Chapter 9 #2
If I look hard enough, I can probably spot the giant Coleridge Estate—the home I lived in for several years with my husband and child before everything changed.
I’m a completely different person than I was when I lived there.
So much more opinionated and strong. Back then, I was a desperate housewife trying to keep my husband happy and give my daughter a chance at a normal life.
Now? I’m not sure what I am doing. There is nothing about a life with Gareth Harris that would be normal.
“Have you ever skydived before, Gareth?” I ask, turning my eyes back to him.
He shakes his head curiously. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t.”
“Would you ever skydive?”
He quirks a brow. “I could probably be convinced.”
I lick my lips and narrow my eyes. “It’s crazy, though, right? You go up as high as a plane can take you. Then you decide to bail out of the one thing that’s keeping you afloat and place all your trust in a tiny slip of fabric attached to your back. Why do you think people do it?”
Gareth shrugs. “The rush I guess.”
“And why do people care about getting a rush?”
His lips thin and he leans forward to prop his elbows on his knees. His knuckles brush my shins as he answers, “Probably because it’s dangerous and they come out of it feeling like they can do anything.”
I chew on my lip, pondering his answer as the plane levels out and the pilot announces that we’ve reached our cruising altitude. “What if someone’s too scared to skydive? Do you think that person’s life is less fulfilled as a result?”
His brows knit together. “No, not at all. But I think with great risk comes great reward.”
I nod slowly and do my best to hold Gareth’s watchful eyes on me. “What if they’ve had enough excitement for one lifetime?”
He continues to stare at me, trying to decipher the meaning behind my words.
Honestly, I don’t even know the meaning behind my words.
I know that I feel strange being so far away from Sophia.
I feel protective over her history and my bond with her as a result of everything we endured together.
I know it’s something important I should tell Gareth, but that conversation is a lot like jumping out of a plane when I don’t trust my parachute.
Until I know what Gareth and I are to each other, I need to keep some of my Sopapilla safely tucked away in my heart. Otherwise, it will make all of this that much more difficult if it doesn’t work out.
“Are you missing Sophia?” Gareth asks, seemingly reading my mind.
I nod woodenly. “Yes. But, believe it or not, I’m happy that I’m here. I don’t think I could have done this six months ago.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before we started our little arrangement, I was a mess when Sophia was away from me to be at Callum’s. Freya called them my dark days because I was barely functional. Sharing custody fifty-fifty was a really hard change for me.”
“A mother’s bond with her child is intense,” Gareth muses, looking out the window, his thoughts drifting somewhere I can only imagine.
“You said you were best friends with your mom, right?” I ask, wanting to take the spotlight off of me for a moment, but also more curious about his past than ever.
“I was.” He blinks slowly and turns his gaze back to me. He has a tight, emotionless expression when he adds, “She even wrote a poem about our friendship. Would you like to read it?”
I nod instantly and Gareth reaches into his back pocket. He pulls out his wallet, along with a piece of laminated paper that’s bent from the trifolds of his billfold. He looks at me nervously for a moment before handing it over to me.
Friendship has No Age
You drive toy cars, I drive real cars.
You like juice, I like coffee.
You read comics, I read novels.
You go to school while I take care of the house.
Friendship has no age.
Friendship has no limits.
No rules. No boundaries. No distance.
Friendship can be young or old.
Rich or poor.
Healthy
or sick.
Friendship can be in a mother’s eyes,
or a young boy’s heart.
Between man and wife.
Through laughter and strife.
Friendship has no age.
There are no limits to friendship.
No beginning.
No middle.
No end.
Even in death, friendship still gives us breath,
as it lives on in our hearts and souls.
Our tight little hugs and soft, cosy clothes.
In our weak, frail bones, and our aching, broken hearts.
Friendship…has no age.
I finish, turning my head into my shoulder to hide the tears that have welled up in my eyes. Clearly, this was written by his mother when she was ill. It’s almost too heartbreaking to handle, but I steel myself to be strong. I look over at Gareth to see the pain I feel reflected back at me.
He clears his throat and reaches out to grab the poem out of my hand. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”
“It’s okay,” I reply as he tucks the paper back into his wallet. “That poem is beautiful, Gareth. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you to lose her.”
He nods stiffly, his jaw muscle ticking as he looks out the window. “I think I was too busy to ever have a chance to actually miss her. My siblings really needed me a lot back then, and I guess distractions are good for avoiding grief.”
“I guess,” I reply half-heartedly, hurting for the little boy who had to take on so much.
“How do you manage your days without Sophia? I’m sure you miss her a great deal when she’s with your ex.”
A sad smile lifts my face. “Surprisingly enough, nothing has worked as well as you.”
My answer surprises him. He crosses his arms over his chest and stares thoughtfully back at me. “So I guess I was right.”
“About what?” I ask, puzzling over the weird expression on his face.
He inhales deeply and replies, “With great risk comes great reward.”
I drop my head back against the seat cushion and shake my head in surrender. “Where do we go from here?”
Our attention is diverted toward the ceiling when the seatbelt light clicks off in the cabin. Without pause, Gareth undoes his buckle and moves over to the seat next to me. He grabs my hand and holds it between his own, squeezing my fingers tightly as he looks straight into my eyes.
“I hope that in between the moments of craziness with my family these next few days, you and I get a chance to reconnect and see what we could be together without boundaries.
Without restrictions. I want to pick up where we left off, and I want you to stop being nervous and stop seeing this as less than it is.
“You played it safe with your ex, but being with me requires you to be brave. And, for the first time in my life, I want someone by my side. Someone to share the stuff that I’ve kept bottled up for fucking years.
I want that with you. I need you to know that I’m all in, Sloan.
And I’m not the kind of man who jumps out of airplanes for a rush.
I’m the kind of man who stands on the ground, waiting to catch you. ”
My breath whooshes out of my mouth from his last words.
I feel myself nodding over and over, my eyes never leaving his, even for a second.
Honestly, we could stay like this for the entire six-hour flight and I wouldn’t notice.
Space and time don’t seem to exist when I’m staring into the eyes of Gareth Harris.
Six hours later, we arrive at the resort on the island of Sal.
The landscape has a desert oasis feel to it, with palm trees sprouted up all over the place.
The hotel we’re staying at looks like the palace in Aladdin plopped right on the beach.
Inside the hotel are domed ceilings and arched windows.
Dark wood furnishings, sprawling Indian rugs, and employees wearing crisp, white uniforms and carrying platters full of drinks.
If this is how famous soccer players live, I could definitely get used to it.
Before we reach the check-in counter, I see Gareth’s sister out of the corner of my eye, walking up from the beach.
On one side of her is a handsome, copper blonde-haired man whom I assume is her fiancé based on how he’s holding her hand.
On the other side is Vaughn, who’s holding a stunning little girl on his hip.
They’re all decked out in swim gear with overflowing bags of water toys tucked under their arms. They look sun-kissed, wind-whipped, and like a family on the perfect vacation.
“You made it!” Vi peals, ditching her man and rushing through the entrance of the resort. Her flip-flops clap loudly on the marble floor as she hurries over to pull Gareth into a hug.
“Hiya, Vi,” Gareth replies, clasping her back and watching over her shoulder as the two men approach.
As soon as Gareth’s dad reaches us, Gareth breaks away from his sister and steals the little girl right out of Vaughn’s hands. Vaughn doesn’t seem fazed at all, only smiling at his son who’s now doting over his granddaughter.
I’m thoroughly enjoying the hot guy with a baby show when Vaughn shocks me with a tight hug as well. “Sloan, it’s so good of you to come,” he says, pulling away and smiling.
The hug takes both Gareth and Vi by surprise as they stare at their father like he’s committed a felony.
“Thanks for having me,” I manage to reply, my tongue feeling stroppy in my mouth.
“This is my daughter, Adrienne,” Vi interjects with an affectionate smile. “Everyone calls her Rocky, though.”
Gareth turns a proud smile to me as he shows off his niece.
“Nice to meet you, Rocky.” I shake her tiny hand. My heart squeezes when she drags her tiny sunglasses off her face and hits me straight on with the most stunning blue eyes I’ve ever seen on a child. “Good God, she’s beautiful!”
“Thank you,” Vi replies with a pleased smile. “I can’t take all the credit, though. This is my fiancé, Hayden.”
Hayden shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Vaughn’s voice breaks up our introductions. “We’ve had a brilliant day at the beach, haven’t we, Rocky Doll?” He pokes his finger into her side and she squeals with delight. “Your grandma would have loved it.”
I see Gareth stiffen beside me, but Rocky’s voice suddenly chimes, “Garee, swim.” She wraps her little arms around her uncle’s neck and basically makes me want more babies with one adorable grin. “Papa, swim!’
Gareth looks surprised. “Is she calling you Papa now?”
Vaughn smiles smugly. “That she is. You’re not the only one she fancies, Gareth.”
Vaughn laughs good-heartedly, but Gareth doesn’t seem amused. “How long has that been going on?”
“A couple of weeks,” Vi replies, her face appearing a little tense.
“She went from repeating words to calling everyone by their names in the blink of an eye. You’d have heard it yourself if you were able to come to Sunday dinners.
No worries, though! We’re just glad you’re feeling better and we’re all together now.
The boys are off on a boat excursion with the girls, but they should be back soon.
We have a packed three days ahead of us. ”
Vaughn speaks up next, staring at both me and Gareth with a meaningful expression on his face. “I hope you’re both ready for all of this. It’s going to be a lot of family time. Some that I hope will allow us all to really reconnect.”
His eyes settle on Gareth for a moment, and I swear Gareth looks like he’s going to burst out laughing. Instead, he replies, “We’ll be fine, Dad.”
Vaughn nods. “It’s a shame you missed out on the beach day today. It was good fun.”
Gareth shakes his head like he can’t wrap his mind around the image in front of him.
When he’s about to say something, Vi quickly steps between them, her voice shrill when she says, “Would you look at the time? We all need to get back to our rooms so I can finish prepping the dinner I’m making for all of us at our bungalow.
” She smiles at Gareth with wide, over-eager eyes, clearly in planning mode already.
“You’ll see it all on the itinerary when you check in.
You and the boys are staying here at the resort.
Dad, Hayden, Rocky, and I are at an adorable stone cottage just down the beach.
There’s a map in your gift bag. Tonight we’re having a traditional family dinner.
Then tomorrow morning is the wake. After that, it’s wedding day! ”
Vi smiles a bit too brightly. Then I see Hayden rub a calming hand over her tight shoulders as she grabs Rocky out of Gareth’s arms. “Go check in and get changed. Dinner is in two hours, and I really don’t want you to be late.”
The three of them and Rocky turn and make their way back outside. It’s then that I notice Gareth is ten times more anxious than when we first arrived.
“Are you all right?” I ask quietly and reach out to touch his arm.
He nods, his jaw muscle ticking once before he turns to look at me. “I’m fine. I just have no idea who that man is because he certainly isn’t my father.”