We grabbed our stuff and went in. It was all white and crisp and clean. It even smelled clean and airy. It wasn’t done in some tacky beach-shells-and-nets-with-starfish theme. It was nice and classy. I loved it right off.
Caleb threw our bags down at the bottom of the cherry wooden stairs and pulled me with him by my hand.
“Come back here with me. The best part is right...” he pushed open the French doors and came behind me to push me to the banister with his hands on my hips, “here.”
I blew a surprised breath and brought my hands to my face. It was gorgeous. They had a huge garden in full bloom in the back with strung white lights everywhere around the pool. All the trees and shrubs had white Christmas lights on them, too. Little bricked paths were laid out between the flowers and there was a huge table with umbrellas behind that. If you looked beyond that, the ocean was loud, the waves beating on the beach just past the backyard.
I laughed in joy. This was my temporary home and I was in love.
“I knew you’d like this.”
“I love it,” I told him. I turned to look at him. “Oh, my gosh, Caleb. This is so great.”
“Good, I’m glad you like it. Now maybe I can get you to relax.” He smiled and pulled me close with his hands on my hips. “Take it easy for a while and not be so wound tight.”
“I’ve had good reason to be so wound,” I countered.
“I know. Now you have good reason not to be,” he said smirking. “This,” he waved his arm around us, “is a no-stress zone. No worrying, no over-thinking, no pressure. No stress.” He tapped my nose with his finger.
“Easier said than done,” I muttered.
“Look at this.” He turned me back to face the yard and ocean, his tan arms went around me and he placed his head on mine. “This is our bubble.”
Then he leaned down and kissed the side of my neck. I gasped inwardly as I realized this was my vision. The very first vision I’d had while we were imprinting of us on a porch - this porch. We had been seeing the future and it was now.
“Yes,” he agreed and spoke the words into the sensitive skin under my ear. “When you imprint you see what will happen to us in the future. Pretty neat, huh? I can’t wait for my visions to come true.”
“What did you see?” I whispered.
“Lots of things that are way down the road, gorgeous. I’ll show you one day.”
I let him end it with that. I assumed it had something to do with weddings or babies and it was too soon for that.
But one thing made me wonder. “So, all this was planned or...destined from the beginning. Everything that happened. Marcus kidnapping me, Sikes, us coming here, all of it. This was supposed to happen.”
I didn’t phrase it as a question because it wasn’t one. I knew with certainty now. It was clear to me. I still had two more visions to see, so I’d at least make it that far, long enough to see them come true.“Yeah. Everything is driven forward to destiny. We have a long way to go to the end, Maggie. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“Or you?”
“Or me. My visions were...far down the road.” He kissed the side of my neck again. “We were happy and together and all in one piece.”
“Why won’t you tell me what you saw?”
“Your visions are yours and mine are mine. Yours are probably not very long off. Mine are very involved. There’s a reason for that. I wouldn’t want to scare you with it and our imprint understood what we both could handle. It gave us those particular visions for a reason.”
I thought about that and it made sense. “So, one day I’ll know what they are? I’ll see them?”
“Yes. One day, when they come true, you’ll see them and understand it for what it is.”
That was good enough for me. I nodded. “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s perfect.”
“You’re welcome. Ready for bed? Or, uh..uch?”
I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready for couch.”
We walked inside and he locked all the doors as I pulled the cushions and pillows off the couch. I changed quickly in the bathroom and when I came out, he was already in sleep clothes, a white t-shirt and Vols fleece pants. He pulled the couch bed out and we curled up under a blanket I retrieved out of the hall closet. He pulled his arm up for me to lay on and tugged me to lie against him. I fell asleep almost immediately.
~ ~ ~
The next morning we got up and went to grab some breakfast. There wasn’t any food in the house so Caleb took me to a little coffee shop he knew of and got me a Cappuccino and a homemade honey bun. Then he took me to the mini mall and practically dragged me into the Old Navy by my arm.
“Caleb, no. Please. All they have are little string bikini things in there.”
He grinned. “I know.”
“Caleb,” I protested.
“What did you wear to the beach before? A smock?”
“No,” I groaned. “All right, fine, but if I can’t find something to cover at least three percent of my skin, we’re out of here.”
He laughed behind me as he directed me to the back with his hands on my hips. “Deal. You go this way,” he pushed me left, “and I’ll go this way.” He went right and called over his shoulder. “We’ll meet at the cash register in fifteen minutes,” he turned back to point at me, "with a suit.”
“Ok!” I yelled playfully and shook my head at him.
As I turned I felt his mind skid to a stop. He realized he’d just left me alone.
Are you gonna be ok? I can come with you?
Nope. I’m good. I’ll be quick.
I’ll be right over here. I can feel you, don’t worry about anything.
Not worried. Remember? This is a stress-free bubble.
I felt his laughter in my mind and giggled into my hand so no one thought I was nutso.
That’s right. How stupid of me to forget.
I grabbed five suits to try on and went into the dressing room. I tried on the first one and knew I didn’t need to go any further. It was a baby blue top - I knew Caleb loved me in blue - and it had brown dots and a brown little somewhat skimpy wrap for a bottom, but not as skimpy as others were. It had straps at least. I smiled at my reflection and tried not to cover myself. I was alone in the dressing room after all. I chewed the inside of my cheek. I looked different than the last time I’d been in a suit. Not terribly so but enough.
I wondered what Caleb would think of it.
I took the suit off and put my clothes on quickly. I found Caleb at the register line with a pair of swim trunks and black flip flops.
“Found something, did we?” he chanted and twirled his dark blue Hawaiian swim trunks around his finger.
“Yes.”
I quickly threw my wadded up suit on the counter. The checkout guy held up the suit and Caleb’s eyes went wide.
Ah hell, Maggie.
He sighed my name ruggedly in my mind and I saw in his that he almost regretted coming here. He didn’t know how he’d keep his sanity around me with that on and kicked himself, wondering what he’d been thinking. Everyone would see me with that on and he wanted to growl at the thought. I just bit my lip.
The check out guy smirked at me. That turned into a wide smile when I blushed when he continued to stare and hold the suit up.
The guy was thinking about me wearing that suit and the picture in his head was hilariously disproportioned; the top way too big and the bottom way too narrow. I wanted to laugh at him, but Caleb cocked his head when the sun bleached blonde guy just kept staring.
“Buddy,” Caleb said and made a motion with his hands to get going. “Let’s get on with it.”
“Oh, right.”
He rang up our stuff, throwing it all in the bag and told Caleb the total. When Caleb was digging into his wallet the guy winked at me. I looked at him with squinted eyes and wanted to ask what he thought he was doing. My boyfriend was right beside me.
Caleb ran his credit card and took the receipt. He glared at the guy as he waved to me as we walked out the big window doors to the sidewalk. I laughed at him.
“Not funny. That dude was way out of line,” he grumbled.
“He’s a jackass, but he’s harmless.”
“Harmless? I saw what he was thinking in your mind. Jerk off,” he muttered and jingled his keys with excessive force.
I stifled my giggle and followed him to the Jeep. “It’s your fault. You wanted me to buy a suit.”
“Yes, I did,” he conceded. “What was I thinking? I think the tyrant needs to make a comeback.”
I shook my head at him. “You’re hilarious,” I replied sweetly as he opened my door for me. “So what now?”
“What? You want me to go teach surfer boy a lesson?”
“No,” I laughed. “I meant what now for us? Isn’t someone supposed to be meeting us at the house?”
“Yeah. I haven’t heard from my dad yet about it. Let’s just go back to the house and change into our suits. We can go out to the beach and then if he hasn’t called by this afternoon, I’ll call him.”
“K. Who is it do you think?”
“Don’t know. Dad wants to keep the big guns there in case of an attack or something.”I stiffened. “Would the Watsons do that?”
“I don’t know. They’ve never out right attacked us before like this. Dad’s scared of what they’ll do now. He should of just…” He sighed harshly as he cranked the Jeep and drove out of our spot.