by Daya Daniels
I giggle. “I knew you were. I can see the house from that magnificent cruise ship that floats in the Great Sound.”
I laugh, appreciating his humor. “It’s big, Papai.”
He shifts in his chair and cups my cheek with his hand. I place my hand over his. We stare at each other for a while without speaking and I force myself not to cry.
“I told you it would all work out, Cass.” He whispers.
I nod a few times, feeling like I’m about to become a puddle of tears.
“Your photographs are amazing. They’re beautiful and now this.” He says pointing out the window in the direction of where the Zephyr sits. “That man loves you. I don’t know what his deal is or why in God’s name it’s all gone this way but at the end of the day, he loves you, Cass. “He lets out an exhausted breath. “Ambrose told me what he did.”
My eyes widen. “What-?”
“You don’t know?”
“No.” I whisper.
“Nico bought the old boat.”
“He-he hadn’t told me.”
Another secret!
“I’m sure he was going to, Cass but he bought Ambrose’s boat and gave him a new one. A state of the art fishing boat. Now, Ambrose can continue to work. Maybe even charter it out.”
“Oh.” I exhale.
“He’s a good man, Cass. I liked him from the moment I met him. It didn’t matter if he was a fisherman but of course, this is all good for you.”
Joseph stares at the LED TV across the room for a while, only he isn’t focused on the game – just seems to be deep in thought.
“We’re not those people, Cass. I’ve taught you to look past all the superficial bullshit and see people for who they are.”
I nod and wipe my tears, feeling a bit like a fool. I decided against telling my father that Nico asked me to marry him. And that it was complete with a diamond that would’ve made Elizabeth Taylor blanch, back in her day, if she were alive. And that my response was an open-handed ringer to his right side of his chiseled face. If I’d told Joseph that, he might’ve slapped me himself – repeatedly, without breaks, hard and probably into the next century.
He continues. “And that’s who you are, Cass and that is why that man - that billionaire loves you.” He smiles with watery eyes. “I’m happy for you. You deserve all the love and money in the world, Cass. You’re a good person. You deserve this.” He says, taking my hand and squeezing it in his. “I don’t want you letting anyone and I mean anyone, Cass ruin this for you.”
I place a kiss to his knuckles and snuggle against him, inhaling the Old Spice that dusts his skin.
“Are you staying for dinner?” Ayana calls out from the kitchen, giving my father and I the most adoring look.
“Yes, Mama.” I sing song.
Nico
Two weeks have passed since the iconic sailing event has been over. It’s now July. The Zephyr was still floating in the Great Sound. Aurelio was anxious to leave but there was something I really needed to do before I did and I only had two days left.
Unfortunately, we’d miss Cup Match here. It’s a two-day public holiday now, that originally began as a day off to celebrate Emancipation Day, which was August 1st, 1834 - the day when all slaves were freed in Bermuda. It’s one of the islands biggest events over the summer.
Today, Cass and I sit on Chaplin Bay beach. I’m lying next to her on the large towel. Her eyes are closed. I shut my own, absorbing the sound of the waves that crash into the shore line.
The last week had gone by with lightning speed. Cass’ parents had been aboard the Zephyr for lunch once and dinner twice to spend time with my family. Symone and Stefan are in the process of preparing for a wedding in six months here on the island. The venue and a date had been set and the couple had sent out nearly three hundred invitations. Cass only scoffed at the idea of Stefan and Symone having something so over the top and ridiculous. She didn’t elaborate but I knew what she was thinking. I shared her unspoken feelings.
Cass is so different from any woman I’d ever known and I love everything about her.
I shift on my side and run my fingers over her bare stomach, edging the line of the white bikini she’s wearing. Her eyes open and she takes a deep breath, removing her sunglasses.
“I love you.” She whispers, slanting her head to look at me.
“I love you too.” I breathe out. “We should get something to eat.” I suggest, handing Cass the thin white linen cover-up she wore here.
Cass had been quiet and I knew she was wondering where we would go from here. I couldn’t be surer of what I wanted after all this time and she was crazy if she thought I was leaving here without her. I already had Joseph and Ayana’s blessing in every way imaginable. I only hoped the rest would fall into place.
She pushes up from the towel and stands, allowing me to take in the sight of her curves that I desperately want to run my hands over. She exhales and wiggles her toes in the pink sand. She looks sun-kissed and her long hair is a pile of beachy waves down her back. I stand next to her pulling my shirt on and shorts. We begin shoving everything into a small beach bag.
The beach is completely empty, except for a man in the distance patrolling the area holding a metal detector.
The sky in the distance is on fire right now, just like my insides. I swallow hard and my stomach is in knots. Cass throws her shirt on and pushes her feet into a pair of flip flops, leaving her hair out.
I clear my throat and step towards her. “Cass.” I say taking her left hand in mine.
This woman is fucking mine.
Her brown eyes widen and she stiffens when I pull her to my chest and hold her close. Love. Incredible love. And I want more.
More.
More.
More.
I press my nose into her hair that smells like fresh flowers and the ocean and just breathe.
Cassandra
Nico’s strong arms wrap around me, pulling me close into his chest. I breathe in the scent of his skin and the cotton of the white shirt he’s wearing that’s open a few buttons from the top. I lift my eyes to peer into his and smile. He’s nervous judging by his erratic breaths but I don’t know what on earth for. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair that blows with the wind. I bite my lip, pushing up on my tippy toes to kiss him. He breaks the kiss, clutching my forearms with his hands.
“If you slap me, I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to do this again.” He laughs softly.
My lips part and I take a deep breath, as he drops to his knees in front of me in the pink sand. Instantly, tears prickle from behind my eyes.
“Cass.” He breathes out. “I love you. I’ve never met any woman like you. I know this is all moving fast, like a bullet train on crack but I don’t give a fuck. I want to be with you, really be with you.”
He pulls the ring from his pocket and holds it between shaky fingers.
“Will you- “
“Yes.” I say before he can finish his question.
“Wait.” He laughs. “Because I have more to say. I want you to be my wife.”
The tears I’ve so desperately been trying to hold in spill down my cheeks. I cover my mouth with my hand and steal glances of the exquisite diamond in front of me.
“Do you want to be my wife?” He coos. “You’ll break my heart if you refuse.”
I nod vigorously and Nico smiles that panty melting smile of his.
“It means you will have my babies and be there for Tat and put up with me even when you don’t want to.” He chuckles. “I will take care of you. I promise.” He whispers with so much hope in his eyes, it hurts my chest.
“I love you, Nico.”
He slips the four-carat diamond solitaire on my finger, which fits perfectly and stands, crushing his mouth to mine. I melt into that kiss and the feeling of being pressed against his chest. “I love you.” He whispers into the shell of my ear, then wipes my tears with the pads of his fingers. He holds my hand, brushing a few strands o
f hair away from my face.
“Are you ready?” A voice asks.
I spin around to find Ambrose holding a camera and a priest standing a few feet behind us, wearing a robe and holding The Holy Bible in his hands. Nico extends his hand towards the shoreline, walking me towards it.
“Nowww?”
He nods confidently and slow blinks those stunning amber eyes of his. “Yes, now Cass.”
I laugh out loud, which becomes even louder when I realize I’m happy about that. I don’t know how Nico managed to pull this off.
“How’d you know I’d even say yes?”
“I had a feeling.”
I give Ambrose a hug before the priest introduces himself.
“Congratulations, Cass.” Ambrose says.
The sun is setting over the water and the scene couldn’t be more spectacular. Nico hands the wedding bands to Ambrose and takes my hands in his.
“I love you.” Nico mouths, while Ambrose snaps a few shots of us.
The priest begins to speak. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to join these two love birds into a state of matrimony...”
I giggle, realizing that I don’t remember myself ever being more content than I am in this moment. I clutch the pendant around my neck, remembering the day Nico gave it to me. The wave. I’ve allowed myself to be consumed by the wave that is Nico. I swim. I wade. I bob. I allow everything about the wave to wash over me. I’m already in crazy love with this man. I’m diving in heart first into the wave, praying that I don’t fucking drown. I won’t lie. I’m terrified but I love everything about that. I exhale a loud breath, then inhale the ocean air around us, ready for everything that’s coming my way.
“Are you ready, pretty girl?” Nico whispers, with a sexy wink.
“Absolutamente.”
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
Cassandra
“Papai, what is it?” Tatiana asks, staring the fish over with a funny look on her face and giving it a small poke. The gills of the fish flex for air and its bulgy eye focuses on nothing.
I giggle at her comical reaction and inch closer to the fish that flops around the deck.
“It’s a red snapper.” Nico points out, retrieving the hook from the fish’s mouth with a pair of pliers and his bare hands.
I snap a picture of Tatiana next to the fifteen-pounder and head back into the cabin to put the camera down. When I return, Tatiana wraps her arms around my middle and looks up at me with her brown eyes.
“I love you, Cass.” She says sweetly.
“I love you too.” I say softly, placing a kiss to her forehead and pulling her in for a hug.
Tat and I had grown so close since Nico and I married. I considered her my little ace girl (Bermudian slang: for good friend that’s a girl) but I knew she thought of me as much more. I’d never put much consideration into being a mother until now. Tat’s growing up. I knew I’d never understand what it felt like not to have a mother. It was only more questionable because Tat’s mother isn’t dead. She’s alive and well, now living in New York City from what I’m told. The choice she made to simply not be in Tat’s life baffles me. She truly is missing out on watching an incredible little girl grow up. We’d just celebrated her eighth birthday a few weeks ago. It was a small party at home, complete with friends, family and lots of gifts. Taking care of Tat and nurturing the very comfortable freelance photography career I had now were my only priorities.
I was booked year-round now and kept my focus on sports photography. I loved the action and it allowed me to continue to travel all over the world with Nico, uninterrupted. I’d covered every major event now from the Formula 1’s Grand Prix and the Nascar Chase for the Monster Energy Cup to Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the NFL Super Bowl.
I loved everything about being a full-time photographer, including the flexibility that working for myself gave me.
In the last twelve-months Stefan and Symone married. My relationship with her was much the same – love/hate. I didn’t expect it to change, which kept the disappointment I felt much of the time to a minimum. Rupert married Fish Lips. I wish her the best of luck. Zoey and her fiancée’ Denzel broke up but she remains one of my best friends. I don’t see her much but when I come back home, we get together often.
I missed my parents when I wasn’t here but they travelled a lot now since Joseph had officially retired, so I was rarely apart from them for long.
After we were married, I’d settled in comfortably into Nico’s home in São Sebastião. It’s a sprawling place at the edge of the water with superb unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean. The rest of the year we spent travelling. The Cruz’s had homes all over the world. Still, I hadn’t had the experience in living in all of them but most of them I’d seen. The apartment in Paris, the expansive townhouse in Madrid and the spectacular penthouse in Dubai were by far my favorites.
I’d also finally met Nico’s older brother Marco, who is set to marry at the end of this year.
It’s late in the evening. We stand on the deck of Reel Talk II off Argus Banks, fishing and floating in the breeze. Give It All To Me by Mavado sounds from the stereo. Ambrose stands atop the tuna tower staring out in the distance, holding a pair of binoculars in his hands and singing along to the music, while doing a lazy skank.
Nico stands straight and gives me huge smile, pulling me closer to him. Tat spins around and rubs my belly.
“I can’t wait for it to come out.” She giggles. “I really want a baby sister.”
“It doesn’t matter, Tat if it’s a boy or a girl.” Nico says with an exhausted breath.
“I know but I really want a sister.” She whines.
I’m five months pregnant and Tired should be my middle name. We came back to the island a month ago to spend some time here. I couldn’t wait to see my parents once we disembarked Aurelio’s Bombardier Global 6000. The Zephyr, which finally made it here, would take us in a few days to Oia in Greece, so that we can spend some time with Marielle and Aurelio who are there on vacation. We were a close family. Marielle and I were good friends and I felt blessed that I wasn’t cursed with the dreaded monster-in-law most married women ended up with. Marielle was kind and funny and she understood me, like my own mother did.
Nico approaches me leisurely, wrapping his arms around my waist. His hair is messy and his skin is warm from the sun. I stare into his eyes that shine beneath the evening light. He’s striking as ever. My sleepy eyes rove over all six foot four of him, wearing shorts and a ratty red muscle tank exposing the cut muscle of his tatted-up arms and the thick veins that run along the length of them. Nico presses the cool Heineken bottle in his hands to my cheek, teasing me with the cold.
“You should sleep.” He suggests. “We’ll be heading back to the Zephyr in an hour.”
I only nod, taking another soft kiss to the lips from him, while he guides be back into the cabin. Tat follows close behind. I head inside and plop down on one of the plush sofas.
The boat rocks while Tat snuggles up to me closer, pulling a thin blanket over us. She faces me and rakes her tiny fingers through my hair. The relentless feeling of both will me to relax and gradually my eyes shut, chasing sleep.
I inhale the scent of wildflowers that lingers on her curls. Her breaths grow light and tickle my face and I know soon, she’ll be asleep too.
“This has been a really nice day, Mommy.” She whispers, right before my eyes fly open, shocked by the moniker that just spilled from her lips.
Little does she know, that one word means the world to me.
-THE END-
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Ely’s Harbor, Bermuda (photograph taken from Fort Scaur)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lover of words. Poetry glutton. Cynic. Idealist. Art collector. Lip gloss addict. Wife. Mommy. Music fan. Book whore. Beach Bum. Water rat. Wine drinker. Bermudian.
Las Vegas resident -wannabe. Hopeless romantic.
I'm an independent author who had this crazy idea during one very, very hot summer to start writing books and I haven't stopped. I'm loving the ride and I appreciate all the readers who take the time to enjoy my stories.
I live on the small sub-tropical island of Bermuda in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with my husband and two children. If you can't find me here on the beach, you can bet your G-strings that I'm in Las Vegas!
Love is what keeps the world spinning! XOXO
Follow me on Instagram @ authordayadaniels
Email: [email protected]
OTHER BOOKS BY DAYA DANIELS
Finders Keepers Series
Part I
Part II
Stand Alone Novels
An Education in Calcutta {A Period Novel}
The Space Between Rachel and Evie
COLOR-BLIND
Once Upon a Time {A Dark Romance}
In the Eyes of Adeline {A Period Novel}
If Only {An LGBT Romance}
Murphy’s Bedfellow
Stripped {A Novella}
Midnight Special
Mouthful {A Novella}
Words Left Unspoken {A Novella}
For Her {An LGBT Novelette}
Crocodile Tears {A New Adult Romance}
In Loving Memory of Isobel
War Baby {An LGBT Novella}
Young Adult Novels
Meridian Moon Series {Introducing Willow}
Sylvia’s List
Non-Fiction
It Could Be Arranged
Coming Soon!
Stand Alone Novels
Letters to Olivier
I Hate You/I Love You
Playmate {A Western Romance}
I Wanna Be the Girl {An LGBT Novel}
Sweet Tea