Page 57 of Handsome
Cyrus
We finished eating outside and moved back into the main room. My son was wide awake, and while Sarah rocked him, I began to notice the way Joshua had begun to bond with her while they cuddled.
I glanced out the window and straightened in surprise. Wow. I told the captain we needed to get back fast, and we had a powerful engine, but I was still impressed when I saw the familiar shoreline coming into view.
We settled onto the seats, and I pointed to the house in the distance. Her eyes widened and she asked, “We made it back faster than on the way to your island?”
Joshua wailed like I was taking Sarah away from him.
I rubbed my hand on her back and glanced down at her as I said, “We have a good tailwind, and I wanted to get home a day before the family arrives. This way you’ll have time to handle whatever you need without dealing with paperwork.”
My son's cries escalated to screams.
“Good plan,” she said, raising her voice a bit.
She maneuvered him again to see if he had gas.
I glanced down at her when my son clutched my finger. He quieted just from having her attention. I winked at him but then gazed back at Sarah. I wondered if she’d ever go out on a real date with me.
She might need the dinner and flower moments, and I’d be happy to give her whatever her heart desired. However, I kept still, because every time we talked, Joshua screamed.
When we were finally off the ship and back on land, his cries went into a lull, and it was starting to look like he preferred to be held tight. He probably thought of Sarah as his mother since she was the one who took care of him.
I hoped that when I asked her out, she'd agree, because it would mean she was emotionally ready to acknowledge that wehavea relationship. She wasn’t there yet, even though I was.
I opened the front door, and the air conditioning blasted us with cool air, and as I closed the door, my son immediately quieted.
We headed right to the kitchen for a bottle as I said, “And it seems Joshua likes being inside the house.”
“He’s a smart one,” she said and gaze him a hug. I took out a bottle and placed it in his mouth. She took over, and we returned to the main room.
She hummed while he fed, and soon Joshua fell asleep.
Finally. He’d be out for a while now because it seemed like he’d been up for hours.
I took him and carried him up to his nursery, laying him down gently so he wouldn't wake up. She followed, and as we returned to the main room, I closed Joshua's door behind us.
Now was my chance to argue freely, so I said, “What if you and I leave Joshua with Maman and Pedar tomorrow night and go out to dinner by ourselves?”
She clutched her hands together. “That sounds like an official date.”
Maybe it was. I shrugged. This was a step forward, beyond simply enjoying each other physically, so I said, “It’s one night out when we don't have to drop whatever we're doing and run to the baby's room… and then, after he's back to sleep, trying to remember where we left off.”
She took my hand and walked me to her bedroom as she said, “I can’t think about that. Tomorrow is the future.”
I followed her in, but my stomach twisted. I wanted to have her at my side for everything from a burger to more.
I closed the door behind me and said, “It’s not really.”
She took her shirt off and shimmied out of her boat pants as she said, “You said you were fine… as we are.”
My muscles tensed as I stared at her in her white bra and panties, though I managed to say, “I’m not asking for the world, just a chance.”
She traced my arms and held my waist as she said, “Just kiss me, okay?”
Her lips met mine, and I hardened in an instant. I wanted her, as always.
She reached for my shirt and tugged it up, saying, “We finally have some time for ourselves right now."
