Max was adorned with an assortment of velvet and jewels. He held my gaze through the entire procedure. I could see that he wasn’t as open to the idea as I was, but I felt his shoulders relax as the circle of dancers retreated.
He continued to stare into my eyes as we danced together. It seemed to me that it didn’t matter to him what he wore or what he had to endure, as long as he was with me. As endearing as that was, I wanted him to feel the rush that I was feeling at letting go of the need for perfection.
“Close your eyes, Max.”
“No way.” He furrowed an eyebrow.
“Trust me.”
He frowned. “That’s not fair, you know.”
“That I ask you to trust me or that you don’t?”
He rolled his eyes, then closed them.
I leaned close to him and whispered in his ear as we moved together. “Don’t think about anything but the music and your body moving with it.”
“Sammy, I’m not like you. I can’t just let things go like that.”
“It’s not about being like anyone, Max, it’s about being who you are—without fear, without parameters. Just feel that part of yourself that you hide behind your perfect smile and constant charm.”
I was teasing him just a little, but I did want him to be more relaxed.
To my surprise, his arms slid around me. We danced in a way that we’d never danced before—skin to skin, with our eyes closed and the pulse of the music driving the movements of our bodies.
When my eyes finally fluttered open again, I caught sight of Kanda center stage. She laughed out loud as she was spun around by a few of the dancers.
There it was—the freedom that longed to bubble up from deep within us. It was exhilarating.
When the music slowed Max and I unwound from one another while our eyes remained connected with a deep sense of knowing. It was a moment that I knew I wasn’t going to forget.
A few of the people began to exit the stage. Max, Kanda, and I did as well.
Once we were back at the table Kanda couldn’t stop laughing.
“Did you see that? Did you see what I did?”
“Yes.” I grinned. “It was fantastic. Wasn’t it, Max?” I looked over at him.
Max watched the dancers as they continued to move across the stage.
“It was an experience, that’s for sure.” He smiled.
Kanda said, “I have to say that I’m a little worn out from it. Maybe we should call it a night.”
“Yes, we have an early flight to catch,” said Max.
“Oh, where are you headed?” Kanda sipped her drink.
“To Koh Samui.” Max smiled.
“Wow! You will both have such a great time. It’s beautiful there.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “The last time I was there, I thought about never leaving. It is so peaceful. Take lots of pictures for me.”
“I will.” I smiled as we all got up from table. “Good night, Kanda. Thanks for everything. We’ll see you at the next book signing.”
“If you decide to come back.” She grinned.
As we waited for a taxi, Max and I stood close together on the sidewalk. I noticed that he was still fairly quiet.
“Max, are you okay?”
“Sure.” He kicked his shoe against the sidewalk.
“Was that too much?” I tried to catch his eye.
“No, it wasn’t. I guess I just never thought about how much I do hold back. I’ve enjoyed watching you explore and expand, but I haven’t done so much of that myself. When you got me to dance up there, it was like…” He paused and shook his head. “Like an awakening.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I squeezed his hand.
“Good. But, now I want more.” He pulled me close and looked into my eyes. “I want our lives to be like that. I don’t want us to fall back into the routine, into what’s expected from us.”
“I want that too, Max.” As we kissed I thought I might just float away—until the impact of his words popped my bubble. He wanted to be impulsive, to embrace life, to live in the moment—which was music to my ears—but what did that mean for our plans to have a child? Could we truly live that way while raising a child?
Luckily the taxi came before Max could notice the way I turned away from him.
Chapter 14
Back at the hotel, I kept myself busy by taking a shower to make sure that all the lotion I’d used was washed off. When I stepped out of the bathroom Max was already tucked into bed.
He patted the spot beside him sleepily. “Come snuggle with me.”
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.” I curled my body close to his and breathed in his scent.
No matter where we were in the world, the most comforting place for me was with Max. I wanted him to feel the same way. If I pushed him now about having kids, I might just stifle the epiphany that he’d seemed to have.
As I listened to his steady breathing transform into subtle snores I decided that I wouldn’t even mention the thought of a baby—not until the book tour was over and we’d had a chance to truly explore for the rest of our adventure.
The bed shook. Was it an earthquake? I blinked and tried to force my eyes to stay open.
No, the bed wasn’t shaking, I was shaking.
“Sammy! Get up! We’re late for the flight! Didn’t you set the alarm?”
My heart lurched as I realized that I hadn’t. I jumped up out of the bed as Max raced around tossing things into his bag.”
“We don’t have any time to waste. Get everything together. Just throw something on. Hurry up!”
I was dazed as I tried to force myself all the way awake. From Max’s tone, I could tell that he was irritated, and he had every right to be. He’d planned something special for us and asked me to make sure the alarm was set so that we’d have plenty of time to get to the airport.
But that was before we’d gone to dinner and danced the night away—before my mind got plagued with concerns about our future. It had just slipped my mind.
I snapped into motion and began tossing everything I saw into my bag. Luckily we hadn’t unpacked much.
“Okay, I think we have everything, Max.”
“Check the bathroom and then we’ll go. There should be a taxi waiting downstairs for us.”
I ducked into the bathroom and grabbed every bottle I saw, along with Max’s razor and a few of my things. Once it was all in the bag I stepped out of the bathroom and nearly plowed into Max.
“Let’s go, let’s go.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me out the door.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I might have forgotten something.
“Max, maybe we should just take a later flight.”
“No, there’s no later flight. We have to go now!”
I was out of breath when we reached the lobby and rushed out to the taxi that waited for us.
The driver chuckled and pointed at my stomach.
“Can it or you won’t get a tip!” Max scowled at the man and tossed our bags into the trunk.
The driver gulped and rushed around to the driver’s seat.
I was a bit surprised by Max’s harsh tone, but couldn’t help being just a little impressed with his protective nature.
Once we were in the taxi he grabbed my hand and held it tight. “When we get to the airport, we have to run or we’re going to miss the flight. I know, I know—I’m stressing you out, but I really don’t want to miss the flight.”
“I’m sorry, Max. I forgot to set the alarm.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve checked us in online. Just focus on getting to the plane in time, okay?” He looked over at me.
I expected him to be angry, but he smiled and stroked my cheek. “It’ll be an adventure, right?”
“Right.” I smiled in return.
As soon as the taxi pulled up to the curb of the airport, Max and I gathered our bags and sprinted for the gate. Of course our run came to a grinding halt once we met with security. The lon
g line made my racing heart pound even harder.
“Max, we’re never going to make it through. I’m so sorry. We’re going to miss our flight, and it’s all my fault. Why didn’t I remember to set the alarm?”
“I could have set the alarm too, Sammy. Yes, this is frustrating, but it’s going to be fine. I planned this to be fun, not stressful. Let’s see if we can get through this line as quick as possible.”
“You’re right.” I took a deep breath and nodded. “One step at a time.”
As if by magic, the line began to speed up. I smiled at Max. He always knew how to remain calm even in a stressful situation.
When it was our turn to walk through I tossed my bag on the conveyor belt and walked through with the anticipation that we could start running again on the other side. However, as soon as I stepped through, the alarm on the scanner began to blare.
Chapter 15
A man in a uniform stepped up to me with a wand. “Arms out, legs spread.” He began to wave the wand along my body. I tried to pretend that everyone wasn’t staring at me, but they were.
Max walked through with no issue and paused beside me.
“Do you have something in your pockets?”
“No, I don’t think so.” I patted my pockets. There wasn’t anything in them.
“Walk through again, please.” The officer directed me back to the scanner.
I walked through and the alarms blared again.
“Oh, no.” I groaned. “We’re going to miss our plane, officer. I don’t have anything on me. It must be a malfunction.”
He waved the wand in front of me again.
As I stood as still as I could he waved it near my shoes. “Take your shoes off and walk through again, please.”
I did as he instructed and was relieved when the alarm didn’t go off again. I smiled at Max, whose face was getting a bit more tense.
He glanced at his watch, then forced a smile back at me.
“We’re going to have to scan your shoes. Pick them up and put them in the bin.”
“You know what, I don’t need them. I can go, right?”
“Well—”
“Just throw them away. I must have stepped on a tack or something. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Blow them up if you need to.” I grimaced as I realized I’d just used the words “blow up” in an airport.
But the officer nodded and I grabbed Max’s hand.
I ran barefoot through the airport until we reached the gate.
We made it to the gate just in time.
One of the attendants met us at the entrance of the corridor. “Hurry please, everyone is waiting.” She gestured to the entrance, then held up a hand. “Wait a minute, where are your shoes?”
“I left them at the security gate. I’ll just buy some when we get there.”
“No, I’m sorry. You have to have shoes to get on the plane.”
“What? Why?” My heart started to race again.
“It’s a rule. You have to have shoes. I can’t let you board the plane without them.”
“This is unbelievable.” I groaned.
Max frowned. “Can’t you let it slide this once? We had no choice but to leave them behind or we would have missed the flight.”
“No, I’m sorry. It’s a very strict policy. You’re just going to have to fly out tomorrow. There’s a shop on the other side of the airport with shoes.”
“That’s it, Sammy. It’s alright. We’ll just fly out tomorrow.” Max’s shoulders slumped.
There it was—the disappointment in his eyes. He’d never tell me that he blamed me, but I knew somewhere inside he had to be angry with me for forgetting the alarm. My chest burned with the desire to make it up to him.
Then I saw her. A young girl near the large windows that overlooked the runway. She had tiny feet and very small flip-flops. But they were shoes—and she was there.
“Just give me one more minute, please?” I begged the attendant.
She nodded and crossed her arms. “I don’t know what good it will do.”
I rushed over to the girl and smiled at her. “Are you flying today?”
“No, I’m waiting for someone to arrive. My boyfriend.” She smiled.
“Oh, how lovely.” I tried not to sound out of breath. “I’m very desperate. This is going to sound odd, but I would like to buy your shoes.”
“My shoes?” She looked at my bare feet. “They won’t fit you.”
“That doesn’t matter, I just need a pair of shoes. There’s a store on the other side of the airport, and you can buy yourself another pair of shoes.” I rummaged in my purse and pulled out far more cash than what the shoes were worth. “Please.”
“But I don’t want my boyfriend to see me with no shoes. What will he think?”
“Ma’am, ma’am—we have to leave now.” The attendant pursed her lips.
“Sammy, forget it, it’s not a big deal.”
I gritted my teeth and willed myself not to make the situation worse by tackling the girl and pulling off her shoes. I didn’t want to go to jail in Thailand. I added more money to the pile.
“Please. You can tell him this funny story. I’ll even mention it on my blog, so you can prove it to him. We can take a picture…” I held up my phone.
“Are you famous or something?” She smiled.
“Not exactly, but I am going to miss my flight if you don’t let me have your shoes.”
“Alright, fine. But they’re not going to fit you.”
“I know, I know.”
She kicked off her shoes and I slid them onto my feet.
What looked dainty and delicate on her tiny feet looked like baby shoes squeezed over my feet, but I didn’t care. I handed her the money, snapped a selfie with her, then tried to run back to the flight attendant.
I got about three steps before I tripped trying to wear the far-too-small shoes. Max was there to catch me.
He grinned at me as I straightened up. “I am very impressed.”
“Good. Because these really hurt my feet.”
“Clearly they’re not your size.” The attendant narrowed her eyes as if she might still deny me entrance to the plane. Then she sighed and hurried us along the corridor and onto the plane.
Chapter 16
The plane was much smaller than the one we’d flown into Thailand on. It wasn’t until I was seated and buckled in that I wondered just how safe it was. I looked out the window at the runway below and saw a few people milling around a cart of luggage.
“Max, do you think this plane is safe?”
Max plopped down in the seat beside me after forcing our bags into the overheard compartment. “I’m sure it is. They have to have some kind of safety measures in place.”
“It looks like those men down there are arguing about whether or not to put the luggage on the plane. What if there’s too much weight?”
“I’m sure it’s fine, Sammy.” He wrapped his hand around mine and gave it a squeeze. “I promise. We might have had a bumpy start, but this trip is going to be fantastic. You, me, and the beautiful water—not to mention that beautiful bathing suit.”
“Ah yes, that beautiful bathing suit.” I grinned. “I might have forgotten to pack that.”
He looked me hard in the eyes for a moment, then smirked. “Even better. We’ll make it a nude beach.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Okay, okay. I made sure to pack it.”
“Good.” He patted my knee. “I can’t wait to see you in it.”
“You’re so sweet, Max.”
“Uh, that wasn’t exactly what I was going for. Seductive, hot, enticing—all of those would be a fine description.”
“All of those things too.” I smiled, then leaned in for a kiss.
Just as our lips touched, the plane began to taxi down the runway. I thought it was a little shaky, but no one else seemed to notice. Within moments the plane sailed up into the clear blue sky. I felt some of my tension ease. Max had been right to look forward to this t
rip. I needed to join in with that same positive attitude.
I nestled close to him and we began to play a game together on his tablet.
As the plane drew closer to the island, I couldn’t believe what I saw through the window. The crystal blue water stretched out beneath us seemed to be calling my name with its subtle ripples.
“Oh, Max, this is exactly what we needed.”
“I thought you might like it.” He kissed my cheek. “You, me, and the beach. What could be bad about that?”
“Not a thing, I’m sure.”
The plane landed with a jolt. I held on to Max’s hand as it rushed to a stop. It wasn’t the smoothest landing I’d ever experienced, but we made it off the plane in one piece with an adventure waiting for us.
As soon as we landed I remembered that I still didn’t have a pair of shoes that fit me. I hobbled my way off the plane to find that the airport didn’t have any shoes for sale. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but the plastic strap that went between my toes was cutting into my foot.
“Max, I have to take these off.”
He looked at the hot concrete of the sidewalk that stretched out before us. “You wait here, I’ll find our driver. The resort sent one to pick us up.”
“Okay, thanks.” I sat down on a bench and peeled the shoes off my feet. It finally hit me that I’d spent a large amount of money on a pair of shoes that didn’t even fit. “Great idea, Sammy.”
Max returned with a smile. “The driver is waiting for us.”
“Oh, good.” I started to pull the shoes back on, but the strap broke when I tried. “Oh well, I’ll just go barefoot.”
“No way.” Max shook his head. “That sidewalk is burning up from the sun.”
I looked through the glass double doors at the jeep that waited for us. It was so close, yet so far away.
“I can handle it, Max.” I stood up, prepared to singe my feet to get to the jeep.
“Or…we can do this another way.”
Before I could protest, Max swept me up into his arms. Fellow travelers stopped to look in our direction as Max carried me toward the doors. A Thai man rushed forward to open the door and looked at Max with wide eyes. I could only imagine that he thought Max was the strongest man on Earth.
Sammy in Thailand (Single Wide Female Travels #6) Page 5
