and wondering how long it would be before he had her in his arms again.
It had been a week since his wedding, but he didn’t have a wife yet. Tina was home from the hospital but things didn’t look good. Callie had been staying at the apartment and spending most of her time at the hospital or taking care of Molly. And Grant was on his own.
So here he sat in his darkened apartment, a glass of bourbon and water in his hand, mulling over where things stood. He’d married Callie, but he hadn’t made her truly his wife, and he was about to go out of his mind with gloom over it.
He’d seen her every day. He’d gone over and done what he could for Tina and given support to Callie. He’d hired a service of rotating nurses and child-care professionals to help out at the apartment once Tina was back from the hospital. This was a very trying time for all of them.
Callie had decided to stay at the apartment herself for the short-term, and he’d agreed. Even with a nanny hired, he knew she felt someone should be with Molly to keep her from sensing how scary things really were. He wanted Callie home, but he hadn’t pushed. He’d had to bite his tongue a number of times to keep from saying what he felt. But he’d held it back.
What was happening to Tina was tragic and heartbreaking. The cancer she’d been battling over the last year had returned with a vengeance. Chemotherapy and radiation were being considered. Callie had thrown herself into the role of support for her friend and he could understand that. Callie’s compassionate side was one of the factors that made her such a quality person.
And she was. The better he got to know her, the more impressed he was with the woman he’d chosen to be the mother of his future children. She was great.
And at the same time, she was so much the opposite of his first wife. Jan had been all fire and passion, dancing and laughter, sharp anger and sweet atonement. She’d kept him on his toes. He’d loved her with a passion just as deep and bright, and he missed her so much he avoided thinking about her.
Just because she’d been such a presence in his life, he’d known he needed someone completely different, someone who wasn’t like Jan at all. And Callie was that person. Where Jan ran on impulse, Callie was planned. She used logic and kept her distance until she was sure of what she was doing. He was learning to appreciate those qualities more and more.
Now she was coming home tomorrow. And in some ways, he was more worried about that than anything. A bad pattern had been set by their being apart all this time. That pattern had to be broken. He wasn’t sure how and he didn’t want to come off like a caveman; he only knew something had to give.
He had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Once she came back if she still had that lost, haunted look in her eyes, chances were good she wasn’t going to be in the mood for babymaking. He’d promised he wouldn’t push her into anything until she was ready. Circumstances were conspiring to keep that from happening. She was going to need something to pull her out of her current sad reality. Something new. Something to jolt her world and make her see the sunshine.
And, what the hell, something to make her see him again.
He frowned, turning the glass in his hand, thinking over options. He had to do something, no matter what it was. What was the point of having a lot of money if you didn’t use it?
An idea came to him, full of possibilities. Narrowing his gaze, he thought over all the options hard and fast. Yes. It was a good idea. In fact, it was a fantastic idea.
He picked up the telephone and punched in the number of the local airport. He was going to order himself up a honeymoon.
CHAPTER EIGHT
CALLIE had barely walked in the door when Grant was hustling her back out it again. In minutes, he had her ensconced in his car and they were sailing along the highway toward the airport.
“Where are we going?” she asked, looking out the window at the passing scene. He’d astonished her and she realized she was glad. With so much sadness in her life right now, she needed a respite. She’d spent so many nights lying awake in anger at what was happening to Tina. She’d spent hours crying in the shower, away from Molly. Grief was exhausting. She needed a break.
“It’s a surprise.”
She frowned. “But I didn’t pack anything. Are we staying overnight?”
He smiled mysteriously and refused to answer.
“You see, this is the problem with surprises,” she fretted, only half teasing. “Women need to prepare for these things. We need time to decide what to wear.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” he said smoothly, ignoring her mock glare.
He could have told her not to worry. It had already been taken care of. He’d called the personal shopper at the island resort where they were staying. He’d given her a few sizes and colors to work with and if she did her job well, a whole weekend wardrobe should be waiting for Callie in their room.
They landed on Santa Talia, a little-known island in the Caribbean. The air felt like liquid silk and smelled like plumeria blossoms. The locals had borrowed a tradition from the Hawaiians and happily piled flower leis around both their necks, until they were swimming in perfume and petals.
The resort consisted of bungalows spread out across rolling greenery and centered around a main building that provided the lobby, dining room and shops. Callie exclaimed over the perfectly furnished room and then gasped when she found the closet full of clothes that were just her size.
“I feel like Cinderella,” she told him, happily flinging clothes on the bed to look at them.
“Just call me the Handsome Prince,” he teased. “But hang on to those glass slippers.”
She laughed but when he caught her eye, she blushed. She knew why they were here. She could feel his growing excitement. She was ready, but completely panicked at the same time.
The last week had been draining and the sadness and anger over what was happening to Tina still filled her with an uncontrollable need to do something, anything, to feel like she was helping. So it had taken a lot for her to leave the scene, and when she’d first realized they were flying off somewhere for the weekend, she’d silently rebelled for a moment or two.
But she realized she owed Grant something, too. And if a few hours away from Texas would help him, maybe they were just what she needed as well.
“Let’s go for a walk on the beach,” he suggested.
“Okay.”
The sun was setting. They hadn’t eaten but neither one of them was hungry. They strolled down the white sand, letting the water lap at their toes, then climbed on some rocks. Grant caught hold of her when she lost her footing. He held her against him for a beat longer than necessary. She could feel his pulse, sense his desire. And for a moment, she could hardly breathe.
They had a sumptuous dinner served in their room but she could hardly eat a bite. A bottle of champagne was provided and they drank a toast.
“To honeymoons,” Grant said, lifting his glass until the tiny bubbles sparkled in the lamplight.
“To honeymoons,” she agreed, smiling into his eyes.
They went for another walk along the sand. The sky was inky and the moon was a silver ship riding the clouds above them. Moonlight shimmered on the water. The refuge of their room looked inviting as they returned. And Grant very deliberately closed the door.
Cupping her face with his hands, he bent slowly toward her and touched her lips with his.
“I promised you we wouldn’t do this until you’re ready,” he said softly. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, her throat too thick for speech. Her heart was like a caged bird fighting against the bars. She’d never been so scared and so thrilled, all at once. She wasn’t sure she was going to live through this. But she was ready.
He muttered something against her lips, but she wasn’t sure what it was, and then he was parting them with his tongue. She accepted him into her mouth, at first hesitant, and then greedily. He tasted so good and felt amazing. Raising her arms to circle his neck, she arched into his muscular body, wanting to feel her breasts hard
