“Here?” Hope glimmered in her eyes.
“Absolutely.”
The hopeful smile that had first reeled him in curved her lips, soothing the fissure inside him. They held each other until he had no choice but to take care of the condom, and when he came back to bed, she settled into his arms and drifted off to sleep. He lay awake, reveling in her soft snores and the sweet hum he loved so much, in the feel of how right they were together.
He brushed his lips over her forehead, drinking in her familiar scent, which had become as much a part of him as the air he breathed. He didn’t question how far they’d come, or why he hadn’t fought his feelings for her even for a moment. He thanked whatever higher powers had brought them together and whispered, “You changed my world, Abigail de Messiéres, and when I come back, I’m going to change yours.”
CHAPTER TWENTY–THREE
ABBY AWOKE TO the feel of Aiden’s tender kisses, and for a split second she felt like everything in the world was right and wonderful. And then she remembered he was leaving on a nine o’clock flight.
“Abs,” he whispered. “Wake up, babe. We have one last thing to check off our list.”
She tried to remember what was left on their list. Skinny-dipping. She shook her head, snuggling deeper into his warmth, eyes still closed. “I’m not going skinny-dipping, and I’m not ready to go pack up your room at the resort.”
“We’re not doing either. I promise.”
She opened her eyes, his handsome face coming into focus in the dimly lit bedroom.
“Hi, beautiful. Want to throw on a sweatshirt and pants, bundle up in blankets, and watch the sunrise with me from the hammock?”
Just when she thought her heart couldn’t get any fuller, he made her shift things around and make room for more. “I’d love to.”
They bundled up and headed into the chilly predawn air. The shells they’d collected by the lighthouse were still filled with birdseed. It was a nice thought, but the birds weren’t interested. They made their way across the lawn, passing the gardens they’d planted together, and climbed into the hammock. Abby nearly tipped them out as they got situated, bringing laughter, embraces, and more wonderful kisses. When they settled in to watch the birth of a new day, she couldn’t help wondering what Aiden would be like when he left the island. She hadn’t gotten to see him as the workaholic businessman he and Remi claimed him to be, though given how much they’d done while he was there, it wasn’t hard to imagine him in a suit and tie, working endlessly.
“Do you think I would like Workaholic Aiden?” she asked.
“I hope so, but I’m not sure that version could exist around you. Or at all anymore, quite honestly. I like this version of myself better. The guy I am with you.”
She melted at that. “I like this version of myself better, too.”
“With you I have discovered so many parts of myself that I never knew existed, and the thing is, Abs, I think they only exist with you. And now I’m heading back to work with an even greater task than finding a life.”
“What’s that?”
“Figuring out how to function after leaving such a big part of myself behind.”
Tears welled in her eyes. He kissed her lips, then her freckles, as he’d done so often, and still it felt as intimate as the first time.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “We’re a good thing, baby. The best thing.”
She rested her head on his chest, and they lay in comfortable silence, sharing tender kisses, tight embraces, and heartfelt whispers. Eventually the sun peeked over the horizon, making its slow ascent into the sky.
After a long while, Aiden said, “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get showered. I have a surprise for you.”
“It better not be another oven,” she said lightly.
They lingered under the warm spray of the shower, making love one last time. Then they gathered Aiden’s things and drove over to the Bistro.
“What are we doing here?” she asked as he put his arm around her.
As they walked along the side patio, he said, “I thought it would be fitting to share the last breakfast of my vacation where it all began.”
A gust of salty sea air stung her cheeks as they came around the front of the Bistro. Abby’s heart swelled at the sight of the table Aiden had been sitting at when she’d first met him. It was draped with a white tablecloth, with all the fancy trimmings of their first breakfast together, including a single rose in a crystal vase. In the center of the table was a covered silver platter.
“Oh, Aiden. How did you do this without leaving the house?”
“I’ve made a few friends while I’ve been here.” He lifted the top off the platter, revealing several delicious pastries. “Keira’s specialties.”
She got choked up and hugged him. “You spoil me.”
“No, babe. I treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
She remembered how she’d called him a god for sharing his breakfast with her the first time they’d eaten together, and he’d told her she should set that bar a bit higher. There was no bar higher than Aiden Aldridge.
They moved their chairs close together, talking and sharing their breakfast treats, soaking in every second together. With the sounds of the sea kissing the shore and the sun warming her cheeks, Abby thought today would be perfect, if only Aiden didn’t have to leave.
When they finished eating, they lingered as long as they could, before Aiden said, “I think it’s time.”
He rose to his feet, drawing her up and into his arms and gazing so deeply into her eyes, she had no doubt that he could see everything she felt. He ran his fingers through her hair and said, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you what I feel for you in a different way, but nothing seems big enough. Some people find their first loves in middle school or high school, and for the rest of their lives, nobody measures up. Others go their whole lives without finding the one person who makes them feel complete. I am so lucky to have found my first, last, and only love at thirty-eight.”
Tears slipped from her eyes.
“I love you, Abby, and I’m going to keep finding new and different ways to show you and tell you until you hear it even when we’re miles apart.”
Aiden had made it to almost forty years old without having to deal with the pain of leaving a woman he was in love with behind. Standing on the patio of the Bistro with Abby in his arms, he wished to hell he could go forty more and stay right there with her. But there were meetings to be had, business to be conducted, and arrangements to be coordinated if he hoped to change his life in a way that made sense for both of them.
He gazed into the big, beautiful green eyes that owned his heart and soul and did what had to be done. “We’d better get up to my room to pack up the rest of my things, so I have time to drop you at home before going to the airport.”
They drove to the Silver House, and he held her in the elevator, his heart aching anew with every passing minute. He never could have imagined putting anyone or anything other than Remi and her family above work, but every iota of his being screamed for him to say fuck it all and stay on the island. He gritted his teeth against the urge, knowing it wasn’t a possibility. There were too many people counting on him.