I poured him a glass of milk and dropped the pack of crackers in front of him with a thump. He could get his own napkin.
“What do you think about going to Disneyland for your birthday, Ophelia?” Paxton asked her while looking at me. A truce maybe? Jesus. This man was impossible to understand.
“Can I take, Row-row?”
We both laughed and I felt a little better. At least I wasn’t worried about a replay of the night before. I hoped anyway. I couldn’t take another night like the last. The fifteen minute power nap I stole while Paxton took the girls back to his shop did little for my exhaustion. I couldn’t wait to sleep.
The girls and Paxton talked about Disney. Ophelia was over the moon excited about a birthday trip. Even after Paxton gave her the ultimatum of either a princess birthday party or Disney, she chose the trip. Thank God.
Chapter Eighteen
The funny thing about it came after the girls were sound asleep. We both went different ways. Paxton upstairs and me to my room. I showered, yawning the entire time. I couldn’t wait to lie down, to relax my exhausted body, and let sleep take my mind. I wrapped my lavender scented body in soft black satin and routinely walked out to the view. The ocean was quiet, yet full of life, and the moon looked majestic.
“Did you cheat on me, Gabriella?”
I didn’t have to look up to know Paxton was above me. The quiet words lingered above my head, and I looked up. I could barely see him. A silhouette in front of a moon. I leaned against a stone post and looked up.
“I don’t know, Paxton.”
“Something happened.”
“I’m afraid so, but I swear I don’t know what. Tell me what you know.”
“I don’t know anything. I only speculate.”
“Can I come up?”
“Suit yourself.”
I didn’t wait for a formal invitation. If Paxton was even close to opening up, I would take it. Once I peeked in on both my sleeping angels I started up the stairs, stopping at the bottom. I needed a drink for this one.
A shot of rum, a half a shot of apricot brandy, a splash of lemon, pineapple juice, and Galliano thrown quickly into two glasses and I had a drink. A damn good drink. How did I know how to do that? I was rather good if I said so myself.
“Thought you changed your mind,” he said from the top step.
I replied back with a smile and one word. “Drinks.”
“You don’t drink.”
“Stop saying that. I don’t know how I lived with you for six years without drinking. I’m lucky I didn’t do more than that. Here, try it.”
I heard a heavy sigh when he took it and walked back to his room. I followed behind feeling like I always did when he did that. Beneath him. To my surprise he stopped and let me walk in front of him. Our eyes met when I stepped around him, smelling the scent of his cologne.
“Outside?” I questioned over my shoulder.
“Yes, I always sit out there before I go to bed.”
“Me too.”
Paxton snickered behind me. “Yes, I know. I watch you.”
I walked straight to the stone wall. I loved the view from Paxton’s room. Morning or night, it was beautiful. Paxton walked with me, but he faced the house.
His ankles crossed and he sipped his drink. “This is very good. What is it?”
“I have no idea, but I feel like it’s something. Like I craved it. The mixture of ingredients are too complex for something just thrown together.” I went out on a ledge and did something daring. Like I had on the beach. I took a long drink and moved between his legs. He uncrossed his ankles and let me move in close. I did. I leaned right into his crotch, keeping our torsos at distance and stared into his eyes.
“Tell me. What is it you think I did?”
“You already know.”
“Lane?”
“Yup.”
“But what happened? Why do you think that?”
Paxton took another drink and spit it out. “Did you know Candace hired a private detective a couple weeks before your accident?”
“No, Paxton. I don’t know any of this.” If he only knew how this felt. How having no recollection of a past with him messed with my mind. Maybe he would understand more.
“Yeah, she sent me a text message a couple days ago. She had something she wanted to show me.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. I told her I didn’t want to see it right now. That I had enough going on without adding to it.”
“And that’s it? She let it go?”
“Sort of. Other than she was rude to you. I knew what happened. She confronted you, didn’t she?”
“No, not at all. I overheard them talking. Was that the sudden change? She liked me before Saturday.”
That drink almost finished it off. Paxton wiped his mouth and set his glass on the banister behind him. His hands pulled my waist toward him more, and he stood. Warm lips met my shoulder when his hands slid down my robe.