Instead of going back to our hotel room, we brought the food over to Owen's. He was wearing nothing but a pair of black sweatpants when he opened the door, and the bandage was removed from his chest. I set our pizza down onto the table, and Morgan rushed over to him to inspect his new piece of art.
“It's adorable!” She said, as she squinted her eyes. “And it's right next to a mermaid?”
She shot her eyes up to his in question, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“So... is that your thing? You meet a girl, and get a tattoo for her? Is that how you get them into bed?”
“Morgan!” I said, swatting her on the arm.
“Actually, she was in my bed before I got the tattoo.” He winked.
“You're nothing but a womanizer!” She said, not even trying to control her anger. “How many other women have you gotten tattoos for? Is it your way of marking the notches on your bed posts?”
“The mermaid is for his niece, Morgan.” I said, before she took her rant any further.
“Oh.” She said, letting her arms fall back to her sides. “Shall we eat then?”
Owen laughed, and I turned away from them both so that I could open the pizza box. We didn't have any plates, so we all just grabbed a slice from the box. I looked over at Morgan's soup, and shook my head. It would probably be cold before she even opened it.
The three of us actually managed to have a pretty enjoyable evening. After polishing off the pizza, I finally showed Morgan my tattoo. We rented a movie from the pay per view guide, and got comfortable on the bed. I was stuck in the middle, but I didn't mind. I was just glad that for the first time since this trip began, there was no drama.
After the movie Morgan went back to our room, and Owen invited me to stay in his. He gave me one of his shirts to wear again, and like last time I found a spare toothbrush to use. By the time I finished getting ready for bed, he was already lying there. The television was off, and the only light left on was a small bedside lamp. He patted the space beside him when he saw me, and I gave him a warm smile before joining him.
“Did you get a chance to talk to her about the marketing situation?” He asked, as I got comfortable by laying my head on his chest.
“I did.”
“From the looks of things, the two of you managed to make up.”
“We've both agreed to do better. Not just for each other, but for ourselves.”
“I'm glad.”
“What about you?” I asked, on a yawn.
“What about me?”
“We'll be in New York tomorrow. Are you nervous?”
“The last time that I saw my dad was at Abigail's funeral.”
I stiffened in his arms, and he rubbed his hand over my shoulder before continuing.
“He told me then that I was foolish, and that I'd never amount to anything. He said that the only good thing I had going for me was her. Without her, I was nothing to him.”
“He must have loved her.” I said, softly.
“He loved the idea of her. He always thought that once we had kids I'd want more to do with the business. He assumed Abigail would convince me because it was more reliable than song writing.”
“And then she got sick.” I said knowingly.
“And then she got sick.” He repeated on a sigh.
“Is that why you left?”
He nodded. “She wanted to do as much as she could, while she still could. So, we made a bucket list. Dad was furious. He told me that I was wasting my young life, and the little potential that I had left on a dying woman. It was then that I stopped speaking to him.”
“I'm sorry.” I said, snuggling into him. “That must have been hard for you.”
“It was. But if I had it to do all over again I would.”
I yawned again, and he leaned down to kiss the top of my head.
“Close your eyes, Unicorn. We've got a busy day ahead of us.”
I nodded slightly, and did as he said. I smiled in his arms because I don't remember the last time that I felt this happy. I love that he's so open, and honest with me. That he felt comfortable enough to talk about Abigail, and his dad. I love that even though he's going through his own struggles, he's still there for me. I love how he makes me smile for absolutely no reason. How the sound of my laughter is enough to make his eyes sparkle. I love the way he looks at me, when he thinks I'm not looking. I love... him.
I opened my eyes then. The weight of what I was thinking suddenly enough to knock the breath from my lungs. When I was with Derek, I always told myself that this kind of love didn't exist. That it took time to really know what love was. But laying here in the arms of a man that I barely knew. There was one thing that I was one hundred percent sure of. I was undeniably in love with Owen Foster.
SIXTEEN
SINCE THE DRIVE TO Manhattan was less than three hours away, we decided to do a little sight seeing before leaving New Jersey. After a vote, we chose the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. I was pretty beached out from yesterday, and since I couldn't swim it didn't seem like revisiting. It was also hot as hell outside, and
