Single Wide Female in Love Complete Bundle: Books 1-4

by Blake, Lillianna

  “Isn’t it good?” Max finished off his last bite.

  “Too good.” I laughed. I took a few more bites, but paid attention to enjoying the flavor and the texture of the food. I ate for the purpose of nourishing my body, for the pleasure of the process, not to silence an ache or anxiety within me.

  “Let me clear this up and then we can set up shop in front of the television. Okay?”

  “Okay.” I smiled.

  Max took his time as he gathered everything off the table.

  I stood up and moved to the bed. Just the sheet against my skin hurt. My body felt even stiffer. I suspected it might get worse before it got better.

  “Alright, we have some DVDs, some snacks, and plenty of sunburn cream.” Max settled on the bed beside me. “I think we’re fully equipped.”

  “What movies did you get?”

  “There wasn’t much of a selection. I did get one that I—”

  “Max!” I swatted the DVD right out of his hand. “That is not even close to being funny!”

  “What?” He smiled with wide innocent eyes. “You don’t want to watch Jaws?” He picked the DVD up from the floor and laughed. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

  “Hmph.” I threw a pillow at him.

  “Alright, how about this one—a nice romance.” He held up the movie. His lips trembled and his shoulders shook as he held back his laughter.

  “Titanic? Nice!” I couldn’t help but laugh with him as he tossed the DVD down on the bed beside me.

  “Alright, so maybe no movies tonight.”

  “Honestly, I’m exhausted. I know it’s our last night, but I could really use some sleep.” I looked at him with a slight frown. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Not at all. You need to recover from today.” He stretched out on the bed beside me. “I love you Sammy, sunburn and all.”

  “I love you too, Max. Even if you have terrible taste in movies.”

  I closed my eyes. I tried to sleep. My skin burned, but that wasn’t what kept me awake. The decision about whether to go to France kept popping up in my mind. Without question, if I were not married I wouldn’t even hesitate to go. So why was I held back?

  I peeked over at Max, who’d had no trouble falling asleep. He snored and kicked his right foot.

  That was why.

  Because I didn’t want to spend nearly a month not sleeping in the same bed as Max. I didn’t want to miss out on his cute little snores and foot twitches.

  I sighed and tried to force the thoughts from my mind.

  Chapter 25

  As I drifted into sleep my body relaxed. I awoke to a strange cry. It wasn’t exactly a scream, and it certainly wasn’t an animal. I forced my eyes to open all the way. It was dark. Oddly, the bed seemed to be rocking. I blinked and wondered if the dizziness might be one of the symptoms of sun poisoning.

  “Max?” My voice sounded strange to my own ears. The bed lurched from side to side. My heart fluttered with fear. For an instant I thought I was back in the water. Maybe I never was rescued; maybe it had all been a hallucination. I struggled to sit up, only to find my wrists were weighed down by heavy shackles.

  “What in the world?” I moved my wrists back and forth. The chains rattled as they dragged across the floor. I wasn’t even in a bed. I was on a thin cushion. I sniffed the air. A thin cushion that smelled like it belonged in a trash heap. “Max? Hello?”

  My mind raced. The last thing I remembered was Max’s cute snore. How did I end up in some strange place shackled to the floor?

  I heard the sound again above my head. Then sunlight poured down from above me. I squinted against it. Once my vision cleared, I could see that a door had been opened. A man stuck his head into the open door.

  “All hands on deck!”

  Only then did I realize that there were other people around me. They scrambled to their feet. They all smelled about the same as the mattress and wore clothes as dingy and tattered. My stomach lurched as I realized that wherever I was, was likely not a good place.

  One of the men that moved past me paused to unlock my shackles. “That means you too.”

  I stumbled to my feet. All at once it struck me that I smelled just like everyone else. Ugh, what kind of shampoo would get that scent out?

  “Hurry up, or you’ll be walking the plank!” The man clapped a dirty hand against my back.

  I stared at him with wide eyes.

  “The plank?”

  I made my way up the steps and out through the door. The first thing that struck me was the hot salty air.

  “No!” I gasped and looked around me.

  I was on a very large ship. The ship was surrounded by water that stretched as far as I could see. “No! I can’t be here!” I stomped my foot.

  “Settle down there and swab the deck.” A man dressed as a pirate tossed me a sponge mop.

  I looked at it with confusion. Since when did pirates use sponge mops?

  “Get to work!” The man barked.

  I looked into his eyes and was startled. It wasn’t just any pirate. It was Max.

  “Max, what’s going on here? Is this another one of your surprises? I don’t like it. Not at all.”

  “You don’t have to like it, it’s your job now. You do what I say, when I say it. Now get to work.”

  He turned and stomped off. I stared after him.

  “This can’t be real.” I shook my head. “I must be hallucinating.”

  “Do what he says, or it’ll be the sharks for ya.” A short man beside me nudged me with his elbow. “Or the dolphins—they’re always hungry.”

  “Dolphins?” I blinked. I started to push the mop across the wooden deck. None of what was happening made any sense, and yet I felt compelled to obey Max’s command.

  A few minutes later he returned.

  “Nice job. Now, what’s to eat?”

  “To eat? I don’t know. Fish?”

  “We had fish last night. Is that all you’re ever going to make—fish?”

  “Max, can we go home?”

  “This is your home now.” He smiled at me. “Remember? I’m the best husband ever!”

  I gulped back a scream. My head spun. “No, this can’t be real.”

  “Oh, it’s real alright. Want me to show you just how real?” He grabbed me by the elbow and led me to the edge of the ship. A long wooden plank extended out into the water. The same short man nudged me with his elbow—hard enough to make me yelp.

  “It’s a nice plank, isn’t it? One of a kind. Got it when we were in France.”

  “Up on the plank!” Max pointed to it.

  “No, no, I won’t.”

  “Tough girl, huh? Alright then.” Max picked me up—just as he’d carried me over the threshold—and placed me on the end of the plank. I tried to turn back toward him, but the sharp tip of a sword pierced my back.

  “Walk the plank! Walk the plank!” All of the voices joined together to force me toward the end of the plank. Every time I tried to turn back, I was met with the sharp poke of Max’s sword.

  “Let me off of here!” I began to cry. “Max, I love you!”

  “I know you do. I love you too. Now get your sexy bottom in that water! Watch out for Dolly!” He gave me a hard push with the flat of his sword.

  I began to fall straight toward the water. It was the same sensation I’d experienced when I fell off the side of the sailboat. Then I heard the sound again. It was the squawk of seagulls. An entire flock of seagulls. They swept under me and pulled me right up into the air.

  As I soared through the air with the seagulls as my sail, I looked back over my shoulder at the pirate ship. Max smiled at me. He leaned on his sword and waved.

  I woke up with a jerk. The movement made my skin burn with pain.

  “Ow.” I mumbled into my pillow. My pillow, which didn’t smell like anything on a pirate ship.

  I sighed with relief when I realized that it had all been a dream.

  Chapter 26

  I tried
to go back to sleep, but the thought of Max as a pirate kept me awake. I had to admit that he’d been pretty sexy with that sword.

  I sighed and sat up in bed. I did my best not to wake Max as I slid off the side. My mind filled with thoughts of the offer to tour France. Was that what the dream was about? The images were so strange that it was hard for me to figure anything out from it.

  I paced back and forth through the small bungalow. One thing stuck out from the dream. I couldn’t let marriage prevent me from moving forward with my career, and I knew deep down that Max wouldn’t want me to do that either.

  I opened up my computer and sat down in front of it. I read over the initial e-mail. It was such a wonderful offer. I knew that Stephanie would be over the moon with excitement if I told her about it. So why did it hurt so much to even think about it?

  I toyed with the idea of sending an e-mail back for more details. Before I could start typing I received another e-mail. It was from the same woman. She requested a response and gave me her private cell phone number as well as an invitation to contact her at any time.

  I decided to do some digging while Max slept. Maybe if I knew more about this woman and her business, I’d have a better idea of what to do next.

  I spent the next few hours in research mode. I found out that the woman — Terry Donne—was a big fan of pugs, owned several bookstores throughout France—as well as belonging to a larger network of bookstores throughout the world—and had never been married, at least not that I could find any mention of.

  As I dug further into her information, I saw that she’d pursued several decades of education, had traveled extensively, and met quite a few big name celebrities and politicians. Terry seemed to be living the life that I’d always longed for. It was a life of adventure, meaning, and freedom.

  Was it so wrong that a big part of me wanted that too?

  I noticed that there were many positive reviews about her bookstores online.

  By the time I completed my search I was certain that I wanted to meet this woman, even if I didn’t decide to work with her.

  “Sammy?” Max blinked in the dim light of my computer screen. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m sorry, I was just looking at something.”

  “At what?” He squinted at the time on my computer. “It’s two in the morning.”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “I’m sorry. Do you need me to put some more cream on your back?” He started to sit up.

  “No, I’m fine. I’m just going to try to go back to sleep.” I closed the computer and crawled back up beside him in the bed. Nestled close to him, it didn’t take very long for me to fall asleep again.

  I opened my eyes to find Max staring straight at me. I jumped a little.

  “Oops, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  “It’s okay.” I blinked and sat up. “I just thought you were a pirate for a second there.”

  “A pirate?” He laughed. “Is that from one of those fantasies you have about me?”

  “I’m still not telling you, Max!”

  He groaned and flopped back against the bed. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better.” I ran my fingertips along the skin of my forearm. “A lot better.”

  “I had something planned for this morning, but I didn’t know if you’d be up for it.”

  “What is it?”

  “A champagne breakfast. But it’s down in the gazebo. I just didn’t know if you wanted to go out in the sun. I understand if you don’t.”

  “I should be fine. I’ll just stay covered up.” I smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Let me just get dressed. I’ll meet you down there if you want.”

  “Okay, that’ll give me time to make sure everything is in place. You know this place and their false advertisement.”

  “I’ll be down in a flash.”

  “Great.” Max rolled out of bed and threw on some clothes.

  I envied how casual he was about getting dressed. I wondered if I’d ever get to the point that I’d feel comfortable enough to just toss something on and walk out the door.

  Once Max was gone, I looked for something to wear. A chose an airy dress that I hoped would not irritate my sunburn.

  I was about to walk out the door to join Max when my attention was drawn to my computer. I just wanted to check to see if I’d gotten any more e-mails. It would just take a minute.

  I sat down with my computer.

  One of the first notes I saw was from Jenny. It detailed her new workout regiment and her own personal goal to be brave enough to go up and talk to people she was interested in meeting. I smiled at the news. I took a minute to write a quick note of support to her. Then I moved on to my other e-mails.

  I hadn’t received anything else about the book tour. My heart lurched as I wondered if I’d missed my chance. How long would Terry wait for a response? I decided to seize the moment and give her a call. What could it hurt just to find out some more information? I glanced at the door. Max was waiting, but I would only be a minute or two more.

  Chapter 27

  I dialed the number that she’d give me in her e-mail and waited. While the phone rang I tried to do the calculations of time zones.

  “Hello?”

  I was surprised by the softness of her voice. Maybe I’d expected her adventurous life to have weathered her voice; instead it was perky and bright.

  “Hi, I’m sorry. I hope I’m not bothering you. This is Samantha Bradford. You sent me an e-mail about a book tour?”

  “Oh, yes. Samantha, I’m so glad you called. I can’t wait to speak to you. Unfortunately, I have something to attend to right this minute. Can I call you back in a few hours?”

  “Sure, thanks. That’d be great.”

  I gave her my phone number, and just as I was hanging up the phone Max opened the door the bungalow. He looked from the phone to my computer.

  “What’s going on? Are you coming down?”

  “Yes, I am—just got caught up in something, sorry.”

  “It’s alright, but leave the computer here, okay? Computers and champagne don’t go well together.”

  I smiled and closed the computer. “I couldn’t agree more. Let’s go enjoy that champagne.”

  Max carefully took my arm in his and we walked down to the beach. I still couldn’t get over the pink sand. When I looked out at the water I shuddered. What had once represented peace to me now seemed vast and intimidating.

  “Looking for pirates?” Max led me to the gazebo.

  “You’re the only pirate I’m looking for.” I grinned.

  As we settled in to share our champagne a light breeze carried through the gazebo. Max leaned from his deck chair toward me.

  “I love this time with you. I know your work is important, but it’s nice to see you without a computer in your lap.”

  “Oh, it’s not that bad!”

  “No, you’re right, it isn’t.” He sipped his champagne. “It fascinates me that you can create such inspiring content.”

  “Really?” I scrunched up my nose. “I thought maybe it would bore you.”

  “How could it ever bore me?” He shook his head. “You forget that I’ve watched this entire journey, Sammy. I’ve even participated in some of it. I’ve seen you go from this shy person to this daring vivacious woman, who not only lives a wonderful life, but is generous enough to help others.”

  “Okay, okay, that’s enough lavishing of compliments.” I hid behind my champagne glass.

  He reached out and took it from me.

  “I mean it, Sammy. I’m proud of you and everything that you’ve accomplished. If I’ve ever made you feel differently, I’m sorry for that.”

  “You haven’t. I guess I’m still a little insecure in some ways.” I met his eyes. I felt the urge to ask him about working with me again, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment with conversation that had seemed to start arguments in the past.

  “I hope I can support you enough that those ins
ecurities disappear.”

  “Well, it’s a two-way street, you know, Max. I want you to feel as supported as I do.”

  “Are you kidding? Best husband ever?” He handed me back my glass. “I think it’s pretty clear that we have each other’s backs. I just want you to remember that you can come to me about anything.”

  My chest tightened as it occurred to me that this was another opportunity to reveal the offer to travel to France. The words formed in my mind. I opened my mouth to speak them, and they just didn’t come.

  “Thanks, Max. I love you.”

  “I love you too. I know that it’s our last day here, but I’m actually looking forward to getting back home.”

  “Me too. I have so much to do.” I frowned. “I have to figure out what I’m going to do about the next book release.” I rambled on for a moment, then clamped my hand over my mouth. “Oops. I’m sorry. I’m talking about work again.”

  “Sammy, it’s okay. Try not to worry too much. I’m sure everything will work out.” He raised his glass to me. “Let’s toast to tomorrow, the first day of the rest of our lives.”

  “To tomorrow.” I clinked my glass with his.

  We both swallowed the remainder of our champagne. We strolled on the beach for some time as the morning gave way to midday.

  “Our flight’s at six, so we’ll have to be in the cab by four.”

  “No problem.” I nodded and squeezed his hand. “One flight away from being home.”

  “In our home.” He smiled. “I love saying that. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying that.”

  “I like it too.” I leaned my head against his shoulder for a moment. The waves rushed up across my feet. I dug my toes into the sand. Even though I’d lived in the same apartment for so long, I had never really set down roots. This would be my first time living in an actual home.

  “I can’t wait to unpack.”

  “Well, maybe you can wait until your sunburn is better?” Max grinned and kicked a little water at me.