I wasn’t sure where things were going between us, but I knew in my heart that I loved this complicated man. I loved him for everything he was and everything he was not. There was no way to know if that would be enough. Maybe we would get lucky and maybe this would work. If not? Well, maybe he’d forever be the man I carried a torch for.
There were still things stacked up against us. But at least for tonight, I could sleep in his arms and pretend that he loved me too.
Chapter 29
Lukas
It was impossible to pack a lifetime’s worth of romance into a single weekend, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try.
Kayla and I had a day and a half to soak up as much time together as we could on this remote little island. I wanted to give her a glimpse of what life would be like if she decided to share hers with me.
We started with an early morning storm and whale-watching boat tour on the Sound. And by early, I meant early. We were out of the cabin by five in the morning after having woken up at four to indulge in some passionate, sweaty, desperate lovemaking that left a pit of desire in my gut all day long.
The excursion out on the ocean was full of rain, cold, and glorious excitement as we saw humpback whales and orcas. Kayla had shrieked with giddy excitement when the first orca said hello by bursting into the air and plunging back into the water with a splash. He had only been the first, of course. After him came a chorus of other orcas in the pod, all of them sailing high into the air before plunging back down into the cold waters of their ocean home.
The highlight was easily how cute Kayla had looked all bundled up for the cold under her rain poncho. I’d snapped a couple of pictures without her looking, one of which was a shot of her when she saw one of the first whales jump. Her eyes were bright with joy and excitement, her hand outstretched, finger pointing as if I couldn’t see the giant black whale leaping out of the water and defying gravity, her mouth open wide in a cry of glee. Raindrops clung to her cold-bitten cheeks where her hair was plastered to her skin. She’d never looked more beautiful to me.
After watching the whales, I decided to pamper her and warm her up with a trip to the lodge spa. I booked us an entire afternoon worth of treatments, starting with a dip in a hot mud bath together to warm up. Kayla had squealed and been repulsed by the sucking texture of the mud as we sank up to our chins in it, but as she experienced the weightlessness of it, she relaxed.
After the mud bath, we showered and went for full-body massages. We had facials done, including face massages, and I made sure Kayla was pampered with a matching manicure and pedicure. She chose dark red and gold for the autumn season after much deliberation. She told me as we left the spa that she’d never had a professional manicure before, or a massage for that matter.
Yet again, I was reminded of the differences between having it all and having what you needed. I had more than I needed and I hadn’t been happy until Kayla came around.
Kayla had only what she needed, and from where I was standing, she was happy. Hell, she’d always been happy. She was the smilingest kid on the block back in the day and she was still the person to turn to if your day needed brightening.
Our last stop that late afternoon was to a winery on the island, where Kayla and I both indulged in a little too much wine. We were the obnoxious couple in the group who slurped every wine we tasted and descended into fits of giggles at the back of the group while the wine connoisseur bored everyone with details about acidity, sugar levels, and body. Kayla and I retained no information from the tour. Instead, we retained plenty of wine that made our heads fuzzy and our fingertips tingly as we rode back to our cabin, half slumped against each other, exhausted from our day of activities.
Back at our cabin, I stoked a fire while Kayla pitched face first onto the bed.
I glanced over my shoulder at her. “Tired?”
She nodded weakly and didn’t bother opening her eyes. “Exhausted. Who knew being pampered and drinking wine could make you feel like you’d just run a marathon?”
I chuckled as an ember popped. I poked at the logs until the tinder underneath caught. “Have a nap. We don’t have anything on the agenda for the rest of the evening besides spending time together. And dinner later.”
“Can we eat here?” she asked softly. “I don’t think I have it in me to go to the dining room in the lodge.”
“Room service, it is.”
“I want chicken strips.”
I laughed. “Chicken strips? What are you, twelve?”
“Don’t judge. Chicken strips are delicious. With honey mustard and fries? I can taste it now. Lightly breaded. Perfectly seasoned.”
“All right, all right. I’ll make sure you get chicken strips.”
Kayla smiled and snuggled deeper into the bedding. “Thank you.”
I straightened as the fire began to burn in earnest, and held my hands out to the flames. “I had fun today.”
Kayla didn’t answer.
I smiled. Sleep had taken her quickly. She wasn’t lying. She was exhausted. We’d had an early start, after all, and gone to bed after midnight. A few hours of sleep weren’t enough, especially for a woman who I
