whale watch. I’ve never seen a whale. I’ve been locked in a damn house with a maniac for far too long.” She grips me by the shirt, and for a second I think my health is in jeopardy. “You’re going to take me on that damn kayak, and I’m going to see a damn whale! And it’s going to be fucking awesome. And you’re going to love me for it, and later you’re going to fuck me, and it’s going to be a great goddamn day! Damn it!” she screams at me before pushing me back to the couch, and she stomps to the room, slamming the door with emphasis.
I’m not one-hundred percent, but I think I've pissed her off.
“You’re so stupid.” Heaven chuckles over his bowl of cereal. Julia is next to him, but she has headphones in her ears as she reads a Vogue magazine. On the front in pink letters it says, ‘How to be unforgettable in bed in 100 ways.’
I have a feeling she is reading that section right now.
“What did I do? I’m trying to be supportive and protect her.”
“She doesn’t want protection right now.” Heaven scoops Cinnamon Toast Crunch into his mouth and slurps the milk just before it drips from his lips. “She wants to live her life. Something she hasn’t been able to do for a long time. She understands the risks. She wants to see whales with you, dude. Fucking whales. How cool is that? If she stays in another prison, like she is right now, she’s going to resent you, no matter how much she loves you. You have to show her the world because she’s been missing it, man.” He nudges Julia with his arm to get her attention. “Right?”
“What?” She takes the earbuds out of her ears and lays them on the table.
“Just tell him he is being an idiot.”
“I cannot say that!” she sputters and fluffs out her magazine again to begin reading. “But I will say, if it has anything to do with the lovely Gabriella, Heaven is right.”
“What if she gets hurt?”
“What if she gets hurt here?” Julia tosses in my face. “Life isn’t safe; it isn’t supposed to be. It’s meant to be lived. Risks are supposed to be taken. Reward will come after.”
“You’re a smart woman, Julia.”
She lifts a shoulder and huffs. “Ah, I’ve been around the block a time or two. I know some things.”
“How many things?” Heaven lowers his voice and wiggles his eyebrows. “You married? Single? Looking for a good time?”
“Heaven!” I warn him not to say anything else. We lost Ingrid already, who wasn’t even hired as a maid but took on the role anyway. Julia was a last minute hire Jaxon decided on because he figured we needed the extra help, and we did. Men are idiots when it comes to housework and groceries. Pizza and beer. We are good. Julia has been making meals. Like real home-cooked meals. Steak and potatoes, lasagna, meatballs. Fuck me, those meatballs are good.
“What? Women her age need good loving too. I’m an equal opportunity man whore.”
“Oh my dear,” Julia blushes and sips on her iced latte.
“That isn’t a no,” Heaven says.
“It isn’t a yes! No fucking Julia! She’s family.” Kind of. “You didn’t fuck Ingrid—”
“Yes, I did,” Heaven says without embarrassment and shoves another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. “Me, Ingrid, and Louis had lots of fun. Rest in peace, the both of them.” Heaven kisses his spoon and points it toward the ceiling.
I have another headache coming on. I know way too much about Heaven’s sex life. “I’m going to take my girl kayaking and hope she still loves me. I don’t want to hear about what you do, Heaven. Please, no more.”
He lifts his shoulders, and I see his hand slide from under the table and onto Julia’s knee. Her face turns a bright shade of red, but she doesn’t say anything. She is playing hard to get. I snort internally. Yeah, wonder how long that will last. Heaven is too fucking good looking for any woman to turn him down.
I walk down the hall, thinking about what I am going to say to Gabriella. I can’t keep her here, and the last thing I want is for her to feel like she is bound and chained and imprisoned in a whole new way. My bedroom door is open and she is laying on the bed, back turned to me.