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Or smell Marissa.
I could definitely get on board with more of that.
Maybe a little more kissing…
Meghan joins their little group, bends down and kisses her nephew’s fuzzy little head, and takes an empty seat beside Harper. Now, she really is glowing. I’ve heard that pregnancy makes women glow, and I always thought that was the biggest pile of shit. You know, a way to say you’re still beautiful, even though you’ve been throwing up for days on end or have put on a little extra weight in the neck and cheeks. But looking at my best friend’s wife, I know what it means for a woman to glow. She’s stunning, and my best friend is a lucky bastard. He must agree, because when he comes back outside, he just stands there, off to the side, and watches her. He smiles softly, knowing that she’s his for the rest of his life.
Again, that ache I try to ignore.
I throw the chicken on the grill and lightly season the meat. There’s enough here to feed an army, which is good because I’ve seen the way the Summer family eats. Even though we’ve only got about half of them in attendance today, I know that a good chunk of food is going to be put away tonight.
While the meat begins to cook, my eyes return to Marissa – completely on their own, mind you. She’s taking the bottle from AJ, leaning the baby back in her arms, and placing the food to his mouth. The little guy immediately starts to go to town on his bottle, holding it with one hand as if he’s afraid she may pull it away. The other hand reaches up and grabs her hair. He doesn’t seem to pull it, just holds it in his tiny hand. She glances down and smiles sweetly, my heart thundering in my chest.
I have to look away.
When I do, my eyes collide with Samuel’s. They’re staring straight through me, as if reading every thought filtering through my brain. I need to look away. For some reason, I can’t stand the scrutiny, so I do, and instantly feel guilt. “Don’t hurt her,” he whispers again, just loud enough that I can hear him repeat his warning.
I open my mouth to confirm, once more, that I won’t, but nothing comes out. For the first time in my life, I know I can’t make that promise. I know that walking away from this woman won’t be as easy as it was with every woman before her. So, instead, I nod my head and turn to face the grill. I flip the chicken and ignore the rapid-fire beat of my heart and the way my breath is caught in my throat when I saw her hold the baby.
Instead, I focus on the weather and the food and push those pesky unwanted sensations (the ones that feel a lot like emotions) out of my mind. This isn’t me. It’s this place, this town. That’s gotta be it. Once I go back to Jupiter Bay, back to my life, I’ll be back in the swing of things, if you know what I mean.
In the meantime, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t enjoy a little extra free time with Marissa, right?
Completely untangled, uncomplicated.
Easy.
