I can’t believe my eyes.

Two men in white polos and the same shorts as the other island staff members are lifting Abby’s wheelchair carefully down from the helicopter, and behind them climb two other people, a man and a woman, both tall brunettes with toned arms and matching black tank tops, each with a duffel bag slung over their shoulders. I want to know who all of these people are, but I can’t wait, running forward as soon as the wheels of her chair are on terra firma.

“Abby!” I throw my arms around her neck, and she laughs out loud, tossing her head back. Her dark hair is piled up on the top of her head in an effortlessly messy bun. I pull back and look her up and down. Is she okay? She’s laughing, smiling, shaking her head at the look of concern that must be in my eyes despite the fact that I’m overjoyed to see her.

“I’m good, Kennedy, really!” She waves me away, then leans to the side and gives a little wave with her fingers. “So that’s Gideon Hawke, right here in person.”

I don’t know what to say, and as she starts to roll forward, I turn to come along with her. “What are you doing here?”

Abby grins up at me, her dark eyes sparkling. “Didn’t your boyfriend tell you?”

“I don’t know if he’s my—” I clap my mouth shut, all the memories from last night, and last weekend, and at the club, flash before my eyes. Gideon said he loved me. I told him the same thing last night. How could we not be a couple? Still, it’s not a discussion that we’ve had yet. It doesn’t matter. Okay, it matters, but in this moment it doesn’t matter at all. On the other side of the landing surface, Gideon stands with his hands in his pockets, his green eyes shining in the sun. “Tell me what?”

“He didn’t tell you he invited me for a tropical getaway?” It’s Abby’s turn to look a little incredulous. “Mom thought he might be some kind of secret serial killer. She was almost sure I’d end up in a warehouse instead of on Necker Island.”

“Does she even know what Necker Island is?”

“She did once the team met us at the airport.” Abby looks at me, her eyes wide. “To get on the private plane. With two assistants.” She stops abruptly. “God, I’m being so rude. This is Mike and Angela. They’re going to be with me whenever I need them, for whatever I need, I guess.” Abby gives them both a big smile as they reach for my hand to shake it one at a time.

“Thanks, guys,” I say, and Abby snorts.

“No need to be all maternal, Kennedy. I’m fine.”

“Still. Gideon called you and invited you here?”

“I did.” His voice is low and smooth, coming from nearby, and my heart hammers against my ribs. I want to push him onto the ground and straddle him right now—this is by far the best surprise that I’ve ever received—but there are four people standing in a semi-circle around us, plus my sister. “Your mother took a bit of convincing.”

Abby sighs. “She’s got to let me grow up someday.” Then she grins. “I don’t think she realizes I could have called a cab.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “To come to Westport?”

“I would have gladly paid the bill. Welcome to Necker Island, Abby. It’s wonderful to meet you in person.” Gideon extends his hand, and Abby takes it. When she shakes, I notice for the first time there’s a new definition in her muscles. She’s been skinny since the accident, but I haven’t seen her in a few months. This is new.

“Have you been...working out?”

Abby gives me a look. “What, you think I sit around all day?”

We all laugh.

“Let’s go back to the Great House,” Gideon says. “We can relax until lunch, and you two can settle in.” He exchanges introductions with Mike and Angela, and the two island staff members move ahead of us, disappearing down the trail.

I can’t believe she’s here. I can’t believe Gideon invited my sister to join us on our getaway, but it makes perfect sense now that she’s here. I’ve been worrying about her lately—worrying about her for years—and for once it’s nice to know that nothing bad is going to happen to us here.

Gideon shows her to her room. “Fully accessible,” he says, and we head to the terrace on the lower floor near the pool.

On the way there, I thread my fingers through Gideon’s, rising up on tiptoe to press a kiss against his jawline. “Thank you.”

He looks down at me, his green eyes serious. “Are you sure? I know it’s a little departure from the complete privacy we’ve had so far.”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“You mention her every so often, and there’s always a certain look on your face when you do. I thought you’d like some time to enjoy yourself with her. And me.”

“You’re incredible.” I rise up and kiss his jawline again.

We go back out into the sun, settling at a table that is set with a tray of six cocktails, and Gideon hands one to me with a grin. “We can get to know each other for a while, and then swim, if you want.”

I am wearing a bathing suit under my clothes, ready for a dip in the ocean—or the sparkling pool—at any point throughout the day, but a frown comes to my face. “I don’t know if—”

Gideon anticipates my worry. “That’s why the team is here. I’ve vetted them extensively, and they’ll be able to assist her with any activity that’s available to us on the island. I’ve been doing my research.”

“Did you two start without me?” Abby’s voice is bright and clear, and she rolls out of the house onto the terrace with Mike and Angela close behind. Gideon offers them each a cocktail. They each accept one, settling into two nearby lounge chairs while Abby pulls up to our table.

“Not quite,” he says. “Here’s yours.”

“This isn’t spiked, is it?” She lifts the glass to her lips.

Gideon laughs. “Not spiked. The alcohol is in there on purpose.”

Abby leans her head back and closes her eyes. “This is amazing. You’d think I was still twelve years old, the way Mom treats me.”

“No chance of that happening here,” Gideon says.

They go back and forth, and I relax into my seat, letting their voices wash over me. Every last bit of tension in my shoulders is seeping away, now that Abby is here in front of me, laughing and chatting and flirting with Gideon enough to have him laughing. 

Maybe I need to let her grow up, too. 

But the thought comes and goes, as I take another sip of my drink.