“So, what were you up to while I was getting the snacks?” Oliver inquires as we eat.
I take a sip of my drink before answering him. “I was taking pictures of Alice,” I tell him.
He raises an eyebrow in surprise. “You took pictures of Alice?”
I nod, laughing softly at his surprise. Holding up my camera, I show him the pictures that I had taken earlier—some with him and some just Alice playing around the playground.
“Wow,” he whispers as he flips through all the photos with admiration in his eyes. He looks up at me and grins. “You’re really talented, Catherine. Are you sure you don’t want to keep looking for a studio?”
A heat rises to my cheeks at his compliment. “Thank you,” I reply, feeling bashful. “And after some thought, I think working for a company would be best right now. At least until I know for certain that Jason has gotten off my back.”
Oliver leans in closer, his gaze fixed on me. “Well, if you ever decide to do it, I’ll be happy to help you out in any way that I can.”
His words send a shiver down my spine, and I want to be closer to him. I lean in, my lips brushing against his ear. “Thank you,” I whisper, my breath hot against his skin. “I really appreciate that.”
We just stay there for a moment, our faces close and the tension between us thicker than ever. But then Oliver’s phone rings, breaking us out of the trance. When he answers the call, it’s Erica FaceTiming him.
“Hey Erica,” Oliver greets her as he pulls away from me. “What’s going on?”
“Hey, I was calling to check in on the three of you,” she says, a smile on her face. “Are the two of you remaining civil?”
Oliver smirks at me, then returns his attention to Erica. “We’re fine. We’re just hanging out at the park before we head back to the hotel.”
“Did you do anything for your birthday yet?” she asks.
My eyes widen in realization. This entire time I had completely forgotten it was Oliver’s birthday today.
Oliver just laughs at Erica’s question and shakes his head. “No, I haven’t done anything special for my birthday yet,” he replies.
I bite my lip nervously as he speaks. I feel worse about not realizing it was his birthday until now. Now it’s going to seem like I didn’t care about him enough to remember such an important day.
“Well, make sure you do something,” Erica says. “And I’m glad to see the two of you haven’t ripped each other’s heads off. Happy birthday, Oliver.”
“Thanks, Erica,” he replies. “Talk to you later.”
He hangs up the phone, his eyes sweeping over at me. “You forgot about my birthday, didn’t you?”
My heart sinks at his words, and I quickly shake my head. “No, of course not. I just… forgot what day it was,” I say, feeling guilty.
Oliver’s expression softens, and he reaches over to take my hand. “It’s okay. I’m not too big on birthdays, anyway.”
“But still, I should have done something,” I insist. Then, I lean in closer to him, my lips brushing against his ear once again. “I was thinking maybe we could have a private celebration in our hotel room,” I whisper, my voice low and sultry.
Oliver’s eyes darken with desire, but I catch sight of Alice running toward us, her arms open wide. Immediately, I pull away.
“Catherine, Daddy, can we go to the beach now?” she asks, her face full of excitement.
I look at Oliver, and he nods in agreement. “Sure, let’s go before it gets dark,” he says as he packs up the remaining food, his eyes hinting at promises of later.
We return to our hotel before it gets dark, and get Alice to bed. We’ve been out since the early morning, and I’m completely exhausted from chasing Alice around the beach. But when Oliver takes my hand and leads me into our room, I feel a sudden burst of energy.
He pulls me close as soon as we walk in, his lips finding mine with an urgency that wasn’t at the park earlier. His hands move down my back and cup my waist as he deepens the kiss, and I melt into him.
I pull away for a second, breathing heavily as Oliver kisses my neck. “Happy birthday,” I whisper in between breaths.
“So where’s my gift?” he asks, his voice low.
I take a step back, venturing deeper into the bedroom. As I walk, I unfasten the buttons on my blouse, my eyes locked on his.
