I turned, my back to the bar and glanced around. It was busy in here tonight, there were people milling around the bar, the ocean view tables, and there were also several couples dotted around the open space. Some were snuggled up in the booth, one was sitting close at a table, their legs touching underneath.
I miss him.
I felt the tears well in my eyes again.
I need to get out of here.
I felt one of the bar staff rest something on the bar behind me, and I opened my mouth, ready to turn down their request for a drink order. But what I wasn’t prepared for, was the goosebumps that covered my body when he spoke.
“What can I get for you, my little song bird?”
“The one thing I know for sure is that feelings are rarely mutual, so when they are, drop everything, forget belongings and expectations, forget the games, the two days between texts, the hard to gets because this is it, this is what the entire world is after and you’ve stumbled upon it by chance, by accident – so take a deep breath, take a step forward, now run, collide like planets in the system of a dying sun, embrace each other with both arms and let all the rules, the opinions and common sense crash down around you. Because this is love, kid, and it’s all yours. Believe me, you’re in for one hell of a ride, after all – this is the one thing I know for sure.”
- Beau Taplin
32. Colt
I watched as her skin prickled with awareness, all from my words – she recognized my voice immediately, like I knew she would. Hell, I would have known her voice anywhere, in any faraway corner of this earth.
She froze for a moment, as though she didn’t really believe it was me, here, on her cruise ship.
She turned in slow motion, the stool swiveling underneath her ass.
The moment she laid eyes on me I saw all the breath leave her lungs. The weight lifting off her shoulders was so evident it nearly knocked me back a step.
“Colt?” she asked as if her eyes and ears might have been deceiving her.
“I got you, babe,” I told her softly.
Her eyes welled with tears. “You’re here... oh my god, you’re here.” She reached for me, but I didn’t want the barrier between us.
Never taking my eyes off her for one second, I rounded the bar as quickly as I could.
She met me halfway and lunged for me, knowing full well that I’d never let her fall.
“Lexie.” I breathed in a sigh of relief as I wrapped my arms tight around her, right where they belonged. My chin rested on the top of her head – she was the exact right height and she fit against me so perfectly; it was as though her body had been designed to match mine... as though she had been made specifically for me.
“I missed you.” She sobbed against my chest.
“I know, I’m so sorry, Lex.” I attempted to soothe her, running my hands up and down her back. “I’m here now and I’m not leaving unless you tell me to.”
“But the ship’s left port,” She gaped, pulling back suddenly as though she’d only just reached the realization that I was really here, on this ship that she called home. “You’re stuck on here for two weeks.” She looked like she was going to start crying again.
“I’m not stuck anywhere,” I reassured her. “And besides, I’ll be here a lot longer than that anyway.” I gestured to the bar behind us.
Her bloodshot eyes darted back and forth between me and the bar until her brain made the connection.
“You came to work here... for me? You’re the pretty new bar manager?”
I chuckled at the pretty reference. “Everything is for you, Lexie.”
“But your life? The club? Your apartment? Oh my god what about Betsy and all the others, who will visit them?” She spoke in such a rush I wasn’t entirely sure I’d caught it all.
“Breathe, baby, it’s okay, I’ll explain everything... and the oldies are fine, I promised I’d write and visit when I could. I even tried to show them how to work Skype, so we’ll see how that goes.”
She looked up at me, her eyes wide and panicked.
“None of that matters now, Lexie, It’s just you and me,” I reassured her as I brushed her hair from her face.
She smiled, but shook her head slightly in disagreement at the same time.
I frowned, not understanding.
“Yeah, ah...” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “We ummm... can we talk?” she replied, her expression suddenly more nervous than I’d ever seen her.
What the hell?
Her words were terrifying me, but the smile on her face was soothing. I didn’t know what to make of it. My mind raced through the possibilities, but came up empty.
I searched her eyes for answers but she just laughed lightly. “I tried to call you,” she scolded me, smacking me lightly on the shoulder.
“I was on a plane,” I replied, pulling her close again and nuzzling my face into her shoulder. I couldn’t get close enough. “On my way to get my girl.”
“We need to talk,” she insisted softly.
“Off you go, you two, Mikey has things under control here,” Penny called from behind the bar.
I twisted so I could see her, still holding Lexie tight against me. I wondered absently if the woman had mind reading abilities or supersonic hearing.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, I’m sure,” she insisted. “You two have some catching up to do.” She winked at me and I realized that she knew exactly what Lexie needed to talk to me about.
I also came to the conclusion that I was probably the worst employee in the history of this cruise ship right now, but since I didn’t technically start until tomorrow, I was going to let it slide, just this once.
“Lead the way,” I instructed Lexie.
***
Lexie was pacing the small room. Seven steps in one direction, turn, seven steps back.
I’d sat down on the edge of her bed – our bed, and was waiting her out, I’d expected her to come right out with it, but apparently she wasn’t quite ready to spill her guts just yet.
I didn’t care how long she took. The only thing that I needed was in this room right now... I had all the time in the world.
“You okay, baby?” I asked her in amusement.
“Colt! It’s not funny,” she groaned. She paused momentarily, and then took up her pacing again, walking in the opposite direction this time.
“Is it bad?” I asked her, more serious in my question now. Truthfully, I was starting to get a little worried about what she needed to tell me.
Has she met someone else?
I shoved that thought far from my mind. When it came to Lexie and I, there was, and never would be anyone else.
“No... it’s just... I don’t know how you’ll take it... I...”
I stood up, grabbed her mid step and crouched slightly to look into her beautiful blue eyes. “Lexie...” I soothed. “We can deal with it, whatever it is... just tell me, babe.”
She stared right back at me, her eyes swimming with fear.
“I’m... I... We’re...” she stuttered, glancing down.
I tipped her chin up so she was looking at me again and gave her a nod to tell me.
“I’m pregnant,” she breathed. The words were so quiet I wasn’t sure I’d even heard right.
My eyes darted down to her still-flat stomach in disbelief. “You’re pregnant?”
She nodded. “We’re going to be parents,” she answered me with more strength in her voice this time.
“We’re having a baby?”
She’s carrying my baby?
She nodded, her nerves pouring off her in waves.
Holy shit.
“We’re having a baby!” I fist pumped the air before dragging her up into my arms and squeezing her tight.
I’m gonna be a dad.
“You’re not mad?” she asked between giggles.
“Mad? Why would I be mad?” I quizzed as I set her down to her feet.
“Becau
se we actively tried to prevent this...” She shrugged sheepishly.
I knew now why she’d been such a mess on the stage. She’d been all alone, trying to deal with some of the most life-changing news that could happen to a person. I wasn’t here, and she had no idea how I’d react.
Idiot – she doesn’t even know I love her.
I sat down on the bed and tugged her into my lap. “I couldn’t be further from mad, baby.”
I swept the hair off her face and looked into her eyes. “I owe you an apology.”
She shook her head quickly in disagreement. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“I do,” I insisted. “I never should have let you get on that plane alone. I should have come with you, or made you stay with me. We should have figured something better out. I shouldn’t have let you go, Lexie.”
She opened her mouth to argue but I silenced her with a look. I still had more to say.
“You and I are meant to be together.” I looked into her deep blue eyes, hoping that I was showing her exactly how I felt. “Everything is better when I’m with you, Lexie, and I’m sorry it took me so long, and god, I’m so sorry that you felt alone with this news, but I’m here now, and I swear to whatever kind of god you might believe in, I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’ve only known me less than a month,” she argued.
“I feel like I’ve known you a lot longer than that.” I ran my thumb over her bottom lip and her eyes closed at the contact. “And I promise, it took me a hell of a lot less time than that to fall in love with you.”
Her eyes flicked open. “You’re in love with me?” she asked quietly.
I chuckled lightly. Of course I was in love with her. I fell in love with her a lifetime ago.
“Are you not in love with me?” I asked her instead.
She blushed, her cheeks going a beautiful pink color. “I love you more than anything in the world,” she confirmed.
I knew she loved me, she may not have said the words aloud, but she told me with her actions, the words she didn’t say and the way she looked at me.
I just knew.
Lexie Chase had been head over heels in love with me before she even got on that plane to go home, as I had been with her. But there was nothing quite like hearing those precious words flowing from her mouth.
“I should have told you I loved you,” I told her, regret in my voice.
“I should have told you too.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” I promised. “How about I tell you every single day for the rest of forever?”
“Promise?” She smiled.
“Swear on my life.”
I’d never made a promise that would be so easy to keep.
I held her tight, breathing in the scent that was home to me now. It didn’t matter if we lived in here, or back home, or even on a cruise ship, if Lex was there, I was home.
I tentatively reached a hand out for her belly. It felt stupid, there was nothing showing there yet, but knowing my baby was snuggled up safe in there was a feeling I couldn’t even describe.
Lexie smiled at me, so sweetly as I gently caressed her stomach. I could tell she was close to tears.
“When will be we meeting this little peanut?” I asked fondly.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “All I’ve done is pee on a stick.”
“Well at least we’ll be able to give the doc a definite date.” I chuckled.
“I can’t believe we made a baby the first time we had sex,” she replied in disbelief. “Who does that?”
“It’s my superhuman sperm,” I told her with a grin.
She rolled her eyes, and snuggled in closer to me. I could feel her placing soft kisses to my chest.
“Are you okay, babe? I know we didn’t plan for this... if you don’t want this yet, we can... we can talk about other options,” I offered.
Those words burned coming out of my mouth. I didn’t want to discuss other options. I wanted this baby. I wanted it with Lexie. We might have been a few years ahead of planning for a child, but we were here now and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
She looked up into my eyes. “There is nothing I want more in my life than you and our baby.”
Well thank god for that.
***
“I can’t believe your brother just turned up like that, what are the chances?” she mused. “And then Penny offering you a job...”
It was meant to be.
“You asked me if I believed in fate, you remember that?”
She nodded and smiled.
“Well you bet your sweet little ass, if I didn’t entirely believe in it before, I do now.”
She giggled softly.
“But job or not, I was getting on this ship, I even paid for a room as a guarantee.”
“How nice of a room?” she asked quickly with an eyebrow raised.
I chuckled deep in my belly, already knowing where this was going. “A damn nice room,” I replied. “They only had the most expensive kind left and I was out of options.”
“Does it have a balcony?” she asked, her eyes getting more excited by the minute. “And its own bathroom?” She bounced up and down on the spot.
I laughed again; she was just so damn cute. “You bet, baby.”
“Holy shit, what are we still doing down here? I love this job, but the sleeping arrangements suck, big time.”
I had to agree. No doubt Lexie had one of the better rooms, being the star performer on the ship, but still, it was a dark, five meter by five meter box with not much more than a bed in it.
I picked her bag up and dropped it onto the bed with a thud. “Get your crap together, the high life is waiting, my princess.”
“That’s when you know for sure somebody loves you. They figure out what you need and they give it to you – without you asking.”
- Adriana Trigian
33. Lexie
He came for me.
I couldn’t believe Colt had come all the way out here.
For me...
I was still in a complete state of shock, and I wasn’t even the one who’d just had the news of impending parenthood dropped on them.
He’d joked, calling me his princess, but that was exactly how I felt when he was around. He treated me like I was his entire world.
Because I am.
It was a surreal feeling, knowing that you were loved. Knowing without a doubt that the person you loved, loved you back. I couldn’t explain it. I just found myself looking at him and thinking... that of all of the millions of people in this world, he chose me. And the best bit was that he looked back at me like he was thinking the same about me.
Colt hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d paid for a nice room. The room we’d been living in for the past three days was possibly the nicest room I’d ever seen on this ship. It must have cost him an absolute fortune.
Besides the obvious luxury of a suite, I was incredibly grateful for the privacy of the bathroom. Morning sickness had made itself known to me and I’d been puking my guts out ever since.
I still had no idea why it was referred to as ‘morning sickness’, because that shit seemed to hit me at any time of the day, much to the concern of my very doting boyfriend.
Colt had dragged me to the on-ship doctor yesterday, albeit kicking and screaming. The doctor had managed to get me some anti-nausea medication that was safe for the baby, and I begrudgingly had to admit that it had helped a little. Now I was only throwing up first thing in the morning or if I went too long without food.
Colt was fussing over me like some kind of mother hen, deciding for me that I wasn’t fit to perform. I’d tried to argue, but ended up throwing up again. Needless to say, he won that argument. He had Penny on his side anyway, and there was no arguing with her.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I told him for the hundredth time as he rubbed my feet for me. We had the door open onto our balcony and the warm Hawaiian air was breezing through the room.
This
was seriously the life. I found myself wishing that I was just here for a holiday and not for my job. That feeling was an entirely foreign one to me. I loved my job. I’d worked damn hard to land it, and I had no intentions of leaving.
Or did I?
“I forgot to tell you.” Colt suddenly flicked his eyes up to mine. “Mitch is having a baby with his new fiancée.” His eyes were glowing and I could tell he was incredibly excited about this news.
“You’re going to be a daddy and an uncle.” I beamed at him.
“God, I love it when you say that,” he told me, a huge smile gracing his perfect face.
“How’d you manage to forget to tell me that?” I frowned at him, going from thinking he was cute, to a tad annoying... all in a matter of seconds.
Damn hormones.
He laughed at me and shrugged sheepishly. “I think I got a bit distracted by the ‘we’re having a baby’ news and then the puking started and it’s been a bit crazy ever since.”
“Touché... tell me now,” I encouraged.
So he did. I learned all about what had brought his brother home from the military and how he’d managed to score himself a beautiful wife-to-be.
“We’ll be having our babies only a few months apart,” I mused.
We’d gotten out a calendar and attempted to figure out when this baby was going to be entering the world – all going to plan. We’d worked it out that we’d be having a July baby, since we were only a few weeks along right now. Sophia and Mitch were due in late March.
“It’s going to be so cool for them growing up as cousins so close in age.” I smiled as I thought about it. I always hoped I’d have children with someone who had siblings. Being an only child, my children wouldn’t get any cousins from my side of the family, and I was ecstatic that this baby would have a partner in crime.
“Yeah.” Colt smiled back at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quickly. I was so in tune with this man, he couldn’t get anything by me anymore.
“Nothing.” He shook his head and smiled, and this time it was dazzling. “Absolutely nothing is wrong with my life right now, I’ve got everything I need right here.” He squeezed my hand and I knew he was being totally truthful.
Love like Yours Series Box Set: Books 1 - 4 Page 84