“Excuse me? Hello?” We both stop mid-kiss, but our mouths stay connected. “Hello there.” Our heads turn simultaneously towards the voice.
“Oh, hi. Do you speak English?” A lady with a wide-brimmed hat and American accent asks.
“Yes, we do,” I reply.
“Great. I was just wondering if you could turn down the heat level a little, with the kissing an all. It’s just my kids are swimming nearby and?—”
“Oh my God, we’re so sorry, aren’t we Ash,” Cal says while I try to keep her in place. If she moves right now,kissing won’t be the only thing this woman will complain about.
With my arms wrapped tightly around Cal, I reply, “Yep, so sorry. We’ll stop right now.”
“Okay then.” The woman looks a little disturbed. I hope she hasn’t noticed what’s going on in my shorts. “I appreciate that.” Then she makes her way back to a group of three kids by the shore.
Cal looks up. “You okay?”
“I will be, just give me five, okay?”
She giggles. “I knew I could feel it against my thigh.” Then she makes things a whole lot worse by whispering, “I wish you could be inside me.”
Fuck. I’m in so much trouble. “You’re not helping matters, Calla Bryson.”
It takes a good ten minutes to get my dick under control and all the while; I hold her against me as security. With Calla so close—her back to my front—I also take the opportunity to stroke her pregnant belly for the first time. She places her hand over mine and looks up towards me, side-on. Our faces break out into a smile. It’s the most incredible feeling to know she is carrying our baby in there.
Once I’ve calmed down, we make our way out of the clear blue water. I collect my trainers from the beach as we pass, and Cal leads me to a large sun umbrella and lounger. Her hand drops from mine when she sits, patting the side of the lounger next to her. “Come and sit down.” It reminds me of the day in Braebeach when I first asked her to come to our gig at the Dunbar. It seems so long ago now.
Cal looks up, and the sun blinds her a little, so she places her sunglasses over her eyes. It’s a moment I take to move in close and put my arms around her. Now I’m here, I don’t want to be any distance away from her.
“Hey,” she says while getting comfortable in my arms, “I nearly forgot. Congratulations on your first number one. You must be over the moon.Drown in Blueis an amazing song.”
“Yeah, we’re pretty stoked,” I reply while wondering if she knows I wrote the song for her.
Cal pulls back a little and our eyes instantly lock. “I’m so proud of you.”
Jesus, if she doesn’t make my heart sing. My girl is proud of me. “Fuck Cal, that means everything, coming from you.”
She blushes. “I mean it Ash,” her hand cups my cheek, “I really am.” We’re lost in each other for a few seconds. Then she smiles and says, “Oh, and I have some good news too, well, good for me at least. The university has agreed for me to take my finals in April.”
I’m a little concerned. “But there would only be about four weeks before the baby is born. What if he or she arrives early?”
“Fingers crossed, that won’t happen, especially by so many weeks.” Her eyes go wide, and she takes a breath inwards. “Ash?—”
“Cal—”
I’m unable to stop staring at her lips. The lips I want to kiss so badly. I say nothing else as the need to take her and show her how much I’ve missed her, possess me like never before. I lean over, slowly running one hand around her back while the other combs through the strands of her hair. I push it away from her face as it blows slightly between us. My stomach somersaults as my mouth takes hers. I love the taste of her familiar lips. They feel like home—like I’ve never been away. I still can’t believe I’m finally here, with her, where I should be. I hope she feels the same. The taste of her kiss tells me, yes, but I need some kind of confirmation from her.
I get what I need when her fingers run through my hair, curling around my neck. When we part, I drown in the pools of her eyes. Fuck, she’s so beautiful. Cal is all I’ve ever wanted—and now, our baby too.
“Do you believe me now when I say I want all of it; you, me and—” I place my hand over the soft curve of her stomach, “our baby. Fuck, I want an entire football team with you.”
She laughs. “Steady on Ash.”
“It’s true.”
My eyes meet hers once again as a single teardrop glistens and falls down her face. I wipe it away then say, “What is it, Cal? What’s going on?”
On a wave of emotion, she sobs, “It’s stupid really, but I’ve imagined this moment a million times over. What it would be like to touch you again and to feel your arms around me. Honestly, Ash, I thought at one point, it would never happen, I thought I’d driven you away once and for all. But now, you’re here—you’re actually with me. After all the shit I put you through, all the missed calls and my stubborn temper. You put up with all my crap and I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do. We’ve been through this Cal. I’ve told you over the phone so many times, but I’ll say it again, just this once. You are worth it.Weare worth it. I’ve always known we would end up together. It just took you a little time to catch up.” I smile.
