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As they walked down the steps toward their waiting car, Lydia stood behind Jackson, sliding her hand into his. “He looks happy,” she whispered, as John opened the car door and Eddie readily jumped into the backseat, letting out a bark of joy when the little boy climbed in after him.
“Yeah, he does.” Jackson nodded. “But that name.”
She laughed. “It doesn’t suit him, does it?”
“Nope. He’s definitely an Eddie. At first I thought it was a weird name, but it’s him, you know. He’s laid back and relaxed, but will always try and get one over on you.”
“That’s it exactly,” Lydia agreed. “He’s an Eddie for sure.”
John climbed into the driver’s seat, starting the engine.
“Do you think he’ll be okay without us?” Jackson asked her. There was still an edge to his voice that sent a shiver down her spine.
“Yeah. That kid obviously loves him. And he seemed happy to go with the mom. I think they’ll take good care of him.”
Jackson nodded again, leaning against the doorjamb as the car reversed. The back windows were open, and Eddie stuck his face out, letting out a bark of joy when he spotted Lydia and Jackson standing at the door. The car pulled away, and he was gone, leaving the two of them and the empty house.
“I’m gonna miss him,” Jackson said, swallowing hard.
She slid her arms around his waist. “Me, too.”
Kicking the door closed, Jackson turned and wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in her hair and breathing her in. Sliding his hands beneath her shirt, his fingers traced along the line of her tattoo on her hip, warm and teasing as they reached the hem of her shorts.
“You know what?” he said. “Let’s get out of here. Go and do something before I start staring at the empty dog bed and get all crazy and miserable.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “Where should we go?”
He winked. “It’s a surprise.”
24
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“You sure you don’t want to practice your driving?” Jackson asked, as he drove along the cliff top road. The sun’s rays were dancing and sparkling on the tips of the waves as they undulated into the shore. They had the windows down, and the spring breeze lifted the tips of Lydia’s hair and made them tickle her shoulders.
He hadn’t mentioned Eddie once since they’d left the house. He also hadn’t told her where they were going – in spite of her insistence. All she knew was that he’d made a quick phone call as she was climbing into his car, and she’d heard him promise to head straight over to wherever it was he was driving.
“I don’t think so. You’ve probably had enough trauma today,” she said lightly.
“Do you think you’ll keep practicing while you’re away? That’s what you need to do if you want to get your license.”
“I don’t know. I don’t really have access to any cars abroad.” She shot him a grin. “Not everybody is as laid back as you when it comes to driving. Plus there are all those rules of the road that I don’t understand. You ever tried driving around a roundabout in the middle of Paris?”
“You mean a traffic circle?”
“Yeah, those big round things with all the roads leading off them. They make a four way stop feel like a walk in the park.” She shuddered. “Nah, I think I’ll just keep using public transport.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. His unspoken words seemed to linger in the air anyway. Was he going to suggest he teach her again when she was back here to visit Autumn?
They drove past the Silver Sands Resort, and Jackson turned the car left, toward a strip mall on the other side of the road, parking outside a shop with tinted windows, and the words Beyond Ink in gold lettering on a dark background.
Lydia turned to him, excitement fluttering in her belly. “A tattoo parlor?” she asked, her eyes lighting up. “Are we going in?”
He nodded, eyeing her carefully. “Only if you want to. They have time to do something small for us. Clay’s a friend and he has a couple of hours free this morning.”
“Hell yeah I want to.” She gave him a wide grin. “What shall we have done? Do you have any ideas?”
“Yeah, a couple. But Clay can help.” He climbed out of the car and walked around, opening Lydia’s door and taking her hand. She slid her fingers between his and squeezed them.
