Page 95 of Mr. Aster
“I think we should just buy a small place out here on the beach somewhere and never return,” I told Darcy, running my index finger down the center of her back while we sat on the beach, watching Jake and Spencer surfing the waves as if they were training to compete in a surf competition.
She rubbed the last of the sunblock on her shoulders and glanced over at me. “I’m sure your parents would most definitely let that fly and move on without issue,” she teased, and I heard Jim chuckle.
“You won’t find it as amusing as you do right now, Mitchell,” I said, looking over at where he was working on his laptop in a lounge chair. Avery was laying out next to him, most likely sound asleep under the umbrella that shaded them from the sun. “When I refuse to return to the madness that I’ve been a slave to all my life, you’ll have to explain to your wife why that winery went under after all.”
He smirked and glanced over at me, “This shit is born and bred into you. You wouldn’t last a month out here, living life like your future bride could.”
“That’s the damn truth,” Darcy added with a laugh.
“You all sell me too short,” I defended myself. “I could easily shut it all off and fall off the map to keepthisparticular peace in my life.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Jim said, and I heard Avery laughing.
“Just becauseyoucan’t,” I eyed his laptop, “doesn’t mean I can’t. You don’t see my laptop out here while I enjoy my lady and the hot Mexican sun, do you?”
“No, but that’s because you’re in the beginning stages of young love, my friend,” Jim said. “Once the reality of life sinks in, that will change.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Avery’s head popped up from where she’d been lying on her stomach.
He pointed to his wife and looked at me in amusement, “You see? The reality of life.”
“Right, and your reality seems to have fucked you at the moment,” I said, hearing Darcy and Avery both softly laugh.
“Speaking of which,” Avery said, turning and sitting up to recline in her lounge chair, “yourreality will be fucked if Jim loses that winery.” She glanced past me to where Darcy was sitting, “So, if your loving man wants to lose himself to the shores of Mexico, he can do soafterthe winery is up and running, and everything is smooth sailing from there.”
“You make a fair point,” Darcy said. “If I stay in Mexico and start having babies, my parents will pack up and move overnight, abandoning everything with that place so they don’t miss a second with their grandkids.”
I should’ve probably been terrified to hear her say such a thing, but I wasn’t. I think the heat and the sun were starting to fuck with my brain. That, coupled with three nights of amazing and mind-blowing sex with this woman, had transformed my body chemistry, apparently. It’s a good thing no one was taking me seriously because even though all of this sounded intriguing, I knew I’d sober up from it all sooner or later.
“There you have it,” Jim said. “My wife and yours have laid out your future for you. Welcome to reality.”
“Meh,” I shrugged it off, taking a sip of water. “Reality is whatever I want it to be.”
“Ah,” Darcy picked up on that immediately. “And what if your reality is different than mine? Then what?”
“I would manage to convince you that my reality is more intriguing than yours,” I answered. “Don’t worry. My reality only includes your happiness, love.”
“But if your realityonlyincludesmyhappiness, then that means you’ll honor my reality.”
“Now we’re onto something,” Avery said with a laugh. “What are you going to do, big talker? You’ve said it yourself: Darcy’s reality is what you’ll do because her reality makesherhappy.”
“Well, no,” I said, concentrating, “not necessarily.”
“Tell us then, big shot,” Jim said, “because you’re a man like I am, and we both love to have control. Now you say you know what’s best for your woman’s happiness, as I figured you would, only to find thatyourideas may not equal what Darcy wants.”
“Damn, this shit is complicated,” I answered truthfully.
“Don’t you dare say it’s because women are complicated,” Darcy told Jim.
“Well, I wouldn’t say it that way,” Jim countered, “but it is well-known that women are more complex than men.” He held up a hand in both directions to stop Darcy and his wife from retaliating, “Before you both unleash on me, it’s not a bad thing.”
“I wasn’t going to say it was,” Darcy spoke before Avery.
“I was,” Avery answered her husband.
“I know you were,” Jim chuckled, then looked at me. “Anyway, the jet will be ready in four hours. Are you two flying commercial again, or will you fly back with the rest of us?”
“I’m honestly not looking forward to our return,” I said. This week had zipped by faster than my feelings had developed for Darcy, and I wasn’t ready for reality.
