I shifted slightly, feeling a tightness in my belly. Suddenly, the baby kicked, and I looked back at Milos with wide eyes. He sat up and laughed, pressing his hand down on my stomach. There it was again. The baby kicked up a storm for the first time ever. We sat there for over an hour, waiting patiently between kicks and laughing every time we felt the little baby flail around inside of me. It was the most amazing thing to feel, and in such a perfect setting. Tears pulled at the corners of my eyes as I sat there, leaning into the love of my life, experiencing such an amazing thing. Milos was almost giddy from the excitement, and he leaned down and whispered to the baby.
“Hey, in there,” he said. “We can’t wait to meet you, little buddy.”
At the sound of Milos’s voice, the baby kicked again, and I leaned back, laughing and crying at the same time. Milos sat up and shook his head, a look of wonder surging across his face. He thought this was just as amazing as I did, and that, in itself, brought a warm and comforting feeling to my chest. The baby was overly excited and went on for several minutes, rolling, kicking, and punching in my belly. As if every time were the first, Milos’s eyes would widen, and he would wait patiently for the next feeling. Carrying a human life was so crazy in every aspect, but I was overjoyed to get to share it with Milos. As the baby calmed, Milos sat back and put his arms behind his head, sighing deeply as if he had something on his mind.
“I grew up in such a strange life,” Milos said. “I was constantly on the go, and things were always for show. But when it really got thick, and the stress of royal life started pounding down on me, my parents were there to pick me up and dust me off. They always made everything better, even as an adult. I’m not saying they solved my problems for me, but they knew just the right amount of encouragement to give in order for me to push through it on my own. I never really paid attention to how much they loved me, how much they protected me, until I started thinking about our child. I realized there is so much I can learn about how to be a parent, just by looking back at how my parents treated me. We weren’t the normal family, so obviously they parented differently, but our child will have the same life as me. I was lucky they were there.”
“I’m glad you had them,” I said, smiling.
“I am, too,” Milos sighed. “But I tell you what, regret is a bitch. My father tried so hard to push me down the right path. He knew the man I could be, long before I ever realized it. He was a tough man, but he was a good man. I wish I had listened to him as I grew up, you know? I wish I had really taken in his wisdom and lessons in life. When it comes down to it, I wish I could have made him proud of me.”
&n
bsp; “Oh honey,” I said sitting up and turning toward him. “Your father loved you so much. If he didn’t, he would have never pushed you so hard. I know, and I never even met him, that he would be so proud of the man, the husband, and the king you have become.”
“Thank you,” he said with a small smile. “I wish you had met him, too. He would have loved you. But you know what? It's never too late to take his lessons to heart. I promise you, Adriana, I am going to keep becoming a better and better man for you and for our children. I want our children to be proud of me, like I am of my father. I won’t let you down ever again. I promise.”
I leaned my forehead against his, holding back the tears that were trying to burst forward. I truly believed every word that Milos said, and I couldn’t think of another man I wanted to share my life with. He had become the man I needed, the man I wanted, and the man that I knew he could be. Everything from here was just extra.
“I want you to know, I’m already proud of you,” I said, sniffling.
Milos reached his hands up and pulled my face toward him, kissing me long and hard. He tilted his head and continued to lap at my mouth. Our passion and love began to erupt. I scooted closer to him, needing to feel his body against mine and his heart beating in his chest.
He ran his hands down my arms and lifted himself up onto his knees. He pushed my long hair back over my shoulders and untied the bow holding up my dress. My clothes fell from my body, and he ran his hands over my shoulders, touching my skin softly and seductively. His eyes searched over me, but not in lust. Instead, it was a look of love and gratefulness, something I had not seen from him before. I wrapped my arms around his neck and fell backward, pulling him on top of me.
I sighed a deep breath as he pressed his lips to mine, savoring our connection with no rush forward and no steps backward. I slowly pulled his shirt over his head and touched his warm skin, gently kissing his shoulder and arms. It was an incredibly intimate moment. Our naked bodies wrapped tightly around each other, and we took the time to feel every touch of our skin. I leaned my head back as he trailed his lips over my neck and down my chest. The storm in the background felt like our past, long lost at sea, while the setting sun felt like our future, holding secrets of the night, and glimmering in the vibrant colors of the sky.
The sounds of the waves took over, covering up our heated breath and the movements of body. The song of the insects in the forest created a backdrop of passion as our bodies moved and twisted, taking each other in and looking for more. As the sun set over the island, we let go of everything and made love on the white sandy beaches.
Later that night, we curled up in the bed and turned on an old black and white movie as the storm made landfall. The sound of rain falling on the roof top put Milos to sleep almost instantly. I got up from the bed, turned off the television, and rummaged through the fridge, trying to find something to satisfy my hunger. I settled on a bag of chips from the cupboard and sat watching the rain fall over the beach. As the lightning flashed in the background, an odd feeling moved through my chest, the feeling that something was just not right. I took a deep breath and put the food away, figuring I was just tired. I crawled back into the bed and under the covers where I found the comfort of Milos’s arms. I fell asleep, but didn’t stay that way for very long.
The loud clap of thunder over the house jolted me awake, and I laid with my head on the pillow, looking out at the rolling ocean. With each flash of lightning, I could see the white capped waves rolling angrily and crashing against the shore. I shuttered as thunder clapped again, this time shaking the bed slightly. I didn’t know if it was the food, the storm, or the hormones, but immediately, I felt a complete sense of dread. I couldn’t shake it, no matter how close I scooted into Milos’s arms. It felt like out in the darkness, something was lurking in the shadows, something that was coming to haunt us. I had never felt this way before in my life, and the suffocating feeling in my chest was almost unbearable. I closed my eyes and began to hum softly to myself, trying to calm my nerves.
I could feel my muscles begin to unwind, but just as they did, thunder and lightning would crash around us, sending my heart rate skyrocketing. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and closed my eyes tighter, humming a little louder this time. I could hear the pause in thunder and slowly opened my eyes. However, just as I expected to hear another clap, I sat up in bed, listening to someone pound on the front door. Who could that be? It was the middle of the night, and we were on a completely private island. I turned to Milos and shook him hard.
“Milos,” I whispered. “Someone is pounding on the door.”
He sat up on the bed and waited for a moment to see if we heard it again. Just as I began to relax my shoulders, the pounding came again. Milos slid from under the covers, and I grabbed his arm, shaking my head.
“Don’t answer it,” I said. “I have a terrible feeling.”
“Don’t be silly, love,” he said, kissing my forehead. “What if it is an emergency at the castle?”
I watched as he pulled on his robe and made his way out of the room and around the corner. I sat listening intently, knowing that whoever was on the other side was not coming with cheerful news. Whoever was on the other side was about to change everything in our world in the blink of an eye.
24
Milos
I walked through the cottage, leaving my bride alone in our bed, and all I could think was whoever was behind that door better have a damn good reason for not only interrupting my honeymoon, but for arriving in the middle of the night. I flipped the lights on through the house and peeked through the window in the door. It was Brat. What the hell was Brat doing here at this time?
“Brat,” I said, opening the door and stepping to the side. “What in the world?”
Brat hurried through the doorway, shaking the rain from his shoulders and wiping his face on the towel I handed him. He had traveled in this weather and was standing outside my door in the pouring rain. I gave him a minute to gather himself before launching into a barrage of questions. If I knew my best friend well enough, he would never have come here if it wasn’t a really good reason.
I looked over my shoulder as Adriana appeared, looking worried and leaning against the door frame. I smiled at her, trying to give her comfort, but from the look of her arms crossed across her chest and her furrowed brow, she wasn’t going to calm until Brat told us why he was here.
“I’m so sorry for interrupting your honeymoon. Truly, Adriana, please accept my apologies.” He turned from me to her. “But I believe there is a situation that needs your urgent attention, and it couldn’t wait.”