Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Something is wrong with Connor. He’s exhausted. Maybe it’s just all the traveling and stress, but he doesn’t look well. I’m hoping that after a solid night’s sleep, he’ll feel better. Not that he’s told me he doesn’t feel okay. No, he’d never admit to not feeling a hundred percent.
I have no idea where we are, other than the fact that it’s hot as hell when we step off the plane. I don’t want to question him. It doesn’t matter to me where we are as long as we are together.
There’s a car waiting for us on the tarmac, and Connor opens the passenger-side door. “I’ll be right back,” he says as he closes it.
I watch him jog up the stairs of the jet.
Seconds later, two consecutive gunshots sound out and then Connor is jogging back down again.
Most people would ask why the pilots had to die.
I’m not most people. I also don’t care. If the loss of their lives means Connor is safer, then I can live with that.
Connor climbs into the driver’s seat and starts the car. The air blasts on my face, relieving some of the heat.
“How long before we get there?” I ask.
“About an hour,” he says.
“Want me to drive?” I know how tired he is.
“Why?” he asks me, maneuvering the car around the plane and out of the gates.
“Because you’re tired.”
“I’m fine,” he says.
I drop the subject and turn on the radio instead. Wherever we are, it’s not an English-speaking country. “We need to pick a song. We don’t have a song,” I tell him.
“What song would you pick?”
“I asked you first.” I have one in mind, but I really do want to know what he thinks our song would be. What I didn’t expect was for him to turn off the radio and start singing.
I twist in my seat to look at him. Where has he been hiding this talent? Connor is singing the lyrics to “All of Me” by John Legend. And I mean he is really singing it.
Tears well up in my eyes. The lyrics hit me right in my heart. This is a perfect song for us, because I do give him all of myself, and I know I have all of him. Our love is everything.
“Your turn,” Connor says when he’s done.
“I can’t beat that,” I tell him. “That was perfect.”
“Our love isn’t a competition, Aurora. Your turn,” he urges me.
“Okay, but when your ears start bleeding, I did warn you.” I laugh and take a deep breath.
I’m fully aware that I can’t sing. I’m as tone-deaf as anyone could be. I close my eyes and then the song comes to me, and I start singing “You Feel Like Home” by Calum Scott. I don’t open my eyes again until I finish the song.
Then I turn to Connor again and say, “You are my home.”
“I’m going to take you home, Aurora. I will get you back to your family. I promise,” he says.
“I know, but if that never happens, I’m okay with it being just us.”
Will it hurt being kept away from my family? Yes, but a life without Connor will hurt a hell of a lot more.
“It’s going to happen,” he says with certainty. I know he won’t stop until it’s safe for us to return.
I almost drift off but force myself to stay awake. Eventually Connor stops at a resort.
“We’re staying here?” This is not the deserted cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere I was expecting.
“We are. We’re on our honeymoon, princess.”
Our honeymoon. I smile at the thought.
“So we get to just stay in bed naked all day, then?” I ask, liking the sound of it.
“We can do whatever you want to do,” Connor tells me. “No one knows us here. We’re not Connor and Aurora. We are Justin and Rose.” He hands me a passport.
“I should warn you… I have a husband, Justin, and he has a tad bit of a jealous streak.” I laugh.
“Sounds like a catch. You should keep him,” Connor replies.
“Don’t worry. If he tried to leave me, I’d kidnap him until he came to his senses.” I shrug. It’s worked out for me once. Why not do it again?
“So, Rose, my love, are you ready to start our honeymoon?” Connor asks, and an irrational surge of jealousy courses through me.
“I don’t like hearing you say another woman’s name,” I grumble.
“I’m talking to you.” Connor rolls his eyes.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go find our room. I can’t wait to moan out: Oh, Justin, yes! Right there! Oh, Justin, you fuck me so good.” I put extra effort into making a fake sex moan. It does the job, though, because Connor’s jaw ticks and his eyes close as he sucks in a steadying breath.
“You yell out another man’s name, Aurora, and I’ll gag you,” he grunts.
“Sounds fun.” I laugh and open my door, stepping out into the humidity.
We walk into the reception area hand in hand. Connor talks to the hosts and passes over our fake passports. I smile as we get congratulated on our marriage. I wish I could celebrate this with my mother. She’s going to be over the top when she does finally get to plan my wedding.
We spend a few minutes waiting in the reception area before we’re shown to our villa.
It’s literally on the ocean. There are floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the water.
There’s a huge king-size bed in the middle with netting around it.
And when we walk out to the deck, I spot a small pool and a hot tub.
But it’s the crystal-clear blue water of the ocean that’s calling to me. I want to jump right in.
First, I need to get Connor to bed. As soon as the host leaves us, I walk back inside, close the doors, and then tug the curtains shut to darken the room. I spin around and look over at Connor. “We’re going to bed.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Connor smirks down at me as I approach him.
“To sleep. You need to sleep, Connor.” I pull his shirt over his head, and then he sits down and takes his shoes off as I make my way around to the other side of the bed.
I strip out of the clothes I borrowed from Aisling and climb under the blankets.
“You know, if you want me to sleep, you being naked is not going to help.” Connor lies down and pulls me into his arms.
Resting my head on his shoulder, I wrap an arm around his waist and a leg over the top of his. “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”
“The only reason worth waking up,” Connor says, and his lips press onto the top of my head.
I wait until I feel his body relax. His heart beats steadily under my ear as his chest rises and falls.
He’s finally asleep. I don’t know what’s going on with him.
Like I said, maybe it’s just stress and exhaustion.
Hopefully, this little getaway will help us get back to being us.
Give him time to regroup. I don’t like seeing him look so unwell. I really thought he was getting sick.
After lying down for about an hour, I carefully slide out of Connor’s arms. Thankful that he doesn’t wake up.
I then tiptoe into the bathroom, picking up his shirt on the way and throwing it over my head.
I remember the first time I borrowed his shirt.
It seems like a lifetime ago that we were sneaking around school.
There’s a door that leads to the balcony from the bathroom, so I head outside and sit on the ledge, soaking up the sun and looking out over the water. It is so peaceful here. There are four other villas that are connected to the same jetty, but I don’t see another soul.
The water laps at my ankles. It’s refreshing, not cold and not hot.
It’s just right and I really want to jump in.
I could go for a quick dip before Connor wakes up.
The thought of jumping in without him, of leaving him alone asleep, doesn’t sit well with me, though.
So, instead of jumping into the water, I stand and walk back inside.
I keep his shirt on, climb back into the bed, and curl myself around his body. I will stay here as long as he sleeps. Besides, being in Connor’s arms is the best place in the world to be. I literally feel the most peace right here. With him. His hold around me tightens, and I snuggle in closer.
Please, God, let us get through whatever lies ahead. I need him. He needs me. We need this.
I don’t know what happened in Ireland, what he did when I went with my dad. I need to ask him. I need to find out how I can help him and what the plan is moving forward.