Harrison and I were surprised, but it made sense. Quinn, of course, followed in his father’s footsteps and after everything the band has gone through, we figured that Elle doesn’t want the same thing to happen to her brother.
Very slowly, the sun begins to rise, casting a beautiful glow over the Pacific Ocean and Harrison. He’s my sunshine, the bright light that kept me from the dark tunnel I was heading for after Mason died. Harrison was the last person I wanted to let into my life, and I did everything to prove that he wasn’t the man he claimed to be. I was wrong each time. Each day I have been incredibly thankful that I was. I don’t know where I’d be, mentally, if it weren’t for him. He saved me and I know I did the same for him.
Quinn is my son, in every sense of the word. I am the mom that he never had and he’s the son I always dreamed of having. To say he’s a mama’s boy, even though we came into each other’s life when he was eight, is an understatement. He comes to me with his questions, concerns, and problems. I know all about his girlfriends and the older women that continue to throw themselves at him when he has a gig. Quinn shares everything with me, even a few things I don’t want to know about and need a few minutes to process, but I’ll always be there for him.
The relationship between Quinn and the twins is as one would suspect. They argue like siblings. He protects them as big brothers do, and all three support each other one hundred percent.
Later this morning, Harrison will take me to the airport where I’ll meet Jenna and board a private flight to the Bahamas to meet Josie for a week of rest and relaxation. I miss Josie and haven’t seen her in a few months. That was another downfall of moving to California, leaving my best friend. Josie and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. I was there when Liam left her and she was there when Mason died. We’ve been through everything together, from broken hearts, the birth of our children, and the return of Liam into our lives. There wasn’t a day I didn’t see her until we moved.
When we first arrived here, I was okay. It felt like a vacation, but as the weeks passed, my heart started breaking. I missed Josie dearly. Phone calls weren’t cutting it and I quickly found myself traveling back to Beaumont or begging her to come out here. Josie traveling out here was much easier. Despite their rocky start, she has a good relationship with her mother-in-law, Bianca, who is living in her old childhood home.
Harrison catches another wave and weaves in and out of it until it drops him back at the shore. Then, he looks up and sees me sitting in the sand. I’m too far away to see his expression, but I imagine his bright smile matches mine. I never thought I’d fall in love again, but then he walked into my life with a bouquet of flowers, only knowing it was my first Christmas without my husband, and cemented himself in my life. I only looked back once and that was a mistake. From that point forward, I have vowed to love him with everything I am.
He stands in the surf and removes the top of his wet suit before he picks up his board and comes toward me. The water dripping down from his hair glistens on his tanned and toned chest. Harrison slams his board into the sand next to me, then shakes his hair over me, causing me to scream. He uses this to his advantage and falls to his knees, pushing me back in the sand, and hovers over me.
Our eyes are pinned on each other, both of us smiling.
“I love you,” he tells me. This isn’t out of the blue or some random act of love. He tells me every day as soon as he sees me. It’s not “good morning” or “here’s your coffee.” The first words he speaks are about love, and each morning, I fall more in love with him.
“I love you too,” I say as I pull him down on top of me and kiss him. I don’t care that his suit is wet and that it’s cold out; being this close to him is something I can never get enough of.
Harrison tries to move to the side, to not put all his weight on me, but I refuse to let him move. I’m not going to see him for a week, and one might think it’s not a big deal, especially because he tours with the band. For me, it’s an eternity. When he would tour, I had the kids to occupy my time even though I was a wreck, waiting to hear from him every second of the day. I tried not to be a needy partner, but that notion went out the door very quickly.
Now that the kids are grown, I can tour with him even though it’s slightly awkward being the only wife on the road with the guys. Still, I don’t pass up the opportunity. Being away from him is my least favorite thing in life.
My hand slips between his torso and into his tight shorts. The wet suit makes it almost impossible for me to grip his shaft. His eyes roll back briefly until his senses catch up with him. He pulls my shorts aside and presses his thumb over my bud as his mouth crashes down onto mine. Our tongues tangle as our hands bring us pleasure. With my free hand, I work the zipper on his suit, pulling it down far enough so I can get my hand in there to pull down his shorts. Last night, he made love to me until neither of us could move, but knowing that I’m leaving him for a week, I need him again.
Harrison sits back on his knees and pushes his shorts down enough to escape the tight confines. He leans forward, hovering over me and kissing me deeply while his fingers pull my shorts aside so he can enter me. I open my mouth to cry out, but his mouth swallows my cries, preventing the houses around us from hearing me.
My nails dig into his back, clutching him to my chest as he tries to be discreet about what we’re doing. He looks at me and pulls his lower lip between his teeth. It’s his tell that he’s close. My back arches when his thumb presses on my swelling bud.
“Give it to me one more time,” he whispers into my ear, paying homage to the hours and hours we spent last night and into the morning making love. He wanted to make sure I didn’t forget him in the week I’d be gone. “God, baby, I can feel you.”
Harrison changes angles and thrusts faster until my orgasm peaks. He follows quickly, grunting through his release and collapsing on top of me, panting.
“Are you getting old on me?” I ask, poking fun at our slight age difference.
Harrison chuckles and bites my neck. “Never.” He rolls us onto our sides and discreetly pulls his shorts up. I glance around and see if anyone else is on the beach. There’s another surfer down the way, but too far away to see what we’ve been doing. This isn’t the first time we’ve had sex outside. In fact, after the first time on his motorcycle so many years ago, it’s been sort of our thing.
We both rest on our elbows and stare into each other’s eyes. Every day is like we’re falling love all over again. He pushes my hair behind my ear and gives me a quick kiss. “I’m going to miss you.”
“One week.”
He rolls his eyes. “One week of men looking at you, thinking they stand a chance.”
I shake my head and place my lips on his chest where he has our names tattooed over his heart. “Never. You own me,” I tell him. “Heart and soul.”
“We should probably get inside and shower. We are going to hit traffic on the way to the airfield. Unless you want to stay home with me?”
“And miss all those half-naked men on the prowl for a week-long hook-up? No way,” I say as I stand up in a rush and run toward our house. Harrison is hot on my tail and catches me as I reach our patio. He grabs me and I squeal.
“I think I need to fuck those thoughts out of you,” he says, carrying me into the house.
“Yes, please!”
4
Jenna