CHAPTER 34
We have dinner this evening at the restaurant located on the resort. It’s bittersweet because we have to go back home tomorrow – back to reality. I have to tell my family what I’ve done because, well, I have to. I’m a whole married woman.
After we have dinner, we take a long walk on the beach, holding hands and feeling the breeze against our faces. It’s a wonderful feeling.
We stop walking, and then he turns to me and asks, “How are you feeling about all of this? About us?”
“I feel good about it.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re ready to face your brothers and tell them that we’re married?”
“Um…no, but I’ll deal with it. What about you? Are you ready to tell your parents?”
“I am.”
I grin a little and say, “They probably won’t believe you.”
“They won’t. Nobody will.”
He leans down and kisses me tenderly. Then he picks me up. I wrap my legs around his waist and indulge in a deep kiss of my own. Listening to the waves crashing together makes the atmosphere perfect. Feeling his arms around me is a feeling I’ll always cherish because I’m his and he’s mine. I’ve never belonged to anyone, but I belong to him. That brings me so much joy.
We return to the suite. I hate this part of trips – the packing up and leaving. But at least I’ll be taking home plenty of memories.
“I think we need a bottle of champagne to end our trip like the one that started it,” he says. “I’ma run grab a bottle. I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t be too long.”
“I won’t, sweetheart.”
After he leaves the room, I smile and consider calling Capri, but I decide to just wait. I focus on packing. I toss our suitcases on the bed and fold my clothes. Then I take Axel’s clothes from the chair and fold them. I open his suitcase and place them inside. As I fold it closed, a business card falls out. I pick it up to put it back when I see his name on the card. Frowning, I take a closer look. There’s a logo that says Leverage Realty Group. Then there’s his name:
Axel Jennings | Chief Operating Officer
Leverage Realty Group
What the heck is this? It doesn’t make any sense. Leverage Realty Group is the parent company of Atlantic Properties. If this business card is accurate, that means that Axel isn’t just a maintenance worker who moved to South Carolina looking for work. He’s the freakin’ COO of Leverage Realty Group.
Can’t be.
It’s not possible.
He doesn’t have those kinds of connections.
There’s no way.
Or maybe he was and he left the position and moved down here for a fresh start? But I didn’t see Leverage on his application or resume when he took the maintenance job. Surely, I would’ve remembered that. Whatever’s going on, it’s troubling because it feels like something he deliberately kept from me. If all was well and everything was kosher, why would he hide that from me?
I hear the beep at the door alerting me of his return and move quickly to slide the card into the side zipper of my suitcase. Then I try my best to wipe the pale look off my face before he realizes something’s up.
He says, “I’m back.”
“Good. Go ahead and pour me a glass. I’ll be right back.”
I walk quickly to the bathroom, turn on the sink, and take deep breaths. My heart is pounding in my ears. I’m not sure what to do at the moment. I don’t want to leave this bathroom. I know what I saw. I know what the card said. I know I had a hard time believing he was in maintenance work. I told him that much. Now, I know that there’s a possibility he’s not. I have a gut feeling he’s not who he said he was. He’s been lying to me.
Okay, don’t jump to conclusions, Zimyra. It’s probably all just a misunderstanding. Please be a misunderstanding…
I pull up my phone and bring up Leverage’s website, hoping they have their executive team listed somewhere on there so I can confirm he doesn’t work for them.
The tap on the door startles me as the site loads. I’m such a wreck, I drop my phone on the counter, prompting the stylus to go flying.
“Everything alright in there?”
“Yes, Axel. I’ll be right out.”
I shake out my arms, attempting to get myself together.
It’s not working. I’m a nervous wreck, but I know I have to pull it together. I can’t have him suspicious of me.
When the site comes up, I click on the Leadership & Board tab and the photo and job titles of all the company’s executives pop up. I nearly hit the floor when I see Axel’s photo. Beneath his name is: Chief Operating Officer.
This confirms it. He has been lying.
I take a deep breath and step out of the bathroom with a forced smile on my face and say, “Sorry about that. I was in the middle of texting Capri.”
Now I’m the one lying.
He says, “She can’t have your attention right now.”
I walk over to him and take the glass of champagne he’s handing me.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Before you take a sip, let’s make a toast.”
“Okay.”
“To spending the rest of our lives together,” he says.
I force myself to smile and say, “To spending the rest of our lives together.”
We clank our flutes together and stare into each other’s eyes while we sip. It feels different looking into his eyes now that I know he’s deceiving me. But what’s the angle? Maybe I have it all wrong, but I probably don’t. There is no other viable explanation as to why his name would be on that business card and his photo on the company’s website. And he’s the freakin’ Chief Operating Officer? Really? The man who is second in command? Now, I understand how he can drive a new 2025 and take me to an all-inclusive resort. Why he never came across as a blue-collar worker. Why he possesses so much charisma and charm. Why he wears high-priced watches that cost more than my salary.
And I also understand why it rained on our wedding day. This wedding wasn’t supposed to happen.
I yawn and say, “It’s been a whirlwind of a weekend.”
My plan is to pretend I’m tired and just sleep until the morning so I can get out of here with as limited physical contact as possible.
I set the glass on the table and sit on his lap. I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. That’s how our night ends – with me fake-falling asleep in his arms until I’m actually out.