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“Of course, I remember you, Loch,” she says with a gentle smile.
“I brought these for you as a thank-you.”
As if she has all day to spend talking to me, she holds the flowers under her nose and takes a moment to smell them. “For what?”
“You knew there was something between us before I did.”
She lowers the plant, smiling. “Sometimes people don’t see what’s right in front of their face. In your case, it sounds like you didn’t miss a thing. I take it things went well?”
I unbutton my jacket and tuck my hands in my pockets. “When I showed up at the hospital, I had no idea what I was waiting for. I took a chance when approaching her that day. Best thing I ever did.”
“I’m glad for both of you. How is she?”
“Pretty well healed, and she has her memory back. She’s happy, and I’ve never felt this happy in my life. Thank you. She’s the best part of my life.”
She quirks a grin. “Sounds serious.”
“It is. Serious enough to finally ask her to be my wife.”
41
Tuesday
It wasn’t where tall grasses grew near the ocean but where the olive trees bloomed. That’s where I discovered my happy place wasn’t a place at all. It was a person.
I turn back to see Loch on the deck overlooking the ocean, watching over me. He waves, so I wave back. Though he can’t see it, I smile because of him. For him.
Taking one last look, I appreciate what this tiny state means to me. Its natural beauty, the water that glistens under the late spring sun, and my childhood. I liked growing up in Rhode Island, but it’s no longer my home. He is.
Traipsing through the marram grass blown by the shifting ocean winds, I graze my fingers across the tops of the blades along the sandy path leading me back to the house. To him.
My love.
My heart.
My everything.
He says, “ETA is twenty minutes.”
It’s just us alone for a short time, so I slide my hands around this incredible man and rest my cheek against him. “We can do a lot in twenty minutes.” His laughter rocks his body. I look up just to take in the glorious sight of him.
He taps my nose. “A woman after my own heart.”
“I’m after your heart, all right.” Lowering my hand, I run my fingers over his growing erection. “And other parts.”
“You’re so naughty these days.” I never get enough of him.
I shrug with a smile on my face that feels permanent. “What can I say? No one ever impassioned me like you do.”
He checks his watch again. Tossing me over his shoulder, he says, “Eighteen minutes.”
I smack his ass in pure delight. “Let’s get to it, babe.”
Making love to him is equally the sexiest and the most beautifully aching thing I’ve ever experienced. To feel so full, so complete, only to have the physical connection ripped away is torture. I could lie with him all day, and it wouldn’t be long enough.
Unfortunately, it has to be.
At least for today.
He’s already returning from the bathroom and pulling his pants back on. “I’ll take care of everyone so you can take your time.” He kisses me before slipping out of the bedroom of the rental where we’ve been staying for a long weekend.
Staring out the window, I let my mind trace over the past year of my life. From the wedding to Carter, which should have never gotten that far, to seeing Loch at the coffee shop the first time we met.
Handsome.
Irritable.
Despite the obvious bad mood he was wearing like a suit, the kindheartedness in his eyes had me feeling flustered. I can’t say I’ve ever felt intimidated . . . no, that’s not the right word for it. Captivated works better. Tongue-tied even fits. I made a fool of myself to try to relate to him. But I read him all wrong.
The mood was bad, but the element of humanity that had never been present in Carter’s eyes prior was shining brightly in Loch’s. It was as if a bad day didn’t taint his compassionate heart.
It was a dizzying combination for any woman to witness. That day, I was blindsided not just by his looks, though he’s still the most gorgeous human I’ve ever laid eyes on, but the soul that made it known he was worth making a fool for. Of course, I screwed it up and fell into a train of griping that no one would find attractive.
I was rude.
I apologized to not only Loch but also the barista who helped me before the attack. I may have been engulfed in a series of traumatic events that day, but I’m not that person anymore, and I felt bad. Loch told me not to be so hard on myself. It all worked out how it was supposed to. I agree, but the Tuesday side of me just wanted to make it right.
