Reunited (9 page)

As we
crawled into bed we talked about the plans for the following day.  We were
going to Cozumel and planned to spend the day with Amy and Paul.  We had plans
to go to Dolphinaris where we could swim with the dolphins and we were going to
go zip lining.  I couldn’t wait.  I was so excited for the next day and was so
happy the way everything had turned out.  As I curled up into the nook of
Jake’s arm, I dozed off feeling happier and more at peace than I had ever felt
in my life.

CHAPTER
7 

The
next morning I woke up pretty early and felt out of sorts as I glanced around
the room not knowing where I was at first.  Then reality set in and I stretched
as butterflies fluttered in my belly and I remembered where I was.  I heard the
shower and realized that Jake had let me sleep a little longer while he got
ready. 
So this wasn’t a dream!
  I bounded out of bed and noticed a note
next to my clothes.

I
didn’t want to wake you, sweetheart.  If you’re still sleeping when I get out
of the shower, I’ll nudge you.  J-

I
didn’t realize that I had a big goofy grin on my face until I saw my reflection
in the mirror. 
You are love struck, missy!
 
Yes I am!
 

Just
then I heard a knock at the door. 
Amy must be coming to check on me since I
didn’t make it back to our room last night.
  I opened the door ready to
tease her for being a mother hen, when I was greeted with the shocked face of
Arianna Covington.  A smirk spread across my face as she struggled to get her
words out.

“I, I,
uh, I…was looking for Jake.”  Her eyes narrowed as they surveyed my tousled
hair and what was clearly his oversized t-shirt.

“He’s
in the shower.  Did you want to leave him a message?”  I couldn’t help but lace
my words with sticky sweetness.

“I, um,
I…didn’t see him yesterday so I was wondering what he was doing today.”

This
girl was such a snotty witch and it gave me such pleasure to be able to throw
“us” in her face.  I answered her in my most condescending tone as I stood
leaning with one hand on the door, the other on my hip.

“Well,
Arianna, Jake was with me yesterday
and
Jake will be with me today.  Is
there anything else?”  I gave her a pointed smirk, silently daring her to ask
more questions.

She
looked sheepish and embarrassed as it finally registered that Jake and I were
back together.  “No.  Sorry to have bothered you.”

As I
closed the door, I burst out laughing.  It felt good to have the upper hand
with Arianna.

“What’s
so funny there, lady?”

I
turned to see Jake standing in just a towel, a few droplets of water still
glistening on his skin, and I was stunned into silence.  His dark hair was wet
and pushed out of his face, his chiseled chest and stomach looked delicious,
and he was simply beautiful.  He was waiting for my answer and I had to force
myself to put two words together.  Before I could speak, he swiftly came over
to me and leaned down to kiss me.

“Good
morning.”  His smile made my toes curl.

I
smiled back at him, flirtatiously batting my lashes.  “Good morning.”

“Now,
what was so funny?”

“Arianna
stopped by and I
don’t
think she was expecting to see me.”

He
grabbed me and pulled me close to him, fresh soap flooding my nostrils. 
“Everyone better get used to seeing you with me.”

“And
vice versa.”

He playfully
swatted me on the butt.  “You better get ready.  We have a big day ahead of
us.”

***

After
breakfast, I had to run back to my room to grab my purse which I had forgotten
to bring with me to the dining room.  As I was walking back to meet Jake, Amy, and
Paul, I ran into Adam. 

“Hey
there.  I was looking all over for you yesterday.  I was hoping we could hang
out a bit today in Cozumel.”  He really was sweet and was so good-looking, but
my heart belonged to someone else.

“I’m
sorry Adam.  I already have plans for the day.”

“Jake,
huh?”

“Yes,
I’m sorry.”  I genuinely was sorry because Adam had liked me for so long and
the timing was never right for him.

“He’s a
lucky guy.”

“Thanks. 
I better get going.”

“Have
fun today.”

I
smiled at him and started to walk away.

“Lauren?”

I
stopped to turn and look at those gorgeous blue eyes.

“If it
doesn’t work out, you know where to find me.”

What’s
that?
  Was I feeling a twinge of butterflies?  I pushed the
thought out of my head and told Adam to have a fun day. 

Just as
I joined Jake, Amy and Paul, people were exiting the ship.

“There
you are!  Did you get lost?”  Jake grabbed my hand and his smile washed away
any pangs I may have felt about turning Adam down for the millionth time.

We were
all walking toward the end of the dock when I noticed a stunningly beautiful
woman standing down there looking as if she was searching for someone.  As we
got closer Jake was squeezing my hand.  I looked up at him wondering what was
wrong and saw a clear look of anger on his face.

“Do you
know her?” 

“That’s
Vivienne.  What the hell is she doing here?”  He was clearly pissed. 

I
suddenly felt a big knot in my stomach. 
This cannot be good.
  Amy
glanced over at me and raised her eyebrows.  I shrugged back at her having no
idea why this girl was in Cozumel.

“I’m
sorry Lauren.  I better go talk to her, I’ll be right back.”  When he let my
hand drop from his, I felt a huge sense of loss.  My instincts had always been
pretty strong and I could tell something was wrong.

“Who is
that?”  Amy sounded as annoyed as I felt.

“His
ex-girlfriend.”

“No! 
Why is she here?”

“I have
no clue.”

“I’m
sure it’s nothing.”  Paul was trying to pacify the situation, which I
appreciated, but he was clueless.  This girl wanted something from Jake and I
was worried that what she wanted was his heart.

We
stood chatting for nearly 30 minutes and we were anxious to get on with our
day.  After a few more minutes he was finally walking back toward us and Amy
and Paul told me they would wait for us at the souvenir shop that was close to
the dock.

As Jake
walked toward me, I glanced over his shoulder to see Vivienne still standing
there.  As he got closer I could see that his face was as white as a ghost and
he was trembling. 

“Honey,
what’s wrong?!  Why is she here?”  I was scared and worried at the same time.

“I gave
her the itinerary for this trip before we broke up so she flew here to meet
me.”  He sounded like a zombie and showed zero emotion as he spoke.

“Well,
can’t you tell her to go home?  To get on with her life?”  I was getting
irritated now. 
Who does this woman think she is?

Jake
turned sad eyes toward me and struggled to get his words out.

“Whatever
it is Jake, we’ll be okay.  We can deal with anything.  It’s you and me,
remember?  Tell me what’s wrong.”  I held onto his hands so he could feel that
I was there for him.

“Vivienne
is pregnant.”

***

Part two of Jake and Lauren’s story coming soon!