Unleashed

Evan could understand. He didn’t think he’d wiped the goofy grin off his face all day.

“He feels like a hardboiled egg,” she observed, laughing. “Evan! You’ve taken enough pics. Come in the water.”

“It’s just so much fun watching you,” he told her.

“Come on, there aren’t any sharks,” she teased, sending him a wink.

“Ooh, you’re gonna get it for airing out my phobias.”

“I’m counting on it.”

Grinning, he grabbed his mask and snorkel and hopped off the boat into what felt like bathwater. But Kelsey was drawing a crowd around her with her new friend, so she moved aside when several kids crowded around to touch the dolphin. One little boy was reluctant, but Kelsey helped his mom coax him into putting his chubby hand on the dolphin’s nose.

Smart, pretty, caring, good with kids. He’d always known that. Dynamite in bed. He hadn’t expected that part. In all his imaginings of what sex with her might be like, he’d figured it would be good, safe, warm, sweet. Like her. But it had been nuclear, scalding, incinerating him and every illusion he’d ever held about her.

She was swimming over now to meet him, and only then did he realize he’d stopped making his way toward her. He was only staring at her.

“You okay?” she asked once she’d reached him.

“Yeah.”

“That was really cool.”

He cleared his throat, trying to get a grasp on the emotions twisting their way through his chest before he said something sappy. “I should bring you in the winter so we can whale watch. You’d love it. We saw a humpback last time I was here.”

With her hair slicked straight back, her strong cheekbones and delicate forehead were beautifully accentuated. Stunning. The vibrant blue of the water brought out deep shades of twilight in her gray eyes. She was radiant this morning, glowing. Apparently he had a good effect on her. “So you think you’d want to do that, huh?” she asked, giving his arm a little pinch.

“Absolutely,” he said, and meant it.

“Well, I’d like that.”

It was by no means any kind of commitment…but it perhaps hinted at one. He took a breath. The world around him was postcard perfect. He’d seen it all before, but he had never appreciated it nearly as much as he did now, with her. The realization was exhilarating and it scared the hell out of him. She’d always meant so much to him that taking this leap seemed an insane risk. He wanted to tell himself they had time, not to rush it, but he didn’t think he could stop himself. With her, at the point they’d arrived at last night, it was all or nothing. They couldn’t go back to the way they were before.

He only hoped he knew what the hell he was getting himself into.

After snorkeling and admiring the coral reefs and the sea turtles that came over to investigate their presence, they loaded back on the boat with the other tourists. Kelsey snuggled into Evan’s side and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She loved the weight of it there. She loved the beauty all around her. The sun warming her skin, the wind tossing her curls dry. Life was definitely worth living at times like this. If she had one care back in the real world, she couldn’t think of it right now.

They were just resting that way, admiring the emerald greens, sapphire blues and sprinklings of pink slipping past them, when her cell phone rang in the bag by her sandaled feet. She leaned over to retrieve it and chuckled when she read the display. “It’s Lisa. She better not have given birth without me.”

“You know, I terrorized that girl when she was Jack’s paralegal.”

“I’ve heard. Over and over again.” Kelsey laughed as she flipped her phone open. “Lisa! Don’t tell me.”

Lisa sounded tired, but content. “Sorry, girl. It’s not my fault. She wouldn’t wait for you.”

She grabbed Evan’s hand in excitement. “Oh my God, congratulations! When?”

“Last night. C-section this time. Can you believe it? By the third, you’d think they could fall out like paratroopers. But noooo. I told Daniel my uterus is officially retired. I don’t think he was too heartbroken about it.”

Kelsey had been laughing since the “paratrooper” remark. “But everything went okay?”

“Aside from being gutted like a fish? Sure. And she’s adorable, of course. We named her Meagan Rose like we’d planned. Seven-and-a-half pounds, lots of dark hair, big blue eyes…when she opens them. Lungs like mine.”

“God help you.”

“Tell me about it. So my trauma is done. How are things with you?”

“Great, it’s gorgeous here. Beautiful weather. We’re having a blast.”

Lisa’s voice took on a conspirator’s tone. “And how are the waves?”

Kelsey was amazed Lisa gave a damn about “waves” and all that entailed at a time like this. And she supposed it would look weird to Evan if she started rattling off words like tsunami. Or storm surge. Rogue wave of Poseidon proportions, flipping her ship upside down. She kept her voice as level as possible. “They’re awesome.”

Lisa trilled with laughter for a split second before giving a grunt of pain. Poor thing. “You dirty hag. I told you. You’ll learn to listen to me one of these days, I know about this stuff. Is Evan right there? Put his cute butt on the phone. I feel the need to torture him a bit, especially after he called me Pregzilla last time I saw him.”

Crap. “Lisa, don’t…”

“Oh, I won’t let on that I know you’re having the wild monkey sex.”

“Hang on.” Kelsey held her phone over to Evan. “She wants to talk to you.”

“Really.” He grinned and grabbed it. “Lisa Scott! Dammit, woman, what are you doing having my baby while I’m out of town? I’m outraged.”

Even from several inches away and over her own laughter Kelsey heard Lisa squeal. Evan wore his most devilish grin as he listened to Lisa’s most likely obscenity-laden retort. As sharp as she was, she never could quite top him. Kelsey had a sinking feeling that now Lisa wouldn’t be able to resist nailing Evan with what she knew. The conversation was getting several amused glances from the others on the boat. She could only hear Evan’s half of it.

“Playing with dolphins… Yes, I’ll get you a picture of that… You know I’m taking really good care of her, not letting her dance on any tabletops. You know how she is.” He laughed as Kelsey smacked his arm, and after a few more minutes he handed the phone back over after sincerely congratulating Lisa on her new baby.

“Sometimes I cannot believe that crazy man is the same one who can make the entire jury box weep while Jack snaps pencils in his bare hands. I thought I pulled out a staple or two laughing at him just now.”

“I know.” Kelsey had to bite her tongue to keep from adding Isn’t he amazing?

“Are you sure you can handle him?”

“Well, I’m doing my best.”

“Good girl. You know, despite my new wriggling bundle of joy, I was tired and sore and feeling just a little depressed earlier, but you guys have perked me right up. I wish you the best of luck, Kelsey, I really do. I always thought you two would be awesome, if you could just get it together.”

“Thank you. I can’t wait to meet my new niece.”

They hung up and Kelsey put her phone back in her bag, a smile lingering on her lips. “I’m so glad for them.”

“They’re good people.” Evan pulled her back to his side and pressed a kiss to her ear. She shifted a bit and wrapped her arms around him.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without them after everything that happened. I need to buy something for the baby while we’re here.”

“We’ll go look around the shops this afternoon, if you want.” He pointed out to the water, where one of the dolphins was putting on a show for them, as if imploring them not to leave. Kelsey grabbed her camera and snapped a picture of it.

“That’ll be fun.” Looking for baby clothes with Evan. Things just kept getting weirder.

“I hope I didn’t upset you, joking around with her like that,” he murmured in her ear. “I didn’t really think before I said it. But that kind of stuff always gets her riled up.”

“You didn’t. I thought it was funny.” Kelsey bit her lip on a retort that probably would have distressed him. She wasn’t some kind of delicate mental case who couldn’t take a joke, even if that seemed to be the situation. The teasing was just his way, no different than how he’d acted since she’d known him. But his concern touched her, so she let it slide. It was the first time he’d ever shown any in that particular area. Normally Evan didn’t seem to give a damn what people thought about him.

The constant stream of innuendo he could keep up with anyone was one reason Kelsey had never thought he was serious any time he flirted with her. Why she’d always known how dangerous it was for her to feel the way she did about him. It might have bothered her more if she didn’t know how loyal he always was to the one he was with. Her heart gave funny little flip-flops at the thought of being that person for him now.

The chatter on the boat went on around them, but in his arms she was in her own world. The hum of the engine and the spray of the water were real, but the only thing that mattered to her was the solidity of his chest beneath her cheek. She could’ve slept here, feeling safe as a kitten. She might have dozed for a bit; fuzzy, senseless thoughts were drifting lazily through her mind.

When she finally lifted her head, they were pulling in to dock. A couple of girls were sitting across from them, very pretty, perhaps college age. They had been laughing the most at Evan’s conversation with Lisa. One was smiling at them now.

“You guys are so cute together. Are you on your honeymoon?” she asked.

Kelsey felt her cheeks redden and started to shake her head.

“We’re just friends,” Evan said teasingly, giving her a light pinch on her side so that she giggled and pushed at him. Then he caught her in a kiss that could have straightened her hair.

Somehow Kelsey heard the remark the girl made to her companion. “I think I need a friend like that.”

They shopped at King’s Village. By the time the sun began to set, little Meagan had the makings of a wardrobe…that would last her first six months of life, anyway. It seemed once they started, they couldn’t stop.

Evan wanted to stay around to show Kelsey the changing of the King’s Guard, and as impressive as she found their precision, she couldn’t concentrate on much aside from Evan’s hand holding hers. He’d been adorable shopping for Meagan. She had a warmth in her chest she sometimes found it difficult to breathe through without letting it spill out in a declaration of love that might ruin the tranquility of their day. It seemed so fragile, this safety she’d found with him. So precious she feared it slipping right through her fingers and shattering forever. She supposed it would feel that way until there was some certainty between them, yet asking for it was the very thing she knew could push it further from her grasp.