Redemption(57)

Jimmy turned and winked back at her again. “Oh, he’s fine after what happened this morning.”

Tara giggled and I knew straight away what they were talking about. I rolled my eyes. “Oh, god…”

I moved closer to Tara and she shrunk away from me. “Can you keep away from me? You’re getting me all wet.”

“Charming!” I shook my head and lifted my dress off. Luckily, I was wearing a bikini underneath.

“Wow, girl. Have you been working out?”

I looked down at Tara and nodded. “A little. I seemed to stop for a while after having Jeremy.” I put my dress over a nearby chair to dry and sat down.

“You’re looking good.”

“Thank you.” I lay down and looked at the pool. It was only then I realized that Dean was staring at me, lust in his eyes.

“He can’t keep his eyes off you.”

Dean threw Jeremy a couple of times and Jeremy squealed. It was kind of strange being in this situation with Dean. It was almost like we had adapted straight into a family life. I wasn’t sure whether to feel happy or uneasy about it.

I looked back at Tara. “It’s hard for me to look away, too.” I had to admit that. It was pointless hiding my feelings.

“Do you think you’ve forgiven him?”

I took a sip of my Prosecco and placed it back down. “I really don’t know, Tara. A part of me wants this so much.” I gestured to the scene in front of us. “It’s always been what I’ve dreamed of. You don’t know how many times I used to sit there and picture this very moment as a young girl. Dean and I even talked about it when we were kids.”

Tara’s eyebrow raised. “You did?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We would sometimes talk about our future. Once, Dean showed me what he saw in his, and I told him what I saw in mine. It was virtually the same.”

Tara sipped her wine. “So, what differences were there?”

“Well, I wanted a house big enough for us and our two children. I would either be a journalist or kindergarten teacher, and Dean would cuddle up to me every night.” I smiled, thinking about it.

“That’s sweet. What did Dean want?”

“Oh, you know, the usual big house with a hundred cars parked out front.” I started chuckling. “He said he wanted five kids.”

Tara’s eyes widened. “Five kids?” I nodded. “Wow, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do to make that.”

I shook my head. “No way, Tara. Never that many children. I think two is just enough for this overpopulated world, don’t you think?”

Tara studied me for a while. “Hmmm, but did he still want the cuddles? Not many men like cuddling up.”

A flash of memories rushed past, making me smile. “Dean and I used to cuddle up a lot. Never too long, though, because he said it was hard doing it when he knew he couldn’t touch me. He’d climb up my window, and we’d play card games and stuff. But sometimes, we would just sit and watch a movie. Those were my favorite times because I got to cuddle up with him, be near him, smell him.” I looked away from Tara, embarrassed by my confession.

“Wow, you really loved him, didn’t you?”

I sighed, looking over at Jeremy and Dean playing in the pool together. “I do.”

Tara smiled and patted my hand just as Jimmy shouted, “Lunch is nearly ready!”

I shot up out of my chair. “I’d better get the table ready.”

Tara got up with me. “Just show me what to do and I’ll help you.”

We quickly gathered all the plates, salad, and rolls from the kitchen. We grabbed more beer for Dean and Jimmy and, pretty soon, we were all sitting down to eat.

After biting into my burger, I motioned towards Jimmy. “This is delicious.”

He winked at me. “I told you. I’m king of the barbecue.”

“King of everything else, as well,” Tara muttered under her breath.

Jimmy beamed at Tara and she smiled back. “So, Dean, Jessica tells me you’ve known each other since she was six. I bet you have a lot of stories to tell.”

Jeremy sat there, expectantly looking at him. Dean smiled and looked across at me. “Yes, we certainly have a story or two. The first time we even met, I hit a boy who was being rude to her.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “You did?” Dean nodded. “No one hurts my mommy,” he pouted.

Dean put his hand out. “You got that right, grown-up.” They high-fived each other and Jeremy giggled. They just seemed so right together. It was unreal.

“We used to play a lot of games when we were young,” Dean continued.

Jeremy’s posture picked up. “Like what?”