by Marie Kelly
“And beside…….the way you were acting……….all those women and the way you just dumped me…………I started to think that you were no better than my father”
He looked up at her with pained eyes
“I didn’t want to end up like my mother Craig, running and hiding from you because you wanted something you thought was yours. I couldn’t tell you who I was phoning on the island because I was scared… I didn’t want you to take Alex away from me…”
Craig reached over and pulled her into his arms kissing her so gently that she felt the familiar fire burning within her veins.
“We have wasted so many years” he sighed “I am so sorry Kira, the things I thought of you…I feel sick at the way I treated you … and Alex” he added
“Don’t be sorry for me” she said seriously, Alex got me through it. “In many ways I suppose I was lucky, I had her”
Quietly he nodded his head against her
“I was so lost without you Kira, I treated women as objects and started drinking really heavily. Tom was the one who fixed me up”
Kira nodded not surprised that Tom was the one who had turned him around
He laughed softly
“One night I hit on his girlfriend…. I’d been drinking…alot……and he punched me, damn hard I might add, and then he took me home. Stayed with me all night, listening while I talked about you for hours. Over the next couple of weeks he kept dropping by refusing to take any of my rubbish, telling me that I had to pull myself together. He was a good friend to me….. a really good friend”
He smiled at the memory
Kira lifted herself from him and kneeling between his knees she looked into his sorrowful eyes.
“Like I said before he’s nice”
Craig looked deeply into her eyes, his haunted and so full of pain and sadness
“I’ve missed so much of her life” he whispered dragging a hand over his face. His eyes scanned the small room seeing the many pictures of Alex at different stages of her life. He could see the baby pictures and the toddler images and she saw his eyes filling at realising all he had lost.
“She is so beautiful just like you” he said gently, adding
“You must have looked so beautiful carrying her” he placed a hand on her stomach, his voice breaking slightly “and I wasn’t there to help you”
Kira could see the hurt in his eyes as he looked away from her not able to meet her gaze
“I should have been there for you…how the hell can you ever forgive me”
She reached up and putting her arms around his neck kissed him softly. Sitting back she had lifted the gold locket from around her neck, and as he watched she had started to open it
“You asked me once whose picture I now kept here” she said softly. He nodded remembering the day in his office in which he had blackmailed her to be with him
“I keep the picture of the two people I’ve always loved most in this world” she said softly before pulling it open to show him the images, one of the small girl now lying next door and the other the image she had cut out three years ago. He had held it in his fingers groaning his eyes full of pain
Finally they were being completely open and honest with each other and looking deeply into his eyes she felt the need to finally say the words which she had never uttered to him, despite her heart yelling it to her.
“I love you Craig. I’ve always loved you”
As he gasped she saw the light burning in his eyes as he looked down on her a happy glow on his face
“Oh Kira, I’ve loved you from the very moment I ever saw you.”
Cupping her face in his hands he kissed her softly
“I thought that I was doing OK, until I saw you again….but when I saw you in the foyer of the Superior, something in me jumped….. for the first time in a long time I actually felt something. All the anger came back like it had happened yesterday and I wanted to hurt you – but only because I was hurting so much myself…. But every time you looked at me or touched me I just dreaded the day you would be gone again”
Kira very softly whispered
“Well you don’t ever have to be alone again…. If you don’t want to be”
Craig kissed her with a deep passion, before gently pulling her onto the seat beside him. Moving he knelt down on one knee in front of her lifting her hand to kiss it
“This isn’t quite how I was planning this...but….” he said with a small laugh before continuing
“The night that I met your father, do you remember that we had a dinner date?”
Kira nodded
“I knew that your visa was expiring in a week and I had come across a perfect way of keeping you in the country”
She raised her eye-brow
“I didn’t think that you had even given it a thought” she said in surprise
He gave a small laugh “It was the only thing on my mind, despite everything going on the thing I most dreaded was losing you…….ironic really”
Craig put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small box.
As he opened it her hand flew to her mouth as she saw the gold ring with the large perfect solitaire in its centre.
“I’ve kept this all these years” he said softly
“I couldn’t bear to get rid of it”
He smiled softly into her eyes which were glistening
“Kira I love you with every breath in my body. Will you marry, so that I can spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you”
Unable to speak she nodded her head feeling a tear trickling down her cheek
He moved forward kissing her lips softly, before taking the ring from the cushioned interior of the box and slipping it onto her finger
“I want to be here for you….and Alex, and I want to make sure that nobody ever makes you cry again. I need you Kira …… I wish you knew just how much”
Kira beamed down at him her eyes suddenly mischievous, as she stood up pulling him with her
“Really?” she whispered huskily “And how much is that. I believe that I’m no longer at your beck and call Mr Kent…. And right now I think that it’s only fair that you be at mine”
Taking his hand she led him into her bedroom before undressing him leisurely as he kissed her softly. They made love slowly, taking their time each knowing that they had the rest of their lives together.
EPILOGUE
A year later Kira stood by the pool watching the party happening around her. She and Craig had been married two weeks after returning together to the island. The ceremony had taken place on the beach surrounded by his friends and Bill and Marissa. Marissa had held a wriggly Alex in her arms, while Tom had stood by a nervous Craig winking at Marina who had been her bridesmaid. Three months after their wedding they had returned the favour when he had married Marina.
Bill had proudly walked her down the makeshift aisle smiling happily as he handed her to Craig before joining his wife. As they had both solemnly exchanged their vows with such conviction and sincerity there was hardly a dry eye on the beach, and once they had been announced man and wife the two had kissed so passionately that the congregation had clapped.
Now on their first wedding anniversary she stood watching as their friends and family – for to her Bill and Marissa where very much family - were once again joined to celebrate their happiness. She smiled softly as Alex hugged her daddy kissing his chin and cheek while giggling uncontrollably delighting in him throwing her in the air, before catching her and swinging her around. She had very quickly become a daddy’s girl and he had been absolutely devoted to her.
Sitting down talking she could see Bill, Marissa and Paul laughing together. Bill had made such a good job of the Superior refit that soon the commissions had come pouring in, including those from Paul. They had become firm friends, and he and Marissa now spent a great deal of time at his estate. The American side of the business had taken off so well that now they had bought a home just outside Vegas, where they were ab
le to meet up with Kira and Craig regularly.
Hearing Alex laugh loudly she looked over to where Ben and Heather were now playing with the boisterous little girl. While initially surprised to find out about Alex they had become firm favourites of the little girl and had spoiled her almost as much as Bill, Marissa and Craig did. Kira had often laughed in exasperation as she would scold them all, but they knew that the moment their backs were turned she was just as bad herself.
Close by Tom was cuddling Marina whispering something in her ear, which had her smiling as she placed her hand on the small bump in front of her - their first child. Looking down she watched her own bump move slightly, suddenly feeling Craig’s arms circling around her while he looked over her shoulder touching her stomach. He felt the baby move within her, smiling lovingly at her.
“Bumps busy today” he chuckled
With a small sigh she replied “Just like its Daddy…not due for another week…..but won’t stay still….probably in their organising something “
She turned in his arms and kissed him softly
“Hey Mrs Kent” he said suddenly his eyes full of such deep emotion “Have I told you lately how much I love you”
Kira giggled “mmmmm not since this morning”
He smiled down on her his whole body relaxed and happy. Kira looked around herself, life was good….very good, before he had dropped his head to take her lips in a passionate kiss.