Chapter 3
Nick
We spend Sunday sleeping in late, then go out to the beach and lay out in the sun for a while, enjoying the peaceful sounds of the water under an umbrella in the sand.
I leave Cat on the beach while I go out in the water for a swim.
It’s beautiful out here; I wish we could stay longer, but I can’t.
I have to go back to work, and school is almost over for her.
She has to go back to her kids, as she calls them, to tell them bye.
This trip has been good for her; she hasn’t talked about her family once.
I haven’t seen a moment of sadness on her face.
This trip has done exactly what I wanted—for her to relax.
My arms and legs are tired when I finish swimming.
Getting out of the water forty-five minutes later, I make my way up to the beach, shaking my hair over Cat like a shaggy dog.
She squeals and holds her hands out, and I drop down on my knees beside her, pinning her to the towel she’s lying on, her head tossing back and forth trying stop me from kissing her and getting her all wet.
“Stop struggling,” I say, landing wet sloppy kisses all over her face and neck.
“You know I can’t lie on my back too long, Nick, let me up.”
“Kiss me first.”
“Okay, fine!” She squirms, giving me a peck on the cheek.
“You can do better than that.” I pucker my lips out and close my eyes waiting for her to press a kiss against my lips.
Hearing her laughing at me I open my eyes and pull her into a sitting position.
A shadow that wasn’t there a second ago blocks us, and when I look to the side I see a man’s big ass hairy feet.
What the—I look up and see a red speedo under a bulging beer gut.
I could have gone a lifetime without seeing this.
I stand up and pull Cat to her feet with me.
He’s smiling at us, with his hand stretched out. Cat smiles and I frown.
“Can we help you?” I ask.
Smile plastered on his face with his hand still stretched out waiting for me to take it, he rubs his protruding belly with the other.
“I’m Simon, your bungalow neighbor.”
Cat takes his hand and shakes it. “Nice to meet you, Simon. I’m Catherine and this is Nick.”
She stares at me with a look of dissatisfaction, and I stare back at her. This guy could be a pervert. From the looks of him, I’m not far off.
She tilts her head toward Simon, signaling me subtly to shake his hand. I put my business smile on and shake his hand. “Nice to meet you, Simon.”
“I was taking my daily walk on the beach with my lovely new wife and saw you over here. I decided to come over and introduce myself.”
He smiles at Cat, his eyes covertly roaming her. I put my hand around her back pulling her into my arm. Like I said, pervert. Only a perv would look at a six-months-pregnant woman like this. I clear my throat to get his attention. “Where did you say your wife was?”
His eyes come back to me, and I can see he knows I’m not happy. He rubs his rotund belly giving me an overly friendly smile. He nods his head to the side and I see a girl kicking her feet in the water. That can’t be her, she’s way too young, and pretty.
My eyes are deceiving me. “The redhead with her feet in the water?” I have to ask.
He smiles broadly, proud of himself like a wet seal oiled up with sunscreen. “That’s her, the lovely water sprite romping in the waves.”
Cat turns her head in my direction and gives me the eye when she sees her. “Yes, she’s lovely. You said your new wife?”
“Yes, indeed I did.” He rocks back on his heels, looking at his wife, and I give Cat the eye back. “We just got married; we’ve been here for a week.”
Cat smiles at him. “How nice, congratulations.”
“Well thank you. When did you get married?” He looks between Cat and me. And I smile at her when she answers him.
“Oh no, we’re not married.”
“No, we’re not married, yet,” I add.
“I thought you were on your honeymoon. From the looks and sounds of things, you’re the most in love couple here,” he says, grinning at us like the cat that ate the canary. A tinge of pink creeps up Cat’s cheeks.
“What do you mean we’re the most in love couple here?” she asks Simon.
“This is a honeymoon resort. So naturally I thought with you being pregnant—mind if I ask, how pregnant are you?”
As usual, she puts her hand on top of her stomach when she’s talking about the baby. “Six months.”
“Congratulations to you.”
“Thank you.”
I watch him with my business smile gone—who is he, the police? I don’t like too many questions from people I don’t know. He tugs at his two sizes too tight ridiculous red speedo looking like it’s blinding someone, mainly me, and continues.
“How long are you guys staying?”
Cat puts her hand on the middle of my back feeling my muscles tense around her. “We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s a shame, I was hoping to see more of you.”
I’m ready to deck this guy the way he’s looking at Cat. “It was nice meeting you, Simon. Our time here is short, so we would like to spend as much time together by ourselves as possible.” I let him know in an almost less than friendly tone.
“Maybe we’ll see you around before we leave,” Cat adds, looks at me, and scratches her eyebrow.
“I understand,” he says and holds his hand out. I look at it and Cat shakes it before me. “Hopefully I’ll see you before you leave. I can introduce you to my wife, and we can have drinks, milk for the mother-to-be, of course.”
He waves and I watch him walk back to the redhead. I have no intention of having drinks with him and his young bride. I don’t know why she said that, she’s not going to either.
We face each other and I help her sit back down on the blanket. With an amused look she says, “They’re the couple I saw rolling on the beach making out the first night we came.”
I sit down behind her so she can rest her back on me. I lean back my hands in the sand. “What do you think their deal is?”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s way too young and pretty for him. He has money. Lots of money.”
“You’re so cynical. For all you know it could be a true love match.”
“If you want to believe that, go ahead.” I kiss her on the top of her head.
“Why are we in a honeymoon resort?”
“It’s a beautiful secluded island, no kids, no tourists walking around disturbing the peace and quiet.”
“Nothing else?”
“I knew it was a honeymoon resort but that wasn’t my reason for choosing it. It had everything I was looking for and the things you wanted.”
“Okay. I’m going out to the water.”
“Be careful. You want me to come with you?”
“No, you stay.”
I watch her walk into the water in her two-piece orange suit covered by a see-through vest cover-up.
The water sprays her ,and she sinks down to her neck giggling.
I watch the curves of her body and her stomach with my baby nestled inside her; I sit up with my arms resting across my knees watching the girl I love, her beautiful face smiling at me.
She splashes in and out of the water for a while.
When she comes out of the water against the backdrop of the ocean and sky, sun shining down on her, I can’t take my eyes off her.
Looking at her is all I need to make me smile.
We have dinner on the beach with white linen tablecloths covering the table.
The stars in the sky and the moon shining down on us.
The table is full of our choices for the night: conch chowder, curry rock lobster, baked yellowtail with spices, and an assortment of fruits served in a hollowed out papaya, with mango ice cream.
After eating, we walk back hand in hand to our bungalow with the breeze blowing.
We sit on the porch, her head on my shoulder, while I run my fingers through her hair till she falls asleep in my arms. Kissing her lightly, I lift her into my arms, carrying her to our bed.
Lying down next to her, I fall asleep to the sound of her steady, peaceful breathing. The perfect end to the perfect day.
I wake up in bed alone and find her on the porch, looking at the gentle sway of the ocean in the silver moonlight.
She changed into her sleeveless knee-high white cotton nightgown, hair flowing down her back.
Walking up behind her, I put my arms around her and place a kiss on the side of her neck. “You okay?”
She wraps her arms around mine. “Yes. I was taking in the view for the last night.” She takes a quick look at me and continues studying the ocean.
“All those years ago when I was little I couldn’t imagine this.
Well… I did spend a great deal of time thinking about us being together.
I spent a lot of time subtly trying to get you to notice me. You didn’t.”
I brush my lips across the side of her forehead. “I did. After our first kiss on the grass, how could I not.”
“You know how to keep a girl waiting. And crush her spirit.”
“Sorry about that. You weren’t ready for me.”
“Knowing what I know now, you’re right.”
“I would have disappointed you and broke your heart. I couldn’t do that to you, but I was tempted many times.”
“I didn’t understand then. I’m glad we’re happening now. It was worth the wait.”
It was. “We almost missed our chance. I don’t want to miss it again.”
“There’s not going to be an again. I’m yours for as long as you want.”
This second I know what I want. I have no doubts. My lips brush her ear, what I’m going to say is unexpected.
“I want you forever. Marry me.” Not moving, I patiently wait for her answer. I’m not sure what she’s going to say, but I want it to be yes. She turns in my arms, and I hold my breath, waiting, as tears well up in her brown eyes.
“Nick, I love you.”
Her words are as unexpected as my proposal. My heart soars, gushing with overwhelming love for this woman. There will never be a day I will not fight for our love. “I will forever love and cherish you. Marry me.”
“I’ve always loved you. It’s taken me a while to say it…but being here with you, like this, with our unborn child, surrounded by all this and your love, you’ve made me happy.”
“Say you’ll marry me.” My heart reaches out to her, uncertain, even after her declaration of love.
“No,” she says, shaking her head slowly and looking in my eyes.
“I love you, I want to say yes. My heart says yes.” The tears run down over her skin, shining in the moonlight like sparkling shards of diamonds as she shakes her head again.
“Not yet. I can’t. Don’t be mad.” Her eyes plead with me, voice slightly trembling.
“I’m not. I’m disappointed.” I brush away a tear from her cheek. “You don’t have to cry.”
“Yes, I do. This is what I’ve always wanted.
I’m a fool, I can’t say yes because of my family.
It’s right, but it’s not the right time.
Do you understand what I mean? When most little girls think of their wedding day, they see their family, their father walking them down the aisle in a white dress, giving them away to the man they intend to spend the rest of their lives with.
I’m not saying no, I’m saying not now. Please, tell me you understand? ”
A tentative smile lifts my lips. Thousands of miles away…when will her family not be a factor in the decisions in our lives? I brush her hair behind her ears and gather my thoughts.
“On our wedding day, whether there’re one thousand people or one person, I want you to be happy without a doubt. I’ll wait for you. You’re going to marry me. When you’re ready, you’ll say yes.”
I help her wipe away her tears. Holding her in my arms, we quietly look out at the sea, rocking like a lullaby, somber in our own thoughts.