The Do-Over(74)

“What do you mean?” I was now totally confused.

“Everyone’s here.”

What was going on? Were they below deck and just being very quiet?

“Where are they?” I asked.

“Right here.”

I looked around. “I just see me and you.”

“Yeah.” Wes could no longer contain his smile.

“Where is everyone else?” Chris? Jonathan? Renata? The dreaded Julien?

“There is no one else. Just me and you.” He laughed and I knew he was reacting to the shocked look on my face.

“Just me and you?” I repeated. “Do the others know that?”

“They do.”

Nodding, the smirk on his face told me he was pretty proud of himself.

“So, you’re telling me Chris knew?” My voice rose a few decibels by the end of my question.

“Well, not every detail, but he knew.” Wes took the end of the strand of lights and slid them into the last hook. “Okay, that’s done. Thank you for your help. I think it’s time for that rum stuff you brought.”

“I think you’re right,” I readily agreed.

Lifting a wooden bench seat, Wes pulled out two plastic cups and I poured both to the brim. Just me and Wes? I was scared. Nervous. And very relieved. No Julien. Whatever Wes and I had to say to one another, even if it ended up positively heartbreaking, it wouldn’t be ugly and hurtful like encounters with Julien.

We clinked glasses and I asked, “So, are you going to explain?”

“Sure,” he smiled. “The only way I knew I could get you here 100% was if you thought it was business and you couldn’t get out of it.”

I laughed. It was true.

“See, I know you. So, I had to concoct this fake business party to get you here.”

“Well, you’ve got me here.” A sip of my frozen drink made me shiver in the cold autumn air.

“I do. And I’d like to propose something.”

I remained silent and he continued.

“I’d like you to spend the night talking to me under the stars. When the sun breaks the horizon, you can choose to stay or leave. If you leave, I won’t bother you again. I will let you get on with your life. I won’t pull the business from O’Donnell and Associates, unless that is what you want. And if we do remain just business colleagues, I promise I will not make it uncomfortable in any way for you.” Wes paused and took a sip of his drink. His next words were very measured and I could hear the tension in his voice. “If you choose to stay, just know you are mine and I am not letting you go again, Tara.”

“Do you think it’s that easy?” It was a gut reaction and it was out of my mouth before I could finesse it.

Shaking his head, “No. I don’t think it’s easy at all. I think we’re going to have to work our asses off. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, like a relationship with you is a lot of work, because it’s actually just the opposite. You are so easy to be with. We fit. We always have. I fit with Scarlett. But we’ve both been married before, so we understand the work and the compromise and the selflessness needed to make a family unit work. And as we both know, we have some shit we need to talk through.”

I just stood there. I wanted to speak, but nothing came out.

Putting up a finger, Wes said, “Hold that thought,” and disappeared below deck. Looking up at the stars, I took a deep breath of the cold, night air and held it in my lungs for a moment before releasing it. A few minutes later, Wes emerged balancing large Tupperware containers in one hand and two blankets tucked under his other arm.

Placing them on the table, Wes pulled out the navy reclining seat cushions, our chairs, and set them up on the deck. The memories flooding in were making my heart pound maniacally in my chest. He grabbed the jug and the Tupperware and then brought the blankets over. I settled into my chair. I always sat in the one on the left and Wes covered our legs with a down blanket first and then a red plaid wool blanket on top of that.

“Wanna see what’s on the menu?” He grabbed the first Tupperware and pulled off the top revealing Deviled Eggs.

“Yum. Love ‘em. But we’re going to have stinky egg breath,” I commented.

Smiling, “No worries, I’d kiss you even if you had tuna breath.”

I laughed, choking on a sip of the rum drink.

Opening the second Tupperware, “And for our main course, the health-conscious delicacies of wings and loaded potato skins.”

“Yum.” He even had blue cheese dressing and celery for the wings and sour cream for the potato skins. “And where’s dessert?”

“Dessert,” he flashed a smile, “is below deck.”

Shaking my head, “Pass the eggs, please.” Refilling our glasses, I suggested, “How about we eat first, then talk.”

“Good plan. So, has Scarlett taken her tiara off yet?”

“Oh God, no. She’s obsessed with it. Please tell me she didn’t send you a selfie of wearing her crown on the throne aka the toilet.” I knew she took the photo and I was praying he said no.

Laughing, “No, that one she hasn’t sent. But that’s actually really funny.”

“She is really funny. She’s a good kid. So, I have something to tell you.” I shifted under the blanket so that I was now facing him. “Scarlett and I and her BFF Emmy have been teaching the Saturday morning art class over at Special Friends Organization. I wanted to carry on Stacy’s work and I didn’t want the kids to lose something so valuable.”