by Adams, S. C.
“I love you, sweet boy,” I whisper. I wipe away the tears that start to fall as I stand. “Thanks for watching him, Mom.”
“Any time, Abby. You know we love our grandson.”
They really do. They were surprised, to say the least, when I’d told them I was pregnant, but once that feeling wore off, they were all in. Timmy is their only grandchild, and they spoil him.
“I’ll see you in a week, Mom. Love you.”
Before I can change my mind about going, I force myself out the door. Jessica and Caitlyn are waiting for me in the car so that we can get to the airport. We’re taking a cruise in Africa this time around. We thought about doing another one out of the Port of Miami, but we decided to switch things up this time. Plus, there is less of a chance of running into Carter since we’ll be on one of his ships again. It has something to do with airline miles and Cait’s credit card points.
“If we go on CJ Cruise Lines, I get half off,” she wheedled. “You know how my dad gifted me all those points during Christmas and I have no other way to use them.”
“You can’t just use the to buy gas and groceries?” I asked weakly. “We have to go on CJ Cruise Lines?”
“Yes,” Cait said emphatically. “This is the only way. The other cruise lines won’t even honor the points, those idiots.”
That’s how we ended up on this Nile Cruise with CJ Cruise Lines. I only hope to god that Carter won’t be there, but honestly, the chances are slim to none that my ex-lover will make an appearance. Sure, he’s technically the boat owner, but he has dozens of ships sailing the high seas at any point in time. He’s not going to be on board during our particular trip.
“Go before I run back inside and take my baby back,” I tell Jessica. She laughs and hits the gas. “Thank you.”
“I know you’re sad to be leaving him, but it’s only for a week, and you really deserve this. Once your business opens, you won’t have much vacation time for a while.”
“You’re right. This will be good. But you better believe I’ll be facetiming my baby every single night.”
Jessica smiles at me in the rearview mirror. “You better let us say hi to him, too!”
The girls are co-godmothers. Timmy doesn’t have a godfather. Or a regular father.
Part of me feels bad that I haven’t put more effort into contacting Carter, but the other part knows it would’ve been pointless. If anything, Carter would have given me some money to keep him off the birth certificate. I don’t need him or his money.
I have perfect little Timmy.
Caitlyn senses the sadness threatening to spill from my eyes again, so she quickly starts up a conversation. “Being on a cruise down the Nile is going to be so weird. I’ve never been on a river cruise before.”
“None of us have. It’ll be a fun, new experience!”
The Nile cruise just opened two months ago. I remember it being part of the proposal Carter was working on when we were together. He wanted to bring the company back to the roots while still expanding, so he arranged for itineraries on the Nile and a few other rivers around the world.
Our flight is long, but we manage to sleep most of the way. We get to Egypt right on time, and a shuttle picks us up to bring us to the cruise dock. The loading process takes longer than it does in the States because of the number of international travelers.
Finally, we make it on board and find our rooms. The cool thing about the smaller river cruise is that the rooms are ready immediately. No need to wait hours like on the huge ship we took last year.
Our room is also bigger, with three beds on the floor instead of one lofted. We splurged to make sure this was the case.
We unpack our things quickly and wander up to the deck to see the sights.
“It’s not as beautiful as the Bahamas,” Caitlyn says, looking out at the deep green forests surrounding us. “But it’s still beautiful.”
“It’s different,” I say. “I like it.”
The deck buffet is open, so we check it out. The food is similar to the last cruise, and I’m starving, so I pile my plate high. Even Jessica and Caitlyn end up with mountains of food. “When on vacation, right?” they say when I eye their plates.
“Exactly,” I say, digging in. The food is just as delicious as I remember, with creamy mashed potatoes, a succulent roast pork, and baby carrots that melt in my mouth.
This trip was a good idea, I tell myself. I miss Timmy, but he’s in good hands with my parents. This trip is about my girls and me and all we’ve accomplished over the last year.
It’s going to be amazing.
“Let’s have a drink,” I suggest. “The doctor said I’m allowed to have alcohol again!”
“I’ll drink to that!” Jessica says. We raid the nearest bar and order fruity cocktails to toast with.
“Friendship cruise, part two!” Caitlyn shouts. We clink our glasses together and take long sips of our drinks. Delicious.
No one joins our toast this time, but I have no doubt we’ll make some friends. Jessica and Caitlyn are still in touch with those girls from the last cruise. They came to Miami to visit during their school’s winter break.
“I’m sorry you can’t dive on this trip,” Caitlyn says. “Maybe we can still get into the water at one of the stops, though.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be doing a lot of diving once my business opens. Plus, I had to get all of those deep water dives in over the last three months. I’m pretty exhausted. I’m okay with a week-long break.”
“But just a week,” Jessica says. “I’m sure you’ll be back in the water the second we get back.”
“You know me well.”
The food deck is starting to get crowded, so we decide to take a look around the ship. It’s much smaller than the last one but has a lot of the same things. There’s a casino and a club, duty-free shopping, and an amazing pool on the top deck. No mini golf, though. Instead, they have a ropes course set up. I might have to try it out one of the nights we’re on the cruise.
After our tour, I’m having mommy withdrawal, so I pull up facetime and call my mother. The charges will be astronomical, but it’s worth it to see my baby.
Timmy’s tiny face fills the screen as soon as my mom answers. My heart beats hard, seeing my little boy with his thick black hair and baby blue eyes. He’s always looked like his father, and I only wish Carter could see him now.
“Missing Timmy already?” my mom jokes.
“From the second I walked out the door,” I tell her. “How is he doing?”
“He’s just a peach. The opposite of you as a baby. You cried 24/7 until you were a year old. He’s barely made a sound since you left, except to tell me he’s hungry or needs to be changed.”
“That’s my boy,” I say proudly. “Aunty Jessica and Aunty Caitlyn want to say hi.”
“Hi, Timmy!” they shout into the phone, waving at his sleepy face. Once we’ve all greeted him to our liking, I hang up, promising to call again right before bed, no matter the time difference.
“You okay, Abby?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m glad we’re here.”
“Us, too.”
We hug once more and then get ready to go out. Just like before, this cruise ship also has a club on-board, and the girls and I slip on bodyhugging mini-dresses that hug our curves. Mine is a little tighter than theirs because I’ve put on baby weight since having Timmy, and haven’t been able to lose it. No matter. This red dress helps me feel good about myself and I step into matching red stilettos, ready to rumble.
We make our way the club, and like any dance floor, there are swirling lights, loud music, and jostling bodies.
Then I see him.
I would recognize that face anywhere because I see it every time I look at my beautiful son.
Carter is on this cruise.
The girls watch my face go slack and follow my gaze.
“Shit,” Caitlyn says. “I didn’t think he’d be on this ship. We’re in Egypt, for God’s sake!”
>
“It’s still his ship,” I mumble. “Figures he’d be here.”
“Whatever. We can ignore him. You don’t have to see him or talk to him or anything.”
We all want to believe that what Caitlyn says is true, but it’s a small ship. It’s only a matter of time before our paths cross and we’re forced to interact.
The question is: what will I tell him when we come face to face?
22
Carter
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Six months ago, when I finally decided to put Abby out of my mind, I adjusted my schedule. I started putting more international itineraries on my agenda. With the new ship unveilings we’ve had, I’ve been anywhere but Miami.
And yet, there she is, on board a ship currently traversing the Nile River.
Her body is fuller than it was a year ago, but it’s not like mine looks exactly the same now as it did then. I’ve been going to the gym more as part of my Abby detox, so if anything, I’m even more cut and athletic than before.
For the record, the work-outs haven’t helped me forget the curvy girl. She’s still the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing I picture when I fall asleep.
Abby moves along to the beat, just like she did the first time I saw her. She sips her drink and smiles at someone. She looks as shy as she was when we met. I’m glad that hasn’t changed.
Who is she smiling at? I crane my neck, but I can’t see anyone. Is she here with another guy?
I don’t think I can handle seeing her with someone new. I know she’s probably moved on from our apparently meaningless tryst, but that doesn’t mean I want to accept it. I haven’t so much as smiled at another woman since Abby.
She shifts to the side, and I see who she was smiling at. Oh, thank goodness. Her two friends, Jessica and Caitlyn, are dancing across from her. No guys in sight.
Now that I know she’s not with a boyfriend, I can fully appreciate Abby’s improved body. Her breasts look slightly bigger, but that’s probably the sexy dress she’s wearing. The green silky fabric hugs her thick curves. Her hair is longer now, flowing down her back in subtle curls. It’s hard to tell in the club, but I don’t think she’s wearing much make-up. Exactly how I like her.
My cock tightens against my pants. It figures this woman still has the same effect on me she did a year ago.
Caitlyn and Jessica lean close to Abby and then scurry off to the bar.
Now’s my chance. I hadn’t planned on talking to her, not really. It would be best for both of us if I pretend I never saw her. But I’m not about to take the easy way out. At the very least, I want to know why she didn’t call me after our week together. Maybe the closure will let me finally move on.
Abby looks up and scans the room. When she spots me, her jaw drops and her eyes widen.
I start walking toward her. Abby searches for her friends, but they’re still trying to get the attention of the bartender. Her attempts to escape are foiled by a busy dance floor. I’m sure she doesn’t want to go anywhere, either, and risk losing touch with her friends.
“Hi,” I say when I see her. She stops trying to find a runaway route and faces me.
“Hi,” she says. “Um, how are you?”
“I’m okay. You?”
“Fine.”
Abby’s eyes once again search out her friends. This time, they see what’s going on. Jessica and Caitlyn abandon the bar to come back, but Abby just barely shakes her head. The girls stop, but they keep watching us, like birds ready to attack.
All of my anger disappears with Abby standing right in front of me. Our bodies move on their own, pressing against each other as the music flows around us. Other travelers bump into us, but we don’t care about them. Our eyes are trained on each other.
Without thinking, I bend forward and kiss Abby. She doesn’t smack me like I expect but leans into the kiss and deepens it, her tongue swimming between my lips.
I grab her hips and pull them tight against my growing erection so that she knows what she’s doing to me.
“My room, now,” I groan.
“I need to tell my friends.”
She rushes off to where Caitlyn and Jessica still stand at attention like Abby’s personal guard dogs. I can’t read lips or hear the conversation, but I’m guessing it’s a lot of them telling Abby she’s being ridiculous. Maybe they’re right. This is probably a terrible idea.
I’m going to do it anyway.
After a few minutes of back and forth with the girls, Abby finally hugs them and beckons me to follow her. I take her hand and practically run to the elevator.
We kiss frantically with every step. As soon as we’re in the elevator, I pray no one joins us because I don’t think I can stop pawing at her. She’s too damn beautiful, and I’ve missed this too damn much.
“I’ve missed you,” I tell her before I can stop myself.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she says, almost sounding surprised.
We can figure the rest out tomorrow. Right now, I need to be inside her.
My door takes a minute to open, but once we get inside, I throw Abby down on the bed. We’re not going slow this time around. After a year, we’re both in a hurry.
I unzip Abby’s dress and throw it onto the floor. She reaches to undress me, but I beat her to it, adding my shirt, pants, and boxers to the pile. By the time I’m done, Abby’s bra and panties have been removed, too.
She lies back down on the bed, her legs wide open. I kiss from her thighs to her center, watching her wriggle beneath my touch.
“Oh,” she groans when my mouth finally finds her swollen clit. “I forgot how good that feels.”
“You taste like heaven, baby,” I say. I could eat her forever, but my hardness demands to know what she feels like inside once again.
I crawl up her body and kiss her, our tongues battling for dominance.
“Please, Carter. I need you inside me.”
Her wish is my command. I guide my tip to her hole and bury myself in one thrust. “Oh, baby, you feel so good.”
“I need this. Don’t stop, Carter.”
“Fuck, baby, I’m not going to last long.”
I reach between us to pleasure her clit, knowing that’s the key to her finish. It’s like muscle memory, us being together. I remember everything she loved in bed. She remembers, too, because her hand finds my balls and fondles them as I pound into her.
“I’m gonna come,” Abby screams. “Don’t stop, Carter. Fuck. I’m so close.”
“Come for me, baby,” I say. “I want to feel you come on my cock.”
She does, her entire body quaking with pleasure. Her tightening walls coax my climax from me, and I finish deep inside her.
I collapse beside her, panting hard. “Just as amazing as I remember,” I say.
Abby giggles. “I agree.”
I pull Abby against my chest and breathe in her scent, sweet and floral and perfect. It’s still pretty early for me, but today was busy with the ship disembarking and of course what had just happened with Abby. My eyes close with Abby breathing steadily beside me.
Within a few minutes, I fall asleep.
I wake to a cold breeze on what had been hot skin just moments earlier.
Abby stands nude by the bed, gathering her clothes as quietly as possible. What the hell?
She’s trying to walk out without a word. Again.
How dare she? Leaving once wasn’t enough, so she had to get me into bed and then leave without a word for old time’s sake?
No. I’m not going to let her off without a word this time around.
“Is this your thing?” I ask, startling her.
She meets my eyes. “What?”
“Your thing. Disappearing. You’re like a damn Houdini.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I bark out a laugh. “So you don’t call for a year, you let me take you to bed, and then you try to leave without saying a word, but you don’t know wh
at I’m talking about?”
“Excuse me?”
I roll my eyes. She’s really playing this up. “Did I stutter?”
“No, but you’re mistaken.”
“Whatever, Abby. Just go. Apparently it’s what you’re good at.”
“Wow, you really are a dick. How dare you?”
“I’m the dick? You’re the one trying to make your escape!”
Her eyes fall on the clothes in her hands. “Just trying to make it easier for you.”
I stand in front of her. Good thing we’re in my private room because we’d sure look like a riot to anyone else. Standing naked at two in the morning shouting at each other. How did we go from fantastic sex a few hours ago to this?
Oh, right. Abby tried to take off on me again.
“Easier?” I finally shout. “You think it’s easier to watch you walk out than to wake up next to you?”
“I don’t know, you tell me!” she responds, her voice as loud as mine.
“Seriously? You want to play this game right now? Fine. Let’s play. I asked you to keep in touch, and you never called.”
“I never called because you gave me a damn fake number!”
“You’re trying to blame me for this? Not a chance. You took off, and you didn’t even look back.”
She throws her hands up in frustration. “That’s not what happened!”
“It’s exactly what happened!”
“No,” she practically screams. “What happened is you told your assistant to give me a fake number and email address so that I couldn’t even tell you that you got me pregnant and that I had your baby!”
I open my mouth to respond, but then her words hit me.
You got me pregnant, and I had your baby. That’s what she said, right?
“Pardon me?”
I brace myself because I know I heard her right the first time.