Too bad she didn't seem interested in snuggling in his lap.
“Do you ever wonder where we'd be or what we'd be doing if I hadn't been cow-toed by those girls in school?”
He frowned at her question. Truth be told, he had wondered in those first months after graduation. It'd been so easy to torture himself with speculation and what-ifs. While he hadn’t known exactly why she’d withdrawn into herself, he had questioned how they would have spent that summer at the cusp of their adulthood.
Would she have been his first? Would she have given herself to him under a cloudless sky? Would he have asked her to marry him?
Then, like now, questioning the direction of things didn’t do any good.
“I think we had to travel the path we did to get to where we are now. Anything different and we might not have been at Jill's party. Or we might not have been single.”
Part of him ached just to think that. If Samuel hadn't died, Vanessa would most likely still be alive too. Would they still be together? She'd never seemed overly eager to tie the knot. Would he have asked her?
It'd been so long, he wasn't sure if he'd have asked out of love or duty.
And now, he wasn't sure how he felt about domesticated bliss. His life was fine just the way it was. Or, it had been.
Traveling from place to place, making movies. Serving his country. Hanging out with friends.
But this last month with Sabrina had shown him a different side of life. One where all the corners were bright with her radiant spirit. She laughed daily, making his heart happy. Her smile made him eager to please her. And she seemed to love taking care of him. From bringing his dirty clothes back to her apartment for a wash to stuffing him full of whatever cookie the local bakery was making that week.
He had to admit that the sex was off the charts and that was certainly a plus. For a man who hadn't been particularly interested in the horizontal hokey pokey these last few years, he couldn't get enough of her.
“Yeah. You're right,” she agreed.
He could almost read her thoughts. If she'd stood up to those bitches in high school, she wouldn't have met Ethan. She might not have gone on the journey she had to lose the weight and tone her body to perfection. She most likely wouldn't have started her stationary business.
Sometimes adversity was what made a person rise above. It’d certainly worked for her.
“Don't look back, Sabrina. You're not going in that direction.”
She sighed and snuggled closer.
“I love you, David Lee Jameson. Always have and always will.”
“Love you too, mouse.”
Even with a hunk at her side, Sabrina found herself staring out at the palm trees whizzing by. The sky was the most brilliant shade of blue and the sun was extra warm. She lifted her face to it and reveled in its heat.
“It was sweet of Allen and Marissa to invite me along. They’re good people.”
“We didn’t want Marissa to be a third wheel.” She heard the smile in David’s voice.
“I bet their house is amazing. The one in California has this infinity pool that’s to die for.”
“Being a super successful director has its perks.”
Right now, she’d be happy to sort out her own living situation. She’d signed a six-month lease with the option of staying on month-to-month. Time was almost up. While she appreciated the flexibility, she was ready to set down roots.
She glanced over at David’s profile. His palm was so warm against hers, so strong but so gentle. Her need for permanence was directly opposed to his current career. More than ever she felt their time together ticking away.
He caught her staring at him and he smiled. “What’s on your mind?”
“How long will you be in New Orleans?”
He stretched and rubbed his free hand down his thigh. “If everything goes according to plan, six months.”
She nodded, knowing she had no right to make demands on him or his time. Heck, they’d only been together a few short weeks, though it felt like longer.
They’d grown closer in those weeks than she ever had with Jakob. David might be a man of few words, but the invisible connection between them spoke volumes.
“Here we are,” the driver said.
They turned into a palm lined drive. The slender trees framed a large white house with a terra cotta roof. The property was pretty enough to be a movie set or at the very least, on a magazine cover.
Sabrina was a sucker for lush landscaping and a manicured lawn.
Allen’s yard could have been a golf course it was so expansive and well groomed. The car pulled to a stop in the circular drive and the front door opened. Allen and Marissa stepped onto the shady porch as the driver made his way around to the rear door of the car.
Sabrina mentally crossed her fingers that Allen and David could come to some sort of agreement, that David would find some sort of project that fulfilled him creatively.
Down here in the sun-kissed state, the world felt open with possibilities and she couldn't wait to see what it had in store. Not only for him, but for them.
David exited first and held out a hand to help her. She loved that he was old fashioned like that, always opening doors and taking care of her. It was those little details about being a couple that she had missed.
The warm salty air rushed around her, enveloping her like a blanket. Once again, she lifted her face to the sun and made a memory.
“Hey, glad you guys could make it on such short notice,” Allen said.
Sabrina hugged Marissa, as well as her sweet, pregnant belly would allow. “Are you kidding? A trip to south Florida? Count me in.”
Marissa laughed and linked her arm through Sabrina's. “Wait until you see the view.”
“Don't make me,”
