“For a first date, things are getting much too serious.”
I caught him off guard. After a beat, he started to laugh, the sound loud and buoyant. It caught. Before long we were both laughing, leaning into each other, enjoying the ride. He brought me even closer, squeezing me to his side, placing a kiss on my temple. His mouth came to my ear. “I’d never take my wife on a date that I’ve been on before. Besides, it’s not even possible.”
Why not?I signed.
He shrugged and signed back.I’ve never been on one before, except the times with you back home in Natchitoches. It was never about that with—his hands stilled—them. Rarely did I see the same woman twice.
“Did Elliott go up with you?” I spoke into his ear.
No.He signed.I went alone.
I rested my head against his arm.Not this time,I signed.
That’s my girl,he signed back.
Far enough from the shore that it was safe to be lifted, we were secured in. I held tight to the straps, closing my eyes. A weightless sensation tingled from my toes to the top of my head, and then I let out awhooo!of surprise as the surge sent us up higher and higher. I couldn’t hear Brando over the roar of the wind, but when I opened my eyes, I saw him gazing over the island at the boats riding over the glassy water like toys in an endless tub, a look of pure absorption on his face. He turned and a wild smile broke free from me.
“I sayyesto a second date!” I yelled, hoping he could hear, letting out a worthy howl afterward.
He had. He leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss. Then we flew like two lovebirds under the sky, the world below us full of endless possibilities.
Chapter Twenty-One
Scarlett
Endless possibilitiesseemed like the perfect way to describe our world. If this was “dating,” it almost felt magical in spirit. I knew it only felt that way because I dated my husband. Each day seemed better than the last. Nothing he did was exceptionally romantic. It was more like thoughtful, and it made me feel the life beneath my skin.
We paddleboarded during sunsets that hypnotized the eye—long streaks of yellow that almost seemed peach, blushed with reds against the navy blue of the sky—so full of heat that they coated the world below in fiery purple. I impressed Brando with my ability to do a handstand on my board and not tip the entire thing over.
Uncle Tito insisted on bringing Aunt Lola horseback riding through a coconut plantation. As our men rode ahead on the worn-down dirt path through dense vegetation, we were left to our own devices behind and began to make up our own ditties about our knights and their mighty steeds. Especially when one of their horses would pick up the trot and their backsides would bounce in the saddle.
The men didn’t seem to find our lyrics as amusing as we did. Every so often one or the other would shake their head and blow out an exasperated breath. When Uncle Tito’s horse decided it had enough of the slow pace and took off, tilting him sideways in the saddle to screeches of, “Too fast, Peppermint! Too fast! Whoooooaa!” Aunt Lola caught the giggles and became unglued. And shedidfall off.
After that it was:
White water rafting to find other waterfalls, though we hadn’t found one as special as the one on Mystical Island.
Swimming with manta rays that had wingspans wide enough to block the sunlight from piercing the water.
Trekking through jungles after sunset to find creatures that only came out at night.
Hiking Mystical Island from one side to another, to find all the mysteries in her palm.
Slathering each other in volcanic mud and then washing it off in geothermal hot springs.
“Ahh!” Uncle Tito said with a beatific smile on his face, settling in the hot water. He nudged Brando. “These springs have restorative properties, nephew. Good for the womb.” He winked at me.
Brando blanched—as sweaty as he was—but recovered quickly when he caught me looking at him.
On an off day when we had nothing planned, I flipped the coin on Brando and tookhimon a surprise date, which included sharks. I was surprised when Captain and Uncle Tito entered the water with Brando to go diving in search of the beasts of the sea. The group was going to watch as the guides fed the predators. After that, they were going to explore mysterious wrecks. Since I was not a certified diver, and neither was Aunt Lola, we happily stayed on the boat, waiting for our men to return.
“What would ever possess people to do such a thing?” she said, offering me a bite from her plate of fruit.
I took a pineapple chunk with thanks, peering over the side of the boat, not seeing anything but slow-rocking, Stygian-blue waves. “Beats me.” I shrugged. “Brando seems to enjoy the water—whatever it entails. At first, I thought he wanted the adrenaline rush that comes from being up against something much stronger than him. But I’m not so sure now. I think he enjoys being in their company. Knowing they can damage him, but respecting them enough not to provoke them to.”
“I know my Tito doesn’t look like much,” she said, biting into an exploding strawberry. “But he has a side to him that fools many. He can be quite barbaric.”
I nodded, not adding anything else to this statement. It was one of those declarations that took trust to believe, if you hadn’t seen it first-hand.
