Chapter Thirty-Three
Aliannah woke to an empty bed the next morning. She could tell Ivan had slept there, as his side was unmade, but she didn’t know when he had come to bed or when he had left. She looked at the clock; it was almost 1 p.m. The swimming yesterday and the jet lag must have hit her harder than she anticipated. She emerged from the master cabin to find the boat quiet. She decided to pop by the office on the way to get something to eat, but it was empty.
“Good afternoon, Miss. Can I sort you something to eat?” Ava greeted her in the main saloon.
“Yes, please, I would love a grilled ham and cheese with some orange juice. Is Ivan on the back deck?” Aliannah looked towards the back deck.
“No, Miss. Mr Kozlov departed at 9 a.m. for another shore meeting. He left a note on the back deck for you.” Ava pointed towards the giant bouquet of peonies on the table outside.
Aliannah nodded her thanks and went outside. The flowers were magnificent, and their fragrance was strong but delicate. She opened the card attached to them.
Darling, join me for dinner on the beach; the tender will collect you at 6 pm – I
Aliannah felt butterflies fill her chest as she read the note. She supposed she could forgive Ivan for ditching her for work if he made up for it with romantic dates like this. However, there was no way she would spend her entire trip alone while Ivan disappeared for work. She would have to talk to him this evening about this and maybe see if she could bring Michelle and Gavin over to keep her company if Ivan’s work was going to be so time-consuming.
Michelle would love the outrageous luxury of the boat, and Gavin would probably drive the captain nuts, asking a million questions about how the bridge works. Aliannah laughed to herself at these thoughts. She was about to try Michelle’s phone again when she remembered it was stupid o’clock back in New York—damn time zones. There was no way Michelle would wake to her phone; that woman could sleep through the London Blitz and not wake up; it was impressive.
“Here you go, Miss,” Ava knocked Aliannah out of her thoughts as she placed the sandwich and the juice on the table in front of her.
“Thank you, Ava,” Aliannah tucked in. It was the best grilled ham and cheese she had ever had, and the juice was made from fresh oranges from the local orangery. She decided to do ‘A Michelle’ and got into her sports bra and shorts and pulled out a yoga mat. She set her phone up on the deck in front of her with a tutorial video on beginner’s yoga. The video started easy, but soon enough, it asked her to contort herself into impossible positions. Aliannah wondered if any of these were physically possible and how on earth Michelle did any of these. Yoga was not for the weak at all. She was so out of shape. This should not have come as a surprise since she had not done a tap of exercise since her ordeal back in October. Aliannah made a vow to herself that she would make use of the penthouse gym when they returned to New York; she truly had no excuse since she had a gym at home.
When Aliannah was done with her attempt at yoga, she went for a cold shower and spent the rest of the afternoon in the shade of the mid-deck, listening to an audio documentary book about serial killers.
When it was time to get ready for the evening, Aliannah decided on a flowing black dress and some gold gladiator sandals. Heels would be of no use on a beach. She left her hair down in loose, wavy curls and opted for simple makeup; it was too hot to do any form of glamorous makeup. There was a knock on her bedroom door at 5:45 p.m.
“Excuse me, Miss. The tender is ready whenever you are,” Stefan said from the other side of the door.
“Thank you, Stefan. I will be out in a few moments.” Aliannah was just finishing her hair and giving herself a quick look in the mirror. The dress was not her favourite, but it gave her a flattering shape and hid the marks Viktor had left on her stomach and thigh. She did not care what the crew saw of her scars or what they thought, but she hated the idea of Ivan having pity for her. She hated to think that he thought any less of her, that she was different now, damaged goods. She shook her head. No, tonight is not the night for negativity; tonight will be good. She held her chin high and headed out the door to the back deck where Stefan had docked the tender.
She took Stefan’s outstretched hand to help her board the tender, and they sped off into the sunset. Aliannah noticed they were not headed towards the shore but to an island in the distance.
“Stefan, Ivan said the beach. Where are you taking me?” Aliannah began to panic.
“Mr Kozlov has hired one of these private islands for the evening, Miss. If you look ahead, you should see the beach come into view.” Stefan nodded in the direction they were headed.
Aliannah turned to see the island come into view. The beach was lined with candles, and a dinner table was set up. Stefan pulled the tender up to the small dock and began to tie off the ropes.
Ivan walked towards the tender. Aliannah could not believe how handsome he looked. He wore beige suit pants with a white shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned at the top, and the sleeves were rolled, too, just like the day before on the Serenity. He held out his hand for Aliannah to take, and he pulled her into a deep kiss when she stepped onto the dock.
“I’ve missed you, darling,” he whispered to her as he kissed her again.
“I’ve missed you too,” Aliannah said, kissing him back. She took his hand as he led her up the dock towards the beach. The pathway was littered with white peony petals, and the chef’s tent was set up just out of sight of the dining area. It was so romantic that Aliannah wanted to pinch herself. There were bunches of white peonies dotted around the set-up. Ivan kissed Aliannah’s hand before pulling out the chair for her to sit on.
“Ivan, this is amazing.” Aliannah looked around at her. A man was sitting up on the dunes, playing a guitar softly. The sun was beginning its descent; it cast a golden glow across the beach, and a gentle breeze was refreshing against the heat. The table was covered in a white linen cloth and decorated with some smaller candles and a small centrepiece of peonies. It was perfection. Ivan reached to the ice bucket at the side of the table and popped the cork on the champagne bottle. He poured a glass and handed it to Aliannah.
“For the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon.” Aliannah blushed, and Ivan poured himself a glass and raised it for a toast.
“To us,” Ivan smiled at her.
“To us,” Aliannah repeated, clinking her glass with his.
The chef brought out their first course. It was a seafood dish; all of the fish had been caught locally that morning. They shared bites and praised the chef for this selection. The chef continued to bring out many courses as the sun lowered in the sky. The sky was turning from golden to a deep orange. Aliannah looked at the sea and saw some dolphins playing near the shore. She smiled. The moment was perfect.
Ivan reached across the table and held her hand. His eyes were full of love and awe. Aliannah noticed there was something else behind these emotions. She put it down to the stress of chasing that client around for the last two days. She cherished this moment. The chef brought out dessert. It was chocolate fondant topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce. It was Aliannah's favourite. She groaned with delight.
“This is the best dessert I have ever tasted!” she licked the spoon. Ivan agreed.
“We must have Gilda make it when we go home,” Ivan suggested. Aliannah nodded.
They sat in silence when they finished dessert. They were simply enjoying each other’s company, the beauty of their surroundings and the melodies playing from the guitar. They watched the sunset. It was so peaceful.
“Come, let’s go for a walk.” Ivan stood and held his hand out for Aliannah to take. They walked hand in hand along the sea's edge towards some rocks; the water crashing gently was the perfect ambience for such a lovely evening. As they rounded the corner of the rocks, Aliannah gasped as another pathway lined with candles and peony petals came into view. At the end of the path was a bonfire surrounded by large bunches of peonies. They walked towards it. Ivan let go of her hand and pulled out his phone.
“Turn to face the bonfire, darling. I want to take your photo; you are breath taking in this light. Don’t turn back until I say,” Ivan held up his phone. Aliannah smiled and turned as instructed. Ivan took a few photos. After what felt like an eternity, Ivan spoke again.
“Okay, darling, you can turn back around now.” Ivan’s voice sounded shaky. Aliannah turned back to Ivan and gasped. Ivan was on one knee, holding a small box containing a beautiful diamond ring.
“Darling…. I have loved you from the moment I met you, and my love for you has grown with each day. I lost you once; I never want to lose you again…. Aliannah Stackton, will you do me the honour of marrying me?” Ivan looked at her with hope in his eyes. Aliannah was shocked. Her hands covered her mouth, and tears filled her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was certain Ivan could hear it.
“…Yes… a hundred times yes…” her voice was barely a whisper as tears flowed down her cheeks. Ivan stood and pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately. He slipped the ring onto her finger; it was a perfect fit. Ivan picked her up and spun her around. Aliannah squealed.
Aliannah froze when she heard screaming coming towards her. She turned her head to see Michelle scrambling down the dunes with Gavin, Igor and her parents following behind.
“How? What? What is happening right now?” Aliannah was so confused.
“Darling, I am sorry I did not have any shore meetings. I have spent the past two days organising everything, flying in your family and friends, collecting the ring, and everything. I am sorry I lied about it. I wanted to surprise you.” Ivan looked guilty as he scratched the back of his head. Aliannah wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“Thank you, Ivan. This is perfect.” Aliannah was beaming with joy as she examined the ring on her finger.
“Hello to the future, Mrs Kozlov.” Michelle jumped on Aliannah and pulled her into a hug.
“You have no idea how hard it was to keep this a secret,” Michelle said giddily. Aliannah raised a brow at her and Gavin, who held his hands up in innocence.
“Mom! Dad!” Aliannah turned to greet her parents, who also pulled her into a big hug.
“Ivan called my office a week ago to ask for your hand in marriage, honey, and he insisted on flying us out to be here for the big moment.” Aliannah's dad was smiling proudly. Her mom was sobbing.
“My baby girl is getting married! You are so grown up now, honey,” her mother said between sobs. Aliannah turned to Ivan and mouthed her thanks to him. He winked at her and popped another bottle of champagne, pouring a glass for everyone.
“To Aliannah and Ivan.” Aliannah’s dad held his glass up to toast.
“To Aliannah and Ivan.” Michelle, Gavin, Igor and Aliannah’s mom repeated. Everyone clinked their glasses and sipped the champagne. Aliannah looked around at everyone as tears filled her eyes once more.
“Congrats, bro!” Igor clapped Ivan on the shoulder before wrapping his other arm around Aliannah; he continued, “Welcome to the family, Aliannah!” He smiled at her warmly.