35. Natalie
Natalie
“Can you blame her? She’s hurt that you never visited when you were clearly close to home. You’d be hurt too if the roles were reversed.” Luke’s hands massage my feet as we sit in the cabin’s living room.
It’s completely dark outside, and we use only a small lamp in the corner and a candle flickering on the coffee table as light.
It emits a soft glow from the burning cotton wick, the natural soy wax already halfway melted.
I got it at the gift shop in town, and I love the way the minty scent calms my nerves.
After the way our family night at the fair ended, I’m surprised how much the candle helps.
I need fifty more of these to take back to Florida, thank you.
I look around at the walls, reminding myself to take more summer photos for the cabin this week.
I’ve been busy with client photos most of the time I’ve been in town, and I’ve kept all my free time open to spend with my family.
Summer will soon be coming to an end. Cam will start teaching again in three weeks, the boys will start school, and I’ll have to go back to my real life in Florida.
Mom and Dad will be back on the road, and Juliet will work longer hours at the hospital.
I bury my face in my hands. “But how long will she be mad about it? I can’t change what happened.” I wince when Luke’s thumb presses against a sore spot on my heel.
“Have you sat down yet and talked with her about it?”
“No.”
He eyes me. I cross my arms. “Nothing’s going to get fixed between you two until you talk to her about why you left. She deserves an explanation.”
He’s right. He’s always right. I kind of hate it.
“I told her why I left. I told her I met you. I was honest about it the first day I came back.”
“Clearly that wasn’t enough. She’s holding onto something.”
“Okay,” I sigh, resting my head back on the arm of the couch. “I’ll talk to her.”
He rolls his eyes and laughs, pressing his smooth fingers deeper into the arch of my foot. I tense up.
“Relax,” he says, softening the tension pressing into my arch. “Promise me you’ll talk to her.”
“I will. I just said I would.”
“Promise.” He tickles my foot, and I yank it away.
“I promise,” I say, fighting a smile.
“Good.” He bites his lower lip, looking at me the way he did in Texas when the sun streamed through the empty house and he walked across the rays to hold me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I say on a breath.
“Like what?”
“Like you want to carry me to bed,” I say, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.
He licks his lips. “Because that’s exactly what I want. I think you know that.”
Heat creeps up my neck. Even after seven years of marriage, he still makes me feel all mushy gushy inside.
“What would you say if I told you I also want that?” I ask, resting my chin on my knees.
Luke straightens up, his brows rising to his hairline. “Really?”
I press my lips together, grinning. “Mm-hmm.”
He wastes no time in climbing across the couch, pressing his body against mine before he kisses me gently.
Our lips only brush before he leans back to look at my face.
“I love you, Natalie.” His tone is serious, reverent.
His blue eyes steal my gaze, and I can see nothing but him and the flicker of candlelight that dances over his jaw.
My fingertips trace the stubble on his chin, then move to touch his lips. “I love you, too. More than anything.”
His lips capture mine once more, this time desperately, like I might slip through his fingers and disappear.
And I kiss him back. I missed him so much. My hands grip his hair and pull him closer, my lips opening to his. The air between us is electric. Heat fills my cheeks and I want him nearer.
Luke shifts back, pulling my legs around his hips. He stands, effortlessly lifting me from the couch. He carries me to the bedroom, closes the door behind us, and I get lost in him.