The Kindred Soul of Nora Faye: The Tethered Soul Series, Book 3

by Laura C. Reden

  Easton planted a wet kiss on the back of my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. I lifted my head, exposing my neck, and he trailed his mouth up to my ear. My hand tightened around the base of the sink, and my head began to swim.

  “Take off the dress!” I said in a breathy, needy voice.

  Easton undid the uppermost buttons from the corset, and I could expand my lungs for the first time since slipping on the dress. I sucked in a deep, much-needed breath of air. He lifted the gown from the floor, bumping into me. I laughed out loud as I nearly fell into the toilet. “Shhh,” Easton said from behind as he stifled his own laughter. I gripped the top of my corset and yanked it down with as much force as I could, freeing myself from the tightness and suffocation.

  A glisten of gold flickered from my bust, dropping into the toilet bowl below with a splash. I went rigid. “What was that?” Easton asked, bumping into my back and pushing me forward to get a look over my shoulder. His body pressed against mine, forcing me to take a step forward. Tripping, my hands hit the back wall once more. Only this time, one of my hands landed squarely on a button, pressing it until the toilet flushed fiercely. I watched Easton’s wedding band vanish in a violent vortex below. My heart stopped.

  “What? What was that?” Easton repeated, still arching over my shoulder. Turbulence struck, and the lights flickered on and off. I pushed my hands into either side of the cabin walls, trying to hold on. The lights went completely out, and my heart pounded in my chest. Then, in the blackness of the cabin, a knock rapped on the door.

  “Ma’am, you’re going to have to go back to your seat. The seatbelt light is back on. Ma’am?”

  “Shit!” I said, tugging at my dress.

  “Ma’am!”

  Chapter 9

  After a long sleepless night on the plane, we landed on the main island of Tallaway. The sun had recently risen, but already the air was warm and thick with humidity. We were ushered through security and placed in the back seat of a taxi, our belongings in the trunk. The island of Taiseen was a thirty-minute boat ride from the main island.

  “Welcome to Tallaway!” Our driver said.

  “Thank you, sir,” Easton said before his eyes settled on me. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  A tired smile spread across my face. “I didn’t sleep very well on the plane. But other than being sleepy and a little embarrassed, I’m good,” I said, my wedding dress draped across my lap.

  “You’re still embarrassed? Why? Don’t be . . . You're never going to see those people again,” Easton promised.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I just wish I didn’t have to walk back to my seat with a half unbuttoned wedding dress!” I let out a huffing laugh. “You should have seen the stares they gave me!” My eyes lost focus in the memory.

  “Oh, I know. I got them too,” Easton said. I giggled because it took a lot to embarrass him. He was usually so set on not making a fool of himself and denying his desires in that miniature bathroom. I think that walk of shame did him in though, and it was almost worth it to see the flush in his cheeks.

  Easton paid the driver, and he helped us load our bags onto the boat. My cheeks painted red when I realized the small boat was occupied with not only us but two other couples from the plane. My eyes dropped the second I remembered them, and I hoped they hadn’t recognized me outside of my wedding gown. . . The wedding gown I carried before me.

  Once Easton sat by my side, my eyes lifted ever so slightly to the couples. Both the men were playing with their new wedding bands. I lifted my head to Easton and leaned into his ear. “Never going to see them again, huh?” I whispered. His eyes left mine to look at the other passengers. I knew the moment he recognized them when his face flushed crimson. His eyes dropping to the bottom of the panga.

  “Are you guys honeymooning on Taiseen, too?” One of the men asked.

  “Yeah, man. Congratulations!”

  Easton cleared his throat. “Yeah, we’ll be there as well. All week. Congratulations to you guys as well,” he said. I smiled at the other women.

  “Man, I just can’t get used to this ring!” One man said aloud. My stomach dropped, and I turned my head away from Easton, looking out to sea.

  “I can’t either! It’s so foreign,” the other guy said.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Easton’s head drop. I knew he was examining his bare finger. “Hey, you never gave me my ring,” he said, quiet enough. I felt the familiar tightness of the dress wrapping around my ribcage, even though it sat draped across my lap.

  “You didn’t get a ring?” One particularly nosey passenger asked. The two couples stared at us, waiting for an answer.

  “Oh, no, we just had a . . . a . . . well, it’s a funny story. You see, we basically married before the officiant had time to do his job. So, we were just going to exchange our rings later.” Easton shook his head, smiling. I felt his stare sear into me as I pretended not to notice. He patted the side of my arm, drawing me in.

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “The ring? Do you have it?” Easton asked.

  “Oh, yeah! I just . . . it’s in my bag,” I said, shaking my head. Easton nodded, accepting my answer easily enough. But for how long? How long could he go on believing that his ring was safe in my bag and not . . . I don’t know, in the belly of the plane? In a sewage tank? I wasn’t sure what happened to the ring after it flushed down the airplane toilet. But I was sure that it was gone, and I had failed my very first task as a new wife. I looked out over the pale blue ocean and wondered how crushed Easton would be when he found out.

  When we reached the little island of Taiseen, an islander wrapped a lei around each one of our heads, welcoming us to the resort. I breathed in the aroma of plumeria around my neck. The lei was so beautiful I wondered if I could preserve it and bring it home. I followed Easton mindlessly, looking at the purple and white flowers. “Do you think I could dry these out?” I asked.

  “What for?” Easton asked, looking over at me.

  “To keep them,” I said.

  Easton chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Beck, we have lifetimes of leis ahead of us. I promise,” he said. My stomach dipped nervously, but I smiled at the thought of endless beaches with the love of my life. Was this really how it was going to be now? Were we to just visit every island on earth, hike every waterfall, and wear all the leis? How did we get so lucky? I squeezed his hand that rested on my shoulder and followed our bags to the check-in desk. Easton handled the check-in while my eyes wandered from the floor to the ceiling and everything in between. Even the ceilings were stunning. Teak wood arches and large wicker chandeliers.

  “Room six,” Easton said, holding up our card keys. I tucked my hand in the crook of his arm as we strolled through the grounds. Hammocks tied to trees, infinity pools, tiki torches; I’d never been to a place so luxurious in my life. Lives. But now that I’d seen it with my very own eyes, I didn’t know how Easton would get me back on that plane. I stopped briefly, pulling on Easton’s arm, and I kicked off my shoes. I stood for a moment while Easton did the same. The warm sand underneath my feet and in between my toes. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up to the sun. The sun rays kissed my face, and I smiled with open arms.

  “Mmm,” I hummed.

  “I know, right?” Easton said.

  “I cannot believe this place,” I said.

  “You haven’t even seen the best part!” He pulled on my arm. I reached down to grab my shoes.

  “I don’t know what could be better than this? Honestly, I could park it right here in the sand and be the happiest girl all week long.”

  “Wife,” Easton corrected me with a smile. It still sounded weird, and I wondered how long it would take to get used to hearing it. We stepped onto the dock and strolled slowly to our overwater bungalow. I ran my hands down the wood railing as my eyes searched for movement in the water. “I think six is at the end,” Easton said. The panga’s engine started, and it idled away slowly. When we reached the end
of the dock and stood at the doorway of the sixth bungalow, Easton turned to me with a wicked smile. He bent down and scooped me up in his arms. I wailed in laughter as we burst over the threshold.

  I squealed, delirious from lack of sleep and the emotional last twenty-four hours. Easton kicked the door closed behind him and took me straight to the bed. He unloaded me, throwing me into the air. I landed on top of a white feather comforter as soft as a cloud. My eyes flickered around the room, taking in my surroundings, but Easton was quick to jump on top of me. I squealed once more before his kiss silenced me, and my focus zeroed in on him and him alone. No more wedding fails, no more plane passengers, no more missing ring; just me, my husband, and this bed.

  I arched my hips into his. My hands grew greedy as I grasped and clawed at his back, pulling his shirt off. He planted a kiss from the neck down to my tattoo as I squirmed, kicking off my clothing. I don’t know how long we spent showing each other our love, but when I saw it manifest before my very eyes in a warm glowing light between us, I knew that we were making the best of our time on the Taiseen island.

  My heart still pounding, I smiled, and the warm tears of joy streamed down my cheeks. I brought my fingertips to the corner of my eyes and blotted my tears. “Are you OK?” Easton asked, his hand tangled in my hair.

  I didn’t know why I was crying, but the tears that sat on my fingers before my eyes couldn’t be mistaken. “Yeah, I think I’m just . . . I don’t know? I think I’m just . . . happy?” I said. What else could it have been? I had been so tightly wound with the wedding, and then the airplane incident. I guess being here with Easton was like shedding pounds of fear, worry, and anxiety. And better yet, it was all sinking in. He was my . . . husband. I had him for the rest of my life, for the rest of . . . time? “I’m sorry, that’s really weird isn’t it?” I asked.

  Easton stroked my hair. “No, it’s not weird,” he said. I turned to him with loving eyes, and when a smirk escaped him, I grabbed the nearest pillow and thrashed it into his face. “What? What? It’s a little weird, but I accept you for you!” Easton cried out through laughter.

  I giggled, wiping away the rest of my overly emotional tears, and hopped to my feet. I pulled on my lounge clothes that had been tossed clear across the room and ventured out into the bungalow. The teak wood creaked as I walked to the middle of the living room and looked down through a window on the floor. The aqua blue water lay beneath. “Did you see this?” I looked back to Easton, who was still sprawled on the bed with his eyes closed.

  “See what?” He pulled himself up and came to my side. Slowly, I placed one foot on top of the window. When it felt sturdy enough, I put my full weight on the glass. I smiled at Easton, and he grabbed my hand, pulling me to the slider door. “If you think that is cool, check out the deck.” Easton slid the door open, and warm, briny air rushed inside the villa. A large deck opened up over the water. Our very own dock. Two lounge chairs and a ladder leading straight into the water.

  “Stop it!” I said in amazed disbelief. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to leave this place! You spoiled me!” I said, crawling into the lounge chair. “I’m so tired. I could fall asleep right here! But I don’t want to miss a thing,” I said before I closed my eyes, truly not wanting to miss a single second of this stunning island. When a splash sprayed me, my eyes flew open, and I nearly hopped out of the lounge chair.

  “Wow, Beck! It’s so warm! You have to come in!” Easton called out.

  “I can’t just jump in the ocean,” I said, wanting nothing more than to be carefree like he was.

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know?” I looked around nervously. There wasn’t a soul in sight. “What about sharks? And stuff?” I asked.

  “Beck, if you don’t get in this water, I’m coming up there. And you don’t want to know what will happen if I do,” Easton said before ducking under the water and disappearing from sight. I sighed, not knowing what was holding me back. Other than me, that was. I was always the one holding me back. But I didn’t want that anymore. I pulled my shirt off and shimmied out of my joggers, exposing my white lace bra and matching panties. I took one more look around, and when the coast was clear, I ran and jumped off the dock, letting out a small scream before I hit the lukewarm water with a splash. My body submerged for only a few seconds, but it was long enough to bring back the fear of drowning in the river. As quick as I jumped in, I swam back to the ladder and climbed up the dock. Easton splashing me as I did.

  “What? I did it!” I said.

  “Yup, you sure did,” Easton said before he swam to the steps after me. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or if it was my own guilt for not being more of a free spirit that sat unsettled in my stomach, but I buried it, either way. This wasn’t a place of worry, and I wouldn’t let myself get me. I padded into the bungalow with wet feet and fetched us two towels. “Thanks,” Easton said after I handed him one.

  We dried off before curling up in the lounge chairs and staring out amongst the crystal clear water. Neither of us said much, and I imagined his eyes were closed before mine had finally lost their long battle. Lulled to sleep by the sounds of the lapping water, we slept until nearly noon. And even then, when we woke, I wasn’t convinced I had ever stopped dreaming. Life was as beautiful as the island of Taiseen, and I had unlimited time to experience all of it. We did, together.

  Chapter 10

  Day two of our honeymoon and the slow hum of relaxation had fully sunk in. My breathing had deepened, my heartbeat grew to a steady rhythm, and my thoughts quieted. Island life was good for me, and I had already promised myself I would come back. Not just to this island, but all of them. Easton and I would explore every island on this green earth. I didn’t care if it took hundreds of lives; it was my first Tethered Soul goal, and it made my heart sing with excitement.

  “The sand is so white and fine here,” I said, peering out behind my coffee mug to the white beach beyond.

  Easton looked down to his bare feet and dug his toes under the sand. “It’s beautiful,” he said leisurely.

  “Do you think they’re all like this? All the islands?” I asked.

  “No. Some will have brown sand. Some won’t have any sand at all. Just shells or small pebbles. You’ve never been to an island before?” Easton asked.

  “Not before this. . . I could live like this forever,” a low hum sounded from my throat and my eyes closed for a brief moment, taking in the perfect day.

  “It’s about to get even better. Want to know what I have planned for today?” Easton asked.

  My eyes fluttered with anticipation, and I set my coffee down in my lap. “What’s that?” I asked. Easton’s excitement brought a smile to my face. If he was this excited, I already knew it would be perfect.

  “Skydiving!” he exclaimed.

  Coffee spewed from my mouth and misted my legs. Fear froze my mind, and not a single thought had passed as my once calm heartbeat kicked into a gallop. “What?” I asked though I knew I had heard him correctly.

  “Skydiving?” Easton replied. His tone, once excited, was now laced in trepidation. He paused, waiting for my reply. A sign of some sort that I was going to be alright. But when it didn’t come, he continued. “You may not remember, but in your first life, we had an agreement of sorts. You didn’t have long to live, and there were things you had wanted to do . . . to experience. We made a list, and we crossed items off the list as we went. There are still items we haven’t crossed off,” Easton said.

  “I know that! But . . . I don’t recall skydiving being one of them!” I said as I wiped the coffee droplets off my legs with a napkin. The truth was, I probably didn’t remember half of the things we put on that list.

  Easton quieted. “Well . . . technically. . . it wasn’t. But it is really close to bungee jumping! And that one was on your list.”

  “Are we really bringing that back up?”

  “Well, you didn’t get a chance to experience it? So, it’s back on the list,” Easton shrug
ged as if I were supposed to have known he would make that ridiculous rule. I sighed, knowing that he was probably right. If there was something on the list that I didn’t complete, it made little sense for it to be crossed off. But for the record, I never agreed.

  I didn’t want to jump out of an airplane. It wasn’t my idea of fun. But, there was a small part of me—no matter how small that part may be—that argued it was my idea of living. Truly living. Pushing the limits . . . It terrified me. But there was a taste of something else too, something that I could only assume was excitement. What if I jumped and loved it? What if I thought it was exhilarating? Would I want to miss out on that? Of course not. And if I was going to be here as long as Easton had, or longer, shouldn’t I know what I like? I guess I would have to jump to understand it. Understand me.

  “OK. I’ll do it,” I said beneath my breath. Easton’s face lit up. “But! We are amending that list!” I pointed my finger at him and raised a brow.

  “Sure! I’ll find a new menu, and we can make a new one!” Easton said. Menu? I wasn’t sure what he meant about that. Not all of my memory had escaped the shadows, and some details I feared were lost forever. But after a year of asking for clarification, I grew sick of hearing myself question my first life. It only made me sad to think of the memories I had lost. Now, I only asked if I thought it might be important, and this didn’t sound very important to me.

  My stomach flipped about a hundred times before we even arrived at the headquarters. I’d been quiet during the training session, much like I was for the bungee jumping instruction. My mind a stew of nervous energy, regret, and a touch of nausea. Easton stepped away with his instructor. I watched nervously as he handed the guy cash and patted him on the back. I tried to focus, but my thoughts were scrambled.

  “What was that?” I asked Easton upon his return.

  “What?”

  “That?” I motioned to where he stood with the instructor.