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But they’d agreed to enjoy the day, not worry about the future, so Xander didn’t say any of this. It was time for a change of subject.
“What shall we do today?”
“According to Safa’s schedule, we don’t have any obligations until evening. Then we’re supposed to have a romantic dinner.”
“Maybe it’ll be less awkward this time.”
“I would hope so. But in the meantime, how about we explore the island? Safa said we can go out, as long as we act like a couple, and I think we can pull that off now.”
“It might be difficult, but we can try.” Xander nodded seriously. “Where should we go?”
“First, to the beach. I want to swim and maybe snorkel a little again.”
“And after that, let’s find a restaurant that serves fresh fish.”
“I like it. And then we can go for a long walk.”
“And maybe rent an ATV again!”
They grinned at each other, and Xander felt his worries subside. There was a lot to think about, but not today. Today was just about enjoying each moment that he got to spend with this wonderful woman.
They finished their breakfast, then changed into their swimsuits. Once they were dressed, they met by the door and descended the long staircase to the beach below. It was a beautiful day, with clear skies and warm sunshine. As soon as they reached the sand, Maisy dropped the tote bag she’d been carrying, stripped off her sundress, and ran into the water in her bikini. Xander followed.
They spent a long time in the water, splashing about and diving down to look at underwater sea life, then kissing in the shallows. Maisy spotted a turtle, but Xander could hardly look at anything other than Maisy. She looked so gorgeous and she was finally his… at least for now.
Their swim was followed by a walk into town. At one point, Maisy stopped and took Xander’s hand.
“This is where we had our first kiss.”
“I’m not sure I remember… can you refresh my memory?”
And so, they kissed again, long and slow, as though they had all the time in the world.
The morning and afternoon went by in a happy daze. They were so caught up in each other that they hardly noticed the time passing or thought about what would happen next. When they finally returned to the villa late in the afternoon in a happy, fuzzy state of bliss, Xander swept Maisy over the doorstep and into the house.
“Home at last,” he said, his voice low. “Shall we take a little rest before dinner?”
“That sounds lovely.”
“What would be lovely is if the two of you were able to follow a single rule.”
Maisy and Xander snapped to attention and turned to the sound of the voice. Safa was sitting on the couch, but she stood as they entered. She looked furious.
“We still have a few hours until dinner.” Xander’s voice was steady, but he was worried. What was Safa doing here?
“There’s no more dinner. I received a call this morning from the king and queen. They need you back in Aenicea, now. It’s time to sort out the mess the princes made.”
“What?” Xander couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The honeymoon was supposed to be a week or two long, but it had been less than a week that they’d been on Kanalea. The thought of returning to Aenicea was so unexpected and so unwelcome that Xander was having trouble processing it.
“Yes. You have an hour to report back to the airstrip, packed and ready to go.”
“We need a little more time,” Maisy said, her voice shaky.
“You would have had more time if you hadn’t left the villa without informing me.” Safa’s hands went to her hips. “I spent all morning trying to find you around the island before I came to wait for you here. You can’t just run off like that.”
“But we were together,” Xander said. “I thought that was the rule.”
“The other, unspoken rule was don’t wander off when you’ve made a mess. I thought you knew that.” Safa sighed. “So, you have one hour. I’ll meet you at the airport. I trust you can find your way around the island by now. Don’t be late.”
