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I sigh in the sunshine, loving the feel of it on my skin, the steady creature beneath me. They carry us around the beach and beyond some rocks.
My mind goes blissfully blank as we round the last shelf of rocks, revealing a new beach. There are stunningly green trees, white sand the length of a football field, birds circling, and craggy rocks at either end.
“It’s very challenging to get here except via the water,” the guide informs us as our horses plod up onto the beach, stopping next to one another as all of us look around our new surroundings. “The forests are protected, so there’s no access by land vehicle from the main resort.”
“It’s incredible,” Elle admits.
My phone rings, and I grab for where it’s wedged in my pocket, hoping it’s Tyler.
It’s not.
“Miss Jamieson,” the hotel coordinator chirps over the phone, “Mr. King has arrived. Shall I have him meet you?”
I’ve been working on this for months, but hearing it’s happened just as Rae’s horse stops next to mine, the knot in my gut twists tighter. “Yes. Thank you.”
Since Rae mentioned the name Echo Entertainment, I’ve been thinking about it. But she’s determined to have it out with the company, and who better than him?
Except this is our wedding weekend. We only have a couple dozen guests, and it took everything I had to get him here in the first place. If Rae confronts him…
Ugh.Each possible outcome is worse than the last. From having two wedding guests at each other’s throats to him actually leaving.
We dismount, and the guide sets the horses to graze at the foot of the trees, where little sprouts of grass or other plants are growing. She tells us about the plants and animals here as she unpacks the saddlebags.
“Wait a second—isn’t there supposed to be lunch?” Beck asks.
“That will be here with the boat,” she tells him.
I look up into the trees, hearing the same birds I heard at our villa.
“Fruit doves?” I ask the guide.
“Very good. His mate could be around here somewhere. Most doves mate for life. They’ll always return to one another, year after year.”
“That’s ineffective. They should have a dove crew,” Beck tosses as he heads out toward the water, stripping down to his shorts. “Like a harem.”
He wades into the water, digging in the pocket of his shorts.
“What are you doing?” I call after him.
“Filming for my audience.” Before he can hold up his phone, he screeches, bending at the waist as if he’s been struck. “Something just brushed my leg.”
“Sea monster,” Rae deadpans. “I read about them in the literature in my room.”
Beck narrows his gaze. “Not funny!” But it touches him again, apparently, and he drops his phone. “Fucking hell…”
He drops to his knees, searching in the shallow water until he produces the device. Hitting the power button again and again only makes him bellow in frustration.
The next moment, a sound in the distance has us looking toward a boat coming around the edge of the rocks. The catamaran is sleek, cruising toward shore. On it, I can make out Haley and my dad, plus Sophie’s hands waving in the breeze.
And on the back…
The knot in my chest releases.
I get what the birds feel, waiting for their mates. Knowing instinctively it’s better to go through hell for the one than try to find another.
My family steps off the boat, wading through the few feet of water to get to shore. Tyler’s last, and I take a moment to drink him in.
He’s wearing a black T-shirt, exposing the ink that curls down his strong arms and one of his hands. Board shorts cling to his lean hips. His dark hair falls across his face, his eyes squinting in the sun.
