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“Nah. I’m just me.” I kiss his neck. “Thank you, though, for making me feel like me again.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been in mum mode for so long, especially this year. I’ve put Finn first for a long time, and I’ve kinda lost touch with me, you know? I haven’t painted much, or gone out, and I certainly haven’t had sex… I’ve felt old before my time. There are other women my age out there who are partying and clubbing and meeting guys on Tinder and having the time of their lives, and I’m responsible and dependable and reliable and other words ending in ‘ible’. Or ‘able’. But right now I feel young and sexy.” I yawn.
“You are young and sexy.”
“Yeah, but I feel it now. And that’s all down to you.”
He kisses my nose. “All I’ve done is hold up a mirror and show you who you still are inside. Now, go to sleep.”
“I’m not tired.”
“You’ll be asleep in less than a minute,”
“No, I won’t.”
That’s the last thing I remember saying before I doze off.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Missie
Later, Alex heads off to the minivan to join the guys heading out for the paintball game, and I take the cable car up to the house. On arriving, I discover that Mae has turned the top terrace into a beauty salon, with lots of beds set up under a shade sail, and a whole team of beauticians brought in to provide massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing, and every other treatment you can think of as part of Belle’s hen party.
Most of the women who have already arrived are taking advantage of it, and I spend some time to talking to them all as we move between the treatment areas. Everyone’s so friendly, and it’s not long before I feel as if I’ve known them all forever.
I can’t remember the last time I went to a beauty spa, so this is a real luxury for me. I indulge in a hot stone massage and a pedicure, and then I find myself sitting next to Belle as I have my fingernails painted. We can order coffees from the barista in the kitchen, and Mae’s also set up a cocktail bar, which is how I end up with a pina colada in one hand while the beautician does the nails of the other, while Belle sips her mojito and lies back with her eyes closed and gives a long sigh.
I glance at her and smile. She seems so happy. But it’s impossible not to think about what Alex told me about what happened to her when she was young. I can’t imagine how awful that must have been. I’d never mention it, of course, but it explains a lot about how protective he is of her, and Damon too, I guess.
“Are you excited about your big day?” I ask her.
She opens her eyes and smiles back. “I am, although this whole week has been fun. It’s been so cool to spend time with Damon’s family.”
The two beauticians move away to paint someone else’s nails while our coats dry, leaving us alone. Belle glances around, making sure nobody can overhear us, then says, “Do you find it all a bit intimidating? I have to admit I do sometimes.”
“I know what you mean,” I admit. “The house is huge! Although I thought you and Alex were used to this kind of lifestyle?”
“God, no. I mean, Mum’s super rich, but she lives in LA. My dad and Sherry are just ordinary people. They have to save up for vacations like everyone else. Their house is in the suburbs, just a normal three-bedroom place. Alex has done well at Kia Kaha, and he’s good with money, mainly because James has a financial head on his shoulders, and he’s shown them all how to invest what they’ve earned. I’ve got money in the bank from Mum, but I live quite normally. So I’m not used to all this.” She waves a hand around at the sumptuous property.
“I feel like royalty,” I admit.
She grins. “They’re the nicest people, though, maybe because they weren’t born into money. The boys were, of course, but Neal and Mae were in their twenties when they became rich. They’re both so lovely and supportive, and they’ve been great to Catie and Alice too. Has Alex told you much about them?”
I shake my head.
“Saxon had a one-night stand with Catie in Auckland, and she left in the middle of the night, so he didn’t know where she went. She turned up at his office in Wellington for a temp job four months pregnant.”
“Oh wow.”
“Yeah. She’d had a tough life, and was practically penniless, and refused Saxon’s help, but of course he won her over eventually. He absolutely adores her.”
“Their babies are gorgeous. They must have been a surprise!”
“Yeah, he didn’t expect twins, I’m sure.”
“Alice said she met Kip on Tinder?”
