“Leaving? Where are we going?”
With an even bigger smile on his face, he informed, “To make up for your last birthday that I ruined.”
Caleb
By the time I walked back into her stateroom, she was sitting on the bed wearing a light pink dress, deep in thought.
Slowly, I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the doorway, wanting to remember her in this moment.
Her hair was pulled away of her face.
Her lips were still swollen from sleep.
Her dress clung to her skin, accentuating her curvy figure.
There was no taking my eyes off her. I couldn’t, and I didn’t fucking want to. She was breathtakingly beautiful sitting there.
She looked like a dream.
My dream.
She didn’t turn toward me or acknowledge I was there, lost in her own little world. A world I desperately wanted to be a part of again.
I gazed at the side of her gorgeous face, willing her to say something, but her eyes remained front and center toward the middle of the room while mine remained on her. The breeze blowing through the thin white curtains did little to cool the surge of heat I felt for her.
I could see it in her eyes.
The doubt.
The insecurity.
The pain I’d caused.
My truths were weighing heavily on her mind.
I had no idea where we went from here. Evie was always my biggest weakness and my greatest strength.
Unable to help myself, I walked into her room and caressed the side of her face. To my surprise, she leaned into my embrace with her eyes closed, melting into my touch.
“Caleb…”
The smell and feel of her was all around me, making me burn with desire to claim every last fucking inch of her heart, body, and soul.
I wanted to capture this moment and hold onto it for as long as I could. I wanted to remember her just like this.
For me.
Mine.
“What are you doing to me, Caleb?”
“I need you to give me a chance.”
She opened her eyes, staring straight into mine.
“A chance for what?”
“To show you the man you once loved.”
“And what if I can’t?”
“I need you to try. Please. Do it for my kids.”
She pulled away from my touch. “That’s not fair.”
“They deserve to have you in their lives.”
“They do—”
“Permanently.”
She gasped as my thumb pulled on her bottom lip.
“I’ve never been happier than when I’m with you. Even when you hated having me around, they were still the best moments in my life. You made me laugh, smile, feel like I was living again. You make me want to be a better father for my children and a better man … for you.”
“Caleb—”
“You know that, don’t you? The affect you’ve always had on me? From your eyes, to your words, to the way you are with my kids. You’re my family, Evie. You’ve always been my family. You fill this void I didn’t know I had in my life until I met you. There’s no coming back from you, Evie. I’ve tried.”
I was a man of a few words. Yet there I was, laying it all out for her.
Word by word.
Sentence by sentence.
Making my thoughts and emotions known for the first time.
“I plan to have you all to myself today. Just you and me. Now tell me you want that too…”
“Do people always do what you want?”
“Yes, you should try it sometime.”
She smiled, and it lit up her entire face.
“I can’t think when you’re this close to me.”
“Then I’ll make sure to stay close to you all day.”
She backed away, reaching for her purse. “Okay, Mr. Hawkins, let’s see this amazing day you have planned for my birthday.”
In two strides, I grabbed her hand and led her off the yacht where there was another boat waiting for us. The day started with sightseeing and exploring the town where Evie was amazed by all the small shops. She tried to buy a couple of things for herself, Ethan and Ariel, but I paid for them instead.
For the first time since she came back into my life, she finally allowed herself to enjoy my company.
We laughed.
Joked.
Talked about nothing and everything.
Except for what I really wanted her to know which would come later tonight.
The day couldn’t have been better. I loved every second with her, remembering how truly easy it was for us to hang out. Our banter flowed loosely, effortlessly like always. The day quickly turned to night, and I had the crew cook up a spread for her birthday.
I made her close her eyes before she saw what I prepared for her. We were on the top deck of the boat that picked up us to take us to town. I wanted complete privacy, knowing we wouldn’t get that with my kids around. If these last couple of days proved anything to me, it was how much they were glued to her side.
I couldn’t blame them. Evie was even easier to love.