Chapter Sixty Three

A year later

"What time are they getting here?"

Aaron groaned, not opening his eyes, "how many times do I have to tell you? About ten am, Luke will text when they land."

"I'm just excited."

He opened an eye and looked at her, "I know you are, babe. But asking again won't make it happen quicker."

She rolled her eyes, then punched his shoulder gently, "I just waited so long."

Opening his arms he pulled her against him and nuzzled her neck, "they are coming for two weeks, Christmas, New Year...all with us. That's no mean feat considering both Abi and my parents are sacrificing their first Christmas as grandparents."

Yes, the honeymoon gave Abi and Luke more than just all over suntans. She'd come home pregnant, little Jamie was ten weeks old, and Julia couldn't wait to get her hands on him, her and Aaron had only made one brief visit since the baby was born, and she was desperate to see him and of course her friend again.

"Do you think they'll like it?"

Again he opened a sleepy eye, "we are on a Caribbean island, in a villa with a private beach, a pool...what is there to hate?"

He was right, they'd booked the place for a month and had already spent a week familiarising themselves with every inch of their holiday home. And christening it. She rolled her eyes, she'd never be able to swim in the pool without remembering the previous night.

Aaron laughed when he spotted her blush, "no more of that when our visitors arrive..."

She groaned, "how do you KNOW what I'm thinking?"

"You've always worn your thoughts on your face, sweetheart, I've told you that in the past. Wanna make the most of that outside shower before they come?"

Julia knew she should roll her eyes and say no, but the thought of more time, won over, sliding out of bed naked, she made for the veranda and the bamboo cubicle beside the pool. She'd barely turned on the waterfall shower head and Aaron's hands were snaking around her, his equally naked body pressing up against her.

"How are we going to manage when we have to wear clothes?"

She honestly didn't know.

Max was the caretaker and go-to man for the villa, and he happily arrived mid morning with their visitors. Aaron was reluctantly in board shorts, his arm wrapped around Julia who was wearing a polka dot bikini. A rather fetching bikini that more than powered his libido. She'd filled out over the last six months, and that was a good thing, she'd been gaunt, underweight at her worst, and now, she looked healthy and happy. Something he hadn't imagined he'd see so readily.

Running a hand over her firm, rounded bum, he laughed as she leaned into it, they'd spent so much time on top of each other, that she was right, behaving in company was going to be difficult.

Because, he too had loved the time they'd spent together, but then since selling his part of the business eight months earlier, he was on a completely different schedule. This was their third holiday of the year, and they were only limited further by Julia's commitments at the museum.

When he saw his brother climb out of Max's taxi, he grinned, there was his little bro, with a wife and a beautiful son, stretched out in his arms. Who'd have thought it?

Him settled with a woman he loved, and his brother married and a Daddy to boot.

The two women squealed as they hugged each other desperately, it was so comforting to know that the only other person who loved Julia that well was with them for a couple of weeks. Luke approached, Jamie shaded in his arms and the two had a bro hug.

"Looks good on you Daddy."

Luke beamed, before off loading the baby into his Uncle's arms.

First time he held him had freaked Aaron out, but now he was prepared. And happy. Until the two simultaneous whoops came from the girls, they had their arms around each other but were facing him, eyes wide.

"Aww, look Jules, he's a natural."

Julia giggled, "kinda liked it when he was a rabbit in the headlights. Don't you go getting any ideas, Uncle Aaron."

With that, they both turned to head inside, leaving the three men and the baby to empty the car.

An hour later, Julia was spread out on a lounger under the bamboo shade, Abi beside her, a satiated baby spread flat out on her tummy. She had been wearing a sarong, a little embarrassed at her post baby body, until the two men rushed off fishing, leaving them alone.

"It looks good on you, mother hood."

"Not sure I'll get used to the sags I've developed."

Julia spun around, "don't, please babe. You're beautiful, maybe you've got a couple of changes, but they're temporary...and look what caused them. He's delightful."

She sighed, "I'm just tired all the time, and I hate my body..."

"What does Luke say?"

She laughed, "that he loves me anyway."

"And he does. I bet you're not the first new mother to struggle with things. No sleep, constant feeding...it all adds up to no time for you."

"And none for Luke."

Julia chuckled, "the man loves you to bits. And whilst you're here, we can do a bit of babysitting, give you time to spend together."

"Getting some practice in?"

Julia laughed, "I don't think I could cope with a child."

That made her friend's eyebrow raise, "and that has nothing to do with the shit performance from your own parents?"

She shrugged, in reality, since she'd rejected her uncle's wealth and set up a charity for abused children and young adults, her mother hadn't called back. All relationship was lost to the guilt, anger and animosity brewing on each side in varying amounts, years earlier, and without the promise of money, her parents seemed to abandon all effort to be a part of her life.

"I don't know how to be a parent, and that scares me. But...I'm pretty screwed up, only you and Aaron get me, why would I subject a kid to that?"

She said it in a throw away fashion, but it did cause a jolt of pain to lance through her heart.

Easing the sleeping baby up over shoulder, Abi sat up, reaching to lay him in the pushchair beside her. "You will be an amazing parent, because you have a heart full of love to give, and some little person is going to get that. You're not broken, you're not damaged and you are not screwed up. You hear me?"

She shrugged, not really convinced, it scared her that outside of the people she was currently with, no one really cared about her, and that hurt. A lot.

But that was the wrong reason to want a baby, to fill a void. Then she remembered how sexy Aaron had been, with his nephew curled in his arms. If he wanted children, could she go through with it? Could she be a mother? It was a daunting and scary thought.

It was at that moment that the men returned with a cluster of moderate size fish between them.

"Snapper for dinner guys, just need to fillet them, then we can barbecue them."

Aaron looked proud as he headed inside with the fish, Luke peeked at his son, before pulling his wife up into his arms, "so he's asleep, can we get a little swim in?"
When he waggled his eyebrows rather suggestively, Julia groaned, "I'm going to take this little man inside then, there are things that neither of us need to see."

They both chuckled as they headed into the water, and Julia manoeuvred the baby inside, to find Aaron tackling the fish.

"You're better at this than me."

She rolled her eyes, but took over the job until they had eight perfect fillets ready to marinade. Living in the Caribbean was obviously a great thing, because the fruit, the vegetables didn't need much adding to make an amazing meal. The salad they whipped up was really impressive, and soon they had dinner in hand.

"Reckon they've had enough time in the pool?"

Julia grimaced at his question, not wanting to think in too much detail, and before she could formulate an answer, Jamie woke, with a screech.

Abi appeared at the door, and took the squawking baby from Julia.

"Thanks for that hour. It was so nice to not be a parent for a moment."

Julia smiled, handing her towels as she was still wet from the pool, "he's an angel, I won't have a word said about him. We're heading down to the beach for an hour. Thought dinner would be good at seven? Gives you a couple of hours to do whatever you need or want. OK?"

Abi smiled, "thanks, you are the greatest friend."

Julia beamed, really glad to be able to do something for her friend for a change.

As she left the kitchen, Aaron snatched at her hand and pulled her into a run down the steps to the sand, she barely had time to through off the light kaftan she wore over her bikini, before he's barrelled into the sea and deep under the water.

She emerged spluttering, her hair stuck to her face, "what's the rush, Mr Harding?"

He grabbed her, pulling her against him as he once again collapsed into the surf, "not a rush, as much as an emergency. You were right."

"Always! But specifically?"

Kissing her, it was a long time until he broke away and he answered, "having visitors...you in a bikini...me like a horny teenager."

"So you've dragged me here for more sea sex?"

With a wink he dragged her into the surf once more.

Jamie settled, so the four of them had dinner on the veranda next to the pool, the line caught snapper and the salad, wine for three, and sparkling water for Abi.

Aaron's hand was on Julia's thigh all night, he needed that closeness to her. But it was when she slipped to the bathroom, that he finally had a chance to speak to Abi without her.

"Luke said you brought everything."

She burst into a grin, "I did. It's been a nightmare keeping this a secret."

His smile was filled with nerves, "not as hard as living with her and keeping quiet. I just hope she likes it, she's not great with surprises."

Because he wanted to treat her, she deserved it so much.

The following morning, Aaron was up and organising breakfast long before Julia. That was unusual, as she poured a cup of coffee, she asked him what the plans were for the day,

"I promised Abi that we'd drive into town, Max has left a car. We can get dinner at the hotel...you know the one overlooking the harbour."

They'd left the house once in ten days, and that had been a brief boat trip along the coast, the harbour hotel was spectacular, and she had mused about maybe having dinner there.

He winked, "I've booked the pair of you a spa thing...facial, manicure...all the fussing. Thought it would be nice for you to have some girlie time. Me and Luke are taking Jamie out for some boy time."

"Sexist much?"

He laughed, "I'll have a massage then, and you can babysit?"

"OK, you got me. I'll get ready."

"This is all a bit odd, Abs. The men, offering to look after the baby, letting us have a relax."

She shrugged, "don't knock it. You're in there..." she gestured to Massage Room One. "I'm in room two...see you on the other side for bubbly and a manicure?"

Shrugging, she wandered into the room, to find a petite dark haired woman, wearing a bright pink tunic.

"Miss Curtis? I'm Christina. If you undress and lie on the bed face down under the towel, I'll return in five minutes for the massage, Mr Harding requested aromatherapy and hot stones. Is that right?"

Julia wasn't big on massages, or contact with strangers, so she couldn't really understand why he'd arranged it, but she humoured her.

"That's fine."

She had only kicked her shoes off, when the door that Christina had vacated through behind her reopened. Julia turned to see what she wanted, but instead of the masseuse, she came face to face with Aaron.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "You're meant to be looking after Jamie...not sneaking around in here."

He merely grinned, stalking across the room until she was in his arms, "I can't come in here and kiss you?"

She shrugged, "you've spent a fortune on me having a massage I imagine, although the fact that I'm in a different room to Abi defeats the object of girlie time really."

"Yeah?" he lifted an eyebrow in question. "That's a shame."

Nothing was making sense, "what's going on, Aaron? You're not making sense."

He took a deep breath, then smiled at her, "You're right. This isn't quite what it seems."

That made her heart pound, bile rise in her throat, "what?"

He was still smiling, so that had to be a good thing, "well. I thought long and hard about how to do this...and I realised that this was the only way."

"You're scaring me, Aaron. What's wrong?"

Aaron grinned, "nothing, that's just it. Everything is perfect. I love you, I love our life...I just..." he rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. Then when he dropped his head again, his eyes were filled with emotion, "I want to marry you, Julia. I want you to be my wife..."

She made to protest, but he placed a silencing finger over her lips, "I know that it's not some thing we've discussed, and I know that it's not an easy thing for you. But I want it. Desperately."

Tears filled her eyes as she stared at his, "I'm not sure that you want it as much as me, what with your family, or lack of I know that you won't want a big wedding. So I thought how can I package this so that it sounds like something you might like."

He stroked the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, "so I got Abi to bring you a dress, I've booked hair, make up...anything and everything you could want...right outside the door. And there's a celebrant out on the beach in about ninety minutes to marry us, with our two closest people to witness, that's all. No fuss, no ceremony, just the most beautiful and loving woman in the world, and a plan to make her my wife. What do you say?"

Her heart had pounded faster and faster until she thought it might stop, tears were falling rapidly down her face, because what did you say to the man who'd anticipated every single thing that might prevent her agreeing.

Because she wanted to agree, she really did, Aaron was everything to her.

"Abi knew?"

Aaron's anxiety seemed to lighten a little, "that's all you have to say?"

She shook her head, "no. Not really." She bit her lip, more nervous than she ever had been in her life, "today?"

He nodded, and there were tears in his eyes too, "all you have to say is yes, and it's done, simple, no fuss. I think that's what you'd like."

She nodded slowly, "it sounds perfect."

Nodding, his face lit up into a radiant smile, "it could be, it will be...but it's your choice."

"What if I say no?"

The smile dropped, "are you?" When she shook her head, he sighed. "If you don't want this then you can say no, of course you can, and we can carry on, shagging like rabbits and loving each other to death. But it'd be so much better if we did it together, married. What do you think?"

What did she think? It sounded perfect, ideal...but life wasn't perfect. "What if I regress? What if you hate me?"

He laughed, "I couldn't hate you, I love you. Look, who knows what tomorrow, next week, next year will bring. I have loved you for eighteen months, and that isn't changing any time soon. SO we can worry about what ifs, or we can live for now, for what we want." He took her hands, "do you want, Julia Curtis?"

With that, he dropped to his knee and opened a small box, holding a beautiful diamond solitaire.

"For me?" She breathed. Stunned that he had bought her a beautiful ring.

When he nodded, she dropped to her knees in front of him, "what have I done to deserve you? To deserve this?"

"Shit, Jules. You have to give me an answer."

It seemed as though her whole life had been building to this very moment, without the previous year of confidence, security and love, she'd never have been prepared for this. But he knew that, he knew everything about her. And it was perfect.

Tears once again fell as she bit her lip nervously, watching him quake with fear, anxiety, so sure that she was going to reject him.

"Yes, a million times yes."

He moaned, almost a wail as he pulled her in to his arms and smothered her with kisses. It was the greatest decision she'd ever made.