Later, as we stood at the water’s edge of the immaculate white sandy beach, we stared out at the Pacific Ocean as it lapped around our feet. The setting sun threw several deep shades of orange and pastels of lilac across the twilight sky. The pretty colors matched the comfortable loose caftan dress I wore. James had his arms around my waist, clasped in front of me, as we stood silently absorbing the serenity of the beautiful sunset.
When the sun finally went down, I glanced back at the twinkling deck lights glowing in front of the villa, and saw wait staff setting out a table for us for dinner. Small solar lights encircled the decking on the plunge pool and the softer lighting inside the villa made the scene very romantic.
“A girl could get used to this,” I admitted, smiling affectionately toward him. “You have no idea how romantic you are, James. This place is unbelievable.” I looked up at the moon and the silver streak it cast upon the water.
“Yeah, it is… and the most expensive,” I flashed him a confused look because it had never been like James to talk money. “Oh, I’m not trying to impress you with my wallet. I could have found cheaper accommodation had you not been a screamer,” he joked. “This place is the farthest away from all the other accommodations. We can’t have the neighbors complaining about the noise you make when I fuck you, can we?” I chuckled and tried to swat his head playfully, but he ducked, and I caught his arm instead. James’ reaction was lightning fast, and he immediately caught my wrist. “This hand needs to be tied up, just to keep it from knocking me out, if nothing else. But … I can think of more pleasurable reasons for tying them up.”
I chuckled again. “And where are you getting the rope for that around here?” I asked, holding my arms out and gesturing toward at the miles of ocean ahead of us, the sand, a few palm trees, and very little else.
“Hm, this is the Four Seasons, Tricia. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard how accommodating they are or the lengths they will go to, to keep their customers happy? If they don’t have it, you can bet your fine little ass they’ll bend over backward to find some for us. Hmm, on the other hand, bending—backward—how does that grab you, baby? I think I like the sound of that better,” he digressed, chuckling.
A wave of happiness mingled with contentment washed over me and I grinned, because I’d forgotten how playful James could be. It also reminded me how much we enjoyed each other’s company.
“I’m sorry I’ve let you down so much since we began living together.”
“You have never let me down, Tricia. I’m very proud of the steps you’ve taken to manage your past since you told me about it.” I nodded because my chest had felt too tight to say anything, as I tried not to cry. Fortunately, the butler came with the food and it had felt a welcome distraction by that point.
Dinner on the patio was romantic, the smell of lemons from some nearby trees mingling with the ocean had given me an appetite. The rich spicy food had tasted delicious, and with wine flowing and nowhere to be, I felt very relaxed. Taking our coffee in the suite, I barely noticed the quiet staff clearing the table outside when my cell phone rang.
“Do you mind?” I asked, signaling to my cell phone. “It’s Billie, she doesn’t know we’re not home, and she’ll panic if I don’t answer.”
“Go ahead, I’m soaking in the heat and humidity here. I’ll grab another shower. If I’m still there when you’re done, come and join me,” James replied with a saucy wink. I snickered and swiped the green icon to accept Billie’s call.
“Hey, honey, the little ones are in bed and Sawyer’s helping Colby with some geography homework, so I thought I’d play catch up with you. Do you and James have any plans for this weekend?”
I chuckled. “As a matter-of-fact, we do. We’re in Mexico,” I told her, noting how happy I sounded when I said it. I pushed the patio door and stepped out onto the deck.
“Mexico? Don’t tell me you two have eloped.” The genuine alarm in her voice told me that was exactly what she’d thought.
My heart clenched and a tinge of sadness settled there. Nothing would have pleased me more than if James proposed to me, but I resigned myself to him feeling contented with our living arrangements as they were.
“I don’t think marriage is in the cards for us,” I replied quietly. But as matter-of-fact as I’d wanted those words to sound, I heard the disappointment in my tone. My throat constricted and I swallowed down my emotions.
“Nonsense, he worships you, Tricia.”
“James isn’t Sawyer,” I retorted by way of an argument.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Yeah, Sawyer asked me within a couple of months, but I’d have to be blind to miss the way James looks at you… the way he protects you. That man adores you—I take it he’s not in earshot—or you’d have closed my conversation down after my eloping comment.”
“He’s taking a shower, but he knows you’re on the phone,” I mumbled, cupping my hand over the cell and glancing toward the bathroom door. The distance from the deck to the bathroom appeared too far for him to hear much.
“Oh, God,” she blurted. “Maybe he’s going to propose this weekend?” My heart skittered erratically at the thought.
“I don’t think—”
“Oh. My. God. That’s it. He’s taken you to Mexico to propose,” she squealed excitedly.
“Billie,” I warned.
“I’m so excited for you. First Erin and now this. Think about it, Tricia. Sun, sultry nights, fabulous sunsets, and the food … he knows Mexican food is your favorite.”
“You’re getting carried away,” I replied, as James opened the bedroom door and came back through the living room toward the deck. “James is out of the shower I need to go… and I’m turning my phone off until we get back.”
“Call me as soon as he’s done it, I want details.”
“Bye, Billie, love to Sawyer and the kids,” I replied, ignoring her last comment and hung up.
“What’s Billie getting carried away about?” James asked. My gaze turned to him, my hungry eyes immediately scanning the length of his naked body.
“Oh, that holiday Sawyer spoke to us about—you know Billie—planning like a demon.” James chuckled accepting my lie and continued drying himself. I felt awful lying, but what was I supposed to have said? Telling him the truth would have meant putting him on the spot and placing myself in a sticky situation.
If Billie hadn’t called, I’d have been blissfully happy during that few days away, but her comments set me on edge, and as such, every time we had a quiet romantic moment I had wondered if that was the moment he’d ask me to be his wife.
Each time the moment passed, and he hadn’t, I’d been left disappointed to the point that by the time we’d slid into bed on the last night, I had fresh feelings of doubt that he would ever propose to me.
“Are you anxious about going home?” James asked, as he ordered two coffees from the coffee shop at the airport.
“No, why?”
“You seem …” He hesitated, and my heart sank to my stomach that my mood had let me down. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Snippy?” he replied, as we shuffled along the counter to wait for our drinks to be made.