“The pilot says we’ll be landing in half an hour,” the attendant informs us, breaking me from my thoughts as she clears ourplates and trash. “You might want to prepare for the Caribbean heat, Mrs. Brewer-Russo.”
Alina’s eyes light up at the slip, her head whipping toward me. “Caribbean! I knew it!”
I shoot the attendant a look that has her retreating hastily toward the cockpit. Well, she’s getting fucking fired for spoiling the surprise half an hour early.
“That narrows it down to what, twenty-eight countries and territories?” I counter.
“Still more information than you were willing to give,” Alina counters smugly.
As we begin our descent, I get back into the seat next to her, holding her hand as she peers out the window, gasping at the view below. Turquoise waters so clear you can see the seabed even from this height, white beaches curving around lush green islands like rings of salt.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispers, her breath fogging the glass.
“Wait until you see it up close,” I tell her, watching her wonder with satisfaction. This is exactly why I brought her here; to see that look on her face.
When we touch down, I get up and find the bag Susan packed for Alina. It contains flip-flops, a wrap-skirt, and a short-sleeved t-shirt that Alina quickly changes into in the bathroom.
As soon as she returns, the cabin door opens to a wave of humid heat, shocking after Cleveland’s perpetual chill.
I guide her down the steps onto the tarmac of Providenciales International Airport, where another car waits to take us to the marina. Alina takes in the palm trees, the bright tropical flowers, the intense blue of the sky with naked amazement.
“This is incredible,” she says, squeezing my hand. “Is this where we’re staying?”
I allow myself a small smile as I open the car door for her. “Not quite. We have one more journey to make.”
Her confusion is evident as we drive through the island, past resort complexes and tourist attractions toward the marina where the‘La Fortuna’waits for us. Colin stands on the dock beside it, scanning the area with professional vigilance.
“A boat?” Alina questions as I help her from the car. “Where are we going? And what doesLa Fortunamean? God, Raffaele, I have so many questions.”
I nod to Colin, who acknowledges me with a slight inclination of his head before boarding ahead of us and taking his spot next to Ian, who’s at the wheel.
“You’ll see,” I tell her, leading her toward the dock where our final transportation awaits. “And it means luck.”
“How fitting,” she sighs happily.
It’s hard to take my eyes off my wife. The contrast between her pale skin and the vibrant colors surrounding us—the turquoise water, the blinding white of the boat, the deep blue sky—makes her look like a painting come to life.
My wife, experiencing her first taste of the wider world. With me. Because of me.
Mine.
The boat cuts through water so blue it looks artificial, splitting the surface into white foam that sprays across the bow. I stand behind Alina, my chest pressed against her back, arms wrapped around her waist as she gasps at every flying fish and distant island on the horizon.
The wind whips her red hair against my face, carrying the scent of her shampoo mingled with salt and tropical flowers. Each small sound of wonder she makes feeds something dark and possessive inside me.
My need to show her that everything I own and everything I am rises with each second.
“I never knew water could be this color,” she marvels, leaning back into my embrace. “It’s like someone poured gemstones into the ocean.”
I tighten my hold around her waist, my thumb tracing circles just beneath the hem of her t-shirt, finding bare skin. “Wait until you see it from the villa.”
“How much further?” she asks, tilting her face up to mine.
I gesture toward the distant shore, where a small, lush island rises from the sea like a green jewel set in turquoise. “There. That’s our destination.”
“Oh my God,” she whispers, her tone reverent as we draw closer, and the details become clear.
Pristine beaches giving way to tropical vegetation, a winding stone path leading up a gentle slope, and at the top, gleaming white against the verdant backdrop, a sprawling villa.
