Chapter 17
The next morning, I awoke from a dreamy sleep to the sound of Garrett whistling outside the thin wall of palm fronds. Lazily I yawned and drew my arms above my head, stretching to try to fully awaken my body. Squinting through my lashes, I glanced around, and my throat closed up with emotion. A stunning bouquet of fresh-picked tropical pink flowers and green foliage along with a folded piece of paper lay a few inches from my face.
For the most beautiful girl in the world. –G
Holding them close, I breathed in the sweet fragrance, sending my heart into overdrive. His thoughtfulness brought happy tears to my eyes, and I knew I was incapable of stopping the feelings I’d been trying to deny.
Crawling to the opening with the flowers in hand, I found him stretched out on the lawn chair, ankles crossed, wearing nothing but khaki shorts. Staring at him for what seemed like an eternity, I ran my eyes along the side view of his profile. Aviators covered his eyes, hiding the sexy brown color with the smallest flecks of green. He stared across the sea and my sex clenched, eyes pleased to view God’s gift to all women in the universe.
Every cell inside my body stood at attention. He was so strong and powerful and magnificent…and for the time being, he was all mine.
He turned his face toward me and his instant wide smile engulfed me, stealing all the oxygen from my lungs.
“I love the flowers. Thank you.”
“I’m glad.” He pushed the black metal glasses up on his head, and I flushed under his piercing gaze.
“And more so because you took the time to pick them yourself.”
“Not a one-eight-hundred-florist anywhere on the island.” His playful smile rewarded me.
I felt wanted, and the sweet, just-because gesture overwhelmed me. Time spent with him had proven to be the most incredible time of my life, and a warm rush swept through me at the thought.
It would be so easy to fall in love—and to get hurt.
“I gathered up all our things for our date at the lagoon.” He tipped his head to the other side of his chair where there was a small pile of clothes. The pink razor lay on top.
“Hope it takes a while before that thing dulls. I only brought one along.”
“I’ll put it to good use for as long as we can make it last,” he said in a husky voice.
Beyond the trees, we both heard a roaring rumble that sounded like a freight train in the sky. Garrett took off running toward the openness of the sandy shore with me on his heels. Searching the bluest sky, we waited for the source of the noise to make its appearance.
“What is it?” I rushed out in a pant.
“A helicopter.”
“Shit! I’ll light the fire.” The rumbling resonated in the air, and my heart jumped into overdrive.
“No need—it’s flying low and we’ll see it any minute now.”
When it came into view, the vibrant red color against the incredible blue sky had never looked so good.
“Oh my God! Here! We’re here!” I frantically waved my arms as Garrett slumped against the plane, wearing a full smirk.
“Cover your eyes—it’ll throw sand up.”
The helicopter flew over the water before circling back, the blades circulating gusts of wind as it dipped a little lower. I saw the pilot waving his cap as it passed, continuing its path down the beach.
“He’s leaving!” I shook my head in disbelief.
“Hank’s not leaving. He’ll be back.”
“Who’s Hank? Is this your family?”
“I didn’t see anyone else inside, but I’m sure Stone is with him—I’d bet the sale of La Amory Sands on it. Hank’s his personal pilot. He’s searching for a less risky place to land—the palms are too close to shore here.”
“We’re going home,” I said, as if trying to convince myself it was true.
“We’re going home.”
I stood frozen, water rushing over my bronzed feet. He clasped my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine, guiding them to his warm mouth.
“I can’t wait to call my mom.” Guilt hit me like a slap as I said the words. I’d been obsessed with spending every moment I could in bed with Garrett, giving little thought to how my mother was.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“What if she’s not okay? What if I’ve been—”
“It’s all going to be okay. Let’s get our things so we can load up and go home.”
We pulled our suitcases from the plane and picked up the pile of dirty clothes. Garrett folded and shoved the lawn chair into the belly of the aircraft, along with the cushions we’d been sleeping on inside the shelter. “For when they recover the remnants of the plane.”
Staring intently down the sugary white beach, hoping for a glimpse of any sign of Hank or Stone, I laced my hand in Garrett’s. My hand felt so small wrapped in his, the same as when I stood by the ocean.
“Looks like we’ll have something for breakfast other than fucking coconut.” His eyes crinkled, and his lips curled into a playful smile.
“Everything will be back to normal soon.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, drawing me against him. He seemed tense. “Nothing will ever be normal again, Brooke.”
A flash of movement caught both of our attention at the same time. Coming around the point, a beautiful jaw-dropping white yacht graced the water, drawing nearer. People stood at the railing at the front, and the bright red helicopter perched on the helipad at the back.
“Looks like the entire Mitchell family showed up.” Garrett grinned, shaking his head.
“All of them?”
“I’m certain I see Stone, Avery, Chad, Mom, Dad, and Gammy.”
My smile faded at the idea of meeting his whole family, and anxiousness replaced the relief. What will he tell them? Is this the beginning of going our separate ways? Are we over?
“It’s all good. They aren’t going to throw you overboard and feed you to the fish.” He cupped my chin and brushed his lips against mine.
“You’ve just given them a show to spark their curiosity.”
“They’re not stupid—they’ll know something is going on between us, but they won’t ask questions.” He glanced toward the extravagant ship. “Stone and Chad are launching jet skis.”
“Whose yacht is that?”
“It’s chartered.”
I looked around at the palm leaves flittering around in the salty breeze and topaz waters. It had been a place of beauty and pain for me—beauty because I’d found love, and pain because I had to leave my feelings on the island.
“I won’t ever forget this place.”
Garrett reached down, picking up a small seashell. Brushing off the sand, he handed it to me. “A souvenir to remember it by.”
I held it in the palm of my hand, clenching it tight. I didn’t need a token to remember how he’d made me feel. The images of me and Garrett were etched in my brain and soul-deep unforgettable. He’d tattooed my heart.
Two tall men bearing a solid resemblance to Garrett jumped into the water and barreled toward us.
“You look like hell, Garrett,” called out the taller one. He had the same eyes as Garrett, and his voice was filled with relief.
“Hello to you too, Stone.” He flashed a wide smile, showing his perfect white teeth.
“Fucking shit. You two good?”
“We’re good.” Garrett raised his fist to meet his brother’s, and I assumed it was Chad since they shared the same chiseled jawline.
“Thank God. It’s good to see you brother.”
“What the hell took you so long?” Garrett flashed another cocky grin.
“We’ve been cruising island to island and flying over each one looking for your ass since the day after you went down. Why the hell couldn’t you keep the plane in the fucking air?”
He laughed. “Long story. This is Brooke Sheridan. My brothers, Stone and Chad.”
“Nice to meet you.” Chad displayed a big smile. “Make him pay you suffering and grievance. It couldn’t have been easy to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with him.”
“He’s been pretty tough to endure.” I looked up at Garrett. “But his cooking made up for it.”
Both Stone and Chad let out a chuckle before Garrett reached for the bags. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
It took two trips to safely load our things on the yacht, and when I actually stepped foot onboard, I almost fell to my knees. His parents and Gammy met us at the ladder, and as soon as Garrett stepped foot on the vessel, his mother threw her arms around him, breaking into a partial sob mixed with a cry of relief. Relief overtook her face, replacing what looked to be over a week of anguish as she caressed the back of his head and sank her face into his neck.
“Mom, I’m good. It’s all good. We’re alive.”
“Hush. Let me have a moment.” Tears flowed down her cheeks as she cupped the sides of his face. “I was so frightened. I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again. Just let me look at you for a minute.”
“Stop crying, Mom. I’m here now.” He wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs before drawing her in for a tight embrace.
“It’s good to see you, son.” His father clapped him on the back before latching onto him.
Tears burned my eyes. I’d seen this side of him while on we were on the island, but witnessing him with his family opened the floodgates, sending tears trickling down my cheeks.
“You scared the hell out of us.” Gammy touched his upper arm.
“Yeah, well, you should have been ten thousand feet in the air in a dead plane with nothing but water in sight. I was scared too.” He lifted her petite body in his arms and spun her in a circle before kissing her cheek. “Good to see you, Gams.”
His admission took me by surprise. Not once had he ever looked afraid. He’d looked fierce, determined, and serious, but never afraid.
I stood at the railing, watching the Mitchell family share their moment, releasing happy tears and cries of relief.
“This family is the closest thing to the mafia a layperson can get.” A beautiful blonde with blue eyes leaned against the railing with me. “I’m Avery, Stone’s wife.”
“I’m Brooke Sheridan.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Would you like me show you to your stateroom? There’s a connecting bathroom with a shower, and there’s also a tub if you want to soak.”
“I would love to call my mother. Are there working phones?”
“Of course. Let me show you to your room and I’ll fetch one for you.”
Garrett turned toward me. “Hang on, I’ll go with you.”
I flashed him a weary smile. “I can manage. Spend time with your family.”
He curled his arm around my shoulders. “Lead the way, Ave.”
His Gammy lifted her eyebrows and her eyes shown brilliantly as the family stood in awe. They didn’t ask verbally, but each one of them had questions in their eyes.
“You two hungry?” his mother called out.
“Starving.”
“Anything in particular?”
“No seafood or coconut,” Garrett and I said in unison, and then he added, “Anything else will be fine.”
He tossed our suitcases on the sofa then asked, “Where’s Savannah?”
“She’s staying with Lindsey. Being this far away from a doctor made me too nervous—you know, in case she has a seizure.”
“Has she been having them?”
“No, but I didn’t want to be hundreds of miles from the closest clinic or hospital. She’d love to talk to you. After you clean up and eat, we’ll video chat with her.”
“I’d like that.” He turned toward me. “You’ll love my niece, Savannah. She has adorable dimples and bounces around like she’s the happiest little six-year-old in the world. Just don’t ask her anything if you don’t want an honest opinion.”
“She sounds like she has you wrapped around her finger.” I loved the way he beamed when he talked about her.
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone and go help your mom in the kitchen.”
“Please don’t forget the phone.”
“Why don’t you take a relaxing shower and eat a real meal first—it will do you good,” Garrett said softly.
“What? No, I need to hear her voice. I need to make sure she’s okay.” My worst fear was something happening to her.
“Of course I’ll bring you the phone,” Avery said as she rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind him—he’s only trying to look out for you. The Mitchell men can be pretty determined and always think they know what’s best for their girls.”
As soon as the door closed behind her, I challenged, “What’s gotten into you? Why would you want me to wait to call her?”
“Of course I want you to talk to her. I wasn’t thinking straight.” He tossed around a few articles of clothing. “Most of this shit needs to be thrown out.”
“Garrett,” I whispered.
He kept shuffling things around, moving his belongings here and there but not really doing anything at all. His shoulders rose and fell with his deep breaths. “Fucking sand all in my clothes.”
“I don’t think ruined clothes or a suitcase full of sand has anything to do with it.”
He whipped around and came at me so fast it was a blur. I didn’t have time to react before his mouth covered mine in a desperate, passionate kiss. His hands found my hair, releasing the band and fisting the locks between his fingers.
His kiss was intense and hard.
“It’s you…all I want to focus on is you.”