Thirty-Eight Days (51 page)

“You’re pouting, Clara,” Liam laughed.

Clara untangled her arms from his neck and stepped aside. As much as Liam would kiss her and hold her in bed, he never touched her, and that made her feel less desirable, almost unattractive. Liam picked up his bag and briefcase, and walked towards his bedroom, Clara following. She leant on the doorframe and watched as Liam unlocked his briefcase and took out a framed picture of them from their first date. Liam set it on his bedside table and looked over at her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. She pushed off the doorframe and her hands moistened.

“Liam, I have to ask…” she watched as Liam sighed and gave Clara a small smile. Liam walked towards her, taking both her hands and sat her on the foot of the bed with him. He removed his hands from Clara’s and tucked her curls behind her ear.

“Clara, I can’t have sex with you the way you want me to. I’ve changed from my one-night stands. I don’t want this to be about sex between us. I’ve waited a long time to be with you, and I don’t want to spoil us. I want our first time together to be special and memorable because I love you, Clara.”

Liam loves me.

Clara’s eyes widened and her heart stopped the moment she heard those three words slip from his lips.

“Liam… I-uhh,” she stammered out. Clara felt claustrophobic at his confession. She tried to take short gasps, but she couldn’t feel the air in her lungs.

“Clara, come on, sweetheart. Stay with me,” Liam called out. Clara blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked up at him. The worry was in his eyes.

“You don’t have to say it back. I know what you’ve been through and when you’re ready, you’ll tell me,” Liam said as he placed a kiss on Clara’s forehead. He wasn’t going to rush her or them. It was all about loving her right, and Clara felt her heart expand. It opened up for Liam. She could see herself falling in love with him. It would only be a matter of time before he’d own her heart completely. And for the first time in a long time, Clara was open to the idea. Loving Liam would be the easiest thing she could ever do. And then it came, like a rush of water it came, the desire to be with him, the desire to make him happy, and the desire to be his
and
only
his.

Six months later

H
is palms sweat, his heart raced, and his breathing were heavy gasps. Noel closed his eyes and begged the universe to spare him. It owed him that much for what he went through with Clara. Her name still made his chest flame, but as the months passed, he was able to get a hold on what he felt for Clara.

He wiped his hands on his suit jacket and peered into her office. Andrea sat there reading from a manila folder and started to hand out what looked like a contract to the men in front of her. She looked up from the folder and her light blue eyes stared up at him. Her smile was sweet and wholesome. It was one of the very first things he noticed when he met her. Andrea raised her hand and mouthed “One second” to him, and he just smiled.

The men shook hands with her and stood up from their seats. He opened Andrea’s office door and walked in. Both men raised their heads up at Noel, and he smiled back. When the men left her office, Noel reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, their faces inches from each other.

“What are you doing?” Andrea laughed. She tried to wriggle free, but Noel only held her tighter.

“What? I can’t see
my
girlfriend?” Noel raised his eyebrow up at her, and Andrea slapped Noel’s chest.

“Not when I have important meetings with clients.”

Noel rolled his eyes and took her hand. He had so much to be grateful for. Andrea was his silver lining. He cared for her, and even though he didn’t love her like he loved Clara, his feelings for her were intense. He remembered their first date. They had fought over which corny date they should go on. In the end, they settled for dinner and a movie. When the movie finished, they walked past a local high school and sat on the bleachers. They talked about him growing up in Melbourne and Andrea growing up in Phoenix. That date was the first time he didn’t feel helpless; he felt fearless with her.

“Shouldn’t you be busy being a senior accountant?” she questioned with a grin.

“I am. I have my juniors do all the work while I go to lunch with my girlfriend. Isn’t that how Americans work? Delegating, right?”

Andrea let out a laugh and shook her head. “Shall we take the kangaroo to the diner or what? Isn’t that how you get around in Australia?” Andrea bit down on her lip as she tried to stifle a laugh.

“Yes. And every family owns a pet koala that they call Blinky Bill. Now come here!” Noel placed both hands on Andrea’s cheeks and press his lips on hers. Andrea laughed against his mouth until he felt her lips kiss him back.

“Get a room!” someone hollered, and Andrea laughed against his lips before pulling back and shaking her head.

“Let’s go get lunch before we get a lecture from HR,” she said as she took her handbag off the floor and rested it on her desk. Andrea was beautiful, with her light blue eyes and dark, chestnut-brown hair. She had the kindest heart, but every time he looked at her there was guilt settling in his stomach. He had sat there at a dispute with a client of theirs, and she had handled herself well. She was strong and so sure of herself.

Unlike…

“Wait! Before we go eat,” Noel said.

They had been together for six months, and it was time. Noel reached into his pocket and felt it. He fished it out and held it out to Andrea, her eyes went wide with surprise, and her lips formed an “O.”

“Noel,” she breathed out.

“Move in with me, Andrea,” he said with a hopeful smile.

“You want us to live together?” she asked as she stared at the ribbon tied through the keyhole.

“Yes. I want you to move in with me. That crease on your forehead isn’t helping my nerves.”

“Oh, sorry.” She laughed and took the key from him, holding it in her hand. Noel watched as a smile broke on her face and Andrea’s cheeks started to redden.

“As long as you keep
our
fridge stocked with beer and leave the toilet seat down, then it’s a deal. But just know the moment I see marsupials hopping around the apartment you’re on the couch. Got it?” That smile on her face made his heart jump.

“Deal. But keep your cacti collection on the top shelf. I don’t want my marsupials getting hurt,” Noel played as he curled his arms around her waist and stepped closer. Andrea wrapped her arms around his neck, and those light blue eyes sparkled.

“I don’t have a cacti collection. I have one cactus. Just one!”

Noel placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

“Well, then it’s not going to take you long to move in then, is it?” She removed her hands from his neck and he stepped back. Andrea placed the key in her handbag and looked up at Noel.

“Lets go get lunch before I regret saying yes to you.”

S
etting down her icing bag, Clara looked at her batch of cupcakes. Her new marshmallow icing had become a bakery favourite, and she found herself having to make extra batches every Thursday. She stepped back and breathed out in relief. In six months, Clara had deferred her business degree and started culinary school. She couldn’t deal with the lectures and tutorials anymore. Cooking and baking kept her happy and at peace. Danny was ecstatic. He finally had an apprentice in Clara.

“Someone yummy just walked through the front door looking for you,” Josie said as she walked into the kitchen. Clara’s hand reached behind her back and untied her apron. She put her icing stained apron on the counter and walked towards the front of the store. She was surprised to see Liam standing there with a bouquet of lavenders.

“What are you doing here? I thought you had a day of meetings?” Clara asked as she smiled at the sight of the flowers. Just like their first date.

“I came to kidnap you.” Liam shrugged.

“It’s not kidnapping if the boss knows!” Josie yelled from the kitchen.

“I asked Danny last week if I could borrow you for the afternoon. I want to take you somewhere.” Clara squinted her eyes at him.

“Where?”

“You won’t let me make this a surprise, will you?”

Clara shook her head and Liam sighed. She walked around the counter and let out a laugh at his deflated sigh. Liam pulled her in and placed a kiss on her cheek, Clara taking the lavenders and smelling them.

“I’m taking you to see the Penguin Parade,” Liam said. Clara looked up and stared at him in surprise.

“The Penguin Parade?”

Liam broke into a beautiful smiled. “You’ve never been?”

“Can’t say that I have.” She shrugged.

“That’s perfect then. Well, there wasn’t a toucan parade in town, so I had to choose penguins.” She was sure this was Liam’s way of apologising for being away the last few weeks. It was hard for him now that his family’s company was taking over and investing into some big companies in Asia. Clara was excited. She had heard of the Penguin Parade, but she had never been to Philip Island to go see. She heard that little penguins waddled out of the water and walked up the beach and settled into their nests. It had been one of the things she had always wanted to see for herself, but between culinary school and the bakery she just never had the time.

“I’ve got your jacket in the car. Ready to go?” Liam asked. Clara couldn’t contain her excitement and she nodded her head.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Josie!” she yelled out and took Liam’s hand.

The cold July air made Clara shiver against Liam’s body. They walked out of the visitor’s centre and watched as a little penguin waddled across the footpath. Park rangers were on either side of the path to make sure the penguin made it to its nest safely.

Liam had been surprisingly quiet, but Clara suspected that he was still tired from his late nights of work. Last night she had to beg him to return to bed when she found him locked away in his study. The floodlights turned on as the sun slowly started to set. Liam took Clara’s hand and walked her towards the railing that overlooked the beach. She removed her hand from Liam and placed her hands on the railing, looking out. She could see a few penguins waddle towards their nests and saw people already sitting on the steps ready to watch the parade begin. It wasn't quite dark enough for the penguins to come out, but Clara was eager to see them.