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The only thing we’re worried about is if things will go okay, but we’ve already hired a specialist who will come to the island to help me with a natural birth.
Mom and Dad will probably come to visit too after that. And maybe Lock’s brother and Ella, if they have the time. Everyone is welcome; they just have to find a ride, but that shouldn’t be hard.
I’ve found people are quite willing to help if you ask nicely. And being upfront about what I need is something I’ve learned to do quite well over the past few months. I guess that’s one of the perks of living with a man who doesn’t mince words.
I clear my throat and force myself to stop drifting off in my mind. I’ve got work to do.
I stuff the seeds into the soil and cover it with dirt. Sweat drips down my forehead, so I rub it off with my arm as I cover the last bit of earth. Then I pick up the bucket of water and start pouring it all over the field until I’ve watered every single one of the trees we’ve planted.
When I’m done, I stop and look at all the great work we’ve done.
Seeds are planted over the whole area now. It won’t be long until tiny saplings start to grow, and maybe in a few years, the trees will finally be back.
It will be as if the helicopter never crashed here.
Then we’ll finally have made amends with the ruin we created when we set foot on this island. But I’m already smiling because I can be proud of what we’ve done here.
Even if I can no longer be a wildlife biologist in my professional life, that doesn’t mean I can’t still do what I love the most; study and take care of nature.
But as I turn around to show Lock all the work I’ve done, something hits me in the face.
Something sticky and … dark.
I wipe it off with my hand and cringe … mud.
Lock’s laughing so hard he’s struggling to breathe.
So I quickly grab a handful of mud and chuck it right back at him, hitting him right in the face.
He spits and wipes it off too, momentarily fazed. But then he gathers himself and scoops up more mud, throwing it at me. I dodge and pick up more too, making a ball out of it before I hurl it his way. It lands so hard he almost falls down.
The whole place is slippery as it starts to rain, but neither of us stops.
I throw another one, which he expertly dodges, after which I slip and fall on my ass. I hide my face in my arms, and Lock immediately runs toward me, sinking to his knees in front of me.
“Are you okay?”
I look up and grin. Then I smash two balls of mud on either side of his face.
For a second, he doesn’t know what hit him, but then he begins to laugh, and he jumps me, pushing me down to the ground. I can’t stop giggling as he’s tickling me and rubbing my face full of mud.
“Okay, okay, I surrender!” I shriek.
He rubs some more mud onto my belly covering my entire body, and we’re both panting from excitement. We’re both covered in mud and water … and laughing all the way through it.
And I can’t help but stop and gaze at him in wonder … remembering this is exactly the way he looked when I first met him. Completely covered in mud … but this time, I’m not scared. I’m in love.
“Are you mine?” he murmurs, running his fingers through my hair.
I nod, and he leans over me and presses a soft but smoldering kiss on my lips, and I can’t help but fall even deeper in love with this man.
This man … my man.
He locked up my heart, but I was the one who threw away the key.
“Under Lock …” I mumble as my thumb brushes over his face. With my other hand, I rub my belly and add, “And Key.”
