Page 65 of Wishes for August
I climbed out of bed and threw on some clothing, freshened up and then swung one of the backpacks over my shoulder.
“Okay baby, let’s go find a leopard.”
AUGUST
“And then it walked right in front of the truck we were in,” I told mum - Lottie - over the phone. On our last day on safari, we’d been lucky enough to spot not one, but two leopards - a mother and her cub. It was the perfect end to that part of our trip. Now we were in Cape Town and about to head out for dinner with Ash.
“I’ll send you photos. Okay, tell Ronan I got him those biscuits he likes. Bye.” I hung up the call and stretched out on the recliner, enjoying the last rays of sunshine before the sunset.
Caleb walked out onto the balcony where I was sitting, and my hungry gaze took him in. His hair was wet and dishevelled from the shower and he had on a white linen shirt that he was still buttoning up. The breeze blew it slightly, revealing his tanned chest, a sprinkling of dark hair making my mouth water. I moved my eyes down his torso, licking my lips and.....
"What the fuck are those things on your feet Caleb? You look like a middle-aged car salesman. Take them off right now."
He looked at me, utterly astonished, "These are my comfy shoes, Aug. We have been walking around all day, my feet are killing me. And these are perfect for this weather."
I huffed out an incredulous laugh. Looking at the dirty brown strappy leather shoes he had on. In all the months we had been together, how had I never seen these?
"No, absolutely not. Take them off this minute. I will not fuck a man in sandals."
He glared at me as if I'd offended him. No way had I offended him more than those monstrosities had offended my eyes. He huffed, turning back towards the sliding door to our room and yelled over his shoulder,
"Fine, I'll just go put on my Crocs then."
Epilogue II
Eight years later - Caleb
“Papa! Uncle Deccy is ‘ere!” Our eldest, Stella shouted from her spot at the front window, her once white snow leopard plushie tucked securely under her arm.
She bounced up and down on the sofa while watching her uncle climb out the car and load up his arms with gifts. I stood at the front step, watching as he tried to close the boot while juggling all the presents. Our cat, London, ran down the stair to weave its way around Declan’s feet.
“Need some help there Dec?” I asked, making my way down the front stairs, and grabbing a purple wrapped box that was about to end up on the floor.
Declan smiled, “Thank you, I think I went a little overboard. I haven’t seen them in a while, so I wasn’t sure what they were into.”
“You could have asked,” I chuckled as we walked back into the house.
“Uncle Deccy!” Stella shouted, running to wrap her arms around him. He dropped the gifts in the hallway and spun her up in his arms. “How is my little star?” he asked. Stella pouted, and her green eyes twinkled. I watched in amusement as she wound him around her little finger - something she had been doing since she was born, six years ago.
“Sad,” she said, her bottom lip sticking out and her eyes fluttering closed. She let out an exaggerated sigh while her uncle held her against his hip.
“Why are you sad Stella Star?” Declan was a pro at looking after our kids and they loved him.
“Because it’s the twins' birthday and they will get presents and I won’t.”
I smiled to myself, remembering the conversation August had had with her earlier in the day about how the day was about Theo and Darcy but that didn’t mean she was any less loved. She had been the only child for four years before the twins came along. And even two years later some days she was still learning to share with them.
August and I made sure to always spend one on one time with Stella, so she never felt left out. Her uncles also never let her forget how special she was.
Declan placed Stella back on the ground and then knelt down to her eye level.
“Good thing, Uncle Deccy saw this amazing toy over the weekend and bought it for his little star, isn’t it?” She beamed up at him and he twisted to dig through the pile of gifts, reaching for a purple gift bag and placing it at her feet.
“You spoil her,” August said, walking into the room with a two year old on his hip and another at his feet. Hamlet was not farbehind, taking his job as their personal protection detail very seriously.
“That’s what uncles are for,” Declan said, straightening up and hugging his brother, niece and nephew.
Stella squealed when she pulled out the large grey elephant soft toy, giving it a tight squeeze and then running up the stairs, no doubt to introduce it to the rest of her toys.
