CHAPTER NINETEEN
TOMMY
Angie’s soft lips brush with mine. My tongue sweeps across the seam of her lips, until she opens them a little, letting me in. My breathing increases and I’m greedy for more. Cupping the back of her head, I urge her closer, deepening our connection.
My fingers comb through her hair, down to the nape of her neck. Our mouths collide and her delicate breath excites my lips. Before I can stop myself, our kiss becomes fevered, hot, and heavy. It’s as if everything in the universe has crashed together at once.
While Angie’s body relaxes into mine, I savour her touch until, eventually, the fever between us cools, and our brash kisses fade away.
“What do you want to do?” I ask, brushing my thumb over her wet lips.
She looks up at me like she’s frightened of something. “Can we take a walk?” She points further up the beach. “There’s a small cove with shelter from the wind close by.”
“Sure.” I reach for her hand, and her fingers weave with mine without hesitation. This is a good sign. Finally, we might get somewhere without raised voices.
We stroll in relative silence, deep in thought, and Angie leads me to a small rock pool at the entrance of a cave. We opt for sitting inside on the soft sand, and although Angie continues to keep her hand held in mine, I sense, by the way she’s avoiding eye contact, doubt is creeping back in.
“What is it, Angie?” I ask, shaking her hands to gain her attention. “Have you changed your mind already?”
She frowns. “No. It’s not that.” Finally, she looks up.
My nerves take over. “I mean, I know being with me isn’t easy.
You’ve already said you’re scared and if you take me on, your life will change and you’ll have to deal with more than the odd fan throwing themselves my way.
The media scrutinise everything you do, say, and wear.
They follow you from place to place, and even though you’d have full protection from my security team, your life might not feel like your own sometimes. ”
Without hesitation, she answers, “You don’t think I'm aware of how hard it can be? Did you forget Calla goes through this every day of her life? I get it, I understand it, and although I hate the idea, I wouldn’t be unprepared.
That’s not my biggest concern. I don’t care about those people.
” She takes in a breath and blows it out slowly.
Her hand reaches over to my thigh, where she keeps her focus.
“There’s a reason I kissed you out of nowhere today.
I thought you were about to walk away, and I saw that moment as my last chance to tell you the truth.
” I cup her face, bringing her eyes back to mine as she continues.
“You were right when you said there’s a connection between us.
It was there for me too. The problem is, as soon as I accept its existence, I feel… ”
Her voice fades but I can guess what she wants to say. “Guilty?”
She nods and her sad smile returns.
“Because you’re here with me and not Scott.” It’s not a question. I’m stating a fact. At least, I think I am until she says, “No. I feel guilty because I’m happy again. With you.”
My heart nearly bursts from my chest, but I can see this is eating her up. This was never going to be an easy conversation, but I knew it was coming.
“There's nothing I can say to help with your feelings for him. He’s always going to be a part of your life. You had a beautiful son together and you don’t want Josh to forget his dad. I get it, and I wouldn’t want that for Josh either. I don’t expect you to stop loving Scott.”
There’s so much confusion in her eyes. “You don’t?”
Did she think I’d tell her I never wanted to hear his name again?
“No, never, but it's up to you to make peace with this yourself and be comfortable about moving on. I can’t help you with this part. All I can do is listen whenever you need me to.”
Her head tilts to the side. “You realise you’re offering something incredible. Not many men would be so understanding.”
I search her eyes, biting my bottom lip and contemplating if I should say it. But then the words come out anyway. “Not many men are in danger of losing the love of their life.”
I note the rise and fall of her chest. “The love of your life? Is that what I am?”
“I think you could be.” I don’t want to overwhelm her, and I’m relieved to see the corner of her mouth flicker upwards.
She closes her eyes for a second, then says, “I can’t keep you hanging on, Tommy. It’s not fair. This is your life too and not every decision should be mine. For both of our sakes, we need to be sure.”
Her big blue eyes search mine as she waits for my reply. This is my opportunity to lay things out and make it clear where I stand.
“Look, If you decide to take this further, I’m all in.
That means no more dating for either of us.
The thing is—” I hesitate for a second and wonder if she’ll think I’m coming on too strong, but then, fuck it.
“I can’t handle seeing you on dates with other men.
It turns me into an arsehole, so if you can’t give me a chance, then that’s cool and I’ll accept it, but I probably won’t hang around to watch you break my heart. ”
As if she’s been holding her breath, Angie sighs deeply, taking my hand again as her face brightens. “I don’t intend to break your heart. Ever,” she whispers.
My head spins. Fuck, what does this woman do to me? “And for the record,” she continues, “I couldn’t stand seeing you with another woman either.” The mood lightens as she clears her throat. “Which is crazy because I’ve seen you with hundreds in the past.”
“That’s an exaggeration.” I smirk.
“It felt like it.” Her lips flicker with a smile as I squeeze her hand.
“I went out with so many women because I was searching for something I’d never find. I had it once, then I lost you. When I realised what I really wanted, it was too late. You were happy with someone else.”
“I was happy, you’re right and I want happiness with you too. If you’re sure this is what you want and you’re prepared for my pain in the arse emotions from time to time, then I’d like to get to know this older and wiser Tommy a little better.” She blushes.
“I’ll do whatever it takes if you’ll have me, babe.” I bring her closer. Our foreheads meet, and my eyes close with relief. “This is what I want more than anything.”
“Me too,” she whispers. Her soft lips open just a little and they press with mine.
I should take it slow, but I’ve waited so long to make this happen that my impatience takes over.
My tongue tastes her sweet cherry lip gloss while running along the seam of her mouth, and she welcomes me in without hesitation.
Cupping the back of her head, I pull her closer, our kiss deepening and becoming more urgent.
This could get heavy pretty quickly, but I don’t want to rush her into anything.
After seconds pass by, we finally break our connection.
It’s probably for the best, at least for now, because there will come a time when this will lead to more intimate moments, and hell, I’m all in for that.
Angie sits back, a slight blush on her cheeks, and she licks her lips as if savouring our kiss.
My arms circle her. “Hey, come here,” I say, and she sits on my lap.
Our fingers entwine in our familiar way.
“It wasn’t all bad, the first time we dated, was it, babe? We had some good times, right?”
“Yeah, we had some amazing times, but it seems like an age ago. We’re all a little older now,” she says, as I brush her hair away from her face.
“It’s not just about you and me anymore.
We’ve got our children to consider and a family who will probably have their own opinions.
I mean, what the hell will Calla do when she finds out I have feelings for you? ”
I pull back. “Does it matter?”
She raises her eyebrows. “I suppose not, but she is my best friend. You always hope your best friend will be happy about your choices.”
“And what do you think she’ll say?”
Angie plays with our combined fingers, focusing on them while she speaks. “I think she’ll be okay with it. She thinks a lot of you.”
I’m doing my best to keep the smile off my face. “Really?” I ask.
“Don’t act like you don’t know.” She nudges into my side.
A few seconds go by before I ask, “Does Calla know the reason we broke up?”
“Yes. I kept it to myself for a long time, but it came out eventually. The whole thing left me with more than a few emotional scars. Calla got her Prince Charming, but mine ran off to follow his dreams.”
I wish I could erase that part of our history. “I’m sorry.”
Angie looks me squarely in the eye. “You shouldn’t apologise. It wasn’t our time, and you did what you had to do.”
She gets it. She gets me. My heart almost explodes.
“At the age of twenty-two, music was the love of my life, and making it to the top was the only thing that really mattered. It’s taken me a while to realise there's no point in having dreams if you have no one to share them with.”
Her mouth breaks out into the most beautiful smile. “I like that.”
Whisps of her hair, dance across her face in the wind, so I push them back behind her ear.
Slowly, she moves forward, kissing me slowly, so I give her what she wants.
Fuck, her lips are warm, familiar, and velvet soft.
I can’t help parting them with my tongue and finding a natural rhythm inside her mouth.
She is everything and so much more. Finally, our heads rest together and our eyes close.
“A tiny piece of me was curious to know if kissing you was how I remembered.”
“And was it?” she asks as we part.
I can’t help staring at her cherry-red lips when I tell her, “No. It’s so much sweeter.”
Angie is safe in my arms, close against my chest as we sit in comfortable silence for a while. I like it, and I’d die happy if we stayed this way forever.
“Tommy?” Her voice is a little croaky.
“Yeah?” I answer, kissing the top of her head.
“Could we keep this between us, just for a little while?”
At this point, I’m prepared to give her anything she wants. “We won’t say anything to anyone until we’re both ready, except—”
“Except?” There’s worry in her tone.
“We should at least tell Connie. She’s been amazing looking after both the kids, and we shouldn’t sneak around and lie to her about where we are.”
“I agree,” she says, glancing upwards. “But I don’t expect Connie to take Josh every time we’re together. That’s not fair to Ozzie or you. I’ll arrange alternative childcare.”
“Okay, go ahead, but you’re the one who can explain to the boys why they’re not spending every day together, which they practically do now.”
“That’s emotional blackmail.” She giggles. “Now who’s not playing fair?”
I hold my hand up. “Not me.” I smirk.
“All right, how about this? We could ask Connie if she’d be willing to work for both of us, but if she agrees, you let me pay half her wages.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
She raises an eyebrow. “And why not?”
“Male pride.” I grin.
“I hope that’s a joke, you neanderthal.” She shakes her head. “Look at it this way. We could give Connie a pay rise. She more than deserves it.”
“If you’re worried about it, I’ll give her a raise,” I say while I rub her back.
Angie crosses her arms. “Ugh, please. Will you listen to yourself? I have my pride too, you know.”
I shrug. “Have it your way, but for the record, it’s not necessary.”
She smiles triumphantly, then her mouth drops open a little. “Oh, but what about Chelsea?”
“What has she got to do with anything?”
“You’re getting a divorce. What if she discovers we’re together before we have a chance to tell her? She could make life so difficult for you. Just to be on the safe side, probably no romantic dinners out or that kind of thing.”
“That makes sense, but we don’t need a restaurant to be on a date. That’s if you want the whole experience.”
“I’ve come this far. I don’t want to miss out on the good stuff.
” As she leans forward, the atmosphere electrifies around us and I take in just how beautiful she is.
Moments of heated kisses follow, and when Angie’s hand lands on my thigh, sparking more than just the desire to kiss the shit out of her, I know I’m in trouble.
She has me already, and I’m pretty sure she knows it.
Keeping our hands off each other has been the hardest fucking thing. Every spare moment is used to rediscover our connection. We decide to talk to Connie before she finds out what’s going on for herself and, the way we’ve been acting over the last week hasn’t been too discrete.
“Is everything okay? Have I done something wrong?” Connie asks as we sit down to talk, but I put her at ease straight away.
“It’s all good, Connie, but we’ve got something to tell you.” Angie is sitting next to me when we look at each other, beaming like idiots, and I put my arm around her. “We’re together and we want you to be the first to know.”
Connie isn’t exactly surprised by the news. “I thought as much.” She beams. “I couldn’t be happier for you both. Can I give you a hug?” She stands from her seat with outstretched arms as we huddle together. Connie is very much part of the family and it’s good to know she’s on board.
We explain, in detail, our situation and how we’d like her to take on Josh full-time with Ozzie. Thank God she’s more than prepared to help us out, although at first, she refuses the pay increase. This is non-negotiable for us. There's extra work involved and it wouldn’t be fair to take advantage.
“If you’re absolutely sure,” Connie says for the third time.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Angie reassures her as my phone buzzes in my pocket.
“Excuse me, ladies. I should get this,” I say, holding up my phone, then I head into the lounge. “Heeyy, Dani. How’s it going?”
“You sound happy, which means you probably didn’t see the evening news.”
“What does that mean?”
“Are you near a TV?”
“Yeah. I’m at Ash’s place.”
Then switch on Channel 3.”
“Why? It’s not more of Brett—”
“Just do it!” Dani roars down the line.
Throwing cushions to the floor, I dig my hand down the side of the sofa until I finally find the remote.
“Are you seeing it yet? Dani asks.
“Just switching it on—” I stop what I’m saying as the TV comes to life. I can’t believe my eyes. The word “Jesus,” leaves my mouth on a long breath. “Babe,” I call. “Come in here. Quick.”
Angie soon speeds into the lounge. “What’s up?”
Her beautiful bright smile drops almost immediately when she sees the screen.
“I’ll call you back, Dani,” I say. “Angie needs me.”