with a dedication inside the white leather cover… ‘Eine Kleine…an opera in two acts by Urs Toni Buhler….. Dedicated with love to my own amazing Little One…my muse, my lover, my friend, my wife… without whom I could not exist.’

Of course she cried and had to be cuddled, which he did willingly.

**

Now they were home, Toni was down for the night, completely exhausted from chasing the much more mobile cousins throughout the day, Nate and Sig had retired after hugs and declarations that this was the best Christmas they could remember for years and the carpet in front of the hearth in their suite had softly cradled them as they celebrated the happy day in their own way.

Urs pulled the old red ‘blankie’ off the sofa to cover their cooling bodies and brushed the hair back off Mia’s face, leaning his head on one bent arm as he watched her flushed face.

“I think Paco and Rianne have run off to get married,” she murmured, her eyes still closed but a smile curving her swollen lips.

“What makes you think that?”

“Mami said there were cases in behind the seats when she helped them cart their presents out…she didn’t tell anyone else, just smiled and seemed pleased.”

He laughed softly and leaned over to tickle her lips with his tongue.

“Not much gets past you two does it? I think they’ve gone to Brienz…my suggestion.” He was a little smug at having been instrumental in the Great Escape.

Mia opened her eyes and leaned into his mouth, watching his hazel pupils darken as she sucked on his lower lip and drew his tongue deeper into her mouth.

“Are you tired?” she asked when they drew apart.

“Not THAT tired…why?”

“I’ve been thinking…”

“I warned you about that…”

“Too late…” she smiled as she tugged on his curls to pull him down onto her chest and take his mouth…not that he was reluctant…he did like to be asked for encores.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE…NEW YEARS SURPRISES!!

The few days remaining until New Years Urs seemed to have his mobile permanently attached to his head. The calls were many, coming back to back most of his waking moments but he handled them all with the same quiet calm, his end of the conversation generally limited to one syllable answers of Ja or Nein and a secret smile that drove Mia wild.

She did have a good idea what he was up to but had decided that he was having so much fun that she didn’t want to spoil his surprise.

‘You are such a romantic, my adorable husband…but hang on to your knickers…I’ve learned from the Master…YOU!!!...there may just be a few little twists in your devious scheme that you haven’t thought of!!”

Paco called on the 28th.

He sounded mellow, almost drunk when Urs put him on speaker but claimed that he was ‘drunk on love, nothing more’. They had in fact gone to Brienz and were married, taking the opportunity to have a short honeymoon in the quaint old town {actually, he admitted, only leaving their room once so far} and would be back in time to join them for the fireworks.

The same day Urs, Nate and Sig went skiing, just as they had planned, this time with Mia going too and staying on the Bunny hills with Nate who kept asking her about the little smile that would creep across her face at odd moments.

“Just something I’ve planned to surprise Urs…you’ll find out,” was all she would say no matter how much he pestered.

New Years Eve day was bright and clear, a perfect winter day with the forecast of clear, starry skies for the big event in town and out at the small church.

On the farm the air of excitement was nearly visible, so much so that even little Toni was hyper, difficult to put down for his nap and Mia finally gave up and let him wind down, falling asleep in the middle of the Lounge carpet when he just couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

Tami came by just after dinner, hired to stay with Toni for the night and to wander about taking photos to preserve the moment…it was so in character for her to always be snapping pictures that Urs thought no one would think it odd that she was so obsessed.

And so they got ready for the evening out, everyone dressed fairly warm though Urs insisted that the tents would be heated and he was taking lots of furry blankets for covers during the fireworks.

He dressed carefully in his best Armani wool suit, his concession to the cold weather a tight fitting pair of thermals under his trousers, a new blindingly white shirt with a silver thread running through the weave and, for once, a matching tie. Mia was still in the Loo putting on a light dab of makeup when he called out that he would wait downstairs and, as a last minute thought, slipped the box she had given him at Christmas into his inner breast pocket.

Nate whistled when he came down the stairs.

“Looking good there SRG…you’d think this was a special night or something.”

Sig nudged him in the ribs with a laugh and Urs grinned.

“You two look like twins…very posh!”

They were dressed alike…silk turtlenecked sweaters in a festive Holly green under their tailored charcoal wool suit jackets, a sprig of Ilex in their lapels and an air of excitement on their faces.

They chatted for a few minutes, sharing a drink, saying ‘See you in a bit…you look lovely’ to Ciara as she came to tell Urs they were leaving…and waiting for Mia.

The first indication that she was coming was when Urs, facing Nate and chatting saw his eyes widen as he looked up the stairs…and she was coming toward them.

She looked ethereal, angelic, even more beautiful than he always thought of her. The gown was perfect, the shimmering white velvet, pearls and diamante catching the soft glow from the fireplace and making her sparkle as she moved, Sophia’s pearls the perfect accompaniment, the strand resting just above her cleavage and the ear rings peeking out from her mass of curls.

She held her hand out to him and her rings flashed fire, making him think how perfect they were on her long fingers and how there was just enough room for one more, the eternity band that was safely in his breast pocket.

‘I should have bought a ring for myself…I want to wear one, to have a visible sign that we belong to each other…maybe for our anniversary…I’ll let her know…’

Again, as he had many times since Christmas he thought about the box in his other breast pocket….Nein…it was the wrong size and shape to be a ring box.

“You look stunning, Little One…so beautiful…I am such a lucky man,” he said as he kissed her tenderly, then led her into the Lounge for a sip of red wine.

Faintly, as they were talking Urs could hear the jingling of bells and he smiled.

“I think our ride is here,” he announced and took her hand to lead her to the door. Through the glass insert they could see a gleaming team of Belgians, stomping in the snow in front of the deck, their breaths misting in the icy air and the polished tack throwing back glints of light from the string of fairy-lights along the eaves. The bells on their harness jingled again as the driver, bundled in a thick coat, got down from the seat and waited for them beside the large sleigh, two bench seats with a mound of furry rugs on each.

Mia clapped her hands in delight and laughed.

“How perfect!! You are so full of surprises!!”

He helped her don her new Silver fox coat and steadied her while she slipped out of her white high heels and into her winter boots, laughing when she said that the heavy boots really didn’t go with her dress.

“You can change again when we get there.”

Nate and Sig were ready and they all wished Tami a Happy New Year as they filed out to the sleigh.

Once they were all snuggled under the thick rugs in the sleigh, Urs and Mia in the front with Nate and Sig in the back seat, the driver resumed his high perch and they were off, smoothly gliding over the snow and on to the side of the roadway, the team pulling effortlessly as they enjoyed the crisp air and starry night.

It was a magical ride with the horses prancing, making their harness jingle, seeming to enjoy their work as they tossed their heads, their huge, feathered hooves making short work of the distance and it was over all too soon.

First there was a glow on the horizon as they neared the church, then they rounded a hill and the transformed churchyard lay before them, two large tents lit from within, the walls glowing from lanterns inside, the parking lot full of a variety of vehicles and the small church lit inside with hundreds of candles in lanterns, the stained glass windows glowing against the dark of the sky.

There was movement inside the tents and music. They pulled up to a red carpet that had been laid over a wooden base and Urs slipped Mia’s shoes back on her little feet before lifting her down onto the carpet.

Nate and Sig had disappeared, leaving them alone, just as Urs had asked them to do earlier. The sleigh pulled away to the crest of the hill and they were completely alone, only the sky and snow, the gleaming church and softly glowing tents …but they saw none of that as they stood facing each other, lost in their own world.

Urs took her hands in his and smiled.

“You know I love you, that I will always love you…will you marry me again, this time with God’s blessing? Will you promise to always love me, to stay with me forever, to be my friend, my lover, my wife, the mother of our children, now and until we go together to spend eternity with our Lord?”

Her eyes were shining as she smiled and moved closer.

“Yes…oh Urs, Yes….”

He kissed her tenderly then lead her up the carpet toward the church, holding her hand in his. The doors opened as if by magic and they stepped inside the church, the organ playing softly as they took in their surroundings. Hands reached for Mia’s coat and others for Urs’ but they were unaware, staring at the transformed interior.

Masses of flowers adorned the ends of the pews and the altar…roses, orchids, sprays of exotic blooms…candles in lanterns flickered in the draft from the door, and in the front pews Mami, Ciara and Matt, the girls and their husbands, even a breathless Nate and Sig, waited, smiling…and at the altar Pastor Deter beamed at them, trying vainly to maintain his decorum.

Hands pressed something against Mia’s palm and she glanced up to see Rianne, trying to get her to take a small bouquet of white orchids.

They walked together down the aisle, for only a brief moment her trance lifting as she whispered to Urs.

“The little box…did you bring it?”

He turned his head to look at her and a grin spread across his face…

“Is it….?”

“Yes….will you wear it?”

“With joy…you knew?”

“…didn’t want to spoil your fun…Urs, I love you.”

They reached the altar and knelt, Urs slid the boxes out of his pockets and passed them to Paco who had followed and with their hands joined still, they prayed for a blessing to their union and in thanks for those already received.

All too soon it was over, vows taken, rings exchanged, and kiss shared, but the feeling of love and rightness stayed with them for all their years to come.

**

They joined the party in the main tent, shedding coats again in the surprising warmth and mingling, accepting the congratualtions of the guests who all seemed to know what had taken place.

No expense had been spared… food was bountiful and the bar was open with wine, beer and liquer in abundance, with coffee and soft drinks for the designated drivers, a small band played in the adjoinging tent which boasted a small, crowded, wooden platform for dancing…and Urs and Mia sampled everything until the countdown began and there was a surge for coats and rugs to go outside and view the fireworks at midnight.

Urs lifted his new bride {again} into the sleigh and snuggled under the rug with her, the perfect spot for watching the display that was just starting in the valley below them.

One warning burst then at exactly midnight the sky lit up with a glorious fountain of color.

“Happy New Year, my own Sweet Wife,” he said and kissed her, completely missing the first 3 minutes of the fireworks by creating his own.

They came up for air when the sleigh jostled and looked up to see that Paco and Rianne had joined them.

Paco tucked Rianne into the fur rug tenderly and Urs knew without asking that their suspicions had been confirmed.

“Congratulations!” he said between the boom of displays shooting into the sky and Paco knew he meant for their wedding and for the baby.

“OHHHH!! Paco, look at that one…the lights are floating down on little parachutes!” Rianne said with her eyes glowing.

They watched enthralled until the grand finale when a cascade of multiple displays shot higher and higher, lighting the sky in blues and greens, purple and red, orange and yellow, then a huge Swiss flag that appeared to flutter, then changed to a shower of white that fell to the ground, slowly fading out.

By 2 in the morning the crowd had thinned, surprisingly one of the last to leave was Pastor Deter who only had to walk as far as his small house next to the church. He came to thank Urs for the wonderful night, mentioning that he hoped they would do it again, perhaps next year? And Urs chuckled saying he couldn’t see why not…after all he would need to celebrate his wedding anniversary and what better way than at God’s house.

Paco and his new wife disappeared shortly after, destination unknown but without a doubt somewhere private and where they could cuddle…something that Urs wanted desperately.

He convinced Mia that it was time to leave and they quietly left, taking the Audi this time and leaving the sleigh for their houseguests and Ciara and Matt.

They arrived at the farm and checked on Toni. Both he and Tami were asleep in his room and they went on to the Master suite…and Mia pushed him away with a grin when he tried to hold her.

“Change your clothes…something warm…our night isn’t over.”

“But…” he muttered, confused.

She grinned at him as she hung up her suit and took his jacket to put it on a hanger.

“You aren’t the only one who can plan surprises, Urs Buhler. Now get dressed.”

She changed quickly into warm slacks and a fluffy sweater, thick socks and he followed suit, teasing but getting no answers.

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Yes…you’ll see.”

She eluded his grasp and fled downstairs, was waiting in the mud room when he caught up, already in her boots, toque and ski jacket.

He dressed for outside and followed her out to the deck, around the side…and grinned. Paco’s snow mobile was sitting at the edge of the field, waiting.

He almost hesitated too long since Mia stepped on the machine and started it, was just inching forward when he flung himself onto the seat behind her and she laughed as she sped up, heading over the drifted fields toward the tree line.

Fifteen minutes later he unwrapped his arms from around her body as she slowed at the side of the stream by the waterfalls and he gaped at the new addition.

An igloo had been fashioned near the falls and a faint light glimmered from within, a thin stream of smoke wafting up towards the stars.

Mia shut off the machine and swung her leg over the cowling, grinning at him. Before he could react, she raced to the tunnel entrance and dropped to her hands and knees until all he could see was her cute little butt as it disappeared, wiggling into the tunnel.

He was very fast to follow but she was inside, shedding her jacket and sitting on a pile of furs and Artic blankets on a little ledge above a tiny fire in a metal pit.

“This is amazing…when did you?…how did you?…Mein gott, I love you…”

They discovered that staying very, VERY close was important in order to keep warm in an igloo…not a problem, since there was also a tradition of consummating a marriage and after all they were strict observers of tradition.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX

The last of the snow had gone in early April, just before Urs came home from his month in Japan. Mia met him at the airport in Luzern, this time managing to get a spot in the front row of impatiently waiting people, at 6 months into her pregnancy the hop up onto the waste bin a little too much for her. She patted her bump, communing with their daughter and smiling as she thought about how happy Urs had been when he too learned of the baby’s gender.

‘Some men only want sons, someone they can bond with, play games with but if I know my husband he’ll have her riding a motorbike almost before she can walk….You are going to be in for a real treat, little Sophia…your Papa is a very unusual man…he seldom follows the rules that society lay down for him…and he has a wicked sense of humor…and your big brother is so like him.’

She thought about the birthday celebration for Toni and how Urs had reveled in buying him all sorts of toys, including the mini motor-bike…the pedal kind, thanks be to Gott and how they had played happily for hours, just the two of them…and how she had overheard Toni use the S word and Urs’ hurried whisper as he tried to impress on his son that it was not a word that he wanted his son to remember.

The month away had been hard on both of them, and on Toni who missed his Papa dreadfully, asking daily for him and looking through the rooms in vain. He even went in the Music room and tried his version of singing, just like he did when Urs was home, but to no avail…

The only saving grace was the Internet and the long conversations that they enjoyed, even Toni participating since his language skills had improved greatly over the past few months…he actually was almost forming sentences now, thanks to all the talking that he did with Urs.

There, she could see him, striding in that sinuous way he had of walking, searching the crowd further back for her and she raised her hand to wave.

His face broke into a huge grin as he spotted her waving madly and he pushed through the other arrivals to reach her, dropping his carry-on as he ducked under the railing and folded her lumpy body into his arms.

“Mein Gott I missed you, the scent of you, the feel of your skin…” he murmured in her ear when they stopped kissing long enough to form words.

“Me too…ohhh…and I think Sophia is happy her Papa is home too.”

He rested his hand on her bump and felt the hard thump as their child welcomed him home, making him grin.

“Three whole weeks and then I have to go to Geneva for a week of concerts…after that I’m home until fall. Let’s get out of here so I can kiss you properly. Toni didn’t come this time?”

“Mami took him for the weekend…and Ciara and Matt won’t be back until tomorrow…they went to Zug with Tobias for the seedlings that Tobias wants to splice on the the young fruit trees…so we have the whole place to ourselves…oh Urs you should see the bulbs that are coming up in the field out front…it’s going to be so beautiful.”

‘I missed this so much…the way she rambles on about our home and how excited she gets when things actually work out the way we planned…’

“How’s Jorg doing on the house for Ciara and Matt?” he asked as they neared the Audi and she handed him the keys to unlock the boot.

“Beautifully…he isn’t fast but that’s because he’s just like you…a perfectionist…by the end of May though it should be done…Urs…I’m in the 3rd trimester now…do you remember what that means?”

He actually blushed since the porter had just finished loading the luggage in the bott but hadn’t yet left. He paid the man, willing him to go, NOW and as soon as he was out of range, grabbing Mia and backing her against the side of the car.

“I’ve been thinking about what it says in the book for the past 18 hours…that last IM just about did me in…”

His mouth and hands were laying trails of fire through the thin cotton dress she wore and once more his lips caressed hers, sucking, nibbling, massaging until she felt her legs give out and only his strong arms kept her upright.

“We’ll never make it…it’s half an hour drive to get home….”

“If you drive, I could….”

He sighed and hugged her then shook his head.

“Nein, Love…we share or wait until we can…half an hour…I can do that.”

He drove and told her about his trip, about the cherry blossoms in Kyoto and the tea house he had visited in Osaka, the temples where everyone took their shoes off before entering and the scent of incense from the little burners. He mentioned how crowded Tokyo was and that he had tried using the monorail to get around, how there were actually people hired to act as pushers during rush hours, cramming the people in like sardines so the doors could close.

“…and even with all the pollution and congestion the people are still so friendly and polite…I’ve never been bowed to by so many people in my life and all so little…they made me feel like David likely does all the time. It’s hard for a Westerner to shop for clothes there…all the sizes are far too small.”

“Then I’d have a hard time right now…I’m carrying different than with Toni…Sophia enters the room way before I do.”

He freed one hand from the wheel and rested it on her bump.

“She’s making you glow…there’s an aura about you, a healthy, contented look…I like it.”

They were half way home when she remembered to tell him the news about Dani.

“Nate called all excited…Dani rolled over all by himself…he’s a really good baby and both of the guys are so happy. They were hoping that after you come back next trip they can come out for a few days.”

“Absolutely…we haven’t seen Dani since we stopped in on the way back from Lille.”

She thought about the road trip they had taken in January, staying in quaint hotels rather than the big posh ones, visiting places she had read about but never hoped to see. And then meeting her relatives, the real ones, first in Lille, her cousin Amelia who joined them for coffee in a tiny bistro that Urs knew about and how they had bonded nearly instantly.

They stayed 2 days, two glorious days of sightseeing with Amelia and Urs as guides since he had lived there for a time years ago and getting to know her relative. Unfortunately Amelia had been a teen when her parents were still alive so had no memories to share of them but the blood bond did seem to be there and even now, months later, they chatted several times weekly online.

Bruges had been an eye-opener, the cousin there older and armed with photo albums, copies of the pictures that he had of her parents in their younger years.

“You look like the twin of your mother,” Urs had said as he looked at the photos, remarking on the smile and being very careful not to touch on the fact that her mother had been even shorter than she was.

This cousin, though thoughtful as evidenced by the photo album, was a business man, brusque and not really interested other than temporarily in forming a relationship with a far removed relative. He was polite, but distant and didn’t encourage anything further and they left him, politely, to go off and explore the historical area on their own.

Mia had been disappointed at first but soon rallied…after all she had a new family, one that had no reservations about showing their love and now at least one connection to her parents. So they had enjoyed the rest of their trip, immersing themselves in the culture and history that can be so readily found in Europe.

Today, the closer they got to home the more Spring was in evidence, the trees unfurling the pale green new growth in haloes about the twiggy tips, new grasses pushing through the dried and matted brown of last years dormant blades in the fields, here and there an early blossom thrusting skyward in glorious color. The ‘pretty’ Brown Swiss had been turned out of the barns to forage and in some of the meadows wooly sheep with wobbly legged lambs blithely cropped the new grasses.

The gates to the farm had been given a new coat of paint and sparkled from the sunlight reflecting off the black surface as they swung open and the Audi pulled into the driveway. Urs could see what Mia had been going on about…all the shoots of the bulbs they had planted thrusting upward, swollen at the ends of their long green stems with still hidden blooms…it wouldn’t be long until there was a carpet of flowers undulating across this area, between the trees and clustered at the feet of the boulders.

He pulled up at the steps to the deck and was out of the Audi instantly, coming around to help Mia out and sweeping her into his arms, almost jogging, even with his burden, to the house to enter and let her feet slide to the floor, pressing her against his very ready body.

The cotton dress only lasted as far as the hall to the Lounge, joining his shirt and jacket on the floor…the trail of clothing led to the stairs, the upstairs hall and ended at the closed Master suite door, not to be retrieved until hours later when Urs collected the scattered items with a contented smile as he went out to bring his luggage in.

**

“I’m surprised that your mobile isn’t ringing, actually hasn’t ever since you got home,” Mia commented as she puttered in the kitchen, wearing only one of his discarded white cotton shirts, something she found comfortable with her presently awkward figure.

“Turned it off…I didn’t want to be disturbed …anything important they’ll leave a message,” he said as he came up behind her and pressed against her back, reaching both hands around to splay on her bump and brushing her neck with his lips as he spoke.

“Hmmmm….that feels so good…why is it you have this power over me, make me feels so…so female, just with a touch.”

“It’s a gift,” he said and chuckled when she turned in his arms and nestled against his chest.

“Careful, SRG…your ego is showing!”

“Only with you, Liebe….I don’t share my gifts with anyone else since YOU are my inspiration.”

She looked up at his smiling mouth and sighed.

“And you always know the right answer, too. Hungry?”

He wiggled his brows at her and grinned.

“FOR FOOD, FOOL!!!” she said laughing and pinched his bottom as she skittered away and began pulling platters out of the frig.

“Ja…I seem to have worked up an appetite…need some help?”

They worked together to prepare a meal and took it through into the Den, plugging a CD of his trip into the player and watching it as they ate.

One of the girls in the chorus caught Mia’s eyes and she began watching for her in the shots as they performed, visited places of interest or traveled from one venue to the other.

“Who is that?...the blonde…there, the one holding the spray of cherry blossoms?”

Urs sighed.

“Colleen, one of the new sopranos.”

“She has a thing for you…I can see it in the way she looks at you all the time.”

He paused the player and turned to look at her.

“I know…and I dealt with it before it got out of hand.”

“How?”

He smiled and reached out to touch her cheek.

“I talked about my gorgeous, pregnant wife and our son, actually showed her pictures, ignored the ‘accidental’ brushing up against me and spent a lot of time with the guys in the Company. She finally got the message that I love my wife and wasn’t interested in any extra affairs. What is this, Mia? Don’t you trust me?”

She looked at him in surprise.

“Of course I do…I don’t trust her….alright, maybe I was worried, just a bit…you seem to have an abundance of testosterone…and you’re human…and male…and I’m sorry…I should have more faith in you…it was just I saw that look in her eyes and she’s so slim and blonde…it was a moment of weakness, Urs…I’m sorry.”

He gathered her into his arms, laughing lightly.

“No contest, Love…you’re so beautifully pregnant with our little girl and I love you so much…there’s no room in my life for another woman…never will be…when I think about sharing love, it’s you I think of…like before I knew you loved me…I couldn’t touch another woman when I knew I loved you…and I doubt that I could now…what we share is too perfect to spoil.”

“Forgive me ?” she said from the safety of his chest and squirmed closer when she heard the rumble of a laugh.

“Don’t know…it dependes on how good you are later…”

She laughed and sat up again, resting her hand on his thigh with her fingers kneading the flesh lightly.

They watched the rest of the CD with no interruptions then went up to shower… and shower…and shower….until all thoughts of problems with yearning sopranos fled, never to return.

**

Ciara, Matt and Tobias came home the next morning, the back of the new truck that Urs had insisted on buying for Matt to use around the farm full of cuttings, saplings and bushes to replenish the orchards and gardens that he and Tobias had planned for the farm. The elder seemed to have been rejuvenated by having this new project to work on, as had Keeshia who had drawn up a plan for a pretty and useful herb garden near the Kitchen deck.

Urs went out to assist with the unloading, marveling at the way that Matt chattered on with the elder Onkle…perhaps he too had a new lease on life with all the plans they were making.

Very soon everyone was out assisting, the guys digging in the loamy ground exactly where Tobias indicated and placing the young saplings in the holes just so, back filling only to the correct height and tamping the earth down before allowing Ciara to fill the well they had made in the soil with water from the hose.

Mia was on her knees, grafting scions into the established cherry trunks in just the way that Tobias had shown her, taping them just tight enough and receive the ultimate approval when she had done…a nod and small smile.

In the midst of all this they hadn’t noticed Mami’s car pull into the drive until Urs heard a little voice shrieking his name and looked up to see Toni hurtling across the field, falling and picking himself up to stumble on over the uneven ground as fast as his little legs would carry him.

“papa…papa…Toni come!!!”

Urs dropped the spade he had been using and rushed to his son, laughing and catching him in mid fall to hold him up in the air, wiggling and squealing with delight, then lowering him to his face for kisses.

“Toni come Papa!”

“Ja, my son…Papa is home with his Toni…I love you, Boy.”

“Luv Papa…Kiss Papa…” Toni chortled and proceeded to do just that, big sloppy kisses on the mouth, the cheeks, his fat little hands clutching Urs hair somewhat painfully then in the changeable fashion of children wiggling to get down and investigate the lovely dirt he could see piled up everywhere.

Urs glanced at Mia as Toni made a bee-line for the piles of soil and let out his held breath as she grinned and called out…”Don’t worry…he’s washable!”

He stood for a moment enjoying the spring, the sense of renewal, his family busily helping Nature. The air was sweet with the scent of growing things, with the aroma of fresh turned earth…and his world was filled with expanding, growing life…his adorable wife, her body swollen with child, his land being assisted to renew and replenish, his son, growing daily and changing, becoming an individual, his elders, rejuvenated with the mystique of this seasonal change….he glanced again at Mia and knew instantly that she understood as she smiled at him then turned back to the scion she was taping.

He was smiling when he returned to the hole he had been digging for a little sapling that would, in 2 years, produce it’s first fruit.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN…SUMMER

Urs checked the doors and loped quietly up the stairs, looking in on Toni and not surprised to find Mia standing beside his crib watching him sleep. He joined her, wrapping his arms around her body and relishing this moment of peaceful contentment as they watched their son sleep.

And he was their son, legally now. Just after they arrived back from Lille and Bruges the social worker had visited the farm and only days later they were asked to bring Toni to Geneva to see the judge…just a formality they were told and it was true.

Toni, of course, charmed the socks off the gruff jurist and by the time they left, with papers in hand, the man was laughing and waved happily at the wee boy who was making kissy faces at him over Urs shoulder.

They had also mentioned to the social worker that they were very interested in adopting and soon, wanting all their children to be close in age so they would be friends as well as playmates. She didn’t say much and of course couldn’t promise anything but her glowing report to the judge remained on her desk, within reach should the opportunity present itself.

“What a great day this was,” he said as they got comfortable in the big bed a few minutes later. “We have to get Toni a little shovel…did you see him trying to help dig? The boy is a born gardener.”

“Or an archeologist…he was more interested in making the holes deeper than putting the trees in…and so cute when he kept following you around…he does love his Papa…it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts singing before he can really speak in sentences…Urs do you think we could have Tami come and take some more photos…he’s changing so fast…I don’t want to lose the images of him growing up.”

He snuggled closer, tucking her head under his chin and making his voice vibrate through her when he spoke.

“I’ll call her tomorrow….Baby, I have to tell you something…Nate called when I came in the house for the Loo…having you ladies present can be a nuisance…a guy can’t just unzip and water the flowers whenever the urge hits.”

“Nice sidestep, Buhler…Nate called about what?”

“Sorry, got distracted…control the hands, please!... Or I’ll never get to tell you.”

“Urs!!”

“Nate called to tell us that Villetti is in prison and should be for quite some time…Interpol investigated and found that he was the one to supply Harry with the drugs, so they traced it back using some methods which are so secret that even Nosy Nate couldn’t find out what it was…anyway the bottom line was that he was the kingpin of a drug operation and they busted him…he’s lost most of his money, couldn’t even afford a decent lawyer and it was all rushed through the courts, quickly…he’s doing 25 to life so it must have been something more than just a few drugs. Anyway he’s gone, for good.”

She was silent for a few minutes then sighed.

“I feel sorry for his wife in a way and not in others…he must have used her badly, not just with the other women, but enough abuse that she was afraid to get out of the relationship.”

“Maybe…women of her nationality and generation don’t usually divorce…they just quietly put up with their lives, good or bad.”

“Well I hope she can now get on with really living…and I’m glad he won’t be around ever again.”

‘Me too!’ he thought silently. ‘One more time of him interfering in our lives and I might have had to kill him.’

He lay awake for a while after Mia fell asleep in his arms, just listening to her breathe and feeling the occasional thump against his stomach as their daughter swam and tumbled in her watery nest. His life had changed so much since that moment in the garage just 18 months before when a little voice said she was sorry to intrude. He hadn’t realized before just how much was missing, how he yearned for the love and fulfillment that he had found with this woman and now, their children. It wasn’t just the sex, though that was earth shaking, they were so perfectly matched. It was so much more…the sharing of little things every day, their home, the love they showed one another, the plans they made, the glances across the room, the almost telepathy as they knew what the other was thinking or wanting.

She sighed in her sleep and moved so that her lips were touching his chest, for the briefest second her pink tongue tasting his skin, then retreating and he knew she was dreaming of them loving.

‘Sleep, Little One…you need your rest…and I know exactly how to wake you in the morning.’

He smiled and fell asleep.

**

The three weeks home flew by, full of family visits, Paco and Rianne over for dinner, comparing notes and bump sizes, more work on the land, practicing in the Music Room to the delight of Toni who loved to ‘help’ his Papa by singing along and the emergence of the first blossoms in the front field.

They went for a walk among the flowers, impressing upon Toni that he could look, touch gently and smell but picking was not to be done.

The little house for Ciara and Matt was done, well ahead of schedule and Urs proclaimed it a work of art…the important thing was that Ciara and Matt were overjoyed with all the lovely, beautifully crafted built in cupboards and the dining suite that folded up to almost nothing when not needed.

Urs had a couple of very private conversations with Jorg about opening his own business, something that he would be pleased to invest in as a silent partner and once again they made plans.

During this time they received a card from Jadis who was now with the Red Cross and had thought of them as she worked with a team in Ecuador. She sounded happy and busy and Mia nearly cried as she read the card, thinking how such a little thing as a reference letter had made a big difference in this talented woman’s life.

And they practiced dancing, nearly every night after Toni had gone to bed, playing a CD softly and dancing in the Lounge, talking sometimes about the future, sometimes just enjoying the closeness.

The time went too fast and suddenly Urs was packing, this time driving to Geneva since the weather was so nice and staying in a Hotel since an offer had been made on the condo and he had yet to have time to find a house that would be big enough for them. Mia had commitments with the Red Cross and the choir as well as her monthly check up so opted not to go, though as the hour of his departure drew near she was regretting the decision.

“Leibe, I’ll be so busy, we would seldom see each other…it’s only a week…we can do this…”

“Of course we can…I’m just being silly…and I should be here anyway to help Lyndee get used to the house and Toni…she’s really very nice Urs…we’re so lucky that you have an endless supply of relatives.”

Lyndee, Dee as Toni called her, was the new housekeeper/nanny, a mid 50’s cousin, with grown children, who had lost her husband to cancer 2 years ago and loved working with children. Ciara would still be spending a lot of time with the cooking and supervising her ‘Little Prince’ but Urs felt they would need more help if their plans bore fruitition.

He must have felt justified when, the first day he was back in Geneva his mobile rang and it was Frau Schiller, the social worker.

“Herr Buhler…I wonder if I might meet with you to discuss something…I have a little boy in custody that desperately needs someone to love him.”

Urs felt his heart race as he listened to her talking…Sophia was due in less than 3 months…would it be asking too much of Mia to accept another child now?

“If you could just meet him…he’s 8 months old and in foster care at the moment, healthy, bright and completely alone in the world. He was with his maternal grandmother when the avalanche hit Brecht and killed his parents and siblings. The elder has since died and Liam has no one.”

“I could come now, if you like…I’m here a day early so I’ve no appointments.”

He knew he was in the right place when he pulled up in front of the large house and saw all the toys strewn about the front and side yards. Frau Schiller had preceded him to the foster home and came out the front door, inviting him inside and introducing him to a pretty young woman who smiled as she apologized for bringing him way out to the edge of town.

“Come and meet Liam,’ she said, indicating a room down the hall with a folding gate stretched across the doorway.

There were 5 children playing in the room with an assortment of toys and all looked up when the adults crowded at the door….but one little boy, with the saddest hazel eyes Urs had ever seen stared at him for a moment then pulled himself up on the little plastic gym apparatus and smiled, reaching a chubby hand out to the tall man standing in the door. His hair was dark and curling wildly about his head, the little baby smile lit up his face and Urs had the urge to gather him into his arms and protect him, to love him without reservation.

“He’s very loving…the grandmother did an excellent job with him…she seems to have lavished all her love on the boy when the rest of her family was killed….he’s almost ready to walk, as you can see, drinks from a sippy cup so there are no bottles to worry about and the doctors say he has no health problems…I just have too many children here…I’m three over the limit now and if we can’t find a home for Liam…well, he’ll have to go into an institution.”

His impulse was to blurt out…’we’ll take him’ but he restrained himself, knowing it wasn’t fair to do this without discussion…but if Mia could meet him…..

“I go back to the farm next Thursday…could I take him home to meet my wife, just for the weekend, bring him back and give you our decision, say on Monday? Mia is due in July and I don’t want to do this without talking it over with her.”

Frau Schiller smiled. She had seen his reaction and knew that half the decision had already been made.

“I don’t see a problem with that.”

“May I?” Urs said, indicating that he wanted to go in with the children and stepping over the gate when he received an affirmative nod.

They left him, sitting cross legged on the floor, surrounded by children, Liam coming to him instantly and playing with his hair then bouncing on his legs playing horsey.

He went back daily as his schedule allowed, sometimes in the morning, early, sometimes late at night to sit and visit with the foster mother or watch Liam sleeping in the crowded room he shared with 3 other babies. And he decided to surprise Mia…well actually he changed his mind daily over whether to just arrive with the little boy or call and tell her…surpising her won and so on the last day in Geneva he arrived at the foster home with a brand new car seat and picked up the little boy for the 3 hour drive.

**

He was so nervous that there was a sheen of perspiration on his forehead when he slowly drove down the lane to the house. It was late afternoon, a time when Mia should be home but having an afternoon nap as her habit had been the past few weeks. He pulled into the turnaround and parked, trying to decide whether to just barge in carrying the freshly diapered little boy {he had stopped on the roadside 2 K back} or to let him wait in the car for a few minutes while he prepared her. They NEVER left Toni alone in the car so that decision was already made for him.

“Come on little man…you’ll like it here…everyone loves babies and your new Mama …I hope…is a very caring, loving woman…she’s very special so you need to put on your very best smile for her.”

He picked Liam up and cradled him against his chest…and the door opened and Mia stepped onto the deck.

She was smiling but stopped in her tracks when she saw what he was carrying, her expression that of surprise, then dismay, then slowly a smile spread across her features as she approached them.

“Who is this little fellow?” she said as she reached them and reached a hand out to touch Liam’s soft hair. He turned at her touch and stared…

“This is Liam…he’s…I mean Frau Schiller…”

“Mami!” Liam said reaching his pudgy hands out to her and his face lit up with a huge smile.

“He’s ours…if we want him….”

“Of course he is, you darling man,” she said as she took the boy from him and cuddled him against her breasts. “Come inside and meet your brother, Liam…that’s a nice name…I like it. Toni …Toni …Papa’s home…and he brought us a very special present.”

Urs stood for a second longer on the deck, grinning like a fool and wondering why he had been worried…. then he went in to join his expanding family.

**

The netting went back up on the play area, not so much to keep their new son contained as to give him something to hold on to while he learned to balance on his fat little feet. Toni was miffed at first until he was let inside, then played happily with Liam, patiently trying to get him to catch or play things the way a toddler with a 7 month edge could do. He was in big boy pants now with only the occassional accident and at first couldn’t understand why Liam still needed diapers, a difference that would be remedied soon since as soon as Liam could walk properly he followed Toni everywhere and copied his every move…in fact it was Toni who potty trained Liam, and seemingly without effort.

Of course the weekend stretched into forever since by Monday there was no way that Mia was willing to give him back…and Lyndee would have gone with him…Liam was her ‘Little Prince’, just like Toni was Ciara’s.

By the time Sophia was due their household had settled into as calm a routine as is possible with 2 boisterous toddlers in the house. The two boys shared a room, Toni now in a special convertible crib with the side lowered part way so he wouldn’t tumble out in the night and Liam in the crib that Toni had gifted him. Yam, a nickname that he would be stuck with for life, was always awake first but would play happily until Urs came in to fetch both boys for breakfast, allowing the very heavy and awkward Mia to rest just a bit longer.

He loved this early morning time with the boys, the smiles and hugs when he first came in the rom, the rough housing on the carpet as he dressed them in the little short sets that Mia or Lyndee had ready on the top of the dressers, then the long slow walk down the stairs {little legs can’t take them two at a time like Papa’s can} and the eager way they would watch him as he prepared breakfast, stealing sips of coffee to start his own body working and giving the boys soft bananas or peaches to keep them occupied until he had everything ready.

Mia didn’t usually make it downstairs until the boys were done, wiped off and playing in the Lounge, so it was a pleasant surprise one morning in early July when she appeared in the doorway to the Kitchen, clothed in one of her cotton smock dresses and smiling at the sight of her sons and husband chattering away to each other, one in unintelligible gibberish still, the other in fractured sentences and the tall curly haired one holding forth about what they would do today.

“I hate to spoil your lovely plans, but I think I’m going to have a baby,” she said with a grin.

“We know, Love…either that or you’ve been eating far too many desserts,” Urs said with a grin, then paled as he saw her clutch her bump and begin to pant.

“You mean now? NOW?”

She nodded and grinned though he could see that she was still in the middle of the contraction.

“LYNDEE!!” his back of the house voice startled both boys who stared at him, Toni with a tinge of envy and Yam looking confused.

Lyndee came rushing from her quarters, zipping up her robe and looking frightened…and just a bit sleepy until she saw Mia and understood.

“Calm down, Urs…we’ve done this before…Dee, if you could watch the boys and buzz Matt to bring the car around…don’t worry he’s an early riser. Urs…Urs…Liebe…get my case…and I think we better hurry.”

“No dancing?” he said as he took her arm and they headed for the door.

“Not this….oh…Oh Urs, I want to push!”

“Cross your legs!!”

He could see through the glass insert in the door Matt running to the garage to get the Audi and Ciara in her robe making her way to the house.

“Cross… my… legs!!!” Mia gasped, laughing and panting as she tried to forestall the inevitable.

They had to stop twice more just to get to the door with very little time for her to tell him that she woke to go to the bathroom and her water broke before she got there.

“Mein gott, Mia…they’re only 47 seconds apart!” he said paling as he looked up from his watch.

The Audi skidded to a stop in front of the deck and Urs lay her on the roomy back seat, kneeling on the floor beside her.

“Drive!” he growled at Matt as Ciara thrust the bag they had prepared into the front seat and they were off.

“Love, can you hold on?”

“I don’t think so…Urs I really… need to push…you’ll have to help me….right now!!!” She reached back and found the frame of the window, gripped it in both hands and pushed.

And so Sophia was born, 8 minutes before they reached the clinic, in the back seat of the Audi, her cord tied with her Papa’s shoe laces and severed with his nail clippers before she was wrapped in his Harley tee shirt and placed on her Mama’s chest, wailing at being rudely thrust from her watery playground and into the world.

They gave him a green scrub shirt to wear in the clinic and he stayed with his wife and daughter until Mia fell asleep and Sophia was placed, sleeping, in her little isolet. He couldn’t stop smiling as he went back out and found Matt, still in his pjamas, sitting in the Audi at the emergency entrance, looking a bit green around the edges.

“They’re both sleeping…why is it we never do anything the normal way?”

Matt laughed and asked if he had remembered to bring his mobile.

“No…no money either, my wallet is at home. See what I mean?”

Dr. Wieber chose that moment to come bustling into the parking area, jogging and Urs stopped him.

“We didn’t make it…she had Sophia in the car, 8 minutes out…and can I borrow your mobile?”

The doctor laughed and handed his mobile over, asking to have it left at the desk and went in to check on his patients.

Urs first call was to Lyndee and Ciara, then to Mami…he sent Matt home to get dressed and asked him to wait for his call… he would need clothes and his wallet but not until later…and he went back inside as Matt drove off, leaving the mobile as promised at the desk and going to search for some free coffee for his nerves and to see his family.

CHAPTER SEVENTY – SEVEN…AUTUMN..2020

Urs parked the Harley he had ridden this time next to the old one he just couldn’t part with and stretched tired muscles, placed his helmet on the back rest and walked towards the house, eager to see where everyone was.

The house had grown over the years as had their brood of children.

‘Funny how that works,’ he thought, not for the first time. ‘The more love we have for each other the more we have to share….it’s almost sad that we don’t have a baby around anymore …almost! ...I’m not sure I would want to go back to diapers and middle of the night feedings again.’

Movement from Matt and Ciara’s little house caught his eye and when he looked he saw both of them on the deck, Ciara wrapped comfortably in a crocheted throw that he was pretty sure Sophia had made for Ciara to combat the ache that the changing weather gave her legs from arthritis.

He waved and Matt pointed to the tree line. When he looked that way he saw them…his family, the children racing around, their 2 dogs chasing and leaping with the joy of the glorious day…. and walking along, laughing and with their youngest, 3 year old Mattias, getting a lift on her back, was Mia, her hair long now but pulled back in a curly ponytail that as usual had escaping strands of silver and coppery brown curls waving around her head.

He shed his leather jacket and draped it over a bike that was laying on the gravel of the turnaround, reminding himself to mention to the boys that they should treat their equipment with more respect.

He had only gone a few steps when he knew that one of them had seen him and the race began, Liam with his long legs quickly outdistancing the others, Toni close behind him and the younger children stretched out in a line, laughing and shouting as they tried to catch up.

He smiled as he watched them, thinking how they had taken the biblical direction of ‘go forth and multiply’ to heart.

Toni of course was the eldest, at 12, the undisputed leader, often the instigator of mischief, though with his angelic looks he could usually get out of being blamed….Liam, only 7 months younger but a good 5 inches taller still followed his big brother in all things, lanky and with the voice of an angel, his tenor range not quite settled into it’s full potential yet. Eleven year old Sophia, in a dress of course, was the Princess of the brood, interested in clothes and girly things that drove the others wild, something made her the target for teasing often, which of course was beneath her dignity to acknowledge…she followed with more decorum, running but still managing to look elegant, her long chestnut curls barely rippling.

Piet was the quiet one, the one who most resembled Mia, studious and deep thinking even at a tender age, now at just barely 10 was often to be found with his nose in a book, quietly ignoring the pleas from his more active siblings to engage in some game or other. He had been the first of their children to be born at home with the assistance of a midwife…after Sophia’s arrival they weren’t willing to take any chances on the ride into town.

Andre had followed only a few months later…now that had been an interesting time, almost like having twins as Mia nursed both of the boys, easily done since they had welcomed Andre when he was only a week old and she was still nursing Piet. At 9 both boys had developed a similarity that confused strangers, thinking they were twins though Piet had burnished copper hair, a throw back to Mia’s father apparently and Andre was so blond that in summer his hair was almost white from the sun.

Then of course there were Tandi and Tomas, blood brother and sister from Ecuador with only 9 months between them, at almost 8 and just turned 8 the past month, only a few months older than Kersti who also had been born at home…even the midwife had almost not made it for her arrival. Tomas was the math whiz in the family, quite a bit of the time doing the complicated homework for the older children…unless Mama caught him and berated them for not even trying to learn themselves. Tandi and Kersti, two tomboys who would rather grub around in the dirt and wear jeans than dresses, competed constantly with the boys, using wiles when strength didn’t work.

Melody still hadn’t managed to get used to running on uneven ground and fell, not even having time to cry before Toni sensed her problem and turned back to scoop her up, flipping her thin four year old body onto his back where she giggled and bounced as he tried to catch the others. She had come to them after serious abuse from her natural parents had affected her motor skills. It was a long arduous task just teaching her to walk, but her sunny disposition made the chore so worthwhile and the family worked as one, devoting hours daily to massage and encouragement…she was slowly reaching the standards for toddlers in her age group.

Urs watched as Mia put Mattias down and let him try to follow the others…their Bonus Baby, conceived when they thought that no more children would be in their future. His stubby 3 year old legs churned as he tried valiantly to catch his 5 brothers and 4 sisters, his little face wearing a look of determination….and the huge, dimpled grin that was so like his own.

The dogs reached him first and dropped to the ground instantly at a murmured command just as Liam reached Urs and threw himself on his Papa’s chest.

“You’re home!!...We missed you…I did a triple and didn’t even break my neck!”

Swimming and diving was Liam’s current passion.

“I’m happy to hear that…about your neck, that is…does Mama know?”

“Ah, no…I thought you might want to tell her.”

“Not in this lifetime, Son…” he said with a laugh, knowing how Mia would pale and then lecture the daring boy.

“Aw, Papa!!”

Urs was saved from further comment by a flying tackle from Toni, still with his giggling sister attached to his back, who managed to knock him off his feet and he was quickly buried in a swarm of children. Mattias reached him before he could untangle himself and inched under the other bodies, finally reaching his father’s face for a kiss just as Mia walked up to the jumbled bodies.

“How was your ride home?” she asked with a placid smile.

“Omph! Kersti, don’t bounce on my stomach…it was great…I’m happy to be home…I think.”

“Children, let your father breathe…I see Lyndee bringing out the jug of lemonade and a platter of cookies.”

That did it. A mass exodus started with shouted ‘Welcome home Papa’ and ‘Race you’ and Urs levered himself off the ground to gather Mia into his arms for the Welcome home kiss he had been thinking of for the past hour.

On the deck with glasses of lemonade and cookies to munch on the reactions of the children was mixed as they looked out in the field at their parents...pretend gagging from the older boys, sighs or blushes from the older girls and laughter from the little ones who weren’t sure why the boys were pretending to be sick.

“Did you get it finished?”

“Ja…all done and off for the first run…the guys said Hi…and David said to tell you that they will be definitely coming for our anniversary…if you don’t mind that they bring the kids.”

She laughed.

“They only have 3…we won’t even notice.”

He kissed her again, this time pulling her hips tight against his and when they broke apart she grinned.

“Care to go for a walk?”

“The cabin?”

“Race you…”

He laughed and took her hand, shortening his stride as they both jogged back toward the tree line and the tiny cabin he had built as a private retreat, out of bounds to the children.

**

She lay beside him on the fresh sheets she had put on the big bed earlier in the day. watching him sleep, his breathing soft and regular now but the sheen of persipriation still making his skin glow. There were silver threads among the curls on his chest, matching the scattering of silver at the temples of his still thick and still long hair. All the hours he spent in the gym had kept his body toned, the muscles defined, begging to be touched with eager hands or mouth…a handsome man, chiseled and strong, none of the ravages of time evident on his nearly 50 year old body. And certainly not in his performance either on the stage or here, in the privacy of their bed.

‘And I love him more and more with each passing year…you are like a fine wine, my husband, improving with age.’

She sighed and rested her head gently on his chest, not surprised when he moved his arms to hold her gently.

So far their life had gone much as they had planned, with a lot of pleasant surprises along the way, each one accepted with enthusiasm…the amazing reaction of the fans when he joined Il Divo, the sold out concerts, Number one CD and video sales, the overwhelming business that their Production Company was doing, the reception by Opera buffs of ‘Eine Kleine’ with David singing the lead role…and the full life they enjoyed with their house filled to capacity with happy children.

Their joy seemed to overlap even to family and friends…Nate and Sig, now with Dani and Sybil, at 11 and 8 two very different but very happy children, Paco and Rianne with their 4, both working in his own chiropratic offices now, Jorg doing extremely well in his business that he owned outright now since as soon as he was on his feet financially Urs sold him his portion of the business at a ridiculously low price.

He still traveled to perform in far flung areas of the world but now, when she could, Mia went with him, sometimes with the children as well for the long engagements. The concerts were spaced out nicely now with a great deal of consecutive free months scheduled for other projects or just to relax and enjoy life.

And enjoy it they did, even the intimacy which had never evolved out of the honeymoon stage.

As if he knew exactly what she was thinking he rolled them both over and pressed his chest against her breasts, lowering his mouth to hers in a blistering kiss that made her quiver.

“I think I’m addicted to you,” he murmured against her lips when they broke apart. “I crave the taste of you, the feeling of your skin under my hands, against me, warm and soft, each time new and exciting as if it was the first for us. I love you, my little wife.”

She couldn’t speak, her mouth busy tasting his lips, his tongue that dipped gently into her, dueling with hers, stroking the soft inside of her lips…so she showed him just how much she loved him until he cried out her name and let himself be swept away with passion.

WINTER….2052

The wind sighed softly, caressing the drifts of snow below the crystal blue sky. Spring was just around the corner, according to the weather forecasters but here in this secluded valley there was no sign of it yet. Still the icicles that had formed over the cold months dripped and froze in front of the wide waterfall, hiding the entrance to the cave system behind the diamond like barrier.

If anyone had been hardy enough to trek up here, through the snow, along the winding trail and knew exactly where to find the entrance they would have been rewarded by a cozy but cold world inside with the ghosts of the past the only residents. And they would have seen the markings on the walls and wondered about the people who made them so long ago, the edges of the letters dulled a bit over time from fingers that had lovingly stroked them, as each year trips, almost pilgrimages, were made, prayers were offered and for a while love was renewed by those who had not yet moved on to the next plain of existance.

They would come again, the grown children of those who had been before, now coming in the summer months with their children and grandchildren, camping out near the falls, playing, enjoying Nature and talking of their childhoods, the days that they couldn’t, wouldn’t let fade from memory…an act of love and rememberance, for those they knew only from stories told…and those they had loved for so many years. Ashes had been cast to the winds or buried below the ground in secret places in this spot where love had once been a secret, then shared and cherished throughout long and loving lives.

Now they were gone, all those souls who had given oaths to love forever and only the memories were left, treasured by those left behind…except…the wind sighed through the cave and faintly, then, with more clarity the echoes of vows intertwined…

‘I will always love you, Little One’ ‘I will always love you, my Swiss, into eternity’

On the stone cave wall the etched heart and initials U/A seemed to glow for just a moment then faded as the voices floated on the chilly air and wafted skyward, going on into eternity …together.