Chapter 27 - Juliana
O nce we make it back out of the forest, we’re both in need of sustenance, but the popular nearby cafe is overflowing this time of day. “How long do you think the wait will be?” I ask tiredly over the hectic din of hungry tourists surrounding us.
Just then, an older couple beside us is called to be seated. I noticed them when we arrived. Both near my height with friendly smiles, they’d observed me in my drooping state and exchanged a look which made me feel self-conscious. I’m certain I look like a mess.
“There’s room enough at our table, I reckon, if you kids want to join us,” the gentleman offers with a delightful Australian accent.
Mildly embarrassed, I try to demure but Liam won’t have it, wrapping his arm around my waist as we follow along to their table while thanking them profusely.
Married for thirty years, Thomas and Maura hail from Brisbane and are here to enjoy their anniversary.
They’re delightful company as we get to know them better over sandwiches.
“Our boy’s grown and moved to Japan last month for his job,” Thomas shares.
“Maura’s been down with our nest empty again so I figured a holiday might cheer her. ”
Oof, I don’t want to think about my little baby moving out someday, but Maura’s blue eyes twinkle with warmth when she smiles at her husband. It’s clear they’re very much in love. “How long have you two been together?” Maura asks, those merry eyes turning our way .
Liam starts to open his mouth, but I’m quicker to reply. “Oh, we’re just friends. I mean, we’re friends becoming more perhaps but… it’s complicated,” I finish, lamely.
Liam’s mouth slowly closes, and I can see the flash of hurt before he masks it. Why the hell did I feel the need to say it like that? When did I become such an expert at ruining things?
Maura looks flustered over her assumption until Thomas takes her hand, giving it a quick kiss. “Life’s full of complications, that’s for certain. What kind of work are you in, Liam?” he asks, cheerfully. I could kiss him for changing the subject.
“Construction… and entertainment.” We share a sneaky grin regarding Sable, and I relax again. It wasn’t as if I was lying. We are friends, best friends. The rest still needs to be worked out, right?
As it turns out, Thomas is an architect and his wife’s an obstetrician. “What a small world, it is,” Liam says, placing his hand on my bump with a soft smile. “Juliana is an architect and currently expecting our first child.”
The possessiveness paired with that ‘our first child’ sends a rush of pleasure through me even though it makes my earlier clarification regarding our relationship that much more awkward.
“I didn’t want to say, but I wondered when I saw you waiting.” My eyes grow wide with distress and Maura laughs. “No, no, that’s not to say you look pregnant. I’d guess you’re around twelve weeks or so?”
“Fourteen.”
“Ah ha. I wouldn’t have made the assumption at all except that I’ve cared for many, many women in your condition over the years, and the way you’re constantly touching your bump combined with Liam’s particular brand of protectiveness and how he’s incapable of keeping his hands and eyes off you tells me a good bit. ”
With my cheeks growing warm, I glance over at Liam, and the hopeful look in his eyes makes my heart skip a beat.
∞∞ ∞
It’s lovely to be clean and in fresh clothes after a morning of roughing it. And, though lunch was a needed break and we made new friends, it’s pleasant to have Liam to myself again. Especially as I’m determined to move past slow.
“This is my new favorite place on earth,” I declare as I stretch out on the over-the-water hammock at the bungalow. The strong but sheer fabric allows glimpses of the tropical fish in the crystal clear water below.
“An excellent place to spend the evening,” Liam says, passing me a fruity mocktail.
I sip the yummy concoction, my sore feet from earlier already forgotten, while watching a lone canoe making its way along the shore several hundred yards away.
Beyond that, it’s like we’re the only people here. “I’ll get started on dinner.”
Liam’s grilling skills were already top-notch even before he asked me to help him become a better cook, and it’s not like I’m against mealtime, but there’s something I want more right now. “Wait. Will you lie down with me?” I ask. “This hammock is built for two.”
He doesn’t say no, but the hammock pitches precariously as he climbs in, and I can’t contain a girlish shriek before he rights us again. “Relax, Adventure Girl.”
I smack his arm for laughing at me as he settles in. “If I’d done that, I would’ve wound up in the water.”
“If you had, I would’ve dove in after you.”
“I know. You’re my hero.” He scoffs. “No, I mean that, Liam. You’re always there for me and I don’t think I tell you often enough how much it means to me.”
He studies me quietly before saying, “You’re always there for me, too, Jules.”
“How? You’ve never needed someone to take care of you in the midst of a breakdown after you caught your spouse cheating or needed a safe place to stay after your house was robbed or had someone take care of you so well after being rushed to the hospital for-”
He silences me by gently rubbing his finger over my bottom lip. “My whole world shines brighter whenever you’re with me, Juliana. I can talk to you about anything and… are you sure you’re not hungry yet?”
Rolling my lips to hide my grin, I shake my head.
“Not yet.” He admitted feeling possessive of and attracted to me at Sable a few weeks ago, but it runs deeper than that for him.
I won’t force him to say more when I labeled him as my friend at lunch and the thought of saying those three little words to a man again makes me break out in a cold sweat.
He folds his strong arms behind his head and my eyes are drawn to his biceps and then his chest. He’s got such a gorgeous body.
My eyes trail down toward his abs and the sprinkling of hair below his navel which disappears into his swim trunks.
“Are you getting overheated?” he asks, noting my flushed face.
“Yes.” He starts to move, probably determined to take me indoors, so I place my hand on his stomach muscles, enjoying the way they grow taut under my touch.
“Not overheated like you think. It’s more…
Do you remember what you told me last week?
In my bedroom? When you saw my vibrator?
” He nods and a decidedly wicked grin slowly spreads over his face.
“I want what you offered. I need it. And, I don’t want you sleeping on the sofa this week either. ”
“We’ve been going slow,” he says in a questioning tone. I know he needs to hear me say it and I don’t mind.
“I’m ready to accelerate. Are you?”
Quick as a flash, he rolls toward me, capturing my mouth for a searing kiss… which would be hot as hell if the hammock didn’t just tip us both into the sea.