AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Me:LOL. See you soon xxxxxxxx
Alex:Have a great day, baby girl x
I slide the phone into my back pocket, heating through at the memory of him calling me that as he slid inside me. Wandering over to the kitchen window, I stare out, trying to focus on the summer sunshine and not the clouds I can see on the horizon.
This is all so new and exciting and scary. I want to be joyful and live in the moment, and not think negative emotions. I’m Miss Sunshine, aren’t I? I’m supposed to be the glass-half-full girl. So why am I focusing on the bit that’s half-empty?
I didn’t really have to make a choice of whether to get involved with Lee—at the risk of sounding as if I was born in the nineteen-forties, I had to marry him. I wish I was a teenager again, and I had no idea of all the things that could go wrong in a relationship, and in life. When you’re older, you realize how vulnerable love makes you. Falling in love is like opening up your ribcage and letting someone else reach in and grab your heart. And I think I am falling in love with him. Actually, I think I fell some time ago, but I just didn’t admit it to myself.
I might have known Alex for nine months, but I don’t know him well. I don’t know what he wants out of a relationship. Does he just want sex? Or something more? And if he does want more, what would that involve? He’s clearly ambitious—what if he wants to move to Australia or the States for his work? I wouldn’t want Finn to have to move schools. He implied he wants kids, but do I want to go back to nappies and breastfeeding in the middle of the night? Do I want to get involved with someone who’s obviously very driven and a workaholic? At the moment it’s all new and exciting and he’s keen to be with me, but what about after the novelty wears off?
I know that this is what dating is about—getting to know one another, trying each other on for size, and finding out what you want from a relationship. But I’m scared about the process. I’m frightened of falling for him too fast and too heavily, and then discovering I’m in quicksand and I can’t get out.
But what’s the alternative? I back away from something that has the potential to be amazing because I’m afraid of what might happen? That’s cowardly, and I refuse to be a coward.
I need to stop worrying. I’m going to Wellington to spend a few days with him, and hopefully over that time I’ll be able to gauge a bit better exactly where he hopes this is going.
The next few days are for family—for Mum, and Finn, and to welcome Mike, because I have a feeling he’s going to be around a lot more from now on. Later, while we’re watching a movie, I’ll let myself daydream about Alex and remember how good yesterday was, but I’m not going to worry about the future, or about where this is going. He likes me, and he wants to be with me, and that’s the only important thing right now.
Chapter Nineteen
Alex
A few minutes after ten a.m. on the twenty-eighth, an Uber pulls up out the front of Christchurch airport with Missie, Sandra, and Finn.
I go forward to greet them and help Finn get out, holding his crutches until he’s steady, then I turn and pull Missie toward me with one arm. She’s wearing cut-down jeans and a pretty white vest today, and she looks young and stunning. I’ve thought about little else except her since we parted, and I spent most of yesterday talking about her, to the extent that I had to stop myself when I saw Gaby and Sherry exchanging amused glances as I extolled Missie’s virtues. I thought I’d exaggerated how gorgeous she is, but seeing her now, standing there before me with her shy smile and big blue eyes, I know I severely underestimated her beauty.
I press my lips to hers for a long smooch. Too late, I forget that I haven’t yet kissed her in front of her son, only realizing when she returns the kiss briefly, then stiffens in my arms when I don’t release her.
Finn smirks. “You’ve gone red,” he points out to his mother as he lowers himself into his wheelchair.
“Jeez,” Missie says, flustered, straightening her top as I release her.
“I’m sorry.” I wink at Finn and mouth ‘Not really,’ and he grins.
“I’ll get a trolley,” she says, and walks off to retrieve one to cover her embarrassment.
Sandra laughs. “She loves it, really.” She accepts my kiss on the cheek. “Thank you so much for taking us to Blenheim.”
“Oh, you’re welcome.”
“Where’s Zelda?” Finn asks.
“She’s in her crate on the helicopter. She’s flown before. She’s not super-keen, but she’ll be okay. It’s kind of your sister to have Zelda,” I say to Sandra.
“It’s a very dog-friendly place, and she loves Finn to bits so she’ll do anything to make him happy.”
“Did you have a nice Christmas Day?” I ask. “Missie told me that your friend came for dinner.”
“Yes, we had a really good time. We were both nervous to start with,” she admits. “It’s very odd, dating at our age. Neither of us expected to be doing it, and the thought of meeting each other’s families made us both anxious. I honestly didn’t think he’d come for dinner, so I was thrilled when he turned up.”
“And it went okay?”
She nods and leans forward conspiratorially. “I wasn’t sure how Missie would be. Her father loved Christmas, and it must have been hard for her. But you know what she’s like—she’s such a sweetheart. She made Mike feel so welcome. I love her for that.”
“Hmm,” I murmur, watching her return with the trolley. It doesn’t surprise me that Miss Sunshine was able to hide any reluctance she felt. She has the heart of an angel, even though she doesn’t always act like one…
“Don’t look at me like that,” Missie whispers as we turn to pile on their luggage. “You’re giving me goosebumps.”
