She nodded. “What does ‘quite a bit’ mean for a maritime archaeologist?”
“I try to stick to a normal forty-hour week, but it isn’t unusual for me to go over that if I get caught up in my research. When we go on expeditions or construction jobs, I may be at sea for a few days or… Well, maybe even a couple of weeks at a time.”
“You… What?” Her mind scrambled to process that. “Days or weeks? That’s… You never mentioned that before.”
His fingers slid into his hair as he grimaced. “I’m sorry, Ava. It’s never been a problem before. Everyone important to me was always right there on that boat with me until now. Look, I may not even have that job anymore, so maybe we should cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“But, it isn’t a part of your job, Ian, it’s a part of your career. Even if you work for someone else, you’ll be gone just as long, right?”
“Yes, but who knows? Maybe I’ll work for myself and take you with me on expeditions.” He must have seen the interest flare in her eyes because he straightened slightly. “Is that something you would potentially consider?”
She glanced out the window to formulate her response. “It sounds interesting, but a lot of things would have to fall into place… and fall apart for that to happen. I think you’re right. It might be best to table this discussion until we have more answers.”
“Fair enough.” He turned the car back on as the ferry’s gate lowered, and they disembarked at St. John. “Speaking of answers, what about tomorrow evening? Are you going to fly to Austin?”
“I don’t have a ticket to fly anywhere yet. I planned to figure out where I would go next after I got here, but I’ve been…” She gave him a meaningful glance. “A bit distracted.”
He smiled. “No kidding.”
“I know I’m supposed to keep a low profile for at least another week even though it’s OK for me to return to the continental United States. With everything going on with my father, I’m not sure how low of a profile I’ll be able to keep in Austin.”
His gaze caught hers, making it clear his next word were more plea than demand. “Stay with me in Corpus Christi. At least for the next week. We can figure out a game plan together then.”
She traced the wedding band around her finger. “But, you won’t be there.”
“Only for the first couple of days. I left my truck at the airport. You can drive it to my house. The food in my refrigerator is probably spoiled by now, but—”
“Ok.”
He finally paused long enough to breathe. “Really?”
She nodded. “There’s no where else I’d rather be.”
He gave her a relieved smile, then turned his attention to the road as he drove to Mongoose Junction. He ordered dinner to go while she stocked up on breakfast food at the bakery. They stopped at their villas to pick up their toiletries and overnight bags before finally heading to the marina.
While Ian steered the boat toward a destination unknown to her, she headed down stairs to change our of her wedding finery. She slid on a white collared shirt, leaving a few buttons undone near the top and tying it at her waist. A flirty green skirt went on next.
Feeling more comfortable, she climbed the stairs into the cockpit, only to find it empty. Soft music filled the air, coming from who knew where. She froze, rubbing the nape of her neck as she glanced around for Ian. He called, “I’m on the sundeck.”
Carefully making her way to the lounge area at the front of the boat, she took the hand he offered and let him guide her to sit across from him. His hands slid up and down her forearms in a caress that should have been comforting. Instead, she tensed. The words were out before she could stop them. “Ian, what have we done?”
He froze. Instead of getting angry or defensive, he let his hands slide back down until they caught hers. He stared down at the rings on her finger, then met her gaze once more. “We’re still figuring that out, aren’t we?”
She nodded. He tugged her forward. She melted into his chest as she hid her face is his shoulder. His arm came around her, and he leaned back against the boat. His other arm rubbed a comforting circle on her shoulder. He asked, “Did I rush things?”
“No,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to wait.”
“Neither did I.”
“But, the timing…”
“Pretty atrocious,” he admitted.
She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “It felt so right, though.”
“It did. It still does. For us as a couple, I mean, but within the context of our lives…”
“Not so much?”
He smiled. “Not so much.”
Worry crept into her voice. “There is still a lot we don’t know about each other.”
“We’ll learn. We may not like every bit of it, but we’ll work through it.”
He was still committed then, to her, to them. The confidence in his gaze told her he believed their marriage would work out. Could she honestly say the same thing? His confidence seemed to falter slightly. His brow furrowed. “Did you almost back out of the wedding? At the altar, you seemed… I thought maybe you were having second thoughts.”
“What? No. I was just thinking about the fact that I’d just walked myself down the aisle without my dad even aware of what was happening. It was an odd feeling, but you were there. That was enough. More than enough.”
“And now?”
She slid her fingers into his hair. “You’re still more than enough, Ian. I’m just afraid. We chose the path of most resistance today. I realize that now.”
“Do you wish we had chosen differently?”
“No.”
“Then trust that we did the right thing today. The path might be hard, even harder than we expected. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
With a sigh, she let her hand slide down to rest on his chest. “That’s true.”
He covered her hand with his. “I love you, Ava. I want to be yours for the rest of my life, and I want that life to start today. Will you trust me? Will you trust us and God and the decisions that we make together?”
He knew what he was asking. Not that she would merely say that she would let the Lord guide her life instead of her parents, but that she would actually live accordingly. It was exactly what she feared would happen. It was exactly why she’d tried so hard to run away this morning. Accountability. Action.
Would this be a daily war with her? An hourly one? If so, then this battle right here, right now was one she needed to win. “Yes, I will trust. But, when will the fear go away?”
He gave her a gentle smile. “When you let it.”
“Oh,” she said on a breath. She let that sink in as the waves crashed gently against their boat. Was she holding onto fear? She’d thought for sure that fear was holding onto her, keeping her captive. Unable to fully grasp that it might be the other way around, she shook her head slightly, then sat up. “What does this mean for us? What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to take it one day at a time.”
That kind of philosophy would not pass the Emerson test. She pushed the thought away. She would not think about her parents while she was on her honeymoon. They were not invited—not even into her thoughts.
She met Ian’s gaze. Suddenly feeling silly for not talking about this sooner, she said, “So, about tonight… I have no idea what I’m doing.”
He blinked at the sudden change of subject before the corner of his mouth lifted in amusement. “Somehow, I assumed you wouldn’t. Please tell me you didn’t research it on YouTube.”
She let out an offended huff. “I most certainly did not.”
“Good.” He unsuccessfully fought off a smile, but it straightened out pretty quickly under her glare. “For the record, we aren’t obligated to…”
“Consummate our marriage?”
“Wow.” He shook his head in disbelief. “You are such a historian. Who talks like that?”
“Sai
d the maritime archaeologist. Now, you were saying?”
He sat up to meet her gaze full on. “What matters to me is that you feel comfortable and ready for it whenever it happens even if that isn’t tonight.”
If she was going to be completely honest with herself, she’d made up her mind about tonight when Ian had kissed her by the waterfall. Her nervousness had been more about the timing of their marriage than anything else. She tentatively asked, “And if it is tonight?”
“That’s fine too.”
Her heart melted in her chest. “What about now?”
Surprise lit his eyes. “Now?”
She nodded. Shifting on her knees, she leaned forward, letting her hands slide up his chest and come to rest behind his neck. “Now.”
“Ava.” Her name danced between them in a mixture of warning and wonder. His thumb gently brushed over her lips. Finally, he asked, “Are you sure?”
“I think I’ve waited long enough.” She whispered against his lips before stealing a kiss. She pulled away as he tried to deepen it, then lifted her lashes to stare into his eyes. “Have you?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
If this was a dream, Ian was going to have to do some serious repenting. A rush of memories flooded his sleep-fogged brain, explaining just how he’d been blessed enough to awaken with the sweet weight of Ava Emerson Sinclair pressed against his chest. She stirred slightly in her sleep.
He caught her close, wrapping an arm around her back. She stilled, then melted into him even more. She trailed kisses down his jaw before her lips met his. His arms tightened around her as the kiss deepened. All in all, not a bad way to start the day.
She smiled against his lips, then pulled away to snuggle against his chest once more. With a soft groan, she asked, “What time is it?”
“Does it matter?”
She nodded, making the soft waves of her messy hair dance across his arm. “You have a flight to catch this evening.”
“It’s still morning.” He rolled over to lay her on her back, then propped himself onto his elbow so that he could look at her. “We’ve got hours to fill yet.”
Her turquoise eyes traced his features. “They’re already filled, babe. We have to straighten up the boat, pack our stuff, and return the boat to the marina. Then we have do the same at both our villas and turn in the keys. We have to return the Jeep. We need to take the ferry to St. Thomas.” Her eyes widened, and she bolted upright. “Ian, we need to go somewhere that has the internet.”
He sat up, leaning back against the headboard and raking his fingers through his hair. “The boat has WIFI.”
“It does?” She turned to look at him. “Did you… Um.. I…”
He tilted his head as he watched her gaze wander over him. With a quiet laugh, he asked, “Did I what?”
Her gaze refocused on his. Her long lashes blinked. “Laptop?”
“Did I bring my laptop on my honeymoon?” He reached out to slide his hand up her arm, guiding her closer. “I’m afraid that was the last thing on my mind.”
She braced her hand on his shoulder. “We don’t…” She shook her head as though trying to clear her thoughts. “What about a tablet or a cell phone?”
“My cell phone is here somewhere,” he admitted as he removed her hand from his shoulder and kissed her palm. He released her hand, letting it land on his chest.
Her lashes lowered to cover her eyes as she glanced down at it. When she met his gaze again, the look in her eyes told him she’d made her decision. “I really should look for it.”
Pressing his hand against her spine, he captured her mouth in a kiss. Immediately, her hand slid up his chest and over the column of his neck until her fingers tangled in his hair. Before he could completely lose focus, he asked, “Why do you need it?”
“I have to buy a plane ticket.”
“I bought one for you last night.”
She froze. “You did?”
“Yes, right before you so successfully distracted me. Your flight leaves before mine, but will you’ll still arrive in Corpus Christi after I make it to New York. That way, you can call me when you land, and if you have any questions or need anything—”
She covered his face with kisses. “Thank you.”
He caught her chin to still her fervor. “You’re my wife, Ava. I’m not going to leave you stranded in St. John alone with no place to stay.”
She searched his gaze. A tremulous smile appeared on her lips. He gave her one more kiss. “Come on. Let’s freshen up, have some breakfast, and go over logistics.”
Thirty minutes later, he finished off the last of a chocolate muffin as he watched Ava grab his phone off the galley’s counter and walk toward him. He let his gaze skim over her close-cut white top and denim shorts. She angled for the spot beside him on the streamlined sofa, but he caught her hand and guided her to sit sideways on his lap.
A hint of surprise and amusement lit her turquoise eyes. “Well, hello.”
“Hey there.” He let his hand rest just above her knee. “So, logistics.”
“Right.” She leaned into him as she unlocked his phone. She glanced up at him. “You have four missed calls.”
“What? From who?”
She handed him the phone. “Neil Harman?”
“My manager.” He scrolled through. “They’re all from this morning. That’s weird. No voicemails, though.”
He opened the lone text messages. Call me immediately!
“You should call him.” Ava moved to stand. “I’ll go finish packing.”
“You can stay if you want.”
“That’s ok. I really do need to pack. Besides, I already have my plane ticket. The rest we can go over after your call. Let me know when you’re done.” She kissed his jaw and whispered, “You’ve got this, babe. Whatever it is.”
He sure hoped she was right. A few moments later, Neil answered on the first ring. Ian immediately said, “Hey, Neil. What’s going on?”
“We have a situation. I don’t know much you’ve seen in the media or if the Pirate’s Plunder folks mentioned anything to you…”
“I am a blank slate. Fill me in.”
“Well, essentially, as far as America is concerned, you’re potentially a two-timing scumbag.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. What? Why?”
“You’re dating two different women on two different shows that are running simultaneously. On Treasure Hunters, you are still helping your girlfriend Emily through her physical therapy after the accident.”
“Oh.” He grimaced. He and Emily had been close then. Real close. The kind of close where he’d been trying to convince himself that he did have real feelings for her.
“Meanwhile, on Pirate’s Plunder, you just dueled to the death for your girlfriend Ava.”
He groaned. “Neil, this is bad.”
“It sure is. So bad that people have been fired over it. Look, I know I warned you not to get into a relationship, but you aren’t the one who bungled this. The network execs did. They shouldn’t have rushed Pirate’s Plunder into the fall schedule. They’re just lucky that it’s a hit. You are a big part of that. You and your love triangle have boosted the ratings of both shows.”
He glanced down at the brushed gold of his wedding band. “There is no love triangle.”
“You bet there is. Half of the country is team Emily. The other half is team Ava. It’s ratings gold.”
Ian shook his head. “This doesn’t make any sense. Haven’t people figured out that I must have broken up with Emily if I jumped into a relationship with Ava?”
“The way Pirate’s Plunder has been edited leaves your romance with Ava open to interpretation.”
“What does that mean?”
“The legitimacy of your romance is called into question a lot by the other contestants during their interviews. Dash especially had a hard time believing that you and Ava were more than friends. The editors played up that ambiguity
. They really didn’t have much of a choice with Treasure Hunters up in arms about the whole thing.” Neil barely stopped to take a breath before continuing, “You need to play up the ambiguity too. No one can know the status of either of those relationships until the Treasure Hunters finale airs in five weeks.”
Alarm filled his voice. “Five weeks? Listen, Neil, I can’t—”
“You have to, Ian. I’m serious. You’ll be facing a legal battle if you don’t. Do you understand?”
He glanced toward the cabin just as Ava stepped into the doorway looking concerned. “I understand.”
“I’m going to send you an email detailing what information you can or and can’t share with the public. I also have some tips for how to handle the media firestorm.”
“There’s a media firestorm?” He slid his hands into his hair as Ava’s eyebrows lifted.
“There will be. Did you know Ava’s father has announced his candidacy for presidency? It’s really going to help your career to be linked to her even if it’s only for a short time.”
He shook his head. “I never… That isn’t why—”
“I know. I know. You don’t think in those terms. That’s why you hired me. Ok. That was the good news. The bad news is Swim For Safety is not happy with you right now.”
Ian brain scrambled to keep up. “Why? Because of the controversy with Ava and Emily?”
Ava walked over to sit on the sofa next to him as Neil continued, “N0. It’s because of that moonlit swim with Ava.”
“Wait. What moonlit swim?”
“After her panic attack.”
He took Ava’s hand in his protectively. “They showed that?”
“Yes. Again, great for ratings, but not safe at all. What were you thinking?”
He met Ava’s turquoise eyes. All he could remember about that moment was feeling concerned for Ava and desperately trying not kiss her. His gaze snagged on her lips. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“Right. Well, we’re going to have to clean that up somehow. In the meantime, check your email. Call me when you get to New York, and we’ll go over any question you have. Ok?”
He forced his gaze away from Ava. “Sure. Thank you. I’ll talk to you then.”
Beyond the Tide Page 29