The Choice

by Stella Gray

  “Too bad he took the company down with him,” Tori sighed. “How is Danica Rose coming along? Have you signed any new clients?”

  “Business is a little slow,” I admitted. “But the scandal will pass eventually, get replaced with some other news.”

  Tori nodded. “I think it speaks volumes that the KZM models have all stood by you and signed new contracts with Danica Rose. The press releases have to be helping, too. Everything I’ve read says that they trust you, they’re excited for the future with DR, and they’re grateful for what you did. The public will come around soon enough.”

  “I think so too,” I said. “And Luka’s been amazing. Doing all the handholding with the models, taking their calls at all hours to answer their questions and address their concerns. If anything, it’s because of him that we’ve only lost a few models.”

  “He told me he was helping them with their green cards too.”

  I broke out into a grin. “And compiling a directory of local therapists who specialize in trauma counseling. Can you believe it? He’s practically a social worker himself.”

  “Sobriety looks good on him. I might have to set him up on a blind date with Grace one of these days,” Tori said with a wink. “Either way, I’m glad he’s doing so much better.”

  That was an understatement. I couldn’t believe the progress my brother had made. Now that he was committed to staying sober, he was a new man. He was focused and determined, showing up to work every day as if he were trying to prove something. I kept telling him to take it easy and just focus on his sobriety, but he insisted that the work he was doing—helping me undo all the damage that our father had done—was a major part of his recovery.

  It was incredible to finally be able to connect with my brother in the way that I’d always hoped for. Our father had made that damn near impossible, always pitting us against one other, always comparing the two of us unfavorably as a way to separate us and work up a rivalry. Now that he was gone, I actually had a chance to build a real relationship with Luka.

  “He’s been spending a lot of time with Anja and Max,” Tori noted. “Every time I go over to see them, it seems like he’s there, helping them get settled into the new apartment. Putting furniture together, unpacking boxes…”

  “Playing videogames with Max,” I interjected, and we both laughed. “Honestly, I think they like having him around. He fixes things and tries to be useful. It’s good for everyone.”

  “I agree,” Tori said. “It seems like we’re all becoming a real family.”

  “All because of you, kitty cat,” I told her.

  She blushed and I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her closer. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she found out what I had planned.

  TORI

  * * *

  As we flew further and further from Chicago, I felt the stress leave my body. I hadn’t realized how desperate I was for a vacation until Stefan had surprised me with it. Now we were off to spend the holidays in the Caribbean, leaving behind a city that was practically frozen over.

  The next few weeks would be nothing but beaches, crystal clear waters, and ridiculous, fruity cocktails. I fully intended to spend the majority of my time soaking up the sun under a floppy hat with a book in my hand, ordering in lavish brunches from room service, and making love to my husband in our private bungalow.

  I couldn’t wait to land.

  Stefan had closed his eyes and was leaning back against the headrest. I took a moment to admire him. The dark circles under his eyes were finally fading and I knew that after a few days in the Cayman Islands, where we had nothing to think about but each other’s pleasure and needs, he would soon be well-rested and energetic again.

  It was rare to see him not decked out in one of his designer suits. Instead he wore a pair of fitted dark jeans and a sweater that hugged his torso. I couldn’t wait to strip him out of both the moment we got to our hotel room and could disappear completely from the rest of the world.

  I picked at the tapas plate that one of the flight attendants had dropped off and tried to ignore the nakedness of my left hand, the pale white band around my ring finger reminding me that my wedding rings were still back in Chicago. I’d dropped them off for cleaning at Stefan’s jeweler, along with his wedding band, a few days before our vacation. But when I’d gone back, the jeweler told me she was concerned about a loose stone on my engagement ring. She wanted to keep it longer to re-tip the prongs and check the tiny pavé diamonds on my wedding band as well. Of course I had agreed. The last thing I wanted was to lose my diamonds on vacation.

  But now that I didn’t have my rings anymore, I realized how accustomed to them I’d become. I felt incomplete without them. Even the few days of leaving them for a clean and polish had been uncomfortable, and I couldn’t stop playing with the spot on my finger where they should be. At least I had the man who the rings represented right beside me, I told myself. That was what really mattered.

  A few hours later, our plane began its final descent into Owen Roberts Airport on Grand Cayman. I looked out the window as we sailed through the clouds, the pristine white beaches and sparkling turquoise water coming into view. It was the opposite of the cold, frigid city we had just left behind. Even though I loved Chicago, I was eager to get a break from winter.

  A private car was waiting for us at the airport and it wasn’t long before we pulled up in front of our gorgeous resort hotel. I’d never been to the Caribbean before, but even my wildest dreams couldn’t have imagined something as perfect as what I saw in front of me.

  It looked like the screensaver on my laptop had come to life—nothing but lush green palms, lacy iron balconies, tall columns, and that unbelievably blue sky as a backdrop. The air was warm and fragrant, and I paused for a moment to take it all in, breathing deeply. Inside, the hotel lobby glimmering and spotless, with marble floors and huge open atriums.

  “I can’t wait to see our bungalow,” I told Stefan, looping my arm through his as we followed the porter into our breathtaking suite of rooms.

  “Do you want to check out the beach first?” Stefan asked. “The sun’s setting in about an hour—it’s going to be incredible. We can watch it from the sand.”

  He tipped the porter, who offloaded our luggage and then showed himself out.

  “That sounds good,” I told him, looking around at our lodgings.

  I saw a huge king-size bed made up with crisp white linens and piled high with pillows. It faced floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that opened up onto our own private patio. The fragrance from a fresh flower arrangement scented the air, and the bathroom was loaded up with fancy spa products and fluffy Turkish robes. The best part was, the whole place was set apart from the rest of the hotel and even had a path leading down to the beach that was just for us.

  I stripped off my sweater and boots and reclined on the bed. My silk camisole was slipping off my shoulder as I crossed my legs in my tight jeans, waiting for Stefan to pounce.

  “Now that I’m lying here, I kind of feel like ordering room service and just staying in our room,” I said, giving him a suggestive wink.

  But he was staring out the window at the ocean.

  “I really don’t want to miss that sunset,” he said, a wistful tone to his voice that I didn’t hear often.

  “There will be plenty more,” I pointed out, hoping to sway him.

  He turned around and smiled. “I know. But I want to start this vacation off right. This is the first day of the rest of our lives, and…I guess I’m feeling sentimental. If you really don’t want to, though…”

  My heart melted. This man.

  “You win,” I said, walking over to him to pull him into a tight hug. “Let’s go.”

  I pulled a pair of sandals out of my bag and quickly changed into a light sundress. It was hot enough that the thought of wearing jeans for any longer was a minor torture. When I emerged from the bathroom, Stefan was down to his tight black T-shirt and he’d rolled up the cuffs of his
jeans. I didn’t bother hiding my stare. I couldn’t wait to see him in a pair of swim trunks, emerging from the ocean, his body glistening with drops of water.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to stay here?” I tried one last time, wanting desperately to start our vacation horizontal and in bed.

  “Don’t you worry, kitty cat. We’ll be back in bed soon enough,” he said with a wink, taking my hand and leading me out of the bungalow.

  We walked down the private path to the beach and I took a moment to soak it all in. My disappointment over Stefan not jumping my bones the moment we were alone faded quickly. We were in one of the most beautiful places I’d ever been and I had the man I loved at my side. We had all the time in the world to be alone and naked together.

  When we reached the beach, however, my jaw dropped—as it became immediately clear why Stefan had been in such a rush to get here.

  Standing on the sand was a group of our closest friends and family, arranged in what looked like a ceremony tableau. Anja and Max. Emzee and Luka. Michelle. Grace. They were all here, their faces lighting up when they saw us.

  “Surprise!” they shouted at once.

  My hand flew to my heart.

  “What is this?” I asked Stefan.

  But when I turned to face him, I found that he had sunk down to one knee. And he was holding out a ring. My engagement ring.

  “You didn’t choose this for yourself the first time, and I didn’t choose it for the right reasons,” he began. “But I’ve learned one thing, Tori. And it’s that I love you. I want us to spend our lives together, and you’ll make me the happiest man in the world if you want the same.”

  My eyes were filling up with tears.

  “Tori,” he said, his voice gone husky, “will you marry me again?”

  “Yes,” I choked out. “I will.”

  “Then let’s do this and mean it.”

  He stood and swept me into his arms, kissing me fiercely.

  I held out my hand for my ring, but before he slipped it back onto my finger where it belonged, he showed me the inscription he’d had engraved on the inside of the band. It read, “the deal of a lifetime.”

  Tori

  Chapter 30

  As the sun set over the Caribbean in swaths of pink and gold, Stefan and I stood in front of our closest family and friends to renew our vows in an intimate, perfect ceremony. It felt nothing like our first wedding. That experience had passed in a complete blur, a performance that Stefan and I had been actors in, not participants. We’d had no control over anything.

  This time was different. Like Stefan had said when he got down on one knee, this time we had the chance to truly choose each other. And we had.

  I held his hands as the officiant he had hired spoke the words that were music to my ears.

  When it came time to repeat our promises of love and devotion, Stefan pulled out both of our wedding bands—he’d thought of everything.

  “There never were any loose stones, were there?” I teased.

  “I may have arranged for my jeweler to intentionally mislead you,” he admitted, grinning.

  “What a sneak,” I said.

  He held out my ring to me. “Look on the inside.”

  I did. There was a new inscription on my wedding band, as well—this one said, “I’ll always choose you.”

  My eyes were stinging with tears. “I choose you, too,” I whispered.

  “I love you,” Stefan said, sliding it onto my finger alongside my solitaire. “You are my everything.”

  “And I love you.” I slid his ring on him, and we were pronounced man and wife. Again.

  Stefan wasted no time in sweeping me into his arms, and giving me a long, deep kiss that had all of our guests cheering, except for Emzee—who put her fingers in her mouth to let out the loudest whistle I had ever heard. Max was laughing and Anja had tears in her eyes. She mouthed “congratulations” to me, and I nodded.

  After the ceremony, we all gathered further up on the beach where a beautiful spread of food had been laid out for us under palm trees draped in twinkling lights, and a string quartet was playing just for our party. I was so full of love and gratitude that I could barely eat, focused instead on trying to take in everything that was happening around me.

  All of the people I cared about were here, together, to celebrate me and Stefan. It meant so much to me, after all we had been through, that we could have this time together. I watched as Michelle and Emzee and Grace talked, their heads bowed close together, no doubt discussing fashion or art, something all three of them were well-versed in.

  Max was running up and down the beach, having a great time, while Anja looked on, laughing joyously. The most surprising thing, however, was Luka. I had fully expected him to be chatting up the many beautiful bikini-clad women that were walking along the sand, but instead, he kept close to Anja, occasionally joining Max, the two of them racing across the sand. Luka didn’t even seem to notice the other women. I even saw him put his hand on Anja’s lower back as he leaned closer to tell her something that had her burst out laughing.

  Was there something between them that I hadn’t been aware of?

  “I think I spoke too soon about Luka and Grace,” I whispered to Stefan, nudging him and gesturing in his brother’s direction. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

  “I’m seeing my beautiful wife,” Stefan said, tugging me out of my seat and gently pulling me back toward the sand. “Let’s walk.”

  I’d have to find out about Luka and Anja some other time. Right now, I was happy to focus on my husband. The man who had made a deal with me all those months ago—a deal that had turned out to be the best deal imaginable.

  We strolled along the beach, with the sound of the waves our only soundtrack. It was so beautiful here and I felt completely relaxed, completely at ease. I leaned into Stefan as we headed toward our private cabana.

  My heart beat began to pick up as he unlocked the door to our room and pulled me inside. Finally, we were alone. Finally, I could do what I had been imagining all day.

  He drew me into his arms and kissed me. It was like the kiss on the beach, at the wedding, but now that no one was watching, we were free to let our hands wander. His went immediately to my ass, pulling me up against the hard bulge of his cock. I moaned against his mouth, my own hands going down to his waist where I slipped my palms beneath his shirt, eager to feel his skin against mine.

  Without warning, Stefan scooped me up into his arms.

  “You deserve to be carried across the threshold properly,” he said.

  I laughed, feeling completely giddy as he navigated into the bedroom, toward the huge, soft bed I had been so eager to sink into. Stefan laid me down before covering my body with his.

  I loved the weight of him over me, the way we fit together like puzzle pieces as he settled on top of me. I spread my legs so he could settle between them and align his hips with mine, the perfect, hard ridge of his arousal grinding into me exactly where I needed it.

  Yanking at his shirt, I pulled it over his head and tossed it across the room. His hands skirted up my thighs, pulling my dress up along with them. I wiggled beneath him, and with a single smooth tug, my dress was up and over my head, leaving me in just my underwear

  “You’re beautiful,” Stefan murmured, his hands stroking my naked skin.

  All I was wearing was a tiny satin thong and matching bra. Stefan made quick work of both and then pulled my head back so he could kiss and bite and lick his way down my neck before heading even lower south.

  I moaned as his mouth found my nipples and he began to tease them with hot flicks of his tongue. My hips writhed against the bed and I gasped with needing him so badly.

  “Take off your clothes,” I demanded between breaths. “I want you.”

  Stefan lifted his head and gave me a naughty look.

  “I’m yours, kitty cat,” he murmured, and heat spread through my body.

  He knew exactly what that nickname did to me
and I knew he did it on purpose. Leaning back, he undressed quickly and then settled back on top of me. I loved the feel of his bare skin against mine, hot and smooth and sleek.

  His hand moved between my thighs and I opened for him easily.

  “You’re soaking wet,” he said, giving me a dirty smirk.

  “I’m ready,” I told him, pulling his lips to mine and kissing him deeply.

  His thumb found my clit immediately, tracing soft circles around the sensitive skin there.

  “Yes,” I moaned.

  As his tongue thrusted harder against mine, he began to stroke me in a matching rhythm, just the way I liked. Then he slipped another finger inside me, and then another. I gasped, grinding faster and faster against him as he skillfully fucked me with his fingers, the release I desired just agonizingly out of reach.

  “Harder,” I begged. “Harder. Harder.”

  I felt him smile against my mouth as he obliged. He was stretching me in the most delicious way, his hand moving faster, his fingers stroking deeper. It felt so good, so right, and as he bent his head to take my nipple into his mouth, sucking it hard, my body crested the wave.

  The orgasm hit me hard, radiating from my center in shockwaves, and I arched on the bed as I moaned Stefan’s name.

  “I can’t hold back,” Stefan growled, moving between my thighs.

  “Wait,” I gasped, and before he could thrust into me, I placed my hands on his face. “I have to tell you something.”

  He lifted a brow, his mouth turned up in a curious smile. “I thought I was the one who had all the surprises today.”

  “Just one more,” I said, barely able to concentrate as he pressed the head of his cock against my seam. “Do you remember how we talked about maybe…trying to start a family?”

  “Yes…” He’d gone still, and for a moment I was afraid I’d said the wrong thing.

  “Well, I—” I took a deep breath. “I stopped taking my birth control. So we can start trying. I mean, if that’s something you still want.”