We laid there. My chin on his chest. His hands playing with my hair. Those green eyes burning into me. There is absolutely no way I'm letting anything get in the way of this.
Chapter 42
Harris
I knew what I had to do next. We couldn’t head back to LA until we took a little detour. I loved having her like this. Her head on my chest. Staring into those beautiful eyes. You hear about people who had the most unbelievable connection. That hot chemistry. We had that, but it’s deeper. My feelings for her go farther than I'd ever felt before. I need to bring her home. My home. To meet my mum.
I picked up her chin to have her look up at me. “Do you have your passport on you?” I asked.
She gave me a funny look before she replied that she always carried it with her. “Good” I said before pulling her up to me to kiss her pretty lips. “I want to take you somewhere before we head back home. It’s going to be bad enough I didn't tell my mum about us before the media is going to splash it all over. So, I best get you there to meet her in person. What do you think?” I asked.
I was a little nervous what she would think of the whole idea. Meeting family is a big step in normal relationships. Everything in a relationship like ours was sped up because of the attention we will receive. It makes it tough to go at a normal pace. And I believe Livy and I had a very normal courtship in the form of our friendship over the last few months. Getting something like that is unheard of in my world. That’s why I truly believed we could make it. My mum knows all about Olivia except for the fact that I’d actually followed her here and finally acted on my feelings. My mum knew from the beginning that I fancied her. She’d teased me about it the entire time. I know she’ll love Livy. How couldn’t she?
Chapter 43
Olivia
When Harris asked if I had my passport I had a feeling he was going to drag me home to meet his mother. I knew he was close with her and honestly, I’m excited to meet her but also intimidated at the same time.
I am older than Harris by 10 years. I know how that’s going to look to her. And I’d been married before. I’m going to be a nightmare for his career. The more I think about it the more nervous I got. This could be a disaster. What if she hated me? What if I’ve wrecked his fame? He was looking at me with that dimply grin though and he’s so excited and so sweet and God, I love him. I love him. What happened? We were hanging out watching movies, getting to know each other while designing his home, spending time together in the studio, at the gym, running errands, getting groceries. Things he’d never really had the freedom to do with anyone before. We were basically dating and didn’t even know it. It snuck up on us and before we knew it, we saw each other differently.
I can tell you the exact moment I knew I loved him. It was at the concert when he put his arms on either side of me and held me to the railing. I could smell him and feel him holding me in safely. He was taking care of me like I've always wanted someone to do. And it was automatic to him. He was always there when I needed him to be. And he never expected anything in return. He cared. So, I reasoned, this is real. And I can convince his family. They’d see it. They'd see how good we were together. How we are when we are with each other. There’s no mistaking how we felt. They will see it. I’m convinced.
And now that I have talked myself into it, I smile up at my beautiful man to reassure him that I’ll take that trip. I said, “I think that would be lovely” in my worst British accent. To which he whole heartedly laughed and threw me on my back. He was on top of me as I'm laughed. He tickled and teased me about my horrible attempt at his accent. I loved playing with him. He made me laugh so hard and so easily. We had that comfortable love, along with the passionate love that sparked the minute he kissed me outside the radio station. That kiss will forever remain my favorite. How many times as a woman had you wished someone would come after you? He did it just to make sure I was okay. Halfway across the country, again, expecting nothing. He was genuine and true and honest and loyal and damn lovely. He was everything I'd ever wanted wrapped up in one pretty package. The hard part? What’s out of our control…and that scares me.
We finally got out of bed and decided to spend the day as tourists in the little town. There are a couple of art galleries I'd been dying to check out. Maybe I'd find some inspiration for the room I needed to finish when we got back.
We hopped in the shower together to ‘save time and water’ according to Harris. Another amazing feeling? Having someone wash your hair. I didn’t even have to ask. He knows exactly what women like and I’m not complaining. Whoever taught him taught him well. Remind me to send her a thank you note.
After I got soaped up top to bottom, it was my turn. I took my time washing his hair. Making sure to massage his scalp with my nails. I knew it felt good and by the groans I heard I knew I was correct. I'm not sure anything could be more sexy than him with his hair wet and piled up exposing his neck and those tattoos. When they were wet, the detail is more pronounced. I loved looking at them. Learning about them. Like his birds. They are sparrows, and he got them because they mate for life. I find the placement of them irresistible. Always poking out, begging to be set free. We spent the rest of the shower talking about the trip. He was getting excited about bringing me to see where he grew up. He said that he’d never brought anyone home before and that they all were going to love me. Everything that I wanted to hear and wanted to be true.
We actually made it out of the shower without any more delays. And got dressed for the day. I made a mental note to wear a dress. You know, just in case. We both wondered what the day in town would be like after news of us got released. I guess we’d find out just how far removed this little town in northern Minnesota really was.
We headed to town and stopped at the coffee shop. We both grabbed something and decided to leave the Rover parked there and to walk down the Main Street to check out all the shops on our way to the galleries. So far so good. All was quiet. It was a weekday so it wasn’t crazy busy. We walked along holding hands and sipping our drinks. Talking, laughing and enjoying the day. Apparently, no one put two and two together that we were close to the neighboring town where our karaoke video was taken. This might not be such a big deal after all. We made it down to the first gallery. It was a photographer’s. His work was amazing. They were black and white prints. They were of body parts but not obviously so. The shadows and positioning were captivating. Harris was talking to someone now while I was staring at a particular piece. It must have been of a couple, a twosome. They were intertwined so beautifully. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I stared. You could sense the emotion in the photograph. The love, the connection between two bodies. They fit together like puzzle pieces. Each piece needed to make the whole. I absolutely loved it.
Harris came up behind and wrapped his arms around me. He spoke softly in my ear, “I want that to be of us.” I turned my head enough to be able to look at him. He was serious. “I spoke to the photographer, he has an opening later today. I need to get some legal stuff drawn up for privacy but that won’t take long. What do you think?”
He held me tighter now. There’s nothing I want more than to have something like this on the wall in his master suite and have the two pieces of the puzzle be us. My concern is having them end up all over the web. Fucking social media! We couldn’t afford to be that careless again. I voiced my concern softly to him. All the what-ifs. He didn’t seem concerned. Replying that we would have all copies. And without any faces, the paparazzi and magazines wouldn’t want anything to do with the pictures anyway. It was art.
I made him promise to get all the paperwork from his legal team so this couldn’t come back and bite us in the ass. He agreed and we shook hands with the photographer and made an appointment to come back later in the afternoon. I was absolutely giddy inside. As much as I loved the pieces in the gallery, I couldn’t imagine how much they would mean if they were of us together. I’d always admired photography, and loved black-and-whites of couples. Espec
ially when it captured moments and emotion. I hoped ours would come through. I was excited and nervous, about being naked with him in front of a photographer. It wasn’t a big deal to Harris. He’d been photographed so much in his career he’s numb to it, but I had never felt comfortable in front of a camera. I’d rather be behind it.
We left the gallery and walked a few more blocks to the other gallery I wanted to check out. It was all different kinds of art. It was very eclectic. We browsed around a little bit and talked with the owner for a spell. We still had some more time to kill before we had to be back at the photographer’s studio. We went for lunch at the spot I took him to for dinner the first night here.
He’d been able to get a hold of his lawyer and got everything set for the photographer to sign. It was so weird that even the most impromptu things needed to be thought through. We certainly didn’t need nude photos of us hitting any gossip mags. That would certainly send his management and the record people right to the grave. Not to mention the impression on his family which I still had to meet.
We had a lovely lunch. It was quiet in the restaurant. We chatted with the waiter for awhile before we headed out. All-in-all, a very relaxed day, surprisingly. I didn’t expect it to go like this at all. My faith in humanity was restored.
We decided to grab the Rover before heading back to the gallery. We stopped and picked up groceries too. The small market had been in town since my mother was little. It was family owned and I still knew everyone there. They remembered my name the minute I walked in the door. Even with my parents gone, they had not forgotten me. It was a comforting feeling having that connection to the earth so to speak. Having no parents, no sense of belonging was an awful feeling. There was no one left who connected you to anything in life. The ones who created you were gone. The reason for your existence was no longer…and it was weird.
When you found someone who knew you when you were that little girl holding her mother’s hand in the grocery store, all was well with the world, if only for a moment. Things seemed real again. We grabbed some items and talked with some of the workers. I’m pretty sure some of the cashiers recognized Harris but were too shy to say anything. It was cute. We grabbed our bags and headed out. It was time to get to the gallery and the closer we got the more nervous I got. I had a weird feeling that this wasn’t a good idea. Something was not sitting right with me. Maybe it’s just nerves.
We walked in and Harris dealt with all the paperwork his legal team sent over. I was drawn to the photo again. My nerves settled when I looked at it. I was mesmerized by it and I’m not sure why. Harris called me over and introduced me to the photographer. He looked familiar but I couldn’t place him. He led us back into the studio. It was massive. With 20 foot ceilings and original exposed brick walls. What an amazing space. That’s what I loved about these small towns. Their architecture was amazing. Most of their buildings still had all the original interiors. They were untouched. The natural light in the space was incredible. I’m sure that lends well to the photos.
He explained to us what he wanted us to do, how he would pose us, and what we needed to do. I wasn’t nervous now that it was just us in the studio with the photographer. I wanted ours to portray what those on his walls did. I thought if they didn’t, then maybe what we were feeling wasn’t real. That was my real fear, not that I was going to be physically naked, but that our relationship would be naked, exposed for all to judge. Were we simply two separate pieces? Or were we two halves making up a whole?
Chapter 44
Harris
It was amazing having Olivia in my arms naked and unafraid. She had loosened up and was having fun with it now. I had a feeling this photographer captured real life, not things and couldn’t wait to see what ours would portray. It was more than a fun photo session, it was more than having something to always remember, it was about what we meant to each other. What would the photo represent? What would he capture that we didn’t see? I couldn’t wait. I arranged for him to send the proofs to my phone while we were in London so I could have one ready for us when we reached LA as a surprise for Livy. I even convinced her to do a few alone, just for me.
We headed back to the lake after thanking the photographer for the last minute booking. I would definitely work with him again. He had a different way of looking at things and I really related to him.
Olivia got a call from her friends. They wanted to get together again. It was better to stay in. We had taken enough years off my management’s life at this point. I had booked our departure for this weekend so we only had a few more days to enjoy our sanctuary, which this place had now become, and I hoped would continue to be.
I turned to her as I pulled into the driveway. She looked happy, content, beautiful...I wanted to keep her just as she was. The outside world was going to try to rip us apart. I wasn’t afraid. I just wasn’t sure how she would handle it. She's such a private person. She felt she had to be since she lost her husband I guess. It helped her cope. Now all of that will get thrown at her and I will do anything in my power to protect her. I can't let anything happen to her or to us. She doesn't know it but I would give it all up for her. I would be content living in the country somewhere with a house full of kids, a regular job and her to come home to everyday.
She noticed me looking at her. She cocked that beautiful head of hers, smirked and said, "Why so serious? What are you thinking about?"
I couldn't reply. I could only reach for her and get those lips on mine. I wanted to show her, not tell her. And I could kiss this woman, forever.
Chapter 45
Olivia
I didn't know what had come over Harris, but he had a serious sense to him the last few days, since he told George about us. I'm worried we made a mistake by doing that. I wonder if we could have continued secretly for awhile longer, if it would had made a difference. This is so new yet, even though it didn't feel that way. I feel differently than I ever have.
I know him, really know him. Every gory detail really, since I had to when I was brought out to help him. He never held back, and we grew close quickly. It was always easy between us. I feel that way now too. I hope it can continue like this out there. It's all going to change drastically. I'm not only afraid of what it's going to do to us but what's it's going to do to me. I liked my life. I liked that no one knew anything about me as I moved through the industry like a ghost. That was all about to change. But if he continued to kiss me like this I wouldn't have a brain left to care anyway.
Wow! Have you ever been kissed and you actually feel the warmth flow all the way through you? Where you completely melt and can only think about the point where it will end, and you don't want it to end? So, you let go of yourself and you are not there anymore. You aren't a body. You are an emotion.
He ended our kiss and held my chin. Where to look? Those eyes? Those lips? Back and forth my eyes darted automatically.
"I love you Olivia. I will do anything to make this work. Anything. Please know that and promise me you will always talk to me. About any of it."
He knew I was thinking about out there and how this was all going to change. Maybe it didn't have to. I needed a game plan. One for myself. How I was going to handle this within. How open did I want to be? How open did I have to be? He will help me I'm sure of it. I just hope I let him.
Enough of the serious stuff. I kissed him quick and jumped out. Took my shoes off and turned to look at him through the windshield before I took off running towards the lake. I could hear the car door and knew he'd be right behind me soon. I threw my dress off halfway down the hill. I stripped the rest off on the dock and dove in. The water was warm and relaxing. When I surfaced I turned towards the dock, but didn't see him. I swam for a bit before I noticed him coming down the hill with an arm full of stuff. He makes me smile. Just seeing him move from a distance stirs things in me. I know every nuance about him and didn't even realize it.
He got to the dock, dropped everything he was carrying, stripped down and dove in.
He popped up right in front of me with that gorgeous smile. "Hello love." I couldn't help but wrap my arms and legs and around him and kiss him. I wanted to drown in him. I was bursting inside. Like my body couldn't contain it all. All the love, excitement, emotion, whatever the hell it all was. "I love you so much." I whispered into our kiss. Which only elicited a satisfied moan from him. He was standing with the water at his neck. I couldn't touch here so I was clinging to him. His arms around my waist. "I want you just like this." He spoke in my ear before he placed himself at my opening.
Third Time's A Charmer Page 9