She’s wearing a simple navy tank top and cut-offs, but I saw the sexy as all hell pink string bikini she’s hiding underneath her clothes, and I can’t wait until she’s swimming through the ocean besides me.
“It’s not scuba diving,” I say. “It’s snorkeling. We didn’t get to do this last time we were here, and the concierge told me about a great place off the beaten path. No tourists.”
“How’d you get him to tell you that?” she says with a smile. “You charmed him with something, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.” I don’t say anything more, but Bella bursts out laughing.
She’s so beautiful when she laughs that my chest aches. She hasn’t laughed as much lately, and that kills me.
“You promised him tickets to one of Colt and Dylan’s games, didn’t you?” she asks me. “You’re lucky your cousins are professional football players.”
I shrug. “He comes to L.A. every January to visit his son, so I said I could give them our season tickets for a game. He thought it was a good trade, I guess.”
“Insider Hawaii secrets for Sunday football, huh?” She reaches up and snakes her hand through my hair. “I think that’s a good deal.”
I lean into her touch as she stands on tiptoes to kiss me. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer as our kiss goes from gentle to more urgent. Bella tastes likes cherries, and I nibble her bottom lip before releasing it. She moans, but I force myself to pull away.
“Ready to snorkel, Mrs. Wild?” I ask her as I hold out my hand to her.
She takes it. “Lead the way, Mr. Wild.”
“So,” I say as we lie on our backs on the beach after a round of snorkeling in our little, protected ocean cove. “How’d you enjoy our first morning in paradise?”
Bella sighs contentedly. “So incredible. It’s like we’re the only two people in the world here.”
I look around us. She’s right. A huge blue sky, the lightest of breezes, and bright sun light up the lava rock that surrounds the secret swimming hole we’ve been exploring. The white sand beach is soft and best of all, nobody else is around.
I turn toward Bella. “I have an idea.”
“Hmmm?” she says through closed eyes. “What is it?”
“I think we should get married again. Like a renewal ceremony.”
Now I have her full attention.
Her eyes fly open, and she twists onto her side to face me. “Here in Hawaii?”
I brush a stray blond hair out of her face. “Yep. This is where we had our honeymoon. I thought it could be nice to renew our vows.”
“Ayd…” She hesitates, but I know what she’s going to say.
“I know we always talked about doing this with our kids as witnesses.” I suck in a breath. “But I want to do it, anyway. Bella, I would marry you all over again a hundred times out of a hundred.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “Me, too.”
“So?”
“So let’s do it. Let’s get remarried.”
Chapter Four
Bella
Ayden said to leave the details to him. All I need to worry about is my dress. I go to a nearby store and find the perfect sundress for our renewal ceremony. It’s light and flowy and Hawaiian.
When I get back to our hotel room, I shower and then slip into the pale blue and white sundress. I slide my bare feet into matching blue flip flops and pull my hair back into a French braid. I dab some mascara and eyeliner on my eyes and blot my lips with my favorite dark red lipstick.
I open the bathroom door to find Ayden waiting for me. He’s fully dressed in a Hawaiian blue and green shirt and jeans.
He looks so handsome with his messy dark hair and ocean-blue eyes that lock onto mine like lasers. His shirt hugs his muscled chest and I reach out and put my hand over his heart.
“You’re beautiful, Bella Wild.” His voice comes out rough.
I smile at him. “And you’re the hottest guy on this island.”
“You ready?”
I take off my rings, and he slides off his platinum wedding band that has my name engraved inside, and we hand them to each other. “For the ceremony,” I say.
Ayden touches my lower back and guides me toward the door. “Time to get remarried.”
I actually have butterflies in my stomach as the minister reads off the same vows Ayden and I originally exchanged at our wedding ceremony. We had them saved on our laptop, and Ayden printed them out for our renewal this afternoon.
“Bella, you’re my best friend and my one true love. I will stand beside you forever and love you even longer.”
Hearing Ayden say those words to me again gives me goosebumps.
He slides my wedding band and engagement ring onto my finger.
“Ayden, you’re my best friend and my one true love. I will stand beside you forever and love you even longer.”
I take his strong hand in mine and position his wedding band onto his left ring finger.
Before the minister can even speak, Ayden’s picked me up in his arms.
“Happy renewal, sweet Bella,” he says softly before covering my mouth with his.
We kiss so long I hear a coughed laugh coming from the direction of the minister.
I laugh and Ayden puts me back on the ground. He keeps his arms around me as the minister congratulates us.
Splash!!
We all turn our heads in the direction of the ocean. We’re standing at the edge of an inlet where the water is calm.
“A turtle!” The minister points excitedly. “That’s a sign of good luck for you two! I’ve never seen one this close to shore when I’ve been administering weddings.”
Ayden slides his gaze over to me, and we share a smile.
After a short drive along the coast at sunset, Ayden and I stop for dinner at a retro diner. We kiss over burgers and fries, and share a milkshake for dessert.
I guess no matter how much success I’ve had, or how long we’ve lived in Los Angeles, Ayden and I are still just two kids from small-town Maine. We prefer casual to fancy, informal to formal, and private to public. To go through life with the one person who’s always got you and understood you—I really am the luckiest girl in the world.
“What now?” I ask him as we pay the bill and head to our car.
“Mrs. Wild, I’m disappointed you’re even asking,” Ayden says in mock seriousness as he opens the passenger door for me.
Once he’s made it around to the driver’s side and has started the car, I say, “You’re referring to sex?”
“Of course.” His dimple flashes. “We need to consummate the marriage.”
“Pretty sure we’ve consummated our marriage plenty of times.”
“We’ve never consummated our renewed marriage.”
“I guess that’s true.”
He reaches for my hand across the console. “But first, I want to do one more thing.”
“This feels a little bit like home,” I say as we stroll along the beach underneath the full moon.
“You mean home as in Lucky Bay,” he confirms.