All We Are (The Six Series Book 5)

by Sonya Loveday

Ella grabbed it, finger sliding against the silky material as her eyebrows pulled together. “No idea. Maybe it’s a blindfold that you have to put on before you walk the plank.”

  “Ha-ha. Funny. Maybe it’s what I’ll use to bind your hands together to march you to the altar.” I spun her around and grabbed her arms. “You have to kick your legs and fight me though, or you’ll never pass as a woman who was stolen by a pirate only to be forced into marriage.”

  She broke the hold and her fist shot out, punching me lightly in the chest. “I’m no damsel.”

  I backed up a step. “Maybe you should be the pirate and I’ll be the damsel.”

  She snorted, and then a full-bodied laugh escaped her. “Can you imagine their faces if we did that? I’m almost tempted to take you up on that plan.”

  “So how are we doing this? Are we getting dressed on the boat and then heading to the beach?” I asked, unclear of the actual plan. They’d talked about a lot of things, sometimes more than once, so I’d begun to tune out when the three of them got together. Ella would elbow me, and I’d pay attention for a few minutes, and then I’d zone back out again.

  “Men,” Ella huffed. “Do you think you can focus this time so you’re not asking me again in ten minutes?”

  I put my hands on her shoulders and locked eyes with her. “I’m all ears.”

  She shrugged away my hands and rolled her eyes. “You and Alex will get ready here. I’m getting ready in Allyson’s room. Once you’re ready, you two will head down to the beach with the captain and wait for the boat to bring us girls. You say, ‘I do,’ and we’ll all be shuttled back to the boat where the festivities will commence. Easy enough to remember?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Got it. So what time do I have to be ready by?”

  She growled something under her breath and then answered. “By six so you have time to get down to the beach and make sure everything is set up.”

  “Everything? What more do we need besides the captain and us?” I asked, giving her a hard time.

  Of all the things I’d paid attention to, that was where my mind hadn’t wandered off. Go figure.

  Her cheeks flushed, eyes snapping as she opened her mouth.

  I put my finger to her lips. “Kidding, Ella. I know what were supposed to take care of once we’re there. I just don’t understand why there’s a runner of flowers and an archway being set up. Seems like a lot of extra stuff for a ceremony that will last less than ten minutes.”

  “Trust me, I tried to tell Allyson the same thing, but she wasn’t hearing it.”

  “Ah, well, just think, only a few more hours and this will be all over with and we can focus on getting through this last week,” I said, reaching out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Although I must admit, I’m damn excited to shoot that cannon off again,” I said, winking.

  She closed her eyes and took a quick breath before releasing it. “Yeah…” she said, eyes growing distant. “And then it’s back to Chicago and the real world.”

  Nothing prepared me for the overload of emotion that punched me in the gut when Ella stepped onto the beach and began her walk toward me. Everything about our fake wedding felt all too real in that moment. Pirate theme aside, Ella was the most beautiful bride I’d ever laid eyes on, and for that moment, she was mine.

  The breeze blew over us, causing the material of my shirt to flap. The sound like the popping of a sail in the wind. The waves crashed against the shore as seagulls rode the salty air, squawking either protests or heartfelt congratulations overhead.

  The captain brought it all into focus when Ella’s walk ended with her standing beside me. The waning sunlight bounced off the jeweled hairclips that look like tiny diamonds in her hair. Her dress, while not even close to traditional, shimmered as if stitched with silver thread. Tight in the bodice, it hugged her as if it weren’t a dress at all, but part of her body. At her hips it flared, with rutched material that hung in layers, stopping just under her knees in the front, yet trailed behind her in the sand.

  We’d decided, at my insistence, not to wear shoes. It was a beach after all, and trying to walk on loose sand with shoes was a pain. Ella had agreed with me immediately, adding that a beach wedding should come with a standard no-shoe rule.

  The warm sand under my feet shifted when Ella came to stand beside me. When I looked down and saw her smiling up at me, I knew deep in my heart that there would never be another woman I’d love more than I loved Ella.

  The feeling both terrified and thrilled me. I could choose to either accept what was, and live in the pretend world we created until we were forced to leave it all behind, or I could halt everything and not allow this to be a memory that would haunt me until the day I died.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this woman and this man…”

  “I do,” Ella’s voice whispered.

  “And do you Joshua…”

  Her eyes, reflected my own image back at me like twin glittering pools. Fathomless in depth, I could lose myself in them, the same way she seemed to be losing herself into mine.

  “I do,” I answered as she squeezed my hands lightly prompting my response.

  “By the power vested in me…”

  How could one man be so lucky, yet so damned all in one moment?

  “…pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Ella let go of my hands and stepped close. I caught her against me with one hand around her waist and the other cupping her neck. When our lips met, I forgot where we were. Nothing mattered but that moment. Nothing mattered except for the woman in my arms.

  It was only when Alex pounded me on the back that reality crept back in. Our surroundings came into focus as pictures were snapped against the setting sun while we each had a turn at firing the cannon before it got too dark. She’d been a little disappointed that there weren’t any cannonballs, but the feeling quickly diminished as soon as the fuse was lit and the first repercussive bang rattled our chests.

  Not long after, we were directed from spot to spot on the beach, posing for pictures.

  When I’d finally had enough, I swept Ella off her feet and walked away from the photographer.

  “Thank you,” Ella whispered against my neck. “My damn cheeks are killing me from smiling.”

  I chuckled. “You’re supposed to be flailing,” I reminded her.

  “Can I do that later? It’s sort of hard to flail in this dress when it’s about to cut off my circulation. Who knew a dress that laced up the back could quiet literally take your breath away.”

  I found her eyes and held them. “Well, for what it’s worth, you look beautiful.”

  She shifted and wrapped her arms around my neck, leaning back enough to look at me. “If all the pirates had looked like you, the damsels might have run away with them instead of flailing about.”

  “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” I asked, joking with her just to see her smile.

  She smirked, gearing up to say something, but it ended up becoming a laugh as I spun us in circles. She let go of my neck and opened her arms until I stopped and set her down. The both of us so dizzy that we clung to one another, unable to do anything but laugh until the spinning stopped. When it did, she came up on tiptoe and kissed me. It was a brief touch of her lips, and it left me craving so much more.

  My fingertips trailed down her cheek, hand stopping just under her chin as I tilted her mouth up to mine and lost myself to her again.

  “And I thought Allyson and Alex were bad. Yeesh,” Summer said as she strolled up to us with a playful grin. “Come on, you two. Let’s get back to the boat so we can celebrate with champagne and make lewd jokes about your wedding night.”

  “In a minute,” Ella said, putting her hand on my chest.

  Summer gave us a knowing grin, backing away without another word.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  She turned in my arms and nodded, a warm smile spreading across her lips.

  The sun had all but dis
appeared, leaving a thumbnail curve to bob along the water. And then, all at once, it was gone with a flash of green light.

  “Wow… did you see that?” she asked, turning to put her arm around my waist.

  “I’d heard of it, but I never thought I’d see it,” I answered as we walked the hard-packed sand that was wet and cool under out feet. Maybe once the euphoria of the day had settled and I could call it back to my memories, I’d be a little more awed by it. But the truth was, my head hadn’t come out of the clouds since my feet had touched the sand of Parrot Cay.

  “You know, despite the circumstances, today has been one of the best days I’ve had in a long time,” Ella said, sighing softly.

  “Yeah? Must have been the cannon,” I said, recalling the thundering booms from earlier.

  “Eh, I’ve seen better,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

  “Mrs. Howard…” I said, feigning shock, “I believe the pirate life has already corrupted you.”

  The wedding had been a simple sort of elaborate. The reception? A whole other story. How one person could transform a pool area of a yacht into something resembling the deck of a pirate ship was beyond me. And how they’d found the time to do it was even more baffling.

  Champagne was handed all around as well wishes were given by complete strangers. Waiters milled on deck, all in costume, serving several types of food and drink.

  The cake, created by the chef on board, had been soused with rum and lit on fire to the general merriment of the crowd. It was perfect. The music shifted, changing into something people could dance to, and turned up loud enough to rattle the deck under my feet.

  The drinks changed from champagne to rum runners, mulled cider, and the bartender’s own version of grog.

  We’d eaten our fill and danced all while still dressed in our wedding clothes, so when Ella said she wanted to change and asked me if I’d help her with the laced-up bodice, we disappeared to our room.

  “Phew! I can’t wait to get out of this thing. It’s been cutting me in half ever since we ate,” Ella said, turning her back to me.

  “No wonder. It isn’t just laces. There are hooks too. Hold on, I’ll have you out of this in no time,” I said, pulling the laces free.

  She sighed when the bodice loosened and then dropped to the floor, leaving her in a thin layer of muslin so transparent I could see her skin.

  “It’s so quiet in here,” she said, skimming the skirt past her hips and kicking it off. It landed in a heap on the other side of the room.

  “Are you changing too?” she asked, turning to the closet and grabbing a simple dress that she slipped over her head.

  “Yeah. The outfit is pretty awesome, but I’m sweating my ass off with all this material.”

  “So that’s what that was for,” she said, taking the turquoise piece of silk from me.

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, a sash, Alex called it,” I answered, untying the string at the collar of my shirt and then peeling it over my head.

  Her palms came to rest on my chest. “Josh, I…”

  “Don’t say it. Please, whatever it is, don’t say it right now. Today’s been perfect, even if it isn’t real, and for now… just for now, I want to keep it that way.”

  She smiled at me. “I was going to say the same thing.”

  That caught me off guard. “You were?”

  She nodded, stepping closer.

  “Do you want to go back to the party?” I reached out to run my finger along her flushed cheek.

  She shook her head. “Not right now. Maybe in a little bit.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, we’re married now. Us having… you and I, if we… it would make it more legal, and—”

  “Shut up, Captain Josh, and ravish me,” she said, clamping her hands on my hips and walking us toward the bed.

  “Yes, my lady,” I said, sweeping her off her feet.

  CHAPTER 24

  ELLA

  Josh and I walked arm and arm down the side of the boat, taking in the breeze and listening to the guests as they enjoyed the party.

  Josh had been right when he’d said that the day had been a perfect one. It was almost fairy tale perfect, or in any other circumstances it would have been. At least I’d shared it with Josh.

  He pulled us to a stop and into the shadows, kissing me soundly before stepping back so we could continue to the party being hosted in our honor. I felt my cheeks heat up. Felt my body stir to his, and wished we’d have just stayed in our room and let everyone else enjoy each other’s company. I’d much rather have been shut away with him than to be surrounded by a sea of strangers.

  There was a loud thud behind us like something had toppled over. We both spun, and I damn near swallowed my tongue when he loomed out of the darkness.

  A weird vibration ran through me as if I’d stepped on a live wire. How often had I dreamed of coming face to face with him again?

  “Hello, Isabella,” Trent said, making a grab for me.

  Josh shoved me out of his reach. “Go, Ella. Run!”

  “If you run, he dies.”

  Trent’s words were followed up by the gleam of a pistol. The barrel elongated with a silencer raised, pointing straight at Josh’s chest. My heart raced as my stomach bottomed out. I’d never once been in a situation I couldn’t think my way out of, but for the life of me, all my thoughts dried to dust.

  “No!” I said, darting under Josh’s arm and putting myself in front of him. Holding up my hands, I found Trent’s eyes, hoping there was still a piece of the man I once knew left inside him. “Put the gun away, Trent.”

  He tipped his head, eyes narrowing on me. “No. I don’t think I will.”

  “What do you want?” I asked, bumping into Josh as I tried to step backward, hoping he would understand what I wanted him to do.

  “What do I want?” Trent asked with a slight shake of his head. “That much should be obvious to you since I’m here.”

  “No one asked you to be here,” I said, feeling Josh shift back a step.

  We needed a few more feet before we could disappear into the shadows. It was doable if we timed it right.

  “That’s not the first unasked question missing here,” Trent said, closing the little distance we’d put between us.

  “What are you talking about?” God, he still looked the same. He was still broad, dark, and mysterious. My heart skittered and bumped, partly from fear and partly from having him so close after all the time we’d been apart.

  It happened so fast there was no way to stop it. Trent had a hold of me, pulling me roughly to him as he fired the gun at Josh.

  Josh hit the ground as Trent said, “I object,” and then clamped me roughly to his side.

  I couldn’t break his hold, no matter how hard I fought against it. Somewhere in the shadows, Josh was bleeding out or possibly even dead. And no matter what I did, I couldn’t get to him.

  I thrashed and kicked, shouted and cursed against the palm he slapped over my mouth. Nothing detoured Trent from hauling me to the railing. We went over it, freefalling into the water, our weight sinking us like a stone.

  Trent had timed his extraction well, because when I broke the surface, the yacht’s engine fired up and I had a real moment of fear that I’d be caught in the propeller.

  I struggled to stay afloat, free from Trent for the moment at least. Salt water burned my eyes, my nose, and seared my throat. There was no way I could swim and catch up with the yacht. I’d never be able to make it to shore without Trent overtaking me.

  And I wasn’t the only one in trouble. I had no way of knowing if Josh was okay. How long would he lay on the deck before someone found him? Everyone probably thought we’d snuck off to our room for the night. He might not be found until morning, and by then, it would be too late.

  Panic bubbled inside me as I struggled to breathe and not cry. To not fall apart and drown myself in the process.

  There was only one thing left to do. I made for the shore with everything I had in me, diving
under so I’d only be visible for the briefest of moments when I came up for air. Trent wouldn’t be far, we’d gone overboard together, and he would have popped up somewhere close beside me. The fact he hadn’t meant he’d either lost track of me and was searching, or maybe I got lucky and a shark took a bite out of his ass. If that were the case, it would be after me too.

  There was nothing I could do but swim. So I swam.

  I wasn’t sure how I made it to the shore. No clue how long it took me, or what kept me going. But I’d made it regardless. I washed up on the beach, spitting sand and salt water out as I heaved deep sucking breaths that caught in my throat, sending me into a round of coughing that rattled my chest.

  On hands and knees, I used the last bit of my strength to get out of the surf and then crumpled to the ground, laying face up like the lone survivor of a shipwreck. The stars twinkled above me against the black velvet sky. I knew I couldn’t stay there. Knew I had to get someplace where I could call Oliver and tell him what happened. Needed him to alert the captain that Josh required immediate assistance.

  My muscles were jelly and no matter how hard I fought to get to my feet, I couldn’t do it. I needed more time. Time I didn’t have.

  Tears, hot and salty, leaked from the corners of my eyes and I let them fall, unable to wipe them away. Exhaustion ate away at the remainder of my nerves, fraying them apart.

  “You’re still a strong swimmer,” Trent said, leaning over me, cutting off my view of the stars.

  My chest heaved as I cried harder. “Why?”

  He gathered me up in his arms. “Because you’re mine. And I don’t share what’s mine.”

  My hand came up between us, and he laughed when I made a feeble attempt to push him. Angry I didn’t have it in me to fight him, so I fought back with the only thing I had left in me—words. “You don’t try to kill the people you claim as your own.”

  “There was a time when something like that would have excited you,” Trent said, heaving me up a little higher against his chest.

  “Dying has never excited me,” I answered, turning my face from him.