One Week in Your Arms (16 page)

“I've already decided I'm not going to say anything while we're here. I want to wait until I'm home.” She wanted to be home. Be on familiar ground in Lafayette Falls and surrounded by her support system of family and friends. “I asked him last night if he'd come to Royal Oaks in a couple of weeks. I thought that'd be a good place for him and Sophie to meet.”

“That's a great plan. By then, you will have my dad in your corner, too. I'll text you after I talk to him.”

“Okay,” Marla said. “I feel better now.”

“Just call me Doctor Phil.” Kayla chuckled. “Talk to you later.”

Marla checked the messages on her phone. Her family was en route home from the Gulf Coast. Earlier in the day, she'd talked to Sophie, who had told her all about seagulls and sand castles. She had messages from Nolana and Christy, who were looking forward to her homecoming and hearing all about the trip, and Dr. Hughes had sent her a medical cartoon of an overworked doctor. She hoped to fill his shoes someday. Be the kind of doctor who had spanned decades and never lost the love of medicine.

She left the garden, lighthearted and hopeful and making plans. Once she met with Kayla's father, she would know what legal options were available to her. She would need to explain things to her parents. She would probably need to revive them afterward. Plus she'd also have to talk to Ben, who would be reasonable as long as Sophie's best interests were protected.

She would simply tell Sophie that she was going to have two daddies now. Sophie would understand that. She had two mommies now. Ben's wife was Mommy Kelly. And since she had two mommies, it would be great fun to have two daddies as well.

The first thing Marla noticed when she walked into the penthouse was a large bouquet of red roses on the coffee table. Greenery and white baby's breath were mingled with two dozen roses. A card addressed to her leaned against the crystal vase.

“How beautiful!” She gently touched one of the delicate petals as she inhaled the sweet fragrance of the flowers.
You know how to win a girl over.

“Carson,” she called, but there was no answer. She reached for the card and ran her fingers over the envelope. She liked that he had left her a card. In a world of text messages and emails, hand-written words were unique and cards you could treasure forever.

She opened the envelope, withdrew the card, and smiled. On the front, a beautiful supermoon hung over the ocean. Moonlight washed over the dark waves. Inside the card, Carson had written:

She laughed as she recalled their conversation last night. She responded with a text message:
Sounds crazy! Just like us. Will be there shortly.

She headed for the bathroom where she showered and went through the primping routine. After she had finished with her hair and makeup, she reached for the dreadful cologne that he found so erotic. She held her breath as she dabbed here and there and everywhere.

What a girl won't do for love
.

She decided to wear the black silk slip dress he'd bought her along with a tropical-print shawl she had purchased on the island. With her essentials crammed into her tote bag, she headed downstairs to the Flamingo Bar and Lounge.

Dressed in black pants and a white polo shirt, Carson stood at the bar, drinking a margarita. She sidled up to him and pressed her back against the bar.

“Hey, handsome, looking for some company?”

He grinned. “You're wearing the cologne.”

“I charge by the hour.”

He pinned her with a ravenous gaze that made her pulse quicken. Then he reached for her hand. “Let's go. The Love Boat's waiting.”

T
he Love Boat was actually a two-hundred-foot white yacht named the
Water Lily
that Carson had chartered for a cruise around the island. Marla remained restrained as the captain gave them a tour of the elegant ship. She nodded and smiled as they walked through the floating palace.

Not once did she gape and gasp. Not outwardly. But her thoughts were a different story as they walked through the main salon where gleaming dark oak panels added contrast to the light neutral tones of the furniture and carpet.

The stateroom featured a king-size bed encased in dark cherry, side windows with a view of the ocean and tiny spotlights, like stars, scattered across the ceiling. Stunning photographs of tropical water lilies graced the walls.

She followed Carson and the captain outside to what he called the aft deck. Half the deck was a covered area featuring a curved wet bar with stools and a Jacuzzi. Beyond the shade was the sun deck portion where one could soak up rays on chaise lounges.

The captain gave them an itinerary of their cruise. They would be sailing along the south shore of the island tonight and tomorrow they would cruise past the Na Pali coast and then return to Hanalei Bay. “Time to get underway,” he said, and he left them on the aft deck.

As the waves slapped against the side of the yacht, Carson hooked his arm around her waist. “What do you think of the Love Boat?”

“I think I could live on it.”

“Okay,” he agreed. He pressed his lips against her ear. “I'll have the captain sail us off into the sunset.”

Wouldn't that be grand? Just sail off into the sunset and forget everything
.
Who hadn't longed to do that? Run away from life?

Carson kissed her beneath her ear and inhaled. He inhaled again and she drew her brows together. “Are you sniffing me?”

“You smell so good.” He buried his nose against her neck.

“Should I start calling you Fido?”

He laughed. A deep genuine laugh that came from deep inside him. He had laughed like that at Royal Oaks when they had been just two lovers letting the good times roll. She had missed his laugh and she knew the day would come when she'd miss his laugh again.

But that day was not now.

She and Carson spent the evening on the deck. She was enthralled by the sunset over the ocean. It was the most beautiful sunset she'd ever witnessed. Where the sky and the ocean met, a spacious canvas of gold, orange, and red provided a vivid backdrop for a large glowing sun. She had used her phone camera to try to capture it, but no pictures could do it justice.

Her delight with the sunset passed when she saw a shark fin surface in the water. She backed away from the side of the yacht in a panic. “There's a shark out there.”

Stretched out on the chaise lounge, Carson smiled. “Yeah. There are sharks in the water. Especially in the evenings.”

She let out a little shriek and ran from the sundeck to the covered portion of the aft deck. At the curved wet bar, she sat on a stool while Carson rolled with laughter.

“Marla, it's not like Jaws is gonna jump onboard and grab you.”

“A shark is a shark,” she replied. “I don't want them any closer than necessary.”

“Bring me a beer.”

“You come and get it.”

He groaned as he stood. At the bar, he opened a bottle of beer and sipped the fizz. “Are you scared of dolphins, too?”

“No. Of course not. Dolphins are sweet. I'm all about dolphins.”

“Good.” He sat beside her at the bar. “We'll probably see some spinner dolphins tomorrow morning while we're on the west side of the island. Wait till you see them. They jump out of the water and spin. It's almost like they're putting on a show. I love watching them.”

She smiled. “I can't wait. I'm glad you thought of this. Taking a cruise.”

“I wanted some quality time, Doc.”

“Quality time?” She wasn't certain what he meant.

He slid his arm around her shoulders. “I missed you this morning. I thought when I woke up, you'd be there.” His breath brushed against her ear as he said, “I want you there, sweetheart.”

His words were more erotic than an intimate stroke. A flush seared through her body, bringing a soft moan to her lips as she sought his mouth. She wanted to be there. She wanted to be his. She wanted to wake up in the morning with their bodies tangled. With her mouth on his, her tongue swept inside his parted lips as her hands held his face. Finally, she pulled her mouth from his to suck in a breath of air.

“I know it's early, but we could go see if the bed's comfy.” She wet her swollen lips. “Spend a little quality time together.”

“Woman.” He lifted her off the stool and into his arms. “You're gonna be the death of me yet.”

* * *

The next morning, a school of dolphins appeared near the yacht. On the sundeck, the trade winds whipped Marla's hair against her cheek as she watched them with delight. They shot up out of the ocean and spun in the air before they splashed into the water. Sometimes, as many as ten were in the air at the same time.

“They're amazing!” she told Carson, who sat beside her on the bench seat at the rear of the sundeck. The dolphins acted like joyful children. They swam side by side, chattering at each other, and riding the waves, their gray bodies sleek and fast. Then they would leap out of the ocean as if they knew they had an audience and made a show of completely spinning their bodies in the air.

“Aren't they great?” Carson said, smiling.

She did use her phone to record a couple of minutes of the dolphins.
If you could only see this, Sophie.
How she would love to have Sophie here, sharing this moment with her. She could almost hear her daughter's elated squeals. She tucked the phone back in the pocket of her shorts.

“Did you see that?” Carson clapped for the dolphins. “That looked like a ten-foot jump.”

She glanced toward him. He wore a navy ball cap with the bill pulled low on his forehead, black sunglasses, white T-shirt, and shorts. He tanned easily. So did Sophie. She couldn't believe the similarities between the two of them. Every day she found something new about him that reminded her of Sophie.

“Hey, you know, I was thinking,” she began, forming a plan for the future. “The weekend after next is the first weekend in July. It's the Fourth of July holiday weekend.” Two weeks would give her ample time to get done what she needed to be done before they met at Royal Oaks.

“I was hoping you could come to Lafayette Falls that weekend. On Saturday, there's a festival and a parade. I'm helping with the hospital booth during the festival and the clinic has a float in the parade.” Sophie was supposed to ride on the float.

She glanced at the playful dolphins and wished life could be as simple for her as it was for them. “Or if you're busy that weekend, we can make it later on in July or August. Whatever weekend is convenient for you.”

“Oh.” He was quiet for a few moments. “I can make it that weekend.”

“That'll be great.”

He nodded and turned his attention back to the dolphins. She let out a relieved breath and pushed the future from her mind. She would deal with it when the time came.

* * *

For the rest of the day and into the evening, Carson couldn't shake the nagging uneasiness he felt. He stepped into the shower, but the hot water didn't wash away the concerns he had about the two of them meeting at Royal Oaks in two weeks.

Or, if he couldn't make it in two weeks, a later date was fine with her.

A later date wasn't fine with him. Two weeks wasn't fine either. He didn't want to kiss her goodbye at the airport and say he'd see her in a couple of weeks.

That was not going to work. This time he didn't want the two of them to go their separate ways. Even if they were supposed to meet again. Yesterday, when he had said, “I want you there,” he had meant every morning. Not just while they were on this trip.

Of course, he realized she loved being a doctor and Lafayette Falls was home to her. Based on the number of calls and text messages she received on a daily basis from her friends and family, she was someone other people loved.

But he loved her, too. And he didn't want her living on one side of the country and him on the other. That would have to be fixed. He certainly didn't want a weekend wife. They would have to work on logistics. He could cut back on his overseas travels and the duration of the trips. Many times, he'd stayed away because he had nothing waiting at home.

They could make Royal Oaks their Tennessee home. He wondered if the old house was still in good shape. He hadn't been back since his grandmother's funeral, but he still employed the Deatons, who had been the caretakers of the estate for decades.

It was a grand old home that dated back to 1859. His grandfather's family had purchased the home in 1910. It was filled with antiques, family portraits, and history. The house was surrounded by five hundred acres of Tennessee farmland, rolling hills, creeks, and woods. He smiled as he recalled being a little boy, hanging onto his mother's hand as they headed down the path to the creek where the water was clear and cool. Great for a summer dip.

His mother had taken him to Royal Oaks every summer until that summer when she was taken from this life. But he still had his fond memories of exploring the woods, going to the creek, horseback riding, and sitting in the shade, eating watermelon while his mother painted.

He stilled in the shower as an idea hit him.

Why didn't I think of that sooner?
He shut off the water to the shower, excitement rising inside him as he wiped a towel over his body and yanked on a pair of shorts.

“Marla,” he called as he rushed out the salon doors into the warm night. Marla sat in one of the chaise lounges on the dark deck, wearing a wrap-style beach cover-up.

“The sky is beautiful tonight,” she said, marveling at the bright stars overhead.

“Marla!” He could hardly contain his joy. He bent and plastered a kiss on her mouth. Then, he lifted her to make room for himself on the chaise. They sat together on the chaise with her body angled across his lap.

“What's happened?” she wanted to know.

“I'm going to build the art center at Royal Oaks!”

Her jaw dropped. “What?”

“Royal Oaks is the perfect place,” he said, his voice brimming with excitement. “My mother grew up there. She loved it and she did all her first paintings there. It will be a great tribute to her and her family. Best of all, there's plenty of land and I own it. That's a huge expense out of the way.”

“You sound so happy.”

He grasped Marla's hand and laced his fingers with hers. “I can build it the way I envisioned it.”

She smiled as she gave him a hug. He returned the hug, holding her tight against him. He thought about asking her to marry him right then, but he had no ring and he wanted to do it properly. He wanted his proposal to be memorable.

She pulled back and he noticed tears glistening on her lashes. “I'm happy for you.”

He touched her cheek. “So happy you could cry?”

Her reply was a slight nod and a kiss.

As soon as their lips parted, he started planning. “I'll have the old house completely renovated. Have the plumbing and electrical wiring all replaced. Plus, I'll get some of the people who work on historic homes come and take a look at the place. I think adding a wing that provides completely modern living would be a good idea.” He looked at her, waiting for her opinion.

“Are you planning to live there?” she asked, looking a bit shocked.

He shrugged. He didn't want to give too much away. “I'll have to have somewhere to stay while the art center is being built, and I've neglected the old place far too long.”

Her gaze returned to the stars overhead. “Miss Eva would be pleased.”

Inside him, excitement mingled with hope and need. On a breezy summer night, shared with the stars, the ocean, and the woman he loved, his future was being reshaped.

“Are you pleased?” he asked quietly.

She laced her fingers through his and held his hand tight. “I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. Are you?”

Her answer was a long, slow kiss, complete with a languorous sweep of her tongue inside his mouth. He pulled his lips from hers. “You know, it's dark and no one can see us out here.”

“I'm glad.” She swept her hands down his chest to his shorts where she unfastened them and slid them off his hips. She took a few moments to appreciate the finer points of his male anatomy with her hands and lips until he swore incoherently.

In the muted deck light, she slipped the short cover-up from her shoulders. He let his gaze appreciate her naked body. Firm breasts with pouting nipples begging for his attention. Heaven between a pair of smooth thighs. A flat, tight belly that would someday swell with his child.

He splayed his hands against her abdomen and thought about babies. Their babies. The family they'd create together. At least, that was something she hadn't done with Ben. They hadn't made a baby. His ego celebrated. He wanted to be the one to make babies with her.

He pulled her close and she nestled against him, as they sat, face-to-face. God, she was fantastic. She had always driven him out of his mind. Made him crazy.