by Jamie Pope
Galen gave her a soft smile, took her hand, and led her to the sitting area in front of the bay window that looked out on to the beach. “I worry about my brother. Do you think he’s happy?”
“Maybe that is a question you should ask him.”
“He won’t tell me. Everything is always fine with Jules, but I wonder if he is really as happy with his life as he thinks. There’s no one else for me to ask.”
“I tricked him into meeting your mother so that he could really talk to her.”
Galen’s eyes went wide. “He probably hit the roof.”
“He was furious with me and told me to mind my business at first. But he feels better. He’s going through a lot right now, Galen. He had been planning to marry Regina and working furiously to become partner of his firm when I had first met him. I want him to be happy. God knows that’s the only thing I want for him, but I can’t answer that question for him.”
Galen nodded. “I’m glad he’s not going to marry Regina. I hated her.”
“She’s cold, but I do think she loved him in her own way.”
“You’ve met her?”
“A few times. She hates me. She looked at me like I was a bag of rotting garbage. I know she blames me for their breakup, but we met afterward and we truly were just friends.”
“She looks at everyone she doesn’t think is on her level like that. Meaning anyone who makes less than six figures a year. I saw her reduce a waiter to tears once when he accidentally gave her fried instead of grilled chicken. We were at a soul food restaurant.”
“She wanted grilled chicken over fried? Now I know she’s evil.”
They both laughed as Julian walked back into the room. “What’s so funny?”
“Your face,” Galen said as she got up and crossed the room. “I’m going to check on Alex and Dad. Every time I ask them to start the grill, it takes them a good thirty minutes. They argue over the charcoal placement and I’m usually left starving.” She squeezed his arm and gave him a little nod before she walked out.
“My sister likes you,” Julian told her as he placed her bag on the bed.
“I like her too. She’s beautiful. I thought you were gorgeous, but you in female form is damn near breathtaking. I’m a fairly confident person but I feel inadequate here. Your brother-in-law is hot too.”
“You’re the sexiest woman I have ever known.” He walked toward her with that look in his eyes and a little smile on his lips. He hugged her and she closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest.
“I’m going to miss you tonight.”
“No, you won’t. I asked for you to be put in this room because it is close to mine and far away from Galen’s room. My father’s room is downstairs so it will be very easy to sneak out of my bed and climb into yours.”
“That’s naughty.”
“I know, but I can’t go back to sleeping without you.”
“Are you saying sex with me is addicting?”
“Yes, but I like going to sleep with you. I like turning over and feeling you next to me.”
She hugged him a little more tightly. She didn’t say anything because if she did she would have told him that she loved him. She wasn’t ready to tell him that and she was sure he wasn’t ready to hear it from her, but he had to know. He had to feel her love. She couldn’t hide it.
“Will you take me down to the beach sometime?”
“Yes. We can go wherever you want.”
She stood on her tiptoes and reached up to kiss him. She meant for it to be a light kiss, but Julian deepened it and she felt the warmth spread through her and her body get liquid.
“Stop,” she whispered as she pulled away. “Don’t start something that you can’t finish,” she said with a smile.
“I can’t help myself. I can’t believe I made it this long without you.”
“You could have been with whoever you wanted. You weren’t lacking for sex.”
“It wasn’t the sex. It was you. I was missing you.”
When he said things like that, he sounded like he loved her. Like this wasn’t a fling, or friendship, or something that was just temporary, but she couldn’t let her mind take her there. She couldn’t count on forever, because forever never lasted for her.
* * *
Julian felt more at peace than he had in years. This wasn’t the place he had grown up, but he felt at home here. Maybe it was because he was with his family. He hadn’t realized how much he missed being around them until he was with them again. They had stayed up very late last night, just talking and laughing. Sunny had sat beside him on the couch, close to him, but not touching. She had been quiet, taking them all in, but seeming to enjoy herself. He knew that this was awkward for her. There was no one person she had spent her entire life with, no one person that she had a shared history with. No one who she looked like, who shared the same traits, no one who could tell stories of her as a little carefree girl.
He wanted this trip to be carefree for her. He wanted this trip to be one of those happy memories she could keep. They were all down at the beach. Their chairs pushed all the way up to the shore, their toes being gently lapped by the water.
He looked over at Sunny. Her eyes were closed. Her face was turned up to the sun. There was a slight smile on her lips. He had a hard time pulling his eyes from her. She looked like she belonged here, wearing a bathing suit, her curls bigger and wilder, her skin browner and sun-kissed. She looked like a goddess.
“Hey, guys,” Alex said to them. “I’m going to head inside and make us some sandwiches. We can eat out here on the beach.”
“That sounds nice, baby,” his wife replied. “We’re not having dinner till late tonight. We can have a nice big spread.”
“I’ll help you.” Sunny popped out of her chair. “You want spicy mustard instead of mayo, Julian?” she asked as she ran her fingers through his hair. She then seemed to think better of it and removed her hand. “And turkey rather than ham?”
“Yes, to both.” He grabbed her fingers and squeezed. “You remembered.”
“Of course.”
“Hey, Alex,” Galen said. “How come you aren’t asking what I want?”
“You’ll eat what I bring you, woman, and you’ll like it.” He winked at her, gave her a grin, and then tugged Sunny’s hand away from Julian and led her into the house.
“Thank you for being so kind to Sunny,” Julian said to Galen when they were alone.
“Why wouldn’t I be kind to her? She’s very sweet.”
“You’ve hated every woman I have introduced you to.”
“Not all of them. Some of them were just using you. I could see dollar bill signs in their eyes whenever they looked at you. And then there was Regina. You two didn’t even seem to even like each other. There was no easiness there. You two were using each other.”
“You really think so?”
“Yes. She got a young hot shot boyfriend. And you got an older woman who gave you some respectability. It’s different with Sunny.”
“She’s my best friend.”
“Yeah, and what’s with the friends act?” She frowned at him.
“What do you mean?”
“You two aren’t sharing a bedroom. She definitely tries not to touch you when we’re around. I saw you grab her, push her against the wall, and kiss her like you two were long lost lovers when you thought no one was around. You don’t have to sneak around.”
“What about the no unmarried couples sharing a room rule?”
“That rule doesn’t exist here.”
“You told me the last time I visited that I shouldn’t bring Regina because it would make Dad uncomfortable.”
“That wasn’t because you two weren’t married. It’s because Dad hated her too.”
“I get it, Galen. You hated her. You hated every woman I have ever dated.”
“I don’t hate Sunny. That should tell you something. How could I hate anyone who looks at you the way she does?”
“Does she
look at me a certain way?”
“Yes. There’s love in her eyes, Julian. You have to see that and even if you can’t, you have to feel it.”
He was quiet for a moment as he thought about Sunny. She looked at him in a way that no one else ever had and she did things for him, for his well-being, for his soul that no one else would ever do for him. “She is love. She would give you her last dime if she thought you needed it.”
“And she’s deeply in love with you. I’m surprised she hasn’t told you.”
“She hasn’t.”
Galen frowned at him again. “You act as if that is something you might not want to hear.”
“Any man would be lucky to be loved by her. I feel like she would say it if she felt it.”
“Maybe she thinks you aren’t ready to hear it. Maybe she thinks you don’t love her back. Maybe she thinks you are afraid of commitment and have had such disastrous relationships with women who are clearly wrong for you because you have unresolved issues with your mother and she doesn’t want to get her heart broken. But she does love you. I don’t know everything. But I know that.”
He couldn’t describe the feeling that welled up in his chest. He was having a hard time envisioning his life without her. His life before her seemed quieter, emptier, simpler. He couldn’t say he was happy then. Was he happy now? He didn’t know. His career had come first. He was supposed to be taking his time off and thinking about what he wanted. But he couldn’t think about it, didn’t want to think about it, because every thought in his head revolved around her.
That’s not what this time was for. He was wasting it. But how he could be wasting it when being with her made him feel so good? No one had ever made her feel this good. “Damn, Galen.”
“Damn is right.”
“Let’s change the subject. When were you going to tell me you were pregnant?”
Shock crossed her face. “Did Alex tell you?”
“Not exactly. I saw him rub your belly last night. That’s not something he would normally do. I’m happy for you. You’ll be an incredible mother.”
“He’s so excited.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so happy. We were going to tell everyone at dinner tonight. I wanted my family around me when we announced. That’s why I wanted you to come down. I want to see you more. I want you to feel the same kind of happiness that I have.”
He grabbed her hand. “That would be nice, Galen. That would be incredibly nice.”
Chapter 17
“Damn it!” Galen smacked her patio table as Sunny grinned at her. They were sitting in the back of her house, overlooking the ocean, a deck of cards between them.
“I forgot how fun this game is.”
“It’s only fun for you because you’ve won five games in a row.”
“I heard when you’re pregnant your brain slows down a bit. I’m sure you’ll beat me after you have the baby.”
“Okay, we’ll have rematch here in exactly a year. But I think you’re some type of ringer. Some sort of Spit champion who has won competitions with huge cash prizes in Vegas or somewhere.”
“Nope. I was a foster kid. I once had a foster mom who would force us to play each other every night. Only the winner got to eat. I learned to get fast out of necessity.”
Everyone got incredibly quiet around them. Julian’s father and his new girlfriend stared at her. Alex shook his head. Julian and Galen gave her matching sad looks.
“That was a joke! I was never forced to play Spit for food.”
“I’ve heard some of your stories, Sunny,” Julian said. “At this point, I would believe anything you told me.”
“That didn’t happen. I had some challenging times, but my childhood wasn’t all bad. I do think being in foster care helped with my card playing skills. I’ve been placed in homes with lots of other kids and often the thing that connected us was playing games. I got good at a lot of them. I’m really good at chess. I used to hustle old men in the park after school for money. They never thought I could beat them. It’s how I saved up enough money to buy my first CD player.”
“I love chess,” Julian’s father said. “I would love to take you on. I’m pretty good myself and I’m not going to be fooled by your cuteness.”
Sunny smiled at him. “I’m thirty. My cuteness has long worn off. But challenge accepted. After dinner.”
“I think you’re still cute,” Julian said, giving her a little wink.
“I think you’re cute too. You want to play me in chess?”
“No way in hell.” He laughed.
Sunny had noticed the change in him since they had been there the past week. He was quieter, calmer, but he smiled so much more than he had in the past. He was happier and she knew it had everything to do with his family.
They were such good people. She had been nervous to be around them, but her fears were for nothing. They had welcomed her just like she was a part of their family. Especially Galen with whom she had spent the most time. They had stayed up all night a few days ago just talking and laughing. If that was what it was like to have a sister, Sunny would adore it. They had completely lost track of time that night until Julian came to get her around four A.M. to bring her to bed. The same bed they had been sharing since their second night there.
He had told her that he had a hard time sleeping without her. And now that she had slept in his arms every night, she was starting to think she would never get to sleep without him again. Every day her love grew deeper, more solid. But there was still that fear inside her. She couldn’t let herself get too comfortable with him. Nothing lasted forever with her. But if something could, she wanted him to be the one who would always be there. It was too much to hope for. There was too much up in the air. Being in the warmth of his family had made her forget why they had come to South Carolina in the first place.
They—no, she was on a journey that had started over twenty years ago when her mother left her. A huge part of her never wanted to leave this place, but that was her fear talking.
Nerves were bubbling up inside her often, pulling her from sleep at night, pulling her from the peaceful feelings that surrounded her on this island. She felt like she belonged here, more than anywhere else in her life. She was surrounded by the ocean and the sun and kind people and it brought her back to when she was four, before Mama had pulled her out of school and away from safety. Before she knew that there could be such enormous fear and that people could hurt her.
But her mind could just be playing tricks on her, lulling her into a false sense of security. She owed this to Soren to go on. To the Earls. She needed to take herself out of the equation even though she felt like she was a huge part of it. Even if they did share a mother, Soren didn’t belong with her. She belonged with people who were safe, who could love her as she needed to be loved. She deserved the life that Sunny never had.
And that’s why she didn’t tell Julian about her possible connection to Soren. Sometimes she wanted to. Sometimes the words bubbled up inside of her and threatened to overflow.
It didn’t feel good anymore to keep it from him. He knew everything about her. But this. She needed to keep some part of herself to herself. Even if it was just this. It was for protection.
“You okay, Sunny?” He touched her shoulder.
“What?” She rubbed her temple.
“You spaced out there for a moment.”
“I’ve got a bit of a headache. It must be too much sun and not enough water.”
“I’ll get you some.” Julian’s father stood up. “And maybe a little snack.”
“You don’t have to.” She shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“You should go lay down for a little while,” Galen said, looking concerned. “I’ll bring you some aspirin.”
“No one has to bring me anything. I’m fine. Thank you for being so kind. I can take care of myself.”
“But that’s the thing about having a family, Sunny,” Peter said. “You don’t have to take care of yourself. We’re here
to take care of you.”
Her eyes filled with tears. It was the most beautiful thing to say.
Chapter 18
The next day Julian found himself alone on the patio staring out at the ocean. He had always known that his sister and brother-in-law’s home was in a beautiful part of the country. He had even been to this house before on a few occasions, but this was the first time he really noticed how truly beautiful it was here. He hadn’t thought he was a beach person, but he could get used to this life, this pace. Get used to being this close to his family. But he knew it couldn’t last forever. There was a big job waiting for him when he got back home. Cleese had wanted him to take time to think about what he wanted, yet as hard as Julian tried, he couldn’t force himself to think about work.
It was a no brainer. He had to take the job he had always strived for. But now that he was away from it, he didn’t miss it. He figured that the time would come when he did miss it, and probably soon. This vacation would just be a nice memory for him. One he would hope to repeat more often.
Sunny came out of the house carrying a large glass of lemonade in her hand. She was smiling. He had seen her smile more this week than he ever had. He had seen her lose some of her edge. He had seen her relax. He had seen her let her guard down. It made her even more beautiful to him.
“Hey.” She handed him the glass. “I thought you might be thirsty.”
He took the glass from her, set it on the table, and then pulled her into his lap. “Thank you. How are you today?” he asked in her ear.
“I’m happy,” she whispered. “I feel weird saying it, but I am. This place makes my soul happy. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Don’t thank me, Sunny.”
“Why not? I’m thankful.”
“Sunny?” Galen called. “Alex and I are going to get ice cream now. I know I said after lunch, but I’m pregnant and I can change my mind if I want to.” She grinned. “Would you like to come with us? Dad’s girlfriend is coming too.”
“Of course, I want to come. After I heard about the cupcake sundae I won’t be able to think about much else until I have one.” She looked back at Julian. “Do you want to come with us?”