Page 113 of Everything After

“This is breathtaking. I’ve never been here before,” Lily remarked while she scanned our magnificent, uninterrupted Atlantic Ocean view. The reflection of the burnt orange sun, as it hung low in the evening sky, made the rippling waters of the ocean appear like it was on fire.

As dusk fell, the changing sky above the horizon was painted in a hundred shades of lilac and pink until the deeper shades of purples crept in.

“The sun looks like it’s melting into the water,” Lily observed. She’d seen the Floridian sunsets plenty of times, but it wasn’t that often that she’d had time to just sit and contemplate on it.

“This is paradise,” I stated. “The most beautiful woman in the world and a majestic sunset. I’m a lucky man.”

“It’s me who is lucky. I can’t imagine where I’d be now had I not come to Florida to study.”

“I thank God every day that you did. I can’t imagine my life without you in it,” I admitted.

“You were prepared to walk away,” she reminded me, in a stark comment that felt like a bolt to my chest.

“I was frustrated, what I did was the act of a desperate man. It wasn’t so much about family but about feeling needed and respected. I didn’t think I had that from you, but now that Iknow the truth, I’m ashamed I didn’t express myself sooner. Anyway, I know it’ll crop up time and again because I hurt you. If it helps, I hurt myself too.”

The conversation turned to the guys in her band again, and it was the first time I’d ever heard Lily disillusioned by Lennie.

“I’ve had my suspicions about the schedules, but as we are a couple I thought you’d at least been consulted and had agreed to them,” I said.

“Ever since I joined XrAid, Lennie would tell us where to go and when to be there. I figured that it was the management that dictated our calendar,” Lily replied.

“How do you feel now that Lennie has shown his hand?”

“Used. Robbed of time I could have spent with you, had the work schedules been distributed fairly. Ever since you put me on the path to truth, I’ve done my own research into things. He’s gotten away with so much due to the guys all being single and none of the other support people having a permanent partner yet.”

“Okay, any talk about the past, work or other people is banned for the time that we’re here,” I said, taking Lily’s hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

“Agreed,” she said. Reaching over the table, she ran a hand through my hair and raised her eyebrow in question. “What does that leave us to talk about?”

“Us, the baby, favorite sex positions, fantasies?” I teased while I counted the subjects on the fingers of my free hand and waggled my eyebrows.

A slow smile spread on her luscious lips as she shook her head. “Ah, right…”

“Hm, I think I ate too much,” Lily mumbled as I drove the few minutes back to the cottage.

“You had a great appetite for that burger, and I loved watching you eat it.”

She yawned. “Yeah, but now I’m sleepy, too many carbs,” she suggested.

“You made up for zero alcohol with that food,” I said.

“You ate more than usual as well, and you didn’t need to order soft drinks. I am okay with you drinking while I can’t.”

“I know, but there are a couple of bottles of red wine I brought with us. I’ll have some of that once we’re home.”

“We’re not going to bed?” she asked, checking her wristwatch. “Oh, it’s barely 9:30 p.m.”

“No, I want us to make the most of this weekend. Once that burger wears off, I thought we could skinny dip in the pool,” I ducked and stole a quick look at the sky. “Look at the stars.”

She pressed her head against the passenger door window. “Wow… so pretty.”

“Right? And with your permission, I’d like to make love to my wife with the universe as my witness.”

Changing position, she threaded her arm around mine and laid her head on my shoulder. “You really are a romantic at heart, Alfie Black. It must be the influence of all that country music you listen to.”

I chuckled as we turned in and parked the car at our accommodation. “I’ll admit, nothing tugs at the heartstrings in quite the same way as a good ol’ country song.”

“I’ll agree to skinny dipping if you’ll serenade me in the pool.”