Warm yellow sunshine and a soft breeze off the ocean woke me. I kept my eyes closed for a moment, afraid that the night before had been nothing but a wonderful dream. When I did finally open my eyes, I was relieved to see it wasn't. Aiden lay in bed next to me, his soft hazel gaze as warm as the sunshine. He had his phone out and was typing on the slide-out keyboard, but he was definitely paying more attention to me than his phone.“Were you watching me sleep?” I asked, drowsily.“Maybe.” He smiled and set his phone to the side. “You just look so peaceful and happy.”“Probably because I am.” I stretched my arms up over my head, keenly aware of his eyes taking in the seductive motion. “What time is it?”“A little past eleven,” he said, checking his watch. “You want some breakfast?”Panic woke me from my happy, lazy morning slumber. “I can't! I have a meeting and Kathryn asked me to make sure she's prepped!”I stumbled out of bed, pulling the bed sheet with me and wrapping it around my
I hurried back to my room, hoping to find Aiden still stretched out naked on my bed. The meeting had been relatively quick, and now the idea of walking in and jumping on the bed with him had me practically sprinting.I stepped into the room with a huge grin on my face, only to have it fall off. The bed was made and he was gone. I had only been away for a little while and the meeting had gotten out early. Maybe he did go find another barefoot lawyer. My shoulders slumped.The room phone rang and I shuffled my feet to answer it. Probably just housekeeping asking if I wanted turn-down service. “Hello?”“Lena?” Aiden's voice crackled across the line.“Aiden?” I hoped the almost absurd amount of happiness in my voice didn't scare him off.“You want to go fishing with me?” he asked.“Fishing?” I repeated, making sure I had heard the correct word.“Do I have to answer in the form of a question?” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Yes, fishing. I have a boat at the docks and the weather is
I sat on the edge of the boat, my feet dangling in the water and my head resting on Aiden's shoulder in complete bliss. I didn't care if we caught a single fish for the rest of the day-- I was having a fantastic time.I could see a boat in the distance, but I didn't pay them much attention until it was clear they were headed straight for us. For a moment, I wondered if they had somehow heard my screams of pleasure and thought I needed rescuing.The boat was slightly larger than ours, but with more storage and less speed. A man with aviator glasses and jet black hair was steering while a woman in a wetsuit gave him directions from the on-board computer. They silenced their engines to a throttle as they came alongside ours.“I'm going to need to see your fishing licenses,” the man asked. I didn't see any official emblems on their boat, but I supposed they could be with the coast guard. I hoped Aiden had the appropriate documentation needed.“And I'm going to need to talk to your supervi
Laying out on a blanket with Aiden on the beach, my throat was sore from laughing so hard. I stared up at the night sky and wished on every star up there that we would always be this happy. Aiden made me laugh without even trying, and when he did try, I was completely unable to stop. He had quickly discovered that I would snort if I laughed hard enough, which he thought was hilarious. He then, or course made it his mission in life to make me snort.I hated snorting, but I loved how hard it made Aiden laugh when I did. Once he started laughing at my snort, I would laugh even harder, causing me to snort again, and the two of us would be lost to an unending laughing loop until we couldn't breathe. My ribs ached and my face was sore, but I had never been so happy in my entire life.The remnants of our dinner sat back on my porch, and we were now enjoying an evening of whispering under the stars. Aiden had selected a fabulous bottle of white wine for the two of us, and I had lost track of
“Vacation agrees with you,” Kathryn commented, startling me out of me out of my day dreams.“What?” I could feel a blush blaze across my cheeks and I wondered if she could read my thoughts. They were certainly blush-worthy.“You've been staring off at the water with a happy smile plastered on your face for the entire meeting,” she informed me.“Sorry. Did I miss something important?” I couldn't even remember what the meeting was about. “I wasn't sure if I got the projector set up properly--”“Everything was fine,” she assured me, with a smile. “I'm just stating that you look very happy. That assistant must be very good for you.”I relaxed and grinned. “He is.” She had no idea just how good. He was beyond good.“I'm guessing you have dinner plans tonight, then,” Kathryn said with a knowing smile.I starting packing up the laptop and notes from the meeting. “Not if you need me. You brought me here, so you have dibs on me.”Kathryn laughed and shook her head. “I don't need you tonight. I
He grinned and started the water up. I reached around him and began to undo those white cotton pants while he checked the water temperature. As his pants started to come down, I grabbed his underwear and pulled those down as well. His ass was taut and muscular, and as he bent over to check the water temperature, I spanked him. It was a light spanking, but it was kind of out of character for me.He looked back at me, one eyebrow cocked. I smiled and looked sheepish. He turned around, still trapped by his pants and underwear around his feet. He leaned in for a kiss, but at the last moment, his lips went to my ear instead. “Was it fate that caused you to spank me, or was it free will?”I practically hummed with pleasure in his ear. “I wanted to spank you.” It was definitely the truth.He moved his lips down from my ear to my neck, and I could feel his fingers pulling at the bottom of my shirt. He pulled upward and I raised my arms to get it off quicker, revealing the lacy bra I was weari
Aiden snored gently and I found myself loving the sound. The rain had stopped some time in the night, but Aiden's soft noises were even better than the gentle patter of water. His hair was splayed across the pillow, and his mouth was slightly open. He looked so peaceful and utterly content. I slept better with him than I ever did alone, and waking up next to him made mornings bearable. A girl could certainly get used to a naked man in her bed like Aiden.I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He mumbled something about “just five more minutes” before twisting under the blankets and hiding away from the sun. I couldn't help but smile as I went to the door to find my shoes.I had to get ready for Kathryn’s meeting, and as the only clothing I had was my still damp outfit from the night before, I had to leave early in order to change and prep. I didn't want to go, but my job was important to me. Besides, once the meeting was over, I would have the rest of the day to do nothing but be with hi
I sat outside on the resort's restaurant patio, staring at the melting ice at the bottom of my cup. Lunch had been hours ago, but I hadn't moved yet and had no intention of doing so. My plate was only half eaten, but as long as I pretended to keep munching, the busboy left me alone. It was quiet here with the other diners all off exploring the resort. I needed to think.Kathryn's big meeting had gone well, and despite my brain being elsewhere I had managed to take decent notes for her. I couldn't say exactly what the meeting had even been about, but I had three typed pages of information. I'd figure it out when I typed up the minutes later.Instead of paying attention to if the current measures to prevent litigation were working, I had been thinking of Aiden and the fact that he was a billionaire and what that meant for us as a couple.All the signs that he was more than just an assistant had been there, but I had just been too enamored to see them. His clothes and shoes were nicer th
I never thought this day would come.Maybe when I was a little girl, I had hoped that someday it would. But I never actually believed it. It feels like a dream, but I know it’s not because it’s even better than anything I could have dreamt up.I’m marrying Gabe Honors. In just a few moments, I’ll be wed to the love of my life.I’m beyond nervous, but also ready. I’ve spent the last twenty minutes looking at myself in the mirror, making sure that my hair and makeup look absolutely perfect for him.“Hey, it’s almost time,” Cora says, as she steps beside me. “You look perfect, Harper. Seriously, you look gorgeous. Gabe is going to melt.”I hope she’s right.“Well, let’s do this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m ready.”Just outside, my mom is standing there, holding my little nephew’s hand. He breaks away and runs up to give me a quick hug before she tells him to go take his seat. Mom looks almost more nervous than I am. She can’t keep her hands still and she’s tapping her t
The following week I finally sat down to prepare for my final blog post. My decision was made. It was time to say goodbye and pass the reigns onto a new owner. It made sense and it felt right.Gabe had told me to sleep on the decision, and for most of the week I had made my home at his house, which made sleeping really easy. But the truth was that it really hadn’t taken much deliberation; the blog seemed like a thing of the past, something that opened the door to new writing feats, and I was ready to walk through that door.During our time together I had allowed the blog to slip even further off my mind, which was entirely okay with me. I had checked in periodically and had found a quick selection for Worst Wednesday. But besides that, and for the first time in a long time, I hadn’t paid it much attention. It seemed that the blog and I had finally begun to outgrow each other. At one time it had been my baby, but now it was moving out, and Cora was the perfect guide.If there was anyth
I had been fairly sure that I would never see the inside of Gabe's house ever again, but now I was standing on the deck watching the ocean once more. Not that I was complaining, though. I was happy to be there. In fact, the view of the ocean with the sun overhead never looked so good.“I’m glad you came over today. We need to talk. I’m ready to work through this and make things right again. But first, we both have to come clean with each other,” Gabe said, leaning against the railing of his deck.“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I agreed. My palms were sweating, but I felt calmer than I had in weeks.His surprise visit at the restaurant had happened just the night before and this was the first time we had really had a chance to hash things out. This conversation needed to happen. It had been a long time coming.“Where should we start?” he asked. The breeze from the ocean ruffled his dark hair.“I guess what I really don’t understand is why you hid it from me?” I asked, starting th
“So all of your readers think you’re out with Brian right now?” Cora asked.I nodded. “Yep, I’ve duped them all into thinking Brian is a real person that loves me just the way I should be loved. It’s too bad I had to make all that up, though, isn’t it.”“Whatever. I think it’s fine.” Cora just shrugged. “But I have to ask you an important question, Harper.”“What is it?” I asked, a little nervous.Cora turned to the side and set her jaw, making a serious face. “Do I look like a Brian to you?”I busted out laughing. Her goofy antics got me every time.“You know, you actually do!” I exclaimed. “You make a perfect Brian! Wow, I’m one lucky girl to be on a date with such a handsome man.”“Aw, thanks!” she said, as she turned back to face me and grinned. “If I talk like this does it make me sound like a Brian, too?”She lowered her voice as much as possible and crinkled her eyebrows together. I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. The good kind of tears, though, not
I sat down at my computer and clicked on the Internet. It was always the first step in starting a new blog post and I could almost feel the writer’s block start to set in as a blank window popped up on the screen and began loading.It had been just over two months since the breakup and about a month and a half since I had introduced Brian.Brian was a tall guy with a toned body, dark hair and eyes bluer than an open sky on a summer’s day. He was funny, smart, a hard worker in his career as a physical trainer, a huge sports fan and… completely fake.I had decided to create Brian in order to appease my Mother and to use as a marketing tool for the blog. After my readers had obsessed over my relationship with Gabe, Brian was designed to be Gabe 2.0 and to carry the burden of a new and passionate relationship. And completely fabricating a fake relationship was much easier than actually getting consumed by one.Brian took me on elaborate dates to all the exciting places around town without
I took a break from watching my blog to make some belated dinner. I heated up some left over lasagna and made a milkshake with some of the ice cream still left in the fridge as post-breakup comfort food. I couldn’t help but make fun of myself and my current state of affairs. It felt only fitting to throw on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.After about a half hour I heard the phone ring.Immediately my heart skipped a beat. I had posted my blog late at night and had done so purposefully to avoid an instant reaction from Rosie or my Mom. But with as late as it was, realistically they were the only ones that would be calling.I checked the caller I.D. on the phone before answering. It was Rosie, which was better than Mom. I took a deep breath and clicked to accept the call.“Hey, Rosie,” I attempted cheerfully.“Hey, Big Sis!” she exclaimed.“What are you doing up so late?” I asked.“I fell asleep kind of early, and then the baby woke me up. My sleep schedule is so crazy now, thi
Well, the time has come. Every beginning has an end, and my relationship has found its end. Two weeks ago, Mr. Perfect Match and I broke up and it is time for the corresponding blog post (because blogging about breakups is the best way to move on, right??)It’s not the typical kind of post I’m used to writing. My life is filled with many more bad dates than bad breakups, and maybe that’s a good thing. But it also means that I’m entering new territory without the right map to guide me. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have lovedI stopped writing and glared at the screen. I highlighted the last sentence and hit delete as if the force of my click would hurt the words as they left the page. Love. It was like a bad word, something I had been conditioned not to say. And Gabe deserved no exception, even if it would appease an old stupid cliché about breakups.After a few moments of contemplation I picked up again where I left off.Time is a weird thing. It has the a
The plane ride to Orlando only took less than an hour, but it felt like an eternity. I spent the entire trip trying to hide my sobs, but of course it was impossible. Luckily, I had sat in the window seat and was able to face away from everyone while I cried, but I still knew that people were looking at me. The older lady sitting next to me even asked if there was anything she could do to help. I responded with, “If you can make men honest, that would help.” She just laughed and said, “I don’t think there’s anything I can do about that one.”My makeup was ruined, my hair was a mess and the clothes I had on were a day old. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking like I was ready to hit the town when I crawled off of the plane. It didn’t matter, though. Cora didn’t care what I looked like. She wouldn’t judge me. That was why I had come to see her in the first place.I had only taken a few steps out of the front doors of the airport before I heard Cora calling out my name. I hadn’t even gotten
After storming out of Gabe’s office, I went back to the bedroom and got dressed as quickly as possible. I was teeming with emotion, but I didn’t want to let out a single sob. I could save that for later, when I could enjoy a pint if ice cream and a few days of binge watching my favorite TV show. But for now, I needed to keep it together and act tough.So once I was dressed, I gathered my makeup from his countertop in his bathroom and tossed everything into my overnight bag. To think, I was considering what it would be like to spend my life with the guy and now I was doing everything possible to speed up the process of leaving his house for good.I can’t believe this. I should have known that it would only be a matter of time before something like this would happen to me, I thought. Why did I fool myself into thinking I could actually meet a decent guy?I zipped up my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. Before leaving the bedroom, I took one last look at the bed, where the blankets wer