Brothers of Paradise Series

A cleared throat. “You should. Take that girl of yours with you, too.”

“I plan on it.”

He rises from his seat and comes to stand beside me on the porch. A few inches shorter than me, but wider across the chest. We’re silent as we both watch the waves beat against the shoreline.

“Remember when I taught you to sail?” he asks. His voice is low, cautious. An echo of mine.

“Henry taught me to sail.”

His laughter is genuine. “Ah, but who taught Henry?”

My lips curve despite myself. He might always have been an asshole, but then, he’s always owned it.

“Your mother bought your latest book. The one with all the photographs, that your publishing company released.”

It’s an unexpected comment. I nod, glancing over at him. He’s still looking at the ocean. “What did you think?”

“It’s good. I don’t have an eye for that sort of thing, but…” He nods. “It was good.”

It’s more than I expected. Reluctant, faint praise, but praise nonetheless, and there’s not a sneer in sight. Perhaps he had been anxious for this conversation, too. For us to talk without intermediaries.

“I’m thinking of making Lily an offer for the beach cottage.”

He turns to me fully then, and there’s true surprise in his dark eyes. “You are?”

“Figured I should have a place out here of my own.”

Dad nods, deep in thought. “Well, she’ll give you a good deal for it.”

“She better.”

We share a laugh, short and perfunctory, and the first in more years than I can count. He gives me one last, long look, appraising. Then he shrugs, a reluctant smile on his face. “Well,” he says. “Perhaps I should meet this girl of yours again, Rhys. Seems like she’s had a bit of an influence on you.”

Epilogue Ivy A year later

“They looked happy.”

“They looked like they needed a solid week of sleep.” Rhys shrugs out of his jacket, hanging it on the peg in the hallway.

I make a beeline past him for the kitchen. “Do you want tea?”

“Not tonight, thanks.”

I turn on the electric kettle and reach for my box of herbal teas. “Let’s just say they looked good and like they needed a week of sleep,” I compromise. “I feel bad for all of them, Cece included. It must be tough not to be able to sleep through the night.”

Rhys comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Poor thing,” he says of his niece. “But judging from the glow in their eyes, she has them wrapped thoroughly around her little finger.”

I lean back into his warmth. “She is the most adorable little baby.”

“Almost makes you want one yourself.”

“Almost?”

Rhys gives an affirmative hum, pressing his lips to my neck. “Almost,” he confirms.

I smile as I pour my cup of tea. Having children is a topic we’ve been speaking a lot about lately, just as we do about everything. Debating and compromising and discussing. Meeting Henry and Faye’s little daughter never fails to reignite the debate, although truth is, neither of us want children yet. But the idea is fun to play around with.

Rhys presses a last kiss to my neck, his hands smoothing over my hips as he releases me. “Did you pack your fitness bands?”

“No, shoot. Thanks for reminding me.”

I head into the living room and past our open suitcases. The one thing I needed and I’d of course forgotten… Rhys sinks down on the couch and watches as I fold the three fitness bands, all in varying strengths.

“So neat,” he teases.

“A cluttered suitcase, a cluttered mind.”

He grins. “You know it won’t stay that way.”

“No, but I’ll never give up trying.” I run my hand over the workout clothes I’ve packed for the trip. All there, and now so are my fitness bands. My yoga mat is already rolled up tight and stowed at the bottom.

“Thanks for helping me with this, by the way,” I tell him.

“You know I love shooting your workout videos.”

I give him a withering look. “Yes, so you can try to make me lose focus.” I’d lost track of the things he did behind the camera to make me break.

He laughs, stretching out long legs on the coffee table. “It’s my favorite sport.”

“I thought that was sailing.” But I’m smiling as I stand, inspecting my suitcase. “And you got all your camera equipment?”

“All packed,” he confirms. “Now come here.”

I sit down beside him and he pulls me close, an arm around my shoulders. He’s warm through the fabric of his linen shirt and I put my palm flat on his chest, the familiar strength beneath it comforting. “I’m so excited.”

There’s a smile in Rhys’s voice. “I’m glad.”

“An entire month.”

“An entire month,” he repeats. “The hike will be the best part.”

“I can’t wait.” We’re set for a four day trek to Machu Picchu, hitting the Peruvian trail with two of his friends. It’s just one of all the amazing things planned for our South American adventure, but it’s the one I’m the most excited for. Well, the fact that Penny and Jason are joining us for the final week is pretty awesome, too.

Both of us can work while we’re there. Rhys will be shooting for a prestigious new photography exhibition he’s been asked to contribute to, one of only twelve photographers chosen. And while we travel, I can shoot more workout videos for my social media channels with the mountains as the backdrop.

It’s a project that makes me excited to my core. The past couple of months, I’ve started using my social media presence as a resource to share information on health, nutrition and exercise. Using my physical therapy degree to inform and explain, focusing on wellness rather than beauty. Rhys has been my biggest supporter, and not once has he snorted or laughed when I’ve asked him to help me.

He wraps his other arm around me and I lift a leg over his, settling in at his side. “Is it possible to have wanderlust and travel nerves at the same time?” I ask.

“Yes. Are you feeling both?”

“Most definitely.”

His hand trails down my back. “I might admit to feeling some of that myself.”

I press a kiss to his shoulder. Flying still isn’t his thing and I doubt it ever will be. And yet, he gets on a plane time and time again, knowing that the reward outweighs the discomfort. He’d laughed when I’d told him he was incredible for that. Inspiring, even. But it was true.

“Do you remember our first trip together?”

He smiles. “Of course I do. I’m still grateful you forgave me for the whole thing.”

“The trip itself was amazing. The waterfall?”

His hand slips under my shirt to curve around my hip. “We’ll go back there one day.”

“I’d love that,” I murmur, closing my eyes.

“We could go back to all the places we visited. Spend a week in each, at least. Explore them thoroughly.” His hand tightens over my skin. “Revisit the memories.”

“That sounds like a dream.”

“Making dreams into reality is what I do best,” he teases.NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.

“You’re joking, but I think that’s definitely one of your talents,” I tell him. Not only does he pursue his own without fear, but he keeps encouraging me to do the same.

To say no to modeling gigs I don’t approve of, or to carve out my own unique career path. There’s still much to be decided in our life. Where we’ll live, instead of our current shuffle back and forth between our two apartments. What kind of life we’ll lead. A quiet family life in Paradise Shores or a life on the road, seeing the world.

But I know that every step of the way I’ll have Rhys, and he’ll have me. Keeping me honest. Loving me and allowing me to love in return. A person to grow and evolve with, to challenge and support me. Breathing in the comforting scent of him, I know now that’s the greatest adventure of them all.