Fated to be Mine (26 page)

“Shall we follow the river?”

I nod and excitedly pull him down the path. The gold and red-hued leaves form a canopy above us as we watch the water flow over the rocks. Andrew pulls me off to the side and presses me against one of the hidden trees.

He kisses me slowly, unhurriedly, lovingly, while surrounded by the sounds of chirping birds and rushing water. My hands frame his face and I take the kiss further. Our tongues meet and I melt into his body as his arms tighten around my waist.

“Words cannot describe how beautiful you look right now; your hair blowing in the breeze, the sun beating down and giving your face a natural glow. The sparkle in your eyes as you try to memorize everything we pass, all of it makes you even more impossibly beautiful.”

“I could say the same about you, too. There’s no one that I would rather experience this with but you.”

We kiss again before pulling ourselves away from the tree and follow the path back toward the car.

“Want to stop here for a second?” Andrew points to a small open spot in the pavilion.

“Sure.”

We walk over and he sets down his backpack to pull out a blanket. My eyebrow rises as he spreads it out on the ground.

“You really did think of everything, didn’t you?”

He pats the spot next to where he’s sitting and I comply, sinking to the ground and snuggling into his side. I close my eyes and listen to the beat of his heart. He leans back, taking me with him, and props his head on his other arm.

“This is perfect,” he whispers into my hair.

“Mmm. This reminds me of our afternoon in Hyde Park. That was perfect too.”

“Yes, it was, love. But every moment is perfect when you’re in my arms.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“For what?”

“For bringing me here today and for being the incredible man that you always are. I have never felt as safe as I do when I’m in your arms. And you do it so effortlessly and without prompting. You know me better than I know myself.” I look up to look into his eyes and smile. “Thank you for being you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad to share this with you.”

We lay in quiet contentment, listening to the laughter of children nearby and the calming sounds of nature. Soon enough, my stomach growls, letting us know that we did, in fact, skip lunch. Andrew laughs while pulling me off the ground.

“Come. You know what that means.”

I laugh. “That you’re starving me to death by making me exercise?”

He puts the blanket back in his pack and slings it over his shoulders. “It means we get to eat. And I love watching you eat.”

“You’re crazy,” I say, grabbing his hand as we walk back to the car.

He shakes his head. “Only you could make eating a muffin utterly erotic.”

My cheeks flush. “There was nothing erotic about that. I was just shoving a pastry into my mouth.”

He unlocks the car and opens my door. When I slide in, he bends down and kisses me quickly on the lips before closing my door. After the backpack is put away, he climbs in next to me and starts the car.

“It was the way you were eating it that was erotic. You would bring those little crumbly pieces up to your mouth slowly, making sure you didn’t spill any of it. Your tongue would dart out before the sweet confection hit your mouth, tentatively tasting it. But it was when your eyes closed as you slowly chewed that made the whole thing come to life. Your lips would quirk up in the corners and the faintest hum could be heard. Believe me, it was very difficult to sit still next to you while you were eating it.”

I flush at the memory, remembering Andrew eating the offered piece and thinking those exact same things about him. I clear my throat and look out the window, noticing we’re not heading back in the direction of my apartment.

“Where are we going now?”

He gives me a wink and makes several more turns to pull up near a tiny pub. The most delicious smells float in the air as we approach the doors. We walk in and it’s like your typical sports bar. A long, narrow bar occupies one entire wall. There’s a chalkboard behind it, stretching as far as the bar, listing each and every beer they have on tap. And there are a lot. Three handles for each tap with ten taps total.

A waitress shows us to the back area that’s less crowded than the front. He sits next to me and presses a kiss to the top of my hand.

“How did you find this place?”

I glance over the menu and see it’s my kind of place. All burgers and fried foods, everything that’s not good for you but tastes like heaven.

“I also found this online while looking for date ideas. It came highly recommended on Yelp.”

I laugh and shut my menu after figuring out what I want to eat. “You really put a lot of thought into this.”

He leans over and kisses my temple. “I just wanted to make this perfect for you.”

I lean over and show him my thanks and appreciation by gently kissing his lips.

“You succeeded. It’s perfect.”

He laughs and points to something on the menu. “I’m glad. Now tell me, what exactly is a Juicy Lucy?”

T
HE PHONE RINGS AT MY
desk and I stifle a yawn before answering. “Tessa Martin,” I say, trying my best not to sound groggy.

“Tessa? Are you all right? You don’t sound well.”

Hearing the concern in my dad’s voice snaps me out of my funk. I sit up straighter in my chair, acting as if he were sitting in front of me rather than talking to me on the phone.

“No, no I’m fine, Dad. Just a little tired this morning. I haven’t had my regular dose of caffeine yet today.” That’s because Michael had to cancel this week due to a new court case he’s been assigned. Apparently my dad’s glowing endorsement of him has increased his workload. Hopefully, it’ll slow down for him soon.

“Yes coffee is a must in the business world,” he chuckles. I pinch my arm just to make sure I haven’t nodded off on my desk. My dad is laughing? “I have an opening in my schedule this afternoon and was wondering if you and the elusive Andrew would like to join me for lunch?”

I tap my pen on the desk while gnawing relentlessly on my bottom lip. I haven’t seen Andrew since our date over the weekend, even though he’s been floating around the office with Chris and Kara. We’ve been constantly missing each other, which only makes me crave him more.

“Well, I know Andrew and Kara are in meetings together all day so I don’t think he’ll be able to make it.”

“Would you still be willing to accompany me to lunch then? I’d hate to pass up a chance for us to sit down and enjoy a meal where you may actually eat something,” he says in a mildly scolding tone.

“I eat. It’s just I tend to not eat as much as everyone else.” Not to mention the fact that I don’t eat around Sharon because usually after spending a few minutes with her my appetite is gone. I flip through my day planner, just to make sure that my schedule is clear for a few hours this afternoon. “Lunch today sounds perfect. What time and where?”

“Shall we say noon at Zelo?”

“Zelo sounds good to me. Thanks, Dad. Guess I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Get some coffee before you fall asleep at your desk,” he laughs. “I’ll see you in a bit. Bye, Tess.”

“Bye, Dad.”

I hang up the phone but continue to stare at the receiver for just a few moments longer. Tess? My dad never calls me Tess. Somehow I get the feeling that today is going to throw me off kilter. But I shake it off and follow my dad’s advice and head out to get my first cup of coffee for the day.

My morning meeting ended with just enough time for me to walk the few blocks over to Zelo, a little restaurant that’s extremely popular among the businessmen and women in the area. Once again, it’s another place I have yet to venture to, even though I work nearby. Living on a budget tends to make you pack your own lunch or grab side salads that are only a few dollars.

I spot my dad as soon as I walk through the front door, sitting at a table near the bay of windows. He smiles warmly at me as I place my jacket and purse on the back of my chair.

“Hi, Dad,” I say, sinking down and placing the napkin on my lap.

“Hi, Tess. How has your day been so far?”

I take a quick drink of water before answering. For some reason, I feel nervous even though I have no reason to be. I mean, he’s my dad.

“Good. I had a meeting with a potential client this morning and I’m about ninety-nine percent sure they’re going to sign.” The pride pouring out of my voice is evident. I’ve decided to take this newfound confidence of mine and let it show to the rest of the world. No longer will I be the weak one huddled in the corner who is afraid of her own shadow. The past three days, or even the past few weeks, have shown me that I am someone who is worth something, someone to fight for. So that’s what I’m going to do. Fight for myself and my happiness.

My dad reaches out, patting the top of my folded hands while smiling at me. “I’m so proud of you Tessa. I knew you had more potential than what you were showing to the world. And I knew others would see it and recognize it someday as well.”

“Well, you know what they say. You have to start at the bottom to get to the top.”

He chuckles and it warms my heart just a little more to him. I haven’t heard him laugh since I was a kid. And even then I don’t know if that was a memory or a dream of what was or could have been. But it’s moments like this with us being a typical family unit I think I missed out on the most. It makes me wonder what would have happened if he had stayed or had wanted to take me with him.

A thought hits me just then. What if things had been different? What if I had a typical childhood and was given every opportunity available? The path I followed could have been considerably different than the one I’m on now. And I don’t know if it would have led me to Andrew. If our souls are indeed fated together, I imagine we would have discovered each other eventually and our feelings and attraction would have been just as intense.

We stare at our menus while I decide on how hungry I really am. He had mentioned earlier that he doesn’t think I eat enough so maybe I should pick something light but will still be plenty of food to last me for the day.

When our waitress arrives, I quickly rattle off my order, glancing up at my dad for approval. He smiles, which is all I needed to know he’s happy.

“How was your trip?” I ask him once the waitress leaves.

“Good. Going to those conferences aren’t always my favorite thing about the job but it’s still good to get my foot in the door for future prospects.”

“Like you need any help in that department. Everyone says you’re a shoo-in for Attorney General when McAlister’s gone.”

“Maybe. It’d be nice to add the title to my resume, but recent events have had me thinking lately and I’m not sure I want to go that route anymore.”

I tilt my head to the side in confusion. “Oh? What’s changed?”

“Some things have opened my eyes and I think I need to make a few re-evaluations.”

“Sounds ominous. Care to elaborate?” I ask.

He shakes his head and laughs. “Nothing for you to be concerned with. They’re positive changes, let’s put it that way.”

I drop it, knowing that he’s not going to tell me anything more. Instead we continue with a more relaxed topic of conversation, making small talk at times in between us telling each other about our week so far. He’s genuinely interested in my life, asking me questions from subjects I didn’t expect him to remember from previous conversations. I avoid any topics that may stray toward my love life, changing them to safer things like his upcoming trials. But thinking of my love life makes me think of Andrew; about how happy he makes me and how truly perfect we are for one another. I just wish I would have listened to him all those weeks ago and avoided all of this nonsense.

“So what has brought on that smile of yours right now?” my dad asks me.

The waitress arrives with our food and I quickly take a bite of my Ahi spring roll to gain an extra second or two before replying.

“I didn’t realize I was smiling.”

He leans forward slightly. “So, whom are you smiling about?”

I wipe my mouth with my napkin. “Is it that obvious?”

He nods. “Tess, I know I haven’t been the best father and I have no one to blame but myself. But over these last few years I’ve become more adept at reading your facial expressions and the smile lighting up your face is something new. There’s joy in that smile, something I’ve only recently discovered myself.”