Chapter 32

Sam glanced absent-mindedly down at the magazine that she’d removed from the back of the seat in front of her. It was a travel magazine put out by the airline and it featured a variety of articles on different travel destinations. Unfortunately, Belize was not among them. She hoped to read up a bit on the area where they’d be spending their honeymoon so that she would have an idea of what to expect. Granted, Daniel had one of those Fodor’s travel guides on the Central American country, but it was stashed away in his carry-on bag and she didn’t feel like reaching across him for it.

As she turned to her left and glanced at the window, curiosity got the better of her and she lifted the shade less than halfway up. The sight that greeted her made her smile: a few puffy clouds ahead, with gorgeous azure water just below. This confirmed to her that they were close to their destination. She turned from the window and her contentment grew upon witnessing Daniel resting against her, dozing peacefully with his head on her shoulder. She reached up to stroke his soft, shaggy hair and then his left cheek. Although he seemed dead to the world, his lips edged faintly upward, as if in response to her touch.

Sam chuckled affectionately as she took in his serene expression. She leaned her head back and sighed happily as she went over the preceding events of the day in her mind. Both the wedding and the reception had gone off without a hitch. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves for such an impromptu ceremony. Her smile faded somewhat and she felt tears beginning to sting her eyes when she recalled Daniel’s reunion with his parents. It hadn’t been as much of a shock to her as it was to Daniel; she had been cautiously optimistic after speaking with his mother in the museum. However, Daniel’s father seemed to have a bit of a stubborn streak in him and she wasn’t absolutely certain that Claire could convince him.

After they had returned home from the wedding and before leaving for the airport, Daniel had once again expressed his outright surprise in seeing them. Sam was a bit embarrassed and perhaps chastened, as she knew he didn’t want her interfering. She dropped it after he assured her that he was extremely grateful. His words were brief, but they seemed to convey so much, as did the embrace and the soft kiss.

She glanced once more at Daniel and chuckled as she remembered Daniel’s enthusiasm when he gave her some background information on Belize just before they left. He told her, in brief, about how the small country was the center of Mayan civilization. He mentioned some of the ruins and how he’d love to get a chance to visit them. Sam expressed some interest as well, but, as long as their hotel wasn’t in the middle of the jungle and featured a sandy beach, she was happy. He had vaguely told her that she had nothing to worry about, while skipping over any details about the hotel. It was as if he wanted to keep it a surprise.

Not much time had passed when Sam heard the landing gear beginning to be lowered and the captain’s voice announce their arrival in Belize. A blissful smile found its way onto her face as he rattled off the current weather conditions: partly cloudy skies, a temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and a slight breeze. As it was announced for people to put their seats back in their upright positions, Sam turned and noticed that Daniel’s seat was slightly reclined. She hated to disturb him from his peaceful slumber, but she nudged him softly.

“Daniel,” she said quietly as she leaned into him.

She smiled when he began to stir. He lifted his head just inches off of her shoulder, rubbed his eyes, and regarded her groggily. “What?”

“We’re here,” she replied.

He straightened up completely and winced a bit as he felt his ears pop. He reached for his glasses and secured them back onto his face before returning his seat to the fully upright position. “Already?” he asked her. “That didn’t take too long.”

Sam snickered. “Said the man who spent the better part of the flight asleep,” she teased affectionately.

Daniel blushed and gave her a small, sheepish smile. “Sorry,” he said. “I guess all the excitement from before just knocked me out.”

Sam smiled affectionately at him and then gestured to the window. Daniel leaned over her and peered out. His lips lifted into a faint smile upon witnessing the lush, inviting scenery before them.

“I can’t wait to see this hotel,” Sam smiled as their bus pulled away from the airport. “You haven’t said two words about it to me at all … just something about it coming with a beach.”

“Is it so wrong that I want to surprise you?” he asked her innocently.

Sam looked briefly down at her hands and smiled shyly as she looked back up at Daniel. “No, I guess not. But, the suspense is killing me. Can’t you at least give me a hint as to what it looks like?”

“It’s a hotel. It has a sandy beach, a pool, and a restaurant – I think,” he supplied rather unhelpfully.

Sam rolled her eyes and shook her head wearily. She noticed his blue eyes sparkling and a slight teasing grin peeking out from under his relatively placid façade and she swatted him playfully, nearly knocking his glasses off his face.

“Hey,” he retorted, scowling at her as he readjusted them.

“Well, you won’t be straight with me,” she said, almost in defense of her actions.

“That doesn’t mean that you have to go and attack me,” he said in mock exasperation.

She conceded and laughed softly before planting a small kiss on his cheek. “Sorry.”

He gave her a quick smile and was about to kiss her back when the bus driver called out the name of their hotel, prompting Daniel to edge up off the seat and gesture for her to do the same. “Come on, that’s ours,” he told her.

She grinned and shook her head amusedly as she followed him off of the bus. Once the bus had driven away, she stood on the edge of the sandy road and her mouth gaped open upon viewing their hotel for the first time.

The Rum Runner Inn sat on a wide point that was surrounded by the waters of the Caribbean Sea and dotted with many palm trees. It was a whitewashed, traditional Caribbean colonial structure that was not the least bit imposing and was surrounded by lush, colorful gardens. From this vantage point, Sam was able to see a pool with a swim-up bar adjacent to the right side of the lodge. There was also a large colonial-style verandah wrapped around the building, which could undoubtedly provide lovely views and cooling breezes.

Although the hotel itself wasn’t very large, the grounds seemed to be enormous. Sam realized that it was possible to take self-guided tours, as she saw a few different signs for nature trails. It seemed that the gardens on the premises were a habitat for many different birds as well as local mammals, reptiles, and the like. Exploring these trails was something she certainly wouldn’t mind doing. She took in a deep breath and smiled contentedly as the perfume of exotic fruits and tropical flowers tantalized her senses.

Suddenly, Daniel found that he could no longer keep quiet and he launched into lecture mode as they neared one of the trails. “This area is known as Placencia Peninsula,” he began quietly. “It’s basically a small fishing village with an English-speaking Creole population. The history of humans living here goes back to about 500 AD when the Maya inhabited the area and used the water of the lagoons for shipping. Later it was settled by Puritan Protestants.”

Sam nodded. The bus driver had given them a similar version of the history of the area, but she certainly didn’t mind hearing it again from Daniel.

“Some artifacts from those Puritan days have actually been discovered right around this hotel,” he continued, the enthusiasm in his voice growing. “Things like English clay pipes, rum bottles … it’s incredible. This very hotel is a historical site!”

Sam smiled broadly. “I knew that’s why you picked this place.”

Daniel lowered his head slightly and smiled back. “Well, that and the fact that this area is more secluded. If it’s one thing I try to avoid when traveling, it’s places that are too, for lack of a better word, ‘tourist-y.’”

Sam nodded in agreement.

“And, I thought that, the more secluded the area, the more special it would make our honeymoon. I hope you like this place, Sam,” he smiled.

She met his eyes and returned the smile. “I love what I see so far.” She suddenly turned as something caught her eye not far from the pool. She began walking quickly over to a white, knitted hammock that was strung up between two palm trees. Daniel followed her curiously.

“I’ve always wanted to try one of these out,” she said, her eyes sparkling.

“You’ve never been in a hammock before?” he questioned her, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

Sam snickered. “No, I mean the kind strung between palm trees in a tropical paradise. Mark and Lori went to Jamaica for their honeymoon and they had their picture taken in one of these.” She lay down inside the hammock with a wide grin on her face that made her appear like an excited little girl. Daniel chuckled softly as he watched her start swinging the hammock slightly before she suddenly jumped out of it.

“Okay, now you lie down in it,” she said.

Daniel lifted an eyebrow and then looked at her reluctantly.

“Come on, Daniel!” she prodded him, smiling the entire time.

Daniel forced a smile and begrudgingly climbed into the hammock. It started to swing ever so slightly and he folded his arms behind his head. “Not bad,” he said quietly to her.

Without warning, Sam jumped into the hammock with Daniel and nearly succeeded in knocking him out of it. “Whoa!” he exclaimed as it began swinging violently back and forth. “Calm down, Sam!” His surprised expression melted into a tentative smile as she laughed gently and pulled him closer to her.

“Sorry,” she said, smiling tenderly at him. She looked down and realized she was nearly on top of him. She blushed faintly at the sudden closeness of his body to hers, but it subsided very quickly and she looked soulfully into his eyes. She started to unbutton the top three buttons of his shirt and ran her hand over the visible part of his chest as she covered his lips with her own. As she kissed him, Daniel started rubbing her back, although he knew that was as far as he would go. He felt the hair on his arms go up when he became aware that Sam had begun to caress his inner thigh.

He reluctantly pulled apart from her and cleared his throat. “Ah … Sam,” he began awkwardly.

“What?” she asked absently as she tried to kiss him again.

“It’s still daylight and there are people out here …” he trailed off. His eyes darted over to the right, where various people were walking not far away and regarding them with bemused expressions.

“I don’t care,” she replied dismissively.

Daniel’s eyebrows shot up. Was this the same woman he married???

Apparently it was, because just as Sam was about to stick her hand underneath his shirt, she suddenly looked out of the corner of her eyes and became aware of their not-private-at-all location. She blushed furiously and eased up off of him. “I’m sorry,” she said sheepishly as she cleared her throat. Daniel shook his head, sat up, and patted her on the arm.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” she said before giving him an innocent little kiss on the lips.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. His warm smile suddenly seemed to have a bit of naughtiness lurking behind it. “Now why don’t we go and check into our room?”

Sam laughed softly and nodded before they both climbed out of the hammock and headed for the building.

Daniel put the last of the clothes he’d brought with him away in the top dresser drawer as Sam sat on the edge of the queen-sized bed, reading a pamphlet detailing things to do in this area of Belize. After checking in and before heading up to their second-floor room, they had inquired about a tour to the Mayan ruins. There was one that was leaving 10 AM the next morning for the Cahal Pech temple. It was a four-hour trip and included lunch. There were full day tours that visited two temples, the notion of which Daniel was eager to entertain. Sam was game, but she also wanted to have some time to relax on the beach. As much as he would have been in his element, Daniel only wanted her to be happy. He decided that the four-hour trip was good enough.

“I still can’t believe they have a library down there,” Daniel said as he removed his suitcase from the bed and stuck it on the floor of the small closet.

Sam smiled, but she had a sneaky suspicion that he did know beforehand about the large hotel library that housed books on a majority of subjects, but, most importantly, on the Mayan culture. When he first spotted it after they registered for the tour, his mouth dropped open and Sam had to practically drag him away from it. He’s going to get lost in there, she’d thought to herself.

“Hey, it’s just about 6:30,” he suddenly said. “Want to go downstairs and have some dinner?”

Oh … um … yeah,” Sam replied absently as she was pulled away from the pamphlet. Once he had her full attention, she looked ruefully down at the shorts set she was wearing. “I think I’d like to change into something a little more appropriate for dinner.”

Daniel nodded and headed over to the closet where he’d hung his more dressy clothes.

About twenty minutes later, they left their room and were heading down the staircase to the ground floor. Sam was wearing a flattering light blue wrap-style sundress that featured small, ruffled cap sleeves. Daniel was wearing a light blue dress shirt with a navy blue tie, dark gray sports jacket and dress pants. They shot appreciative looks at each other, and this time had no cause to blush.

They had passed the check-in area and began traversing the corridor that took them to the dining room when Sam noticed Daniel’s gait slowing. She rolled her eyes, as that could only mean one thing. She found him gaping at the library like a little boy looking moon-faced at the toy BB gun in the storefront window.

“Come on,” she grinned as she tugged his arm. “There’ll be plenty of time for you to check that place out. It’s closed now, anyway.” She gestured to a small sign that said the library was closed at 5 PM on Sundays.

Daniel finally turned away and gave her a look of resignation. “Sorry,” he said before giving her a small kiss on the cheek. Sam smiled and nodded slightly before they finally made their way to the dining room.

As they were just finishing up their delicious dinner in the beautiful dining room, Sam began to hear the strains of music coming from somewhere outside. The familiar sounds included those from a piano or keyboard, drums, and a man and woman singing. It was very pleasing to the ears and Sam wanted to hear more of it.

“Daniel, let’s go outside and see what’s going on,” she said.

Daniel obliged and, after paying their bill, he made his way outside with Sam. The music they heard was coming from the pool and bar area. They could see a small crowd sitting at tables that bordered a small hut-like structure that had a thatched roof. Her suspicions were confirmed, as she found a small band and a young man and woman singing inside.

She and Daniel sat down at a table and took in the relaxing ambience. Most of the songs ended up being love songs and the newlyweds found it to be a quite lovely substitute to having a band at their wedding reception. In time, a few couples got up and began slow dancing. Sam and Daniel watched them for a while, and were finally tempted to get up and dance themselves when the male singer began crooning “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.

Sam and Daniel looked lovingly into each other’s eyes as they glided across the makeshift concrete dance floor. Yes, this definitely made up for not having a slow dance at the wedding reception. Technically, it was still their wedding day and the fact that they were outside in a warm, fragrant tropical paradise made it even more special. Sam sighed as a comfortable breeze blew past and ruffled their hair. They reveled in the music and the moment and, just before the song was about to end, they were mired in a slow, deep, passionate kiss.

As they kissed, time seemed to stop and the rest of the world faded from view. The only thing they were aware of was how darned good it was to be in each other’s arms, expressing their deep love and commitment to each other. They were certainly unaware that the music had since stopped and they’d now become the center of attention, as people were watching them and whispering.

Finally, the loud feedback from the singer’s microphone caused their eyes to widen and their lips to reluctantly part. They turned and looked curiously up at him and began to blush as they noticed the wide grin on his face. “Are you newlyweds?” he asked them with a hint of amusement in his lightly accented voice.

“Errrrr … yes,” Daniel returned slowly as his cheeks flamed.

“I thought so. That last song was dedicated to you, then,” the male singer, whose name was Ramón, said fondly.

“Thank you,” Daniel said sheepishly. At that instant, the small crowd began applauding and Daniel regarded them with an awkward nod.

“Well, that was quite embarrassing,” Daniel remarked once they’d retired back up to their hotel room.

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it was a little.”

Daniel looked at her dubiously. “You were blushing just as badly as I was,” he said accusingly.

Sam snickered. “Okay, so I was,” she conceded, “but you have to admit that the music was very nice.”

Daniel averted his eyes and nodded.

“And the dancing … and the kissing,” she continued, grinning as a faint blush colored her cheeks.

Daniel looked back up at her and his smile grew. “Yes, it was,” he said quietly. He made his way over to her and drew her close to him before kissing her lips softly. “And now, I think we’d better turn in. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, what with that tour of the Cahal Pech ruins in the morning.”

Sam nodded. Her gaze shifted over to the windows and small balcony outside their room. The sun had gone down and there was a soft, pinkish glow around the moon. From their room, they could see a tiny strip of the beach and it looked deserted. “You think we could take a little stroll along the beach?” she asked, her eyes begging him.

Daniel glanced out the window and then turned back to her and smiled. “Sure,” he said softly. He removed his sport jacket and hung it up as Sam slipped her feet out of her pumps and into blue sling back, sandal-styled shoes.

They headed out of the room and down the hall toward the stairs that would take them down to the main level and outside to their ultimate destination. Although Sam was smiling, she was grinning inwardly in anticipation of a romantic, moonlit stroll with her loving husband.

The night was quiet and still and the beach was virtually deserted. As they reached the shoreline, Sam removed her shoes and felt a tingle as her feet touched the cool, soft sand. They made their way right up to the water’s edge and began to traverse the length of the beach. They passed a few couples who were making their way back toward the hotel but, after that, they seemed to have the whole beach to themselves.

Sam sighed contentedly as a warm breeze swept past. She gazed tentatively down at the water as it was about to reach her feet. She was surprised to find out that it was pretty warm, almost like bathwater. She smiled widely as she felt Daniel put his arm around her shoulder and pull her closer to him before they resumed walking.

When they were almost a mile away from the hotel, they stopped again and gazed out at the water and the gorgeous night sky that was accented by the glowing, nearly full moon.

“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Sam said dreamily.

“It is,” Daniel agreed softly. “And I couldn’t think of a better person to share it with – the beautiful, intelligent, caring woman who is my wife.”

Sam was inwardly sobbing tears of joy as she met the loving gaze of her husband. He edged even closer to her and their lips met for another soft, tender kiss. She began playing with the soft strands of hair close to his neck as his hands began caressing her back. He brought them up and brushed his fingers against her cheek and down the length of her jaw.

At that instant, Sam felt as if a feather was brushing her face and her eyes widened. Her lips suddenly pulled apart from Daniel’s and she began to giggle. The giggles turned into peals of laughter and all Daniel could do was stand there and look at her, bewildered.

“Sam, what’s so funny? All I did was touch you on the side of the face,” he said curiously.

“I’m sorry, Daniel,” she said between giggles. “I … I just … you … when you touched me right there, it was …” She trailed off and started laughing again.

Daniel’s bewildered expression was replaced by one of realization. He gave her a crooked grin as he said, “You’re ticklish.”

Sam briefly stopped laughing. “Uh … n-no,” she said carefully as a faint blush colored her cheeks.

“You are, aren’t you?” he exclaimed in amusement. When she caught his sparkling eyes and mischievous grin she started backing away from him slightly and, as he reached out to tickle her, she shot back with, “Don’t you dare!”

Daniel seemed undeterred as he chased her down the beach, her laughter echoing in the warm nighttime air. He realized that Sam was a terrific runner. Running in sand was hard enough and she seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it. Granted, he was still wearing shoes and she was barefoot, but he still couldn’t help wonder if she had been on the track team in high school.

She finally slowed a bit to calm down and catch her breath, giving him a chance to catch up to her. She had her back to him and didn’t realize that he was standing right behind her. Before she had a chance to even turn around, he practically threw himself against her and began maniacally tickling her on her neck.

“Ahh!! Daniel, stop it!” she squealed in between hysterical laughter. She tried to wriggle free but he had her in an almost vice-like grip around the waist as he continued to tickle her. His quiet, amused laughter added insult to injury.

Finally, his grip on her loosened somewhat and she was able to push him back. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize her own strength and she didn’t realize that they were right at the water’s edge. Her eyes widened as she witnessed Daniel falling over and landing right in the water. His fall was emphasized by a large splash that just missed her.

“Oops,” she said with a little grin and a chuckle as she found him on his back, propped up on his elbows in at least several inches of water. His clothes and most of his hair were wet, and his glasses were spotted with drops of seawater. He tried to wipe them dry on his shirtsleeve and scowled when he stupidly realized that it was useless. He heard Sam chuckle and directed his scowl up at her.

“That’ll teach you not to tickle me,” she teased.

Daniel continued scowling, which only made Sam laugh harder. He then tilted his head back and let his eyes roll back into his head. Sam’s laughter faded and she actually began to worry that he was hurt. “Daniel? Are you all right?” she asked.

Daniel kept still and didn’t respond. Sam furrowed her brow and bent down so that she was almost level with him. “Daniel?” she asked quietly.

Suddenly, Daniel reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her down into the water with him. Sam shrieked in surprise as she tumbled down into the water, landing roughly on her stomach. Fortunately, she wasn’t hurt and the worst she’d gotten was a mouthful of saltwater, which was hastily expelled. She raised her head and brushed her wet hair back off her face when she heard soft, amused chuckling. She eased up so that she was in a sitting position and found Daniel getting a good laugh at her expense. Now it was her turn to scowl.

“Our relationship is one hundred percent mutual, right?” he said once he managed to calm down.

Sam’s scowl eased up and she nodded absently.

“So, it stands to reason that, if I’m lying on the beach soaked in seawater, it’s only fair that you should be, too,” he finished as he waggled his eyebrows and fixed her with a naughty grin.

Her answer to that was a deadly glare that lightened into a slight smirk and then further into a crooked grin as she edged up closer to him on her hands and knees, lunged at him, and tugged hard at a handful of his hair.

“Ow!!” he exclaimed. He began to rub his head where she’d grabbed his hair and looked at her curiously as she began laughing once more. His face ultimately split open in a huge grin and he began laughing as well. She sat down against him and he pulled her into a soggy embrace.

Their lips joined again and, as Daniel pressed against her, Sam had nowhere else to go but down. She was now lying in the sand and Daniel was on top of her, kissing her tenderly while his hands caressed the back of her neck and her shoulders. She reveled in his touch, the cool feel of his skin a sharp contrast to the balmy nighttime air. She could feel that he was getting aroused, as was she, evident from the low groan that found its way out of her throat.

He was about to push the sleeves of her dress down and go a little further when an important realization came to him. He parted lips with her and moved slightly up off of her. “I think this will be a little more enjoyable in the privacy of our own room, hmm?” he said quietly.

Her eyes darted around their surroundings and although she found the beach to be deserted, it wasn’t something they could totally count on. They both loved each other more than anything and were eager to profess that love to its fullest, but they still retained a lot of self-consciousness. If even one person witnessed them getting it on in the sand, Sam and Daniel might never be able to live it down.

She gave him a faint smile and nodded. “And it won’t be so wet and sandy either,” she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Daniel chuckled affectionately. “You’ve got that right … at least the part about the sand,” he said as he winked at her and playfully touched her on the end of her nose.

She beamed up at him before picking herself up off the sand, dusting her dress off, and taking hold of his arm. As they began their journey back to the hotel, they both glowed happily inside at the anticipation of taking another step in the journey of their new life together.