Page 33 of Love’s Decree

“I want to go home. The club house is great. I love the guys, but I want to be in our home.”

“We can sleep at your condo tonight, sweetheart.”

“I was actually referring to your brownstone. Can we stay there? I don’t know. That feels like home to me.”

I smiled at her. “Let’s go home.”

19

RORY

Clear blue skies, the white sandy beach, and the heat of the sun shined down on us. The private jet was perfect. I slept in Aasim’s arms on the way down here. When we pulled up to the villa, I knew I would never want to leave. Aruba was even more beautiful than I expected it to be.

Aasim hired a chef, housekeeper, and butler to ensure we wouldn’t have to lift a finger while we were here. We even had a driver if we left the villa. The moment we walked into the villa, the staff greeted us. While the butler grabbed our bags, the chef led us to the kitchen to go over the menu.

The butler offered to give us a tour, but I preferred to explore on our own. We took our time exploring the place we would call home for the next five days. The moment I saw the backyard with the cabana and pool, I knew he chose the right place. It was perfect if we didn’t feel like going over to the beach.

“I can tell it’s going to be hard to leave here,” I said.

“We’ll have to leave at some point. If you really like it here, we can get a rental property,” Aasim offered.

I leaned over and kissed him. The rental property sounded perfect.

“What do you want to do first?” he asked.

“I’m starving, so we should eat. Then we can lie by the pool. I just want to lie around today if that’s cool with you,” I said as I looked over my shoulder at him.

“Whatever you want.”

I went into the bedroom to change into a bathing suit. The chef was already working on lunch for us. Aromas flooded my nose and made my stomach rumble. I grabbed my current read S.O.L: Save Our Love by Kami to keep me company by the pool. Kami was one of my favorite authors. When she called her latest book a pamphlet, I knew it would be perfect for this trip.

I took a seat under the cabana. The butler came over. “Ms. Towns, can I get you anything to drink?”

“I’ll take a pina colada with Malibu rum please,” I replied.

“Coming right up,” he said as he left.

Aasim made his way out, puffing on a Cuban cigar. His six-pack and tattoos were on full display because all he wore were swim trunks. I could stare at him all day. He was all mine, and that was all that mattered. Aasim sat next to me and placed his arm on my thigh. As he got comfortable, the butler and chef came over with my drink and some finger foods.

Life looked very different today than it did several days ago. If it wasn’t for Aasim, I didn’t know how different things would be for me. I rubbed his head as he laid on my chest. Gratitude filled me as I recalled the conversation we had about trusting each other. Trust was the foundation of everything we’d done together.

I got some reading done while he did some laps in the pool. After we ate and grew tired of the sun, Aasim and I found ourselves in bed. We made love until we were both tired. Between the sun and our time in bed, I was exhausted. We woke up several hours later.

“Wake up, sleepy head. We’ve got dinner plans,” Aasim whispered in my ear.

“I thought we were staying in. I’m too tired to move,” I groaned.

“If you miss dinner, you’re going to be upset. I promise.”

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. This man was always up to something.

“Oh, and wear that baby blue dress I saw you trying on yesterday,” he said.

I didn’t ask questions, just dragged my tired tanned body out of the bed. An hour later, we were dressed and heading out the door. I looked around for the car and driver, but no one was out front. Aasim took my hand and led me on a short walk toward the beach. When we touched the sand, I removed my sandals. This was my first time on the beach since we arrived, and I needed to feel the sand in between my toes. Aasim hated the sand and didn’t dare to remove his slides.

As we got closer, I realized there was a table with a white tablecloth and candles on it. A balloon arch said “I Love You” using baby blue and white balloons. There were also small lights that resembled candles that lit up the beach.

“Aww, Aasim, you did all of this for me?” I asked as my eyes watered. I couldn’t believe my eyes.