Page 20 of Finding Forever

“This isn’t what I meant when I said I wanted to spend more time with you,” I said jokingly as I came to stand in front of Gina. The kids were a few feet away from us, fascinated by a sign with the different types of cheeses on it. This afforded me plenty of time to openly admire her, and I caught the bashful look on her face.

She looked gorgeous, as usual. With her jet-black curls pulled up and away from her face, she looked younger than I knew she was. Her skin glowed from days in the sun, and her usual radiant smile seemed brighter.

And her curves. God, her curves were decadent in the dress she was wearing. It was a wonder I was able to concentrate on anything but that all day. Maybe I was biased, but Gina was the most beautiful woman I’d met in ages. Maybe ever.

“What? You mean a cheese museum wasn’t on your bucket list?” She laughed, responding to my statement, meeting my gaze head on. I wanted to tell her how my bucket list had been updated since meeting her, but the tour guide chose that exact moment to show up.

The next two hours passed by in a blur. We got a front-row seat on the cheese-making process as we walked through the grounds. Something I thought would only be fun for the kids turned out to keep my rapt attention. All the cheese samples didn’t hurt, either.

For the last leg of the tour, we were in the gift shop. Mycah and Penny were touching everything at eye-level while Gina and I hung back, keeping an eye on them while simultaneously giving them the illusion of freedom.

“I had way more fun than I expected today,” Gina said, voicing my exact thoughts. “But I should’ve expected to have fun when I’m around you if the past two weeks were any indication.”

Her words went straight to my head, adding fuel to my fire. Without thinking about where we were or who was around, I leaned down and claimed her lips as my own. Initially caught off guard, Gina gasped. Seconds later, her hands went around my neck and I took that as an invitation to pull her closer to me, erasing any and all distance between us. As our tongues got wrapped up in a passionate tangle, I tried pulling her even closer and wedged one of my legs between hers.

She whimpered against my mouth and I created friction with my leg that made me wish I could feel her skin to skin. I didn’t want anything separating us. Out of sight, I heard the patter of small feet getting closer to our little hidden alcove.

Just in time, Gina untangled herself from my possessive hold and turned to see which of our children had sought us out.

“Mommy, can I have this?” Mycah appeared at her side, holding up a cheese magnet with a corny saying etched across the width of it.

As my breathing returned to normal, I thought about how random this trip was. It was the most spontaneous thing I’d done in ages. Who would’ve thought? A cheese museum of all places could be this fun?

I looked at the people I’d shown up with. The children were happy, and Gina looked lustrous. Like she’d been thoroughly kissed. I was pleased with the knowledge that I’d been the one to achieve that glow.

“So,” Gina drawled, sidling up to me moments later. “I heard there’s an incredible pizza restaurant on the grounds. Should we test it out before hitting the road and see if it compares to the one in North Beach?” Gina and the kids looked up at me expectantly.

“Sayingnodoesn’t seem like an option,” I told her, grinning.

She had set me up.

“Is that a yes?” she asked with a comedic little wiggle of her eyebrows.

Shaking my head, I pushed out a sigh for effect, but eventually nodded. “I guess we’ll have to try it.”

The kids and Gina moved around excitedly at the decision. Like it was ever my decision to make. It was three against one. I never stood a chance. Was this what my life would be like moving forward? Giving in to the commands of a pretty woman I liked too much already and our kids whenever they teamed up on me? I had to admit, it didn’t sound like the worst future ever. Not when Gina smiled at me like that, or Penny got that excited light in her eyes.

Maybe this was the whole point of everything. Family. And enjoyment. Being present. If the past two weeks had taught me nothing else, it’d taught me that.

∞∞∞

We walked around the ferry and enjoyed the view as it inched closer to Winter Bay. Gina and I had parked our cars onboard and decided to walk around with the kids for the duration of the ride. As we got closer to the island of Winter Bay, our vacation’s end was becoming more apparent.

It was time to go back to the real world. The real world meant that Gina would no longer be a few steps away and available around the clock for our adventures. We both had careers and responsibilities to return to.

Still, I was confident we could figure something out. I didn’t know why yet, but I wanted this and was willing to put in the work to make it happen.

“Mama! Mama!” Penny started shouting out of the blue. I hadn’t heard her say those words in over a week. Victoria had gone to a resort on her own. Penny only called her mother that, so why was she saying it now?

I got my answer faster than I could form the question.

The smile that had been on my face all day slipped away instantly. A scowl I had no control over took its place. My blood ran cold as my eyes landed on Victoria a few feet away from us. She looked tanned, relaxed and was glued to Chris’ side.

The smiles they wore didn’t hint at any remorse for missing the entirety of their children’s vacation. I was seething by the time Gina graciously gathered up the kids and said she was taking them to the car.

“Maverick, you look well,” Victoria said smugly. She tried her best at a condescending smile, but it just came off as nasty.

Gina

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