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“Calamari and salad.”
“Smart move. Might do the same. Callum? Get something with chips so you can give me some.”
“Why can’t Rafe give you some?”
“He will. But it won’t be enough.”
Callum laughed. “Get yourself a bowl, then. I’m not sharing.”
“Rude. Lemme guess, you’re gonna get steak?”
“Yeah.”
Mikayla waved for the waiter and gave their orders. Leah settled back in her chair, glass of chardonnay in hand. She shivered when she felt Callum caress the bare skin of her upper arm.
Mikayla’s phone beeped. “Oh, it’s Juniper. Billy’s asleep so they’re just gonna get drive through. They’ll meet us in Melbourne.”
“What about Mum and Dad?”
“They’re in convoy because Mum doesn’t trust Dad to find the hotel. I mean, it’s a great big hotel in the middle of Southbank, that William’s family owns. It has their name on it. How could Dad miss it?”
“Poor Dad,” Callum said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, Mum’s gone a bit psycho, I’m not gonna lie.”
“You might want to go for a short engagement, for your dad’s safety.”
“You could be onto something there, Leah. But we aren’t really in a rush, are we?” Mikayla turned to Rafe, squeezing his hand when he shook his head. “We want to redo both bathrooms, get new carpets, paint. If we wait until that’s all done, the weather’s shit for a beach wedding. So we’ll see. Anywhere between six and twelve months and I’m happy. As long as Dad survives.”
They all laughed, then chatted comfortably as they ate their meals. Mikayla gave Callum a mock frown when he gave some of his chips to Leah, but he just shrugged at her. When they were done and Callum had paid the bill, Mikayla said, “I feel like a walk along the foreshore before we get back in the car. You guys wanna come?”
“Sounds lovely,” Leah replied. They ambled down a small dirt track to a wide beach, Callum with his arm around Leah’s shoulder, holding her close as they walked.
Mikayla slipped her shoes off at the lake’s edge, stepping into the water up to her ankles. “Holy Jesus, it’s cold.” Then she promptly turned around and kicked some water at Rafe.
“Thanks for that,” he moved towards her menacingly, like he was going to push her into the water. Mikayla shrieked and bolted off down the beach with Rafe in hot pursuit.
“They are so much fun,” Leah said, smiling.
“Yeah. Too much energy for me, though.”
“Ditto.”
“I prefer a much slower pace.” He turned Leah into him, pressing a kiss to her temple as they walked. This is what she loved the most, she thought to herself. This easy, genuine affection. The constant touch. Basically, if she was in reach, Callum was touching her. It might be holding her hand, toying with her hair, or running his fingers over any exposed skin he could reach.
“Why do you always touch me?’
He looked at her, a frown in his eyes. “Do I?’
“Yes, constantly.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think about it. Should I stop?” He stopped walking and took a half step away from her.
“No,” Leah said hastily, stepping closer to him. “I like it. A lot.” She looked away. “I think I need it, actually,” she said quietly. Like flowers in a rain shower after a long drought, Leah felt herself coming to life under Callum’s touch.
He hooked his finger under her chin, tilting her face up, searching her eyes for a long moment. She thought he was going to say something, but he didn’t. He leaned in and pressed an exquisitely tender kiss to her lips and pulled her close. She slipped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes as he held her, just breathing him in. When she opened her eyes, it was to see Rafe piggybacking Mikayla back up the beach towards them.
“We’re gonna head off. What are you guys doing?” Mikayla asked when she got close enough for them to hear her.
