(Tara's POV)
"I will ask you just one question, but I want your honest answer. If your answer is no, I will walk away right now, and I won't bother you again,"
I swallowed. That one question will always be the hardest to answer.
"Tara Evans, do you love me?"
My heart skipped a beat. I was too nervous to answer that all I could do was stick my tongue against the inside of my cheek. If I answered no, and Blake would be true to his words, he would leave me alone. My heart would probably stop beating. If I answered yes, there would be no turning back. I would be happy, but why does it feel like it would open up a can of worms?
"Tara?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but an angel saved me from answering his question. We heard Sean calling.
"Uncle Blake! Aunt Tara!" He opened the door and came in, running inside the bedroom. Following him was Samantha, but just like Sean, she also stopped a
(Blake's POV) “What are you going to do? Fly?” Tara asked, spreading her arms. She giggled when I tried to steer away from her. I glared at Samantha, but she just raised her glass to me. “Then explain yourself!” Stella screamed on the phone. “I’m confused, S.” She knitted her brows. “After I drink that, I got baffled,” She said, pointing to the empty glass on the countertop as if Stella could see it. “What did you drink?” Stella’s voice was still in panic. I was giving Samantha a look, but she was just smiling. Tara looked at the ceiling. “Coffee, water, juice, seawater-” “Seawater? What do you mean?” She interrupted. She made a face, amusing Samantha more. “Blake pushed me,” She shook her head. “Ah, no... he pulled me out of the boat, that’s why-” “Tara Evans, you don’t know how to swim!” She was screaming again. She covered my ears with her hands. “I kno
(Blake's POV) “Tara,” I moaned her name, kissing the hollow of her neck. “Tell me to stop,” I told her once again, and all I needed right now was her permission. I want to take her now and claim her as mine to hell with her answer.“I can’t,” She swallowed and took a long, deep breath. “I can’t breathe, Blake,” She said, hearing and feeling the shortness of her breathing like she was in pain. I froze and then slowly glanced at her as if she was hyperventilating. As if cold water splashed all over my body, I got up and helped her get up from the bed.“Do you have asthma or something?” I asked, my heart pounding. Samantha had struggled with asthma when we were young, and looking at her nasal flaring and labored breathing, and I could say she was having an asthma attack.She took a deep breath, then looked at me
(Tara's POV)I felt like I was going to have a heart attack as I stared at the red, lacy thong I hooked on my pencil.“What’s this?” My heart was pounding as I looked at other things in the luggage. I could hear Blake laughing, and I wanted to punch him now for making fun of me.“You don’t have to wear them, Tara, if you don’t like them.” He said, walking away from me. “I’ll be in the cockpit. Just find decent clothes to wear, for sure she included one, then decide if you wanted to go home right away,”Blake walked out of the saloon, leaving me looking at the contents of the luggage. The veins in my head were throbbing as I searched for something less seductive. I heaved a sigh as I chose the white summer dress and sniffed, preventing myself from crying, as I took the pair of cream-colored underwear. I took my pouch, which contained
(Tara's POV)“Because I want to have more of you. I want you, Tara,” He breathed, his voice low.I swear my heart jumped out of my chest when I heard those words. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my lips. My hands reached for his face, and my fingers started trailing his eyebrows down to his pointed nose and stopped on his soft lips.“Do you love me, Tara?” He asked in a whisper as if he was afraid to know my answer.This is crazy because I don’t know Blake much, but I am soooo head over heels for him. It was like my heart would explode to pieces if I part ways with him... if I didn’t see him again. Even with John, I have never felt this before.“Yes,” I answered, allowing my heart to answer for me. For one moment, I only thought about myself, forgetting my promise to myself and the rest of my family.All that matters to me right now is
(Blake's POV)My head slowly turned to Tara, who was so engaged in each photo. Where did she find the album? I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh before walking towards her. I was sure Samantha did not include it in her gift to Tara. “Kitten, let’s put food in your tummy first,” I said, trying to take it away from her, but she groaned. Her eyebrows creased, and she squinted her eyes on me. I raised both my hands to say I would not dare get it. Instead, she took the plate and placed it beside the photo album.“You’re so handsome,” She said, trailing my picture with her index finger. A few seconds passed without any word from her made my heart worry. “How old were you in this picture?” She finally asked.I glanced at it. “Twenty-one,” I focused on my food. I was not ready to talk about the past or... the future. What matters to me now is her,
(Blake's POV)“Tell me, what’s this Disney thing? I really don’t understand,” I asked Tara, remembering what Stella said and the lists of movies she wanted to watch she had written in her notebook. I sat across her.Her lips pressed, then moving from side to side. When she stopped twitching her lips, she squinted her eyes at me. “Blake, can we eat first. I’m really hungry,” Without waiting for me, she stood and climbed down the saloon.I followed her down, forgetting to ask her if she wanted to go back to the island. She had her head inside the refrigerator, peeking and taking the one she had been looking at this morning. It was a small box of chocolate cakes.“You’re not hungry,” I smirked. “You’re just craving for it,” I said, chuckling and peeking at what’s inside the fridge.“Sorry, I had a thing for cakes
(Blake's POV)I am 29 years old, and my painful memories were nothing compared to Tara’s. As a child, I tantrum over things my parents couldn’t give me, always thinking how unfair they were. But since I was an only child, I always got what I wanted. I cried over unsuccessful relationships in the past, promising not to fall in love again, but then I always found my heart recuperating from a silly pain and finding myself a new one. I got mad at the businesses I failed, but I would always be successful at them in the end with my persistence.But Tara... my poor Tara...I tried to open my mouth to speak, to comfort her at least, but how could I when I have never lost anyone in that way. The only thing I could do was hold her in my arms, making her feel I was here. I kept kissing her hair as she cried endlessly, and it pained me to think I could do nothing to ease it away.After a while, I he
(Blake's POV)“Somebody’s glowing!” Samantha chimed when Tara excused herself from us. Her eyes followed Tara walking towards the hall of the adjoining room. I was startled when she tugged me to the sofa. We both fell on the seat and surprised me with a punch on my upper arm.“Tell me, Blake...” She has her dagger eyes on me. “You didn’t do anything stupid on that boat with her,” She asked in a low voice, her teeth gritting.“What do you mean?” My eyes squinted, confusing me. I could not follow her.“Did you see Tara? She was like Rapunzel singing the healing song. She’s glowing, idiot!” She whispered, and then she shut her one eye and smacked me again in my arm.“What? She looked alright to me,” I was already getting impatient with her.“I should have put condoms in your bag,” She sniffled.