by JA Low
“Welcome home, sir,” one of the managers greets Rhys, and they shake hands. There’s a fleet of golf carts waiting, and we all get in.
“It’s nice to be back on the island,” Rhys tells the manager as we zoom along the path toward the accommodations.
Eventually, we pull up to a gorgeous, whitewashed villa on the beach. When we step out of the golf cart, you can see the turquoise water in front of us.
This is spectacular.
Then to your right, through the lush, tropical gardens, I can see the giant pool. Our villa is hidden away from the pool area because of the thick vegetation.
The manager hops out of the golf cart, grabs our suitcases, and heads toward the large glass door of our private villa.
“Thank you, Carl. I’ve got it from here,” Rhys tells the manager, who gives me a welcoming smile and jumps back in his golf cart, disappearing into the gardens.
“Oh my goodness, this place is paradise, Rhys.” The excitement of our holiday is taking over.
Rhys pushes open the glass doors to our villa, and my jaw drops.
Oh, wow.
In the middle of the room is a gorgeous king-size carved wooden bed with white drapes hanging from the posts. There’s a kitchenette set up with fresh cocktails, a fruit basket, and a cheese platter.
Hunger hits me at that moment, so I waltz over and cut off some cheese and place it on my cracker and pop it into my mouth.
Then I notice the en-suite behind the bedroom, which has floor-to-ceiling stone tiles, the largest shower I’ve ever seen, so big you could fit a couple of people in there easily. Then there’s the oversized egg-shaped tub that looks out through the floor-to-ceiling glass window to a private garden, where there’s what looks like a hot tub.
“Is that a hot tub?” I turn and look at Rhys.
“Sure is.” He grins.
“Okay, I need to get into that, stat.” I start to undress, which makes Rhys chuckle.
“It’s private enough that you won’t need swimwear,” he adds. I turn and look over my shoulder, to which he wiggles his brows and starts to undress.
“Are you sure it’s private?”
“I created it so it would be.” He grins.
Okay, that’s good enough for me.
Quickly undressing, I then make my way toward the hot tub, leaving tempting breadcrumbs of clothing behind me until I’m entirely naked.
39
Rhys
Ariana looks like an absolute goddess standing before me naked with the tropical gardens behind her. Her awe over this entire holiday, from the private jet to me flying out her sisters and catering for her friends to my gorgeous holiday home, gets me hard. I want to spoil her. Treat her like the queen she is.
I know she doesn’t need me to provide for her, but I want to.
I like to.
No, love to.
I want to give her everything she could ever desire in this world, just like she has by loving me. She has no idea what I have planned for her tonight. I really hope she likes my surprise because it took a little bit of magic to make it happen.
“You coming in?” Ariana calls from the edge of the tub. “Or you just going to stand there all day staring?”
I watch as she slowly steps into the round tub, and her nakedness disappears beneath the surface. I also watch in utter delight as she closes her eyes and bites her bottom lip as the warm water starts to relax her.
I kick off my underwear and stride toward the tub, unable to keep myself from Ariana any longer. Seconds later, I’m sinking into the warm water and can instantly feel my muscles relax from the day of traveling.
Ariana swims over and wraps herself around me. “Thank you for all this.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Pulling her closer to me, I hold her in my arms.
“Oh, but I want to.” She gives me a mischievous look, her chocolate eyes twinkling with desire. Her hand slips between us and wraps around my length, which makes me hiss.
“I think I’m okay with his kind of gratitude.”
She continues to make me harder with each heavenly stroke.
“I’m sure you are.” She grins when she grips me tighter, making me groan as my eyes roll back.
“You know that I believe in equality. So, it’s only fair that I give you an equal amount of gratitude.” My hand moves between her thighs, which are now wrapped around my waist, giving me easy access. My fingers sink inside of her, and now it’s Ariana’s turn to moan while her eyes roll back inside her head. I need to be inside of her, and this water is getting in the way of that. I pick her up and place her ass on the edge of the tub and slide straight into her. I become lost in the sensations, feeling her warmth around me, taking me in deeper and deeper. Ariana’s moans become louder and louder until I’m unable to take it any longer, and we both crash over the edge together.
It takes us a couple of moments to regain our breaths.
“Hold on,” Ariana tells me as she jumps out of the hot tub with her hand between her legs, and she rushes into the bathroom.
What is she doing?
Then I watch as she grabs a towel and wipes herself clean before coming back out again with a wide grin on her face. She jumps back in and takes a seat beside me. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and we both look up at the blue sky together, taking in the sounds of the birdlife around us.
“I never want to leave.” She sighs while cuddling into me.
“We don’t have to,” I tell her.
“Pretty sure the Davenport Group is going to miss their CEO.” She chuckles.
“All I need is Wi-Fi, and I’m set.” I contemplate running away to live on a tropical island.
“Maybe one day.” She sighs.
Ariana and I walk into the large dining room where everyone has taken their seats around the oversized dining table. There’s waitstaff walking around handing out cocktails. As I look over, Mom and Patrice look a little red in the cheeks. How many cocktails have they had already?
“Nice place.” Logan slaps me on the back.
That’s a huge compliment coming from him. Of all Ariana’s friends, he’s been the hardest one to win over, and I get it. His company and my company are in the same field of business, but I feel like we’re so different from each other that it doesn’t matter. Even if we weren’t, it still wouldn’t bother me. I run my own race and do not worry about anyone else.
“Thanks for having us.” Logan holds up his glass to mine as we clink them together. “And thanks for making Ariana happy, too,” he tells me before joining his family in the corner.
I’m in now.
I’ve one hundred percent become part of the group, and that thought makes me smile.
I clear my throat and tap a knife on the edge of my glass tumbler, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Thanks…” once the room has quietened down, I continue, “… I just wanted to say thank you all so much for coming down here…” reaching out, I place a hand on Ariana’s shoulder, “… and celebrating this new year in Ariana and my relationship.” I look down at Ariana, who gives me a loving smile. “She saved me this year.”
There’s a couple of aww’s from the table.
“Not sure there’s anything I could buy Ariana that would show her how much I love her.”
Ariana’s eyes become a little glassy as she takes in my heartfelt words.
“Then I realized the one thing she has wanted for such a long time, I could get it for her.”
Ariana frowns at my comment. I can see on her face that she’s trying to work out where I am going with this.
“Say hello to your parents.”
Ariana’s eyes widen as she takes in the sound of the doors opening and her parents walking through. She’s up off her feet and rushing toward them, with her sisters not far behind. The table erupts as they take in the scene before them all. Ariana’s friends send me praises, and Ariana is a bundle of tears as I walk over to her family, who are a weeping mess.
“Thank you.” Ar
iana wraps herself around me, burying her face into my chest. “I don’t know how to thank you because the words aren’t enough.”
I kiss the top of her forehead before I place a finger under her chin and lift her face to look at me. “You saved me, Ari. This is the least I can do for you.”
“He is a good man, Ariana.” Her mother comes over and hugs me.
“We weren’t sure at first,” her father adds.
“But when we spoke to Rhys on the phone, we could hear how much he loves you.” Her mother grins as she wipes the tears from Ariana’s cheeks.
“Plus, who can say no to all this,” her father adds, which makes us all laugh.
“He’s the best.” Ariana looks at me with so much love that my heart could burst. I’ve never had a woman look at me the way Ariana does, and the feeling has me knowing I can conquer anything with her by my side.
“Come, let’s eat.” Ushering in the Blanco family, I introduce them to everyone.
40
Rhys
New Year’s Eve
It’s been a couple of days since I surprised Ariana with her parents. Let me tell you, that night, she really showed me how grateful she was. Fingers crossed she will again as I have another surprise for her this evening.
Everyone is in great spirits as it’s New Year’s Eve, and the day has been great so far. All our families have gotten on really well, so much so that Mom’s going over to Barcelona to spend a couple of weeks with Ariana’s parents. This could either be great or a complete disaster. Who knows?
“Hey, you.” Audrey catches me in the kitchen, fidgeting around. “Are you okay? You seem weird.” She looks me up and down.
I asked everyone to dress formally tonight for the new year’s celebrations as I have something special planned. The ring box in my suit jacket feels like it’s a burning beacon, and everyone is looking at it.
Earlier today, I spoke to Ariana’s dad and asked him for her hand. He was surprised but gave me his blessing. That was the first hurdle for the evening. I just need to get through the next one, which is to get Ariana down to the beach.
“Sure, I’m fine.” Wiping off the little bit of sweat that has beaded on my upper lip, I look at her.
“Are you sick? You’re sweating badly.” Audrey makes a face at me.
“Ssh,” I reply as I nervously look around, making sure we’re alone. “I’m going to propose to Ariana tonight.”
Audrey screams the kitchen down, which of course, makes the staff stop and stare for a moment before realizing everything’s okay. She’s jumping up and down like a crazy woman, then she stops and hugs me tightly.
“I’m so excited,” she whisper-yells. “I love her,” she tells me.
“I do, too,” I reply, which makes Audrey crack up even more.
“What do you need me to do?” Audrey asks.
Actually, maybe she could be the help I need.
“I need you to get Ariana to walk down the main path to the beach. The path is lit up by a million candles. I also need to have everyone walking after her as well.”
Audrey frowns. “You know this group. They beat to their own drums.”
She’s right.
“Okay, tell Chloe. She’ll pull everyone in line.”
Audrey nods and rushes away.
Okay, you can do this.
As I try and calm my wayward nerves, I think, It’s pretty simple. Just tell the woman you love that you want to spend the rest of your life with her.
Easy.
I suck in a deep breath and smooth down my shirt as I walk out into the tropical night and head down toward the beach. As I walk along the path that is lined with candles, I reach a beautiful tropical floral arch.
It’s been hard trying to keep this a secret from everyone. But somehow, I managed to do it. I look up into the inky blackness of the sky and take in the millions of twinkling stars staring back down at me.
This is it.
41
Ariana
“You ready?” Chloe asks as she pops her head into my villa.
Rhys left this gorgeous white evening dress hanging on the door for me to wear tonight. He wanted to put together a sophisticated new year’s event he explained to me earlier. Rhys left about an hour ago to look over the menu and to make sure the finishing touches were made, which is kind of cute that he cares so much about making it perfect for everyone.
“Yes,” I call out to Chloe as she pops her head around the corner.
“Oh, Ari. You look sensational.” Chloe smiles, her eyes becoming a little misty.
“Oh, wow. That dress is stunning.” Audrey walks in a couple steps after Chloe.
“You can thank your brother for this,” I say as I do a twirl for them. “He has great taste.”
Chloe and Audrey give each other a weird look before smiling at me.
These two are acting strange.
They both link arms with me as we step out of the villa and silently walk through the tropical gardens on the way to the main home.
“Rhys asked if you could meet him down on the beach,” Audrey tells me as she points to the candlelit pathway. I glance around at everyone milling around the living area, talking amongst themselves.
“Just me?”
“Yeah. He wants you to check if the lighting is right or something before the guests come down.” Audrey shrugs. “You know my brother is a perfectionist,” she adds.
Everyone is acting weird tonight. Maybe they are all excited because it’s a new year, or maybe Rhys has been too much of a stress head, and they are keeping their distance from him. I grab my dress and hold it up while I stroll along the path toward the beach. It’s so beautiful with all the candles lighting the path. When the pavers run out, I kick off my heels and step along the warm sand, following the thousands of candles to where Rhys is standing in front of a floral arch.
That’s cute.
Wonder who that’s for?
Hang on, did EJ ask Rhys to help him set up a proposal for Stella?
Oh my goodness, is Stella being proposed to tonight?
Oh my God, this is so exciting. She has no idea.
I take the last couple of steps toward Rhys, who’s standing in front of the arch and looks a little pale. Is he okay? Hope he doesn’t have heat stroke or something.
“You look gorgeous,” Rhys states as he takes me in. Those blue eyes are flaring with desire as they run along every inch of my body. “I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Ah, he’s the sweetest.
Movement catches my attention, and I turn to notice everyone is walking down the candlelit pathway. Then I see EJ and Stella walking hand in hand.
Are we a decoy?
I turn back to Rhys and notice he’s on the sand on one knee.
No.
My hands reach for my mouth as I gasp in shock.
No.
“Ariana…” His voice is a little scratchy as if he’s nervous.
Oh my God.
No.
He’s not…
No.
Oh, so many thoughts are running through my mind.
“I know this may seem too soon for some people, but for us, I feel like it’s not soon enough.” Rhys then looks up at me, and I can see it on his handsome face. “All I know is that I love you with all my heart, and I cannot imagine what my life would be like without you in it. I never want to know what it’s like without you in it.”
The first tear begins to fall down my cheek.
“You picked me up when I was in my darkest of moments, and yet you could still find the light shining deep inside of me.”
Damn him and his words ruining my makeup.
“You fell in love with me during the worst time of my life. You loved my flaws without hesitation. You stood by me when many others wouldn’t have.”
“Because I love you, that’s why,” I tell him. My interruption to his proposal makes him chuckle.
“And I love you.” He smiles up at me as he opens the blac
k velvet ring box he’s holding. A tiny light shines down on the enormous rock. Honestly, you could see that thing from space. It’s so big.
“Will you marry me, Ariana?” he asks.
“Yes.” Without hesitation, of course, I will. Grabbing his face, I kiss his perfect fucking face. “Yes. Forever and ever.”
He stands, and I wrap my arms around him.
Hollers from our friends and family gain my attention as the beach lights up, and fireworks launch themselves into the sky.
He’s organized fricking fireworks!
I watch as Rhys takes the ring out of the box and slips it on my finger.
Holy hell, it’s heavy.
“Do you like it?” he asks, genuinely worried that I will hate the gorgeous boulder.
“I love it.” Staring at the magnificent rock, I then look up and say, “I love you.” Kissing him again, I can hear more fireworks going off into the sky.
“I wanted to start this new year with a bang,” Rhys jokes.
We stand there together, watching the display, and once it’s over, all our family and friends rush to congratulate us.
I’ve never been so happy.
42
Ariana
Where are we all now?
You must be wanting to know what happened after my surprise engagement.
Well…
That year we went to Las Vegas again to see Emma and Anderson marry for the third time. Thankfully third-time lucky, and everything went off without a hitch. Well, except for Rhys trying to convince me to elope with him while we were there.
Not going to happen.
We celebrated the birth of Lenna and Logan’s twins, Millie and Ella, who are absolutely adorable.
EJ and Stella completed their dream home in Moonlight Falls, Montana, designed by me. It’s spectacular but not as spectacular as EJ proposing at their new ranch.
The surprise of that year was Anderson knocking Emma up on their wedding night. It was also a huge surprise for Emma too. They had a baby girl, who they named Juniper, and Jagger is obsessed with her. I can already see Emma and Lenna setting them up in about twenty years.
