AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Whatever you like.” He smiles at me.
“No, that isn’t how this works. We decide on a name together.”
“Please don’t think I haven’t considered names. I want to run something by you.” Samuel places our skirts on a rounded boulder. He pulls his T-shirt over his head. I gather up my long dress and pull it up and over my head. It will be weeks before I wear it again, which is a pity because I love the bright colors and the printed mandala swirls. He pushes his shorts down his thighs and steps out, giving me a moment to appreciate all of him. I kick my panties aside, and before I have time to respond, he has swept me up in his arms, and we meander into the water as though he’s dancing with me in his arms.
I giggle and loop my arms around his neck before we both plunge into the cold water up to our necks. I can’t help but yelp in shock at the change of temperature on my skin. It only takes seconds for me to relax in his arms. He’s smiling as he wades through the gentle current, and instinctively, I kiss him. Samuel glances down at me, the desire he has for me swirls behind those beautiful blue hues. Today the color has specks of hyacinth blue, and it reminds me of the macaw’s feathers, and if it’s his jungle spirit, now he’shome.
“What did you want to run past me?” I murmur and then kiss him again.
The moment he breaks the kiss, his eyes hold mine captive. “Do you remember how I told you in Ulara you’re given two names? The first is a traditional Ularan name the parents and the shaman and child acknowledge, not to be shared with anyone else. I’ve been thinking about this name and the personal meaning, rather than a name everyone else will know our daughter by. And you Aussies…” he smiles at me, “… will more than likely change it, abbreviate it, right? So regardless of what name we give our daughter, family and friends will change it.”
“Are you referring to my friends calling me Edes instead of Eden or Monts instead of Monteford?”
“Exactly, and I heard an Aussie call me Macca after a few hours of meeting me.”
I giggle loudly as Macca does not suit him. “Okay, Doctor McMahon, what names are you considering for our daughter?”
Samuel takes hold of my hand. “Float on your back,” he says. “It’s therapeutic with the water supporting your weight.” He guides my head to rest on his shoulder, and my body rises to the surface. “Stretch out your arms and close your eyes.”
I do what he asks, and it feels almost sensual. With my eyes closed, the surrounding sounds are amplified—the trickle of water over boulders and the birdlife in the trees.
“Arukuma Turùpo,” he whispers close to my ear. “Star of our heart.”
With my eyes remaining closed, I picture the stars, a tiny bundle of warmth in my arms, and my heart lost forever to our unborn child.
“Her name is only for us and our daughter’s ears. Our secret, her private treasure.”
“I think it’s perfect,” I whisper. Reaching behind me, I feel for his head and guide his lips to mine.
* * *
“It tastes rank,” I tell Samuel after one mouthful of the tonic or the tea, as he describes it, used to purify our immune system. I understand the need for it, but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.
Samuel chuckles.
“No, seriously. How long did it take for you to drink it without shuddering?”
Samuel shrugs. “It never bothered me. I visualize the good it does for my body, and it’s enough to block out the unusual taste.”
“Unusual.” I roll my eyes. “Well, I guess my visualization skills suck balls.”
Samuel coughs and chokes on his last mouthful of tea.
I laugh at his reaction. “Did I shock you, Macca?”
His brows pinch. “Eden, I’m warning you—”
“Eden, I’m warning you,” I parrot in a deep voice.
In a flash, he’s beside me, mouth close to my ear, hands around my waist. “In another world, I’d silence you in another way, one where my mouth is on yours until you slowly give in to lust.”
“Another world? That’s my world every damn day. I live for your kisses, your touch.” Suddenly, my tea is placed on the ground, and I’m whisked up into the hammock. Thankfully, with us in quarantine, the Ularans will keep their distance from us tonight.
* * *
Four days later, Samuel walks with me to the stream. I’m swimming twice daily, especially to ease the pressure in my back and to move a little in the water. I compare it to hydrotherapy as one would indulge in back home.
When we return to the village, the women have gathered around the fire, along with the men.
