Page 85 of Somebody's Watching Me
Tossing every Meg Ryan movie out of the pile, Samuel made noises of disgust until finding one he approved. “This will work.”
Ben started the movie, and the opening ofThePrincess Brideappeared on the screen.
“You know what I don’t get about this movie?” Samuel said as he dug around in the bowl of pretzels he and Ben were sharing. “Why does he sayas you wishinstead of, I love you? Like, just tell her you love her. Stop being weird.”
“Because love is weird.” Miranda slid her hand under the blanket covering them and rested it on Josie’s leg. “Sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, the world can be a scary place, and you have to hide it.”
“There’s also the fear of rejection,” Josie added. “That can suck big time.”
“Nah.” Chewing loudly, and eyes on the screen, Samuel shook his head. “If I ever fall in love with a girl, I won’t hide it. That’s stupid. I’ll walk right up to her and be like, hey, I love you, and then she’ll say,oh, Samuel, I love you. Done.”
Josie and Miranda burst into laughter at hearing him switch to using a girl’s voice while Ben ruffled his son’s hair. “You realize you just jinxed yourself, right?”
“Whatever.”
They watched for a little longer, with Samuel growing bored after about thirty minutes. “When are we going to get to the sword fighting?”
“Come on.” Ben rose from the floor, dragging Samuel with him. “Let’s get more snacks.”
Miranda paused the movie which was pointless. Samuel couldn’t stay still long enough to watch any movie straight through.
“Are you alright?”
Relaxing on the headboard, Josie kept her face neutral. “I’m fine.”
“You’re such a liar.”
Miranda set her drink aside, craning her neck to check that Ben and Samuel were truly gone. Once she was sure, she laid her head on Josie’s chest. “I’m not going anywhere, Josie.”
The margarita barely made it to the nightstand, her hands shaking as she placed it out of the way. Burying her face in Miranda’s hair, she held the woman she loved. The doctors had said her not losing a single strand during treatment had been a miracle. Miranda was a miracle.
Josie could have told them that.
“You better not.” She squeezed Miranda a little tighter. “We get a life together. I can’t have you crap out on me now, because we damn well deserve to be happy.”
“We do. We deserve it. Me, you, Samuel. We’re going to be so happy. Our little family.” Miranda tilted her head to meet her gaze. “Ben won’t go back on his word. I know he won’t. Just don’t get scared by all the small stuff.”
Josie kissed her gently, not willing to waste the speck of alone time they had been given. “As you wish.”
Chapter 21
“It’s the middle of the night.”
After changing into some pajamas and a fresh robe, she returned with his bag and found two plates full of pasta and chicken. The lights were dim, so as not to alert Simone, with a single candle lit next to the food set up on the kitchen island.
Pouring two glasses of red wine, Liam shrugged. “It’s only some leftovers I dug up in the fridge.”
“Dinner and drinks, though?”
“Don’t act like a moment of normalcy doesn’t sound like a good idea.” He handed her a glass. “Because if you deny it, I’ll call you a liar.”
It really did sound like a good idea. “Not going to deny it.”
They sat and ate, filling themselves with Simone’s cooking. The familiar flavors worked to remind her that she was safe. She was home.
His phone went off a few times, and when she tried to nonchalantly look at the screen, he placed the phone face down next to his plate.
“Keep it with you at all times.” He nodded at her own phone left sitting on the counter. “I’m not kidding.”
