Chapter 17 - Gwen - Bumping into You
Chapter 17
Gwen
Niall kissed my cheek.
No biggie, right? Wrong.
Why did he do that? It’s clearly against the rules of our agreement. Bradley and Tammy weren’t even around.
Was my saying something nice to him that much of a shock? No, that can’t be it. He was just being nice. Right?
I’m still reeling from the kiss as I work on my to-do list. I try to reach Becca but am unsuccessful. Then, I message Courtney.
Gwen
Hi Courtney, I just wanted to check in and make sure everything is still on track for the reception. Remember, we want to have a dance floor with the tables surrounding it on three sides.
CourtneY
Just checked my notes and that’s how it appears to me. All good on my end, I was just about to head to talk to the chef and make sure he has everything for the menu.
Gwen
No worries. I have a few minutes to talk to him.
Courtney
I’ve got it covered you just rest and enjoy the cruise.
I set my phone down with a huff. I guess I can let her check on this one aspect of the wedding. I try to focus on checking the order of events for the reception and wedding ceremony, but I’m unable to get the kiss off my mind and can’t focus. Instead, I order in some room service and try to take my mind off Niall.
When it’s time for the water show, I still haven’t been successful. I touch the spot on my cheek where Niall kissed me, gather my things, and make my way down to the outdoor theater.
Margot is already in her seat in the first row, right next to the water. I scan my regal pass with the cruise staff and join her. I remove the towel on my seat before sitting down.
“You okay?” asks Margot. “You look a bit flushed.”
“I’m fine,” I say, trying to stop the pink from rising to my cheeks.
Mom and Dad, the Palmers, and our siblings all arrive along with Holly, Trent, and Vivian. Looking at the wedding itinerary, I notice that Bradley and Tammy aren’t listed to attend this event. I breathe a sigh of relief.
Niall is the last to arrive. My stomach does a happy dance at the sight of him, but I quickly quelch that feeling.
Greg, who is sitting next to me, notices Niall arrive. “Oh, here,” says Greg, motioning to Niall. “Why don’t you sit here?” Greg stands from his own seat. “Everyone can scoot down, right?”
Before I can protest, everyone is standing and moving over a seat, making room for Niall to sit next to me.
“Hi, Rose,” says Niall as the show begins.
“Hi, Sully,” I reply. I can’t handle the barrage of emotions that come over me every time we are near each other.
I try to distract myself by focusing on the setup of the outdoor theater. As an event planner, I’m always looking for new ideas. There are lots of lights of varying colors that change along with the short movie clips playing on the large screens on either side of the theater. The show is a musical mashup of movie soundtracks. But neither the setup nor the show is helping me ignore the feelings coursing through me.
Finally, I can’t take it any longer. I lean over to Niall and say, “You broke the rules.”
“What?” he says over the sounds of music and water.
“You kissed me,” I say a bit louder.
Gillian glances over at us. I give her a quick smile letting her know that everything is fine. Then I lower my voice to an almost imperceptible volume and whisper into Niall’s ear, “That’s against the rules.”
“I shouldn’t have,” says Niall. “You’re right.”
The music gets louder, and more swimmers make their way into the pool. My frustration with my own lack of control over my emotions soon subsides as I watch the performers dance.
Not only do they dance in the water as a shelf raises and lowers, but they dive from varying heights. Each dive splashes us with more and more water. There’s a reason for the towels, for sure. I catch myself laughing as I use Niall as a shield. Laughing himself, Niall tries unsuccessfully to block me and himself from getting wet.
It doesn’t work, and we both continue to get spattered with water. All of us do. I can hear Maggie giggling and clapping along to the music. She is loving the show and all the water.
When the performers are dancing up by the diving boards, I notice Niall looking at me. He has a goofy smile on his face, and his eyes shine with happiness. A warm, fuzzy feeling settles in my stomach. I give him a little grin, then quickly compose myself and clear my face.
I’ve been enjoying the show, and even though I got annoyed with him about the kiss, he’s been so sweet trying to shield us from the water. But I can’t let him know how he affects me. How my insides flutter with nerves and I keep flashing back to him half naked, wrapped in a barely-there towel.
As the performers bow, the whole crowd gives a standing ovation. The show was magnificent. The performers were so talented not only on the ground dancing but in the water with their acrobatics.
Our group makes its way through the boardwalk, the summer heat quickly drying our damp clothes. I grab Niall’s arm to hold him back a bit. “I’m sorry for being annoyed with you,” I say. “I just can’t seem to rein in my emotions when I’m around you.”
“No need to apologize,” he says. “You’re correct. The kiss was against our rules. I let my emotions get the better of me too. How about this? Next time I kiss you, I’ll ask your permission first.” His eyes crinkling, he gently tucks a loose strand of hair out of my face, thumb grazing my cheek. Then, he turns and follows the others up the stairs.
It takes me a few seconds to realize what he said, and once it hits, I gasp, staring incredulously after him. Is he planning on kissing me again?
I swear I could hear him chuckle to himself.
The group makes a pit stop at the ice cream shop further up the boardwalk. I stand back and take a few deep breaths, trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach before I have to be around Niall again. By the time I catch up with everyone, they are sitting at the multicolored tables outside the ice cream shop waiting for me.
“Get lost?” Trent asks me.
“Where did you go?” asks Holly, staring intently at me. “Are you getting stressed about the wedding?”
I chance a glance at Niall, and, sure enough, he’s looking at me, his eyebrows raised as if questioning me.
Get a grip, Gwen.
I smile at the group. “Nothing’s wrong, and I’m not worried about the wedding planning. Everything is all taken care of. I just needed a minute. Now, are we just going to sit here, or are we getting some ice cream?”
I don’t even wait for them to join me as I walk right into the ice cream shop to look at the different flavors.
The others trickle in a few at a time while the rest of the group holds our tables.
My phone pings with a message from Becca before I’ve ordered.
Becca
Sorry I missed your call. I believe everything is set for the Fieldman and Steiner luncheon tomorrow. Are there any last-minute things you want me to look over?
“Auntie Gwen, look at the ice cream I picked out!” Maggie tugs at my shirt.
“Hold on, Maggie, I just need to take care of this real fast,” I say. My attention is on my phone as I think through everything that will be needed to take care of this plated lunch for 200 people.
Gwen
Has all the silverware been polished and the extras packed? You know how people tend to drop their utensils.
“Auntie Gwen, look at my ice cream,” Maggie tugs again.
“One moment.”
Becca
Yes, we have everything already set up with extras for everything held in the back room. No need to worry, just wanted to let you know we were good to go.
“Auntie Gwen!” Maggie persists.
Gwen
Ok, keep me updated if anything happens.
I put my phone away and turn to look at Maggie’s ice cream. Maggie, of course, picked the chocolate flavor and added gummy bears, sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream.
“Maggie, that looks so yummy!” I exclaim.
“Yes, it’s going to be scrumptious, even though it’s a little melted because you took forever to look,” she says.
Feeling a little bad, I watch as she skips out the door back to the table. I chuckle at her use of “scrumptious,” such a big word for a little girl. She’s always trying to sound like a little adult.
I order a scoop of chocolate in a waffle cone, topped with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce, and head to the tables and take the only open seat—next to Niall.
“That show was such a delight,” says Mom. Dad nods in agreement.
“It’s a good thing they provided towels,” adds Margot. “The cruise staff wasn’t kidding when they said we’d get wet.”
“Luckily, my hair is almost dry now,” says Vivian.
Laughing, we all eat our ice cream. Being too short to reach the ground, Maggie kicks her feet back and forth. She looks like the happiest five-year-old in the world.
Grinning, I take another bite. The warm summer weather is making fast work of melting our ice cream. I’m starting to regret getting a cone, but only a little, because how could I regret a waffle cone?
“You have a little . . .” Holly says, making a motion that I have ice cream on my face.
Swiping where I think she’s referring to, I ask, “Did I get it?”
“Definitely not,” says Greg, then laughs.
I try again but to no avail. After my second miss, Niall reaches over and wipes the drip of ice cream clean with his thumb.
Everything would have been fine; I could have handled the reaction my body felt when he touched my face. But then, catching me completely off guard, he licks the ice cream off his finger.
“Mmm . . . Tastes good,” he says, like him licking ice cream off his thumb wouldn’t cause my stomach to flutter with anticipation.
Lucky finger. I can think of a couple places I’d like him to lick.
Wait?! What the heck am I thinking?
Not too many hours ago, I got annoyed with him for kissing me on the cheek, and now this is where my mind goes, to places I’d like him to lick. Um no. Get it together, Gwen. It has to be the heat; it’s making me delirious. Right? Or the lack of sleep. Yep, that’s what it is.
Did no one else realize Niall practically licked ice cream off me?
Niall is grinning his charming, sexy grin at me as he takes another lick of his cone.