Chapter 31 #2
“I’m not hesitant about you or wanting to be with you. Not anymore. Everything you said in your notes today… They were so amazing.”
“Then what is it? Remember when you told me to speak my mind and get it off my chest?”
She nodded.
He continued to kiss her while his hands explored her body. “I want you to feel that you can do the same with me. Put it out there, and let’s figure it out.”
“I can’t talk when you’re doing that.”
Laughing softly, he withdrew from her, dropping his hands to his sides and sighing dramatically.
Amused, Katie got on the bed and made room for him, patting the mattress next to her.
“Let me get this straight. I’m supposed to be in a bed with you and keep my hands to myself?”
“Just for a short time.”
He settled on the bed next to her, folding his hands and placing them on his chest. “I suppose I can do that.”
“Before we talk about us, did you hear anything more about your friend Lisa?”
“Apparently, David consulted with his colleagues in Boston, and they agree it’s too far gone for treatment other than making her as comfortable as possible.”
“Oh God.”
“David’s friend Jared and his wife, Lizzie, have donated nurses and equipment that will keep Lisa at home. Seamus and Carolina have offered to help with the kids, and there’s a fundraiser next week at the Beachcomber for the family.”
“The Gansett Island community doesn’t fool around.”
“There are good people here.”
“What about the house?”
“Mac and I are going to finish it and figure out what becomes of it later. It’s the least of the many concerns in this situation. It just makes me so damned sad that they aren’t going to get to live there. They were so excited about it.”
“You made her really happy for months by making her dream come true.”
“Still… Those poor kids. They’re so young.”
Katie smoothed her hand over his hair. “They’re not that much younger than you were when you lost your mom.”
“True, but I had my dad to get me through it. Who will get them through it?”
“People will rally around them. They’ll be okay.”
“I hope so. They’ve become important to Mac and me. We wanted to go see them today, but David said there was a lot going on there. We’ll go tomorrow.” He turned on his side and reached for her hand. “Thanks for asking.”
“If there’s anything I can do, I hope you’ll let me know.”
“I will.” Stroking her fingers, he looked into her eyes. “Are you going to talk to me about what you’re thinking?”
“I’m trying to figure out how I want to say it.” She fixed her gaze on their joined hands. “I want all the things you want, but I want us to spend more time together before we decide anything for certain.”
“Okay.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he said, smiling. “I want you to come with me to a cookout this weekend that my aunt and uncle are having so we can all meet my new cousin.”
“You have a new cousin?”
“Uh-huh. Big Mac found out recently that he fathered a daughter before he was married to Aunt Linda. Her name is Mallory, and she’s coming out to spend the week before Grant’s wedding. And then there’s the wedding… I get to bring a date, if you’re not doing anything.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Great, so that gets us through the next two weekends. What do you want to do after that?”
“I’m sure we’ll find something to do.”
“There’s always something going on here.”
“I really liked all of Laura’s friends last night.”
“It’s a fun group.”
“I could see that. I love how the guys always crash girls’ night.”
“And how they pretend they aren’t crashing. That’s my favorite part.” He brought her hand to his mouth and nibbled on her fingers. “Are we done talking?”
“You’re sure you’re okay with slowing things down a little?”
“How slow are we talking?”
“No major life decisions for a little while.”
“I think we need a deadline.” He thought about it for a second. “How about we give it until Grant’s wedding, and then we can talk about it again. Until then, we’re all fun and no big decisions.”
“All fun, huh?”
He scooted closer to her, sliding his leg between hers. “Lots of fun.”
Katie released his hand so she could caress his face. “What you said before about how you feel about me…”
“About how I’ve fallen in love with you? That?”
“Yes,” she said with a nervous laugh, “that.”
“What about it?”
“This is all so new to me. I’m not sure what that feels like.”
“Could I tell you what it feels like to me?”
She nodded.
“It’s hard to describe in words because we’re talking about a feeling, so bear with me, okay?”