Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
Annalise
Inside, the house is cozy—an open-concept living area with the entire wall that overlooks the ocean made up of windows and the glass door that leads out onto the porch.
To the right is a beautiful kitchen with white granite countertops, and to the left, a bedroom with one very large bed, more windows facing the ocean, and a bathroom with a rain shower.
“The food is only a few blocks away. Let’s unpack, and then we’ll get started on phase two of my plan.”
“Care to share so I can help?”
“Nope,” he says, popping the p and smiling.
I finish hanging my dresses at the same time the doorbell rings. “I’ve got it,” he calls to me. When I walk out, he’s holding our two takeout bags in one hand and a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the other.
“Where did that come from?” I ask, knowing they did not bring that with dinner. “We didn’t buy wine.”
He smirks. “You think I came unprepared? Come on, Wife.” He nods toward the back door. “Grab those glasses, will ya’?”
I hesitate, but curiosity wins. I grab two wine glasses from the counter and follow him down the short wooden steps that lead straight onto the sand.
The sound of the waves grows louder as we walk to the already-made fire and a pair of weathered Adirondack chairs overlooking the water. This feels like a dream.
“Sit,” he says, setting the food between us and handing me one of the glasses once he’s poured the wine.
“When did you even have the time to make a fire?” I ask, unable to hide my shock.
“When you were unpacking. Now, are you ready for phase two?”
“Of course, that’s why we're here after all,” I say, partially to remind myself that this is a mission, and not a real romantic night that he planned just for us.
“Okay, so as I’m sure you read in her profile, Mrs. Rowe is incredibly social, and she loves to know everything about everyone, almost as much as she loves wine…”
“And Mr. Rowe likes making Mrs. Rowe happy, as every good husband should,” I say with a wink.
He chuckles, “Yes, of course, Sweetheart. So, I’m betting that if we spend a bit of time out here tonight, Tara will be down here before too long.”
“—so when she comes down, we’ll be the fun, social neighbors here on our honeymoon that she won’t be able to resist getting to know.”
“Exactly! Then you will become her best friend for the weekend, getting us invited to the party the intel says they are having at their house tomorrow, and then we’ll have access to snoop around.”
“Not a bad plan at all, Aiden.”
He grins, tipping his glass toward me. “Glad to have your approval, Mrs. Carter.”
I roll my eyes but can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.
The fire crackles softly between us and the ocean that crashes against the shore. It’s annoyingly perfect, like the kind of night you’d want if this were an actual honeymoon.
“Oh my gods,” I groan as I bite into a carne asada taco.
“That good, huh?”
“You have no idea. Here,” I lean over, reaching out to pass it to him, “try it. It’ll change your life.”
Instead of grabbing it, he takes a bite while I’m holding it, and at the same time, he runs his thumb along the edge of my mouth. Never breaking eye contact, he dips his thumb into his mouth along with the food.
I’m mesmerized and entirely too turned on by someone I dislike so much.
“Delicious.”
I take a slow sip of wine, trying to refocus on the mission and not how sexy Aiden looks in the light of the fire.
Thankfully, he leans back in his chair and looks up at the star-covered sky. “You know, we should probably practice our cover stories before Tara shows up.”
“Okay, you start. Tell me about us.”
He tilts his head to the side, thinking for a moment before slipping effortlessly into character.
“We met in a bar in the capital three years ago. You were studying to be a nurse; I was a newly appointed prosecuting attorney. We bonded over our shared love of coffee and being outdoors. We dated for two years before my long-overdue proposal, we got married last month, and this is our honeymoon.”
“Wow,” I say, raising a brow. “You sound like you’ve been rehearsing that.”
He shrugs, his lips twitching. “Maybe I have. You want to poke holes in it, or can we agree it’s solid already?”
“It’s—mostly believable, but I am terrible at healing, so how about I was studying to be a therapist?” I suggest.
“Therapist, huh?”
“That’s what I wanted to do before Scion,” I admit without meaning to give that part of me away. “Now we need the little details, things we can both answer without hesitation. Favorite color, nicknames, favorite food, pets' names—all the stuff a real couple would know.”
“Pets' names?” he repeats, teasingly, “That’s dangerous password territory.”
“You’re ridiculous. Now, answer the questions before she shows up.”
“Bossy, bossy.” He tsks before answering, “My favorite meal is steak with garlic mashed potatoes, never had a pet, and as far as nicknames go, I’ll answer to whatever you call me.”
“And favorite color?”
He starts to answer, but then his gaze shifts toward the neighboring beach house.
“Showtime,” he murmurs as he gently reaches to rest his hand on my thigh.
Resisting the urge to throw it off or hope it moves higher; I follow his line of sight. Sure enough, a woman in a flowy sundress is making her way down the stairs, waving cheerfully as she approaches, glass of wine in hand and a lantern in the other.
I take a steadying breath, paste on my brightest smile, and lift my glass. “Time to make a new friend.”
“Well, hello there!” Her chipper voice carries over the surf.
Aiden rises to his feet, the perfect picture of relaxed charm, before taking my hand and helping me up. “Hi!” he calls back as he wraps his arm around my waist.
“Aren’t you two the cutest couple I’ve ever seen. Let me guess, newlyweds?”
“Guilty,” Aiden says easily, squeezing my side just enough to make it look affectionate. I resist the urge to elbow him.
“What gave us away?” I ask as I look up to Aiden with as much newlywed affection as I can muster.
Tara beams, her glass sloshing slightly as she steps into the light of our fire. “You’ve got that honeymoon glow. It’s unmistakable!”
I laugh softly. “That’s so sweet of you to say! Oh my gosh, speaking of being married, would you look at your ring? That is gorgeous!”
“Oh, thank you!” Tara gushes, holding out her hand so I can admire the ring more closely. I turn it gently in my fingers, nodding enthusiastically. “Stunning, isn’t it, Honey?”
He smiles back down at me, purposely not even glancing at the ring, “Absolutely.”
“You two are too precious! I can get going, I don’t want to interrupt your night.”
“No, not at all! Why don’t you join us? We’d love the company,” I gesture to the chair I had been sitting in, and lean in like I’m about to tell her a secret, “If you wouldn’t mind telling us about the area a bit, I will owe you another glass of wine, too.
I’m trying to convince Aiden here that we should relocate to a smaller town, but he thinks it would be too slow. ”
I give Aiden a tiny nudge to sit and then settle onto his lap like I belong here as he wraps his arm around my waist.
“You must! Especially since I assume you are going to start trying for kids, if you aren’t already,” she says with an overly exaggerated wink. “This is the perfect area to raise a family.”
Aiden’s hand moves to my stomach, “You’re selling me on it already.” I can’t help but soften with the convincingly enamored look he’s giving me. “We’ve always wanted to have a big family.”
“Eventually,” I add before turning back to Tara.
“But enough about us, what do you like to do around here?” I ask, voice warm and inviting. “Other than soaking in this incredible weather and lying on the beach.”
Tara grins and launches into a cheerful rundown: hidden beaches, the best coffee shops, and a bakery she insists we try first thing in the morning.
I sip my wine, nodding along, careful to keep the rhythm of the conversation natural.
Aiden is equally engaged, asking a question here and there as though he’s genuinely curious.
“And,” Tara continues, lowering her voice conspiratorially, “if you’re free tomorrow, we’re hosting a little brunch at our place. You absolutely must come! You can meet my husband, Greg; he’ll want to hear all about your honeymoon.”
Excitement rushes through me, but my smile stays steady. “That sounds lovely! What time should we come by, and what can we bring?”
“Late morning, around eleven, and nothing at all! You aren’t supposed to fuss about anything on your honeymoon,” she says, leaning back and glancing at the fire.
“You’ll love it! It’ll be casual, a few neighbors and close friends; I think you two will fit right in.
You can tell us all about yourselves and how ya’ll got together!
We’ll build you a little community of friends and future babysitters before you even move out here.
Greg is going to be outside grilling, and we’ll have appetizers and a little mimosa bar! ”
I tilt my glass in a mock toast. “It’s a date, then. Consider us officially bribed by your hospitality.”
Aiden gives a low chuckle beside me. “Thanks for inviting us,” he adds, tone easy and confident.
As Tara rises to head back to her house, she glances at us with a smile that’s entirely too bright. “I will see you both tomorrow then! And don’t let him keep you up all night, a girl’s gotta get her beauty rest after all.”
I give a little giggle at her joke, then move to sit back in my chair, but Aiden’s hand tightens, holding me in place.
“What are you doing? She’s gone.” I whisper, but the frustration is clear in my voice.
“I guarantee she will turn around before she even gets to her door and will probably be peeking out to see if we get up to those naughty ideas you proposed we do in the ocean earlier. You chose to sit in my lap, now we have to sell it until we go inside.”
I huff, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably, “I hate you.”
“I know,” he says, and his tone is teasing enough to make my chest tighten. “Now come snuggle into my chest, Sweetheart, and tell me the ‘little details’ you didn’t get a chance to answer earlier. I have a feeling we’ll be grilled by everyone at brunch tomorrow.”
“My favorite color is teal,” I say as I lean my head onto his chest and look up at the stars.
“I already know there is no way you could pick a favorite food,” he jokes.
I softly laugh, “No, I can’t. But Matt always says the more carbs it has, the happier I am, and I have yet to prove him wrong.
I think Lee is the only real nickname I’ve ever had.
” The last bit almost feels like a confession.
No one other than Matt has ever cared enough about me to come up with anything else, unless you count my dad’s colorful terms of endearment.
“Childhood pets?”
“I’ve always wanted a dog, but it never happened.”
He hums softly, the sound vibrating through his chest. “Morning or night person? What’s your morning routine? And, now this is a big one—if you could have any superpower, what would it be?”
“I want to say night, but I also wake up really early in the morning to run before I shower and get ready for whatever I have to do that day. Hands down, being able to fly, though,” I answer without a second thought.
“Ah, makes sense why you want to ride dragons then. Looking to escape something?” He asks teasingly, not knowing how true that really is.
“Something like that. Now, your turn.”
“I’d be invisible, do you know the things I could get away with? I need coffee before anyone even looks in my direction, but I’d still say I’m a morning person. I turn into a pumpkin at midnight.”
The snort that comes out of me would be embarrassing if this weren’t fake. “That is not at all how that fairy tale goes!”
He tickles my side, “Oh, you think that’s funny?”
I wiggle, trying to get away, but he has me trapped.
I laugh, catching my breath between snorts, and finally collapse against him, surrendering. “Okay, okay! You win.”
He grins down at me, still holding me close. The moment feels like it lasts forever and is over in a blink, all at once. When we break eye contact, the flames have burned lower, embers glowing softly now, and the sky overhead has gone deep, almost velvety black. “It’s getting late.”
I soak in the calm of the ocean, and the quiet crackle of the fire settles over me, “You’re right,” I begrudgingly admit. “We should probably head in. Wouldn’t want you turning into a pumpkin.”
He brushes a loose strand of hair from my face, his gaze searching for something I can't name.
“Come on, Mrs. Carter. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
I sigh contentedly and let him push me to my feet. The sand shifts under our toes as we make our way back up the steps. Mission or not, this is the best night I’ve had in a very long time.
“I’m going to take a quick shower, unless you want to go first?”
“You go ahead; I’ll lock up the house and then shower when you’re done.”
Grabbing the sleep clothes I packed—shorts and an oversized shirt—I head into the bathroom.
When I finish washing my body free of sand, and my hair is braided to give me wavy curls tomorrow, I open the door so the mirrors will defog as I brush my teeth.
“I know she said not to bring anything, but we can’t show up without a hostess gift. Do you think flowers or a bottle of wine would be better?” I call out.
No response. He must still be in the living room.
“Aiden,” I call out again as I step out of the bathroom.
But there he is, asleep on top of the comforter.
I pause in the doorway, toothbrush still in hand, and allow myself to stare for a moment.
The moonlight streams through the open windows, catching the curve of his chiseled jaw and the slight rise and fall of his chest. He doesn’t look like the jerk from Scion who left me after a hookup and then talked shit the next day, or the guy who snuck into my room to terrorize me.
He looks sweet, soft, and completely at ease.
A small smile tugs at my lips despite myself.
Carefully, I set my toothbrush down and walk out to get him a throw blanket from the couch. Once he’s covered, I slide under the sheets on my side. As soon as I’m all the way in, he shifts slightly, still asleep, curling an arm over me as if he’d been waiting for me all along.
“Goodnight, Ace,” I murmur, allowing myself to settle into his warmth rather than scooting away.
I never imagined I would find someone to marry in real life, much less have a honeymoon, but if I did, I think I’d want it almost exactly like this.