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He caught her against the wall of a canal bridge and kissed her until they were winded, and not a soul looked at them like they were strange, probably because they had “newlyweds” written all over them.
At sunset, they returned to the cottage to relax before getting ready for dinner. The cottage had only one bedroom, which was all they would need, and the attached bathroom had a clawfoot tub he planned for them to soak in. The cozy living area had an attached L-shaped kitchen, and wooden double doors opened to a porch overlooking the ocean. Even when closed, the doors’ six windows brought in a great deal of light.
A two-person breakfast table housed everything they’d picked up on their self-guided tour—chocolates, local pottery, gifts for all the kids, a comic book for Josiah, and a stuffed iguana for Theo as recompense for their upcoming news about the real one.
While Ayesha showered, he finalized the arrangements for later that night in the cottage’s living area. As he’d told her, he was a romantic kind of guy. Anything he could do to make her feel special, he would do.
And she appreciated everything he did.
Everything.
They walked side by side in the relationship, neither one lagging. Doing things for her didn’t drain him or leave him resentful, and he had enough energy to keep it up for the rest of their lives.
If he’d had a say or choice, he wouldn’t have chosen Ayesha, as it could have been a messy situation. But it was decided for him that the best person for him would take his heart, hold it, keep it, and cherish it.
“Hey,” Ayesha poked her head out the bedroom door, “want to check in with the boys now since we might bebusylater?”
He nodded.
They climbed into bed with the iPad.
Ayesha leaned back against the headboard, and he sat next to her, one hand tucked behind his head while they waited for the boys’ faces to pop up on the screen.
“Ma! Joel!” Josiah grinned. “How’s your vacation? We miss you!”
Familiar pride moved through him at seeing Josiah’s face. He would get to watch Josiah grow and no longer from a distance. He would even have a hand in Josiah’s growth, coaching him through his first moments, which could include—as long as Ayesha didn’t find out—Josiah’s first MMA tournament.
“We miss you too, baby,” Ayesha said. “And the vacation is wonderful. How are things at Mo and Giorgio’s?”
Josiah raised an elbow. “I got a bruise, Ma! Uncle Gio’s teaching me mixed martial arts.”
“You got awhat?”
“That’s amazing, Josiah,” Joel cut in. “And a bruise is a fighter’s badge, Eesh. If he’s learning mixed martial arts, he’ll get a few bumps and scrapes, unlike his mother who, apparently, ‘runs into’ things.”
It was funny how she thought he didn’t know the reason behind her extremely toned body and shoulder bruise. He and the guys just didn’t knowwherethey were holding this mysterious book-slash-fight club.
“Uncle Gio says I’m a natural.” Josiah grinned wider, his eyes like daybreak in an evergreen forest. “And we got halfway through building Aleksi’s swing set, but Auntie Mo says we’re missing a piece. We’re going later to pick up what we need from the home improvement store.”
“How’s Theo?” she asked. “Is he okay?”
“He’s taking a nap right now.”
A mop of curls appeared at the bottom of the screen, and Josiah lifted Aleksi onto his lap. Aleksi’s once haphazard head of blondish-brown hair had turned into a mountain of dark, nearly jet-black curls. He even had some of his father’s expressions down, but he’d inherited his side-eye from his mother.
They talked for a while longer, Aleksi leaning against Josiah while Josiah filled them in on what they had for breakfast—chocolate chip pancakes. Lunch was sandwiches with Giorgio, Mo, and Aleksi by the lake, and they were having pizza for dinner. A day like that was paradise for Theo, which was likely why Mo and Giorgio orchestrated it that way.
He and Ayesha filled Josiah in on their bike ride and tour around the city with a promise to look at pictures with him when they got back.
“What about you guys?” Josiah asked. “What are you doing later?”
Ayesha bit down on the inside of her bottom lip, squinted, and tipped her head to the side. “We’re…getting something to eat.”
“And then what?”
“Um,” Joel rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, “maybe some dessert or something. We had a long day, so we’ll probably fall asleep as soon as we get back from dinner.”
“Where are you going to eat?”
