“You like it though?” he asked with a grin.
“I love it. It’s the most amazing place I’ve ever seen!”
He thanked the young man and handed him a generous tip. After he was gone, Aiden kissed me again and said, “Are you hungry?”
“Not really for food,” I told him with a mischievous smile.
“Mm, good answer,” he said, with one of his own. He crushed his lips down on mine again and I rose up on my toes to return the kiss. He lifted me all the way up off the floor then and laid me in the middle of that big, soft bed. I was right, it was the softest thing I had ever felt. Aiden laid down with me then and we continued our kiss. That led into making love and on our first night, we didn’t even get up to go out and explore. That could all wait for tomorrow, or the next day. That night was about celebrating our love for one another. We proceeded to do that many times both before dinner and after. Dinner was delivered to our door and breakfast, served to us in bed by a personal butler. Aiden had thought of everything.
We spent the next week exploring the island. We found all kinds of romantic little trails to walk along and places where picnics could be had. The island was like access to another world where everything was perfect and beautiful. We did a lot of relaxing on the beach and swimming in the warm, clear water. We made love each chance we got, even twice in the shower in one day.
Aiden was also good to his word about me calling Eric every night. Sometimes I would call my mother twice a day. I missed Eric so badly. If he had been with us, the island would have been the most perfect place on earth.
AIDEN
I was at work, thank goodness when I had gotten the first call from my ex-wife. It was only a few weeks since Holly and I had gotten home from our honeymoon. We’d had the best time, and if it was possible, I’d fallen even more in love with her than I already was. It wasn’t that I was fond of keeping anything from Holly. It was just the opposite. I was really happy with the trusting relationship we’d forged since we’d married. I’d found out the hard way before that lying is never the way to go. I loved going home at night and playing with my son and talking to her about my day. I didn’t always tell her every detail of the business stuff. Some of it was boring and some of it was just too stressful to put on her, but I never kept the important stuff from her…until now. The call had been two weeks ago and I still hadn’t brought myself to be able to talk to her about it. I think the honest reason why was that I still didn’t really know what to think or what to do about it myself.
“Hi Aiden,” I heard when I picked up the call. It was Cecile’s voice, a voice I’d really thought I’d never hear again. I felt a knot in my stomach as hearing her voice made me think again about Mark.
“Cecile, hello.”
“I know you’re probably surprised to hear my voice after all this time.”
“I’d say that might even be an understatement. You would have been the last person I’d expect to be calling me today. What can I do for you, Cecile? Did you have trouble cashing out or selling one of the assets you took from me when we divorced?”
“Bitter, bitter,” she said.
“I think I have every right to be. I also don’t have time to play games, so if you don’t get to the point…” I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was calling me for.
“Okay, I’m sorry. You’re right.” I heard her voice crack as she said, “I didn’t know who else to call. I’ve left Jake.”
My only thought where Cecile and Jake’s marriage was concerned was for Mark. I was still wary of why she was calling, and it still hurt too much for me to talk about Mark.
“Why would that concern me, Cecile?” Surely she wasn’t daft enough to think I’d ever consider taking her back?
“It would concern you because it’s about Mark,” she said. “Jake’s been…distant for a long time. Poor Mark is starving for male attention, the kind he used to get from you…” I felt my stomach tighten at the sound of Mark’s name and waited for her to go on. I had the distinct feeling that there was something specific that she wanted from me. With Cecile, there usually was. I wasn’t married to her any longer. I didn’t have to give her anything.
I could hear the tears behind her words as she continued, “I found out Jake was having an affair about a year ago. I didn’t leave, because of Mark. He’d already been uprooted from here to there; I just didn’t want to do that to him again, although I knew I’d never be able to trust Jake.”