Dear Future Ex-wife

My heart feels like it’s trying to break through my chest.

“Why do you think I spared no expense to give you the perfect wedding? The perfect honeymoon, wedding shower, engagement ring? I wanted you to have everything you ever dreamed of. Because whether you imagined having those things with me or not, I envisioned them with you. I always saw you. It’s only ever been you, Harley. My Queen. My partner. My equal. Always you, baby.”

She flings herself into my arms, pinning my back to the lounge chair. Her lips crash into mine, her tongue sweeping into my mouth, and then I’m lost to her all over again. So fucking lost. Because once I get a taste of her, I can’t think straight. I can’t function without this woman in my life.

Once our lips separate, we struggle to catch our breaths. Harley fixes her bikini back into place, glancing out at the beach as if she forgot we are not alone. She sits at the edge of my chair, her eyes pointed down as she slips her fingers between mine.

“We leave soon,” she says. “Sucks we only have two days on the island before we have to get back to work.”

Amelia planned a short trip to Grand Cayman for our honeymoon. She reserved a bungalow on the beach with a full kitchen and enough privacy for me to make one of Harley’s dreams a reality. She’ll find out soon enough that I plan to deliver on every item on her wedding wish list.

I lean forward and sweep a fallen strand of hair behind her ear, rubbing her cheek with the pad of my thumb. “If we weren’t releasing Ashborn at the end of the month, I would take you around the world. We’d visit every single art gallery you love in Europe. We would sip Mai Tais in Maui and make love on the beach. If we had more time, I would give you everything, anything you want, just so I can see you smile. After everything settles down at work, we’ll disappear for a while. I promise.”

My unplanned speech is rewarded with a smile that illuminates her face, reaching up to her irises.

“You’re a mystery, Nate.” She shakes her head. “For a long time, I thought you were a playboy bachelor who wanted to screw his way around the world. But I was wrong about you.”

“I’m still the same boy who held your hand when you were afraid to jump into the deep end of the pool. Still the same person who helped you wash acrylic paint from your hair. Nothing has changed about me. About us. We’re still the same Harley and Nate.”

“Only now you get to kiss me,” she says with a playful grin.

“I get to do a lot more than kiss you.” I slide my hand onto her thigh, and she looks at me. “You were worth the wait, Queen. Every single second. I would have waited the rest of my life just to kiss you one time.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Harley

Grand Cayman is beautiful. Our private villa is at the end of the beach, with spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, a fully stocked kitchen, and a beautifully decorated master bedroom that has the look and feel of a Caribbean palace. We stand on the porch, my head rested on Nate’s shoulder as he hugs me from behind and kisses my neck. The aquamarine water shimmers when the moon hits it just right, creating a dreamy effect.

“Amelia chose the perfect location,” I say.

Nate reaches into his pocket, clicks a few buttons on his cell phone, and then “Is This Love” by Whitesnake fills the air, and I laugh at Nate’s song choice.

“Oh, my God,” I gasp. “I can’t believe you remembered after all this time.”

He shoves the phone into his pocket and then leads me by the hand down to the beach. “How could I forget? It’s the first song we danced to in high school.”

“At the Spring Fling,” I say in disbelief.

Our high school threw an eighties-themed dance that required us to dress the part. I went as Madonna, and Nate looked like Tommy Lee.

“I knew right then, Harley.”

Nate takes me in his arms, sliding his hands to my waist when we reach the water. The music is slightly muffled in his pocket, but I can still hear David Coverdale’s voice perfectly. I hook my arms around Nate’s neck and lean my head on his shoulder as we dance to our song. It hadn’t occurred to me until now that we even had a song.

“I knew you were the one that night.” He sighs. “I was so stupid. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. But I should have said something. I should have told you how I felt.”

“We’re here now,” I say, softly.

Nate kisses the top of my head, and we stay this way until long after the song ends. He spins me in circles, swaying his hips. I told Nate that I wanted to dance under the stars on the beach, and he made yet another dream possible for me. He wouldn’t have done or said all of these wonderful things if he didn’t love me. I know he does. His actions are louder than his words.