Twist of Fate (Taking Chances #2) - Tia Louise Page 0,65
voice, contemplation. “I knew it would work. Our spell found your true love. He was lost, and poof! Here he is.”
Energy zips through my stomach as I pour the water into the mug. “He wasn’t jealous. He’s never even met Chad, and he’s not my true love.” I try to laugh, but it comes out wobbly. “I have to be sensible about this. It’s been four years since I’ve seen Scout Dunne.”
“Or two hours.”
“He’s going to meet his daughter for the first time tomorrow, and I have no idea what he’ll say or do… I can’t romanticize this.”
“Why not?” She’s getting stubborn. “I’ve seen the two of you together. You talk and laugh and make jokes and pretty babies. You’re a perfect match, and you’ve got this gorgeous little girl who loves football…”
“We barely know each other.”
“That is not true. You’ve known Scout since that pony tried to bite you.”
“As a child. Then I didn’t see him again until senior year, and then we left for two different colleges.” I take a sip of tea as she exhales a growl.
“You’re just being stubborn.”
“I’m not going to build it up bigger than it is, or I’ll be the one who gets hurt—just like the last time. Scout and I have a lot of ground to cover before we could ever consider anything more than being friends.”
“If you say so… I say it’s a volcano rumbling beneath the surface just waiting to erupt in red hot, sticky, molten lava.” She dramatizes the words, and I roll my eyes.
“Would you stop?”
“I saw that kiss at Aunt Regina’s. You might not have a long history, but you’ve got what counts.”
My cheeks burn when I remember kissing him. I remember his large hands touching me, stroking me, taking me.
“You’re thinking about it now, too.” My cousin’s voice is a dirty laugh.
“I’m going to bed. Love you, weirdo.”
“Sexy dreams!”
We disconnect, and I take a sip of tea. Hot memories, hot tea, a hot night… What am I doing? I’d hoped the tea would help me calm down and get some sleep tonight, which I’m now starting to doubt.
He was so handsome tonight, and when I saw him, I really did wonder if he was real. Then he spoke, and it all came back. He was one hundred percent the sex god of my dreams.
A low rumble outside signals the rain is coming. I watch the sky flicker with lightning through the sheer curtains covering the windows, and I wonder what it would’ve been like if we’d changed our plans and stayed together.
He could be sitting here right now, my legs across his lap. He would pull me to him, and I’d wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him slowly, tracing my lips along his, curling our tongues together as his cock grows harder against my thigh, as I straddle his lap…
A crash of thunder breaks my fantasy. If he had stayed, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have this apartment, and I wouldn’t have my store. I don’t know what my life would be like.
The choices we’ve made have brought us to this place, and now we’re facing new choices.
The soft hush of showers fills the air, and the metallic scent of rain drifts through the open windows of my loft. Standing, I walk to a shabby-chic white credenza with a picture of Melody and me sitting in the sand.
She was a chubby baby with a bright smile and white-blonde curls, and in the photo, my cheek is pressed to her head. I’m smiling with so much love for my funny little baby, so much like her dad.
I spent our first summer sanding and painting and transforming this old attic space into a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, open living area apartment. It has floor to ceiling French doors facing the street, and when they’re open, the sea breeze flows around us.
Naturally, I put my interior decorating skills to work, but instead of cozy farm like Aunt Regina’s place, ours has distressed white boards, and sea blue accents. I dug out an old, turquoise metal sign I’d found in Owen’s junkyard years ago. It’s a curved arrow that points to the door and reads, “Mermaids, Please Enter.”
I’ve created a beautiful life here, a comfortable life. I’ve got my daughter, I have plenty of money, and I’m doing well. Alone.
The light is gone, and only the reflections of the streetlights and the occasional sparkle of lightning fills the room.
Blinking several times against the darkness, I think about my dreams.