Page 64 of Forever Mine

Chapter 22

Our relationship changed over the next few weeks. Something significant happened that day after we first made love, but Scott preferred keeping the details to himself. When I pressed him about it, he said it had to do with Lucy and he didn't want to talk about it.

He was attentive and took Angel and me to several natural attractions in Ocho Rios and we went on safari in St. Elizabeth. Angel was over the moon at seeing live crocodiles. Scott’s generosity made me appreciate him more. Our outings were fun and I slowly relaxed as I realized Rita was right. Angel got used to Scott and liked having him around.

We stole time, as needed, to make love. Scott was a romantic soul and even arranged a memorable visit to the beach at night. Although our passion was still as flaming hot as our first encounter, something was amiss. I released a sigh and shifted on the seat.

From his end of the sofa, Scott said, “Penny for your thoughts.”

“Just thinking about us,” I said, hoping he’d take the bait.

He glanced in the direction Angel had gone. “Good thoughts, I hope.”

“Always.”

He patted my leg and reached for his phone, leaving me with a vague sense of frustration.

Scott hadn’t broached the subject of us being a couple again. Since we still spent as much time together as we could, I figured he'd made peace with my position. But I was uneasy. It wasn't that he was any less into me, but Scott was holding back.

After what he'd shared about Lucy, and given my earlier position on a relationship with him, it was only sensible for Scott to protect his heart. The irony was that my point of view had slowly shifted and I wanted more from Scott.

Easter came and went and in another couple of weeks, Scott would have finished his first assignment. Then, he'd be all mine for the remaining weeks. I'd started thinking about him moving back home permanently, but I hadn't raised the subject. I knew he'd had several offers to teach from a couple other local studios, but again he hadn't shared his decision with me.

I'd come to find out that Scott could be stubborn when he wanted to be. He was still affectionate but when we made love, he didn't say the words I now needed to hear. I didn't doubt how he felt about me, but weeks ago I realized that we had to plan how we were going to make things work if we were going to continue our relationship.

Both Rita and Mom congratulated me on going all in with Scott. I'd stopped trying to keep him and Angel apart and it made life easier.

Now, Angel ran back into the living room and sat between us. She and Scott had been watching an animated movie. While they did, he explained in simple terms how the animations were created and she lapped up everything he said. The impromptu lessons never grew stale for Angel.

The clock above the television told me it was her bedtime. “It's time to brush your teeth and get ready for bed, baby.”

“Already?” Angel whined and folded her arms in protest. “Uncle Scott was explaining to me how they made that scene in the jungle.”

Wearing a slight smile, I reminded her of what she knew. “I'm sure he's told you that ten times already.”

Scott rubbed her head, then tapped her nose. “When we watch it next time, we can discuss it.”

“All right.” She got up, but didn’t move an inch.

I stood and took her hand. “Let's go. Tell Scott goodnight.”

She waved at him. “G'nite, Uncle. Did I tell you that you look like Jesus today?”

Scott shook his head, gently moving his hair. “Nope.”

“Well, you do.” She nodded several times, as if to reassure him.

“Thanks,” he said, “I'm taking that as a compliment.”

She laughed. “It is, you look like the picture at Grandma's house. You just need more hair on your face and some Jesus slippers.”

In fact, with his cream linen shirt and his hair loose, Scott did remind me of the picture representing Jesus that hung in Mom's living room.

“G'night, Angel.” He wriggled his fingers in reply to her wave.

After supervising her teeth brushing, and getting her into bed, I went back to the living room, where Scott sat scrolling through the channels.

I snuggled next to him and he rested an arm across my shoulders. The motion of his fingers running over my bare skin made me want him but any kind of romance beyond kissing was a no-no in my house. We both knew that and Scott respected my wishes.

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