Page 26 of Island Guardian (Brookwell Island #7)

Chapter Seventeen

With the sun streaming through the sheer curtains at the bedroom window, Trina stretched like a content cat. She was alone in the bed, but it still smelled like Rhett. Hearing the shower running, she indulged herself, burying her nose in his pillow.

She could do this every morning now, and what a marvel that was, she thought with a smile.

She was surprised she’d been able to get back to sleep last night, all things considered. She was married. She’d successfully navigated an intimate experience with her husband. And she’d been able to help him respond to a security concern without being plagued by worry after.

It would be easy to give Rhett all the credit, but he’d never accept it.

Truly, it would be a disservice to herself to make such a claim. She hadn’t gotten here by being shy. No, she’d defied her parents and overcome a ton of emotional baggage. She hoped she could make it last in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

She took another few minutes, basking in the compliments he’d showered on her, especially the one about her strength. It wasn’t something she dwelled on, but maybe she should.

“Hey. Good morning, sunshine.”

She gathered the sheet close and sat up to find Rhett standing there, fresh from the shower, wearing nothing more than a towel wrapped around his lean waist. Her mouth went dry and her heart tripped all over itself, banging against her ribs. “Hi,” she squeaked.

She wasn’t prepared for moments like this, in the bright light of day.

He walked closer and now she recognized the heat blazing in his eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

“Of course.” She met him halfway and forgot everything else. The man positively leveled her with his tenderness.

When he broke the kiss, it was with a groan that sounded suspiciously like regret. “Room service will be delivered in half an hour. Is that enough time?”

“Of course.” She sounded like a broken record. “We’re taking the charter flight back to Brookwell?”

He winked. “Of course.”

She snorted and shooed him out of her way. But he caught her lightly in a hug and nuzzled her neck before she dashed off to clean up for the day. She was a wife and enjoying soaking up her husband’s affection.

This was not the woman she thought she could ever be. And she was happier than ever about it.

When she joined Rhett at the kitchen, he had everything laid out. “Courtesy of Ilsa,” he explained. “Also, the flight crew is ready whenever we are.”

Trina wrinkled her nose. “Is it terrible that I don’t want to go back yet?”

“We could stay.” He set an espresso in front of her. “I sounded too eager, didn’t I? ”

“Just a bit.” She laughed it off. “If you need to stay, I can go back alone.”

“No.” He closed his eyes. “No, as in, that’s not the issue.

” He smiled and made a point of filling a coffee cup.

He considered making it about “selling their story” but he was over that.

“I didn’t think I would miss having a real honeymoon,” he confessed.

“In the meantime, I want to be with you. If that’s okay. ”

“Oh.” She felt heat climbing into her face. “That’s more than okay,” she managed. “We’ll have to start making real honeymoon plans. I can get more time away from the Inn, with ample notice.”

“Great,” he said with a smile.

Over a hearty breakfast they talked about possible honeymoon spots.

It was hard to find a location in Europe neither of them had visited, so they took a different approach, discussing warm or cold climate.

Outdoor activities versus fine dining and shows.

And whether they should make time to go see her parents in Italy.

As they packed, Rhett’s phone chimed again and again with social media alerts.

News of their wedding was spreading fast. She swallowed the urge to ask about staying a few more days in Key West. They’d barely scratched the surface on all the lovely things to do here.

But Luca was making life difficult for her staff and she wouldn’t let them suffer any longer than necessary.

Once she returned, she could explain her marriage and send him away.

She shivered, thinking again about what the research team had turned up. Luca had been so pushy from the moment he saw her. Would she have been able to fend him off without Rhett’s help?

“You okay?” Rhett asked, zipping up his suitcase.

“Fine. Sometimes I get chills when I’m tired. It’ll pass.” She should tell him the whole story, but after last night she was more reluctant than ever. What if the facts changed the way he looked at her? What if instead of seeing her as strong, he discovered she was weak at heart?

“I should talk to Dad,” he said when his phone buzzed with yet another social media alert.

Oh, she wasn’t looking forward to facing any of the Ellingtons. “Do you think he’ll be super angry with me?”

“You? Not a chance,” Rhett assured her. “And I’m sure he’ll leave any scolding to the aunts. But he’s likely our best ally for smoothing over any issues with your parents.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” She nibbled on her lip. “They’ll probably handle it poorly at first. Because of me, not you,” she said. “But they respect your family and they’ll come around.”

He walked over and opened his arms. She stepped into the hug. “But I’m not Italian and I have no intention of taking you back there to run a company you’re not interested in.”

She chuckled. “Which is more than half the reason I married you.”

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go call the parents.”

In his office, he adjusted the camera so they would both be in frame, then he sent a text message. A few minutes later, the video call link came through. “Ready?”

“No,” she confessed on a bubble of panicked laughter. “Don’t you want to talk to them privately?”

“I’d rather we present a united front from the very start.”

“All right.” She smiled and braced herself for whatever might come.

Rhett joined the call and a moment later, Forrest Ellington’s face filled the screen. Handsome and fit, he was simply a more mature version of Rhett. She’d always liked him, and as a kid she had thought of him as an uncle.

“Hey, Dad! ”

“Good morning.” He grinned. “Your sister tells me you have news.”

Rhett chuckled, lifting his hand to show the wedding band. “Yup. We’re married. I take it Harper told you because social media has been blowing up?”

Forrest cocked his head. “Harper came to us so your mom wouldn’t see the news online first.” He turned and called to his wife, Darlene. “Come meet our daughter-in-law.”

Mrs. Ellington hurried into view, taking a seat beside her husband.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hey yourself. Hello Trina. You look lovely. Welcome to the family.”

The greeting was warmer than she’d expected. “Thank you,” Trina said. Sitting close to Rhett helped settle her nerves when she wanted to fidget. “I know it must be a surprise,” she began.

“It hit us out of the blue too,” Rhett continued. “But it’s exactly what we both want.” He graced her with a dazzling smile. “We’re happy.”

“And now you’re pulling us in after the fact to soften the blow for her parents?” Forrest asked.

“You have been friends for years,” Rhett pointed out shamelessly. “A little support would be nice.”

“Trina, you can’t possibly be afraid of your father,” Darlene said. “Your mother on the other hand…” Darlene didn’t finish the comment, but her smile was bright and friendly.

“She will be hurt,” Trina admitted. Under the table, Rhett pressed his knee to hers, offering comfort.

“I’m sure they’ll eventually understand we only did what was best for the two of us,” he said.

“Seeing you both so happy goes a long way,” Forrest agreed. “Why don’t we start planning a party for the families to celebrate with you? When will you be back in South Carolina?”

“Later today, actually,” Rhett replied. “During the staff meeting yesterday we all sorted out a schedule for me to work remotely a couple weeks at a time. Trina needs to be more hands on at the Inn.”

“And you’re only a few hours away if there’s an issue,” Darlene noted.

“Exactly,” Rhett confirmed.

“Would you look at that,” Darlene said. “We raised him right. He knows how to find a work-life balance.”

His dad grunted and rolled his eyes. “I think you and I did pretty good.”

“We think you did awesome,” Rhett said.

His father shook his head. “Quit sucking up. I want the whole story.”

“We both do,” his mom confirmed.

“It’s pretty cut and dried,” Rhett said.

When he glanced at her, she gave him a subtle nod to spin the tale. She’d listen and echo it as needed.

“It was kind of a domino effect,” he began. “We’ve been reconnecting since I’ve been spending more time in the area. She and Harper are close.” His parents were hanging on his every word. “The more we talked, the more we realized how much we had in common.”

“Well, of course you do,” Darlene murmured.

“It’s not an oodles of romance story, Mom. Sorry.”

She flicked that aside. “It doesn’t need to be. As long as it’s what you both want.”

“It is,” Trina interjected. “My parents have been pushing me to marry. It’s been awkward at best,” she admitted. “We sort of stumbled into the idea, but it felt right. Rhett is an amazing man. Getting to know him as an adult has been wonderful. I’m thrilled to be his wife. ”

“I’m equally thrilled to be her husband,” he said.

“Well, your father and I will host a reception for you,” Darlene said. “Will your parents come? It’s been a while since we’ve seen them.”

“I’m sure they would love to attend,” Trina replied. “Once they get over the shock that we eloped.”

“I’m not going to tell him for you,” Forrest warned. “But when he calls me in a temper demanding to know what the hell you were thinking to take this step without even meeting them first, I’ve got your back.”

“You couldn’t make it sound a bit less ominous?” Rhett asked.

Forrest laughed. “Maybe you should think about a honeymoon in Italy. Spend some time with her parents. I’m sure that would go a long way to smoothing things over.”

“The whole reason we eloped was because neither one of us has time for a honeymoon right now,” Rhett said.

“Oh?” Darlene was clearly skeptical. “That’s the whole reason.”

“I’m not pregnant,” Trina blurted out. “If that was a concern.”

“Well hooray for traditional and orderly timing,” Forrest joked.

Beside her, Rhett seemed to have lost the storyline. “Would you like to see the ring he chose?” Trina held her hand up, waiting for the camera’s focus to adjust.

“My word, that’s lovely,” Darlene gushed. “Good choice. It’s beautiful on you, Trina.”

“I love it.” She swallowed. “Almost as much as I love your son.”

Darlene blinked rapidly and Trina hoped those were happy tears.

“I’ll call when we land in Charleston,” Rhett promised. “Maybe we can get together for dinner.”

“Why don’t you come to the Inn tomorrow?” Trina offered. “I’ll reserve a table for the four of us.”

“Sounds great,” Forrest said.

“And you’ll have to come for brunch,” Darlene added. “The family will want to welcome you and hear the whole story.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Rhett said.

Brunch would be a gauntlet. “I can’t wait,” Trina gave them her brightest smile. “We’ll bring wedding gifts for everyone.”

“That’s not how it works,” Forrest reminded her.

She shook her head. “Favors, I mean.” She laughed at herself. “The kind of thing we would have had at a formal wedding.”

“That’s very thoughtful,” Darlene replied. “Let me know if you need any help. We look forward to seeing you both tomorrow.”

She waited until the camera went blank and Rhett exited entirely from the app before she relaxed. “I was sweating buckets. Were you?”

“For a minute. But it went well. They’re happy for us.” He helped her to her feet. “When do you want to tell your folks?”

“Never?” Her laughter cracked. “I’m taking a page from your book,” she decided. “I’ll call Nonna as soon as we get back and she can help me with any of Mom’s drama.”

On the drive to the airport, she hoped to return to Key West soon. This entire trip had been too brief, even if it was by design. If anything about this situation remained false, it certainly wasn’t the contentment she felt here.