“You spoke to my mom and dad?” Aqua frowned. “But you think they’re nuts, Blake. How will that ever change?” Aqua took a step back, putting distance between them.
“I apologize for what I said in anger, Aqua. I don’t think they are… nuts, but they definitely have some beliefs that are far outside my comfort zone.” Blake chuckled. “But what I have realized is, we do have some things in common and I found that I even like tofu patties with chickpeas. Your mom makes a real mean salad, and her bathing products are pretty amazing, too.”
Aqua’s eyes snapped wide. “Blake, what the hell is going on? What happened while I’ve been in New York?” She placed her hands on her hips.
“Oh, nothing, but a few business decisions and some great conversations over a dinner or two.”
“Business decisions?”
“Yeah, your mom and dad are going to help me out at the practice with some of their tinctures and I spent some time researching a few of her modalities.” Blake moved to the table and picked up his Champagne glass. He took a sip and placed it back on the table. “I think a few my patients could benefit from some of her treatments, so I decided to ask her to offer a selection in my office. We’re already a week and a half into our little joint venture and the people of Burnt River are going nuts.” Blake grinned. “We had to placate the owner of the general store. He hasn’t sold a single shower gel, shampoo or perfume in days. Everyone wants Miri’s special stuff.”
“This is a lot to absorb, Blake, and it’s more than a little hard to believe, to be honest with you. Do you expect me to believe that you, who could not stand my parents’ alternative medicine practice a few weeks ago, have now embraced it and are partnering with them?”
“When you put it that way, it does seem like a bit much, but it’s true Aqua. All of it.”
“Why didn’t tell me what you were doing?”
“For a great love to work out, you need to be patient. Your dad told me that.” Blake shrugged. “You were right in what you said about our high school years. We weren’t ready back then—who is, really? There’s too much of life to still learn about, and a lot of growing up to do.” Blake cleared his throat. “I wanted to work through some of that before I asked you to marry me.”
“Marry you?” blurted Aqua.
“Yeah, don’t sound so shocked.” He lifted his broad shoulders. “Your dad thought that it was a great idea when I asked his permission.”
“You asked my father for permission?” Aqua shook her head.
Blake laughed when he saw her surprise. “I did.” He arched his eyebrows, closing the distance between them. “Will you?”
“What?”
Blake went down on one knee and held out a wild flower. “Marry me…”
Aqua stared at the flower and frowned. “Marry you?” she echoed, and then she rebounded.
“What, no ring?”
Blake hooted laughter. “Your dad said that this was how he proposed to your mom. He was positive that you would prefer a flower from the Montana Mountains to a ring ridden with materialistic clichés.”
Aqua burst into laughter. “I can totally see him saying that. But for the record, he’s wrong,” she smiled at Blake kneeling in front of her. “This is a bit much for me at the moment, Blake.” He took her hand and caressed her wrist, moving up to her elbow. “That’s totally unfair!” but he held her hand tightly in his.
“You always run from this, Aqua, why? I can see that you love me, and your body tells me that you want me, but when we hit a certain point, you back away.”
“Can we really do this, Blake? I mean, be together when our parents are so different.”
“Aqua.” Blake slipped both hands into hers and held them as he tugged her down beside him. “I'll admit, I had a hard time at first, getting to know your parents, and yes there are some things we may never agree on, but there is one thing, the most important thing, that I will always have in common with them--that's how much I love you. Talking to them and spending time with them over these past few weeks made me realize that I love them, too. Because two people who love the woman I love so much, must share the same heart as I do.”
Aqua’s heart skipped a beat at his words. “You don't have to say that, Blake.” She started to pull her hands-free of his.
“Yes, I do.” Blake drew her hands up to his lips and kissed the back of each one, working his way around to her sensitive inner wrist. She suppressed a moan but left her hands in his, her pulse ratcheting up with ever kiss. “I have to say that, and much more. I have to say all the things I've been holding back because I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same way. I was afraid of letting myself love you again. But then I realized that I have loved you since the day I met you.” His hands moved to her back, tracking little circles that drove her crazy. “I love you now, and I will always love you, Aqua Weaver. And yes, that's scary as hell, but there’s no point in hiding it, even if you don’t feel the same way I do.”
“Oh, Blake,” she whispered, drawing back slightly, desperate to quell the sensations his touch sent through her body. “I love you, too. I—I don’t know why I fight it like I do at times, and that is something that I have to figure out, but to be honest—you are all that I think about. My mind craves conversation with you, I miss our evenings curled up on the couch, and even the most simple things we do together. You are completely in my heart and I can’t imagine my life without you.” She pulled him up close, and even though fear pinged at her heart, she didn’t back down. Blake’s arms wrapped around hers, she felt the entire world shift. It tilted on its side, and then settled into place, right where it was supposed to be.
Aqua had no idea how long the kiss lasted, but they had all the time in the world. She basked in the feel of his tongue against hers. His familiar scent and touch claimed her.
“Was that a yes, Aqua?” he asked pulling away. His breathing heavy and Aqua took more than a little pleasure in the fact that she could impact him in the same way he impacted her.
Aqua burst out laughing. “Yes, yes, Blake. It was a yes. But let’s give it some time, okay? Let’s enjoy being engaged. Will I also get a ring?” she kidded. “I can’t very well carry this around all the time.” She held up the flower. Aqua felt Blake take the flower and then he gently held her left hand, sliding something cold slip onto her ring finger.
“Did you really think that I would come here unprepared?”
“Oh my God, Blake, it’s beautiful.” The princess diamond was set on a band of tiny diamonds, and she couldn’t take her eyes from it. “It’s huge, Blake. Are you sure?”
“My parents may be a pain in the ass sometimes, but mom gave me my grandmother’s engagement ring. It’s been in the family for generations.” Blake shrugged. “Mom and dad thought that it would be a good idea for my wife to have it.”
Aqua felt tears well in her eyes. “They did?”
“They did,” he confirmed, then smiled. “Your mom was stoked and your dad asked if I knew where the diamond originated from.” Blake shook his head at the memory. “The argument that happened after was monumental. Your dad and my dad fighting with your mom and my mom defending me… it was incredible.”
“Your parents were at my parent’s house?”
“Yeah.”
“And my mom agreed with your mom about something?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Have you been doing some kind of voodoo during my absence?”
Blake chuckled. “Sometimes people have to get past that first barrier to see what’s good. And besides, my mom is selling houses like hotcakes since your mom started helping her out with her crystals.” Blake moved closer and held Aqua tight. “When’s your flight home?”
“In two days.”
“Feel like being a tour guide?”
“I’d like that very much.”
He kissed her forehead and then moved back enough to look into her eyes. “I need your assistance back home, you know. I don’t know how much longer I can handle your mom
and my mom chanting together. Not to mention the discussions on politics between our fathers.” Blake rolled his eyes. “I caught them both singing after they had a bit too much of your dad’s organic beer. My father swears it’s the best stuff he’s ever tasted.”
“Blake…” Aqua was dead serious. “It sounds like I missed a lot in five weeks.”
“You have, but there will be plenty of time to catch up. Do you want to know what I think our next big problem will be?”
She groaned. “I can’t wait to hear.”
His traced her face from her forehead to her lips, cupping her chin, his thumbs gently caressing her bottom lip. “There’s nothing worse than interfering parents, especially when they have joined forces,” and then he covered her mouth with a hungry kiss.
* * *
Thank you for reading Aqua’s Achilles! I hope you enjoyed it! Please turn the page for a free chapter from the next book in the series, “Ivy’s Search”.
An excerpt
CHAPTER 1:
She could smell her own fear as droplets of sweat trickled between her shoulder blades and single drop carved a path down the tip of her nose, dropping onto the worn, wide pine boards of the closet floor supporting her hands and knees. Could they hear the splash? The sound crashed in her ears, as another drop quickly followed. She prayed, pushing her body further into the back wall as though it could swallow her. Protect her. Everything seemed magnified as her heart hammered in her chest—surely they couldn’t hear it---or could they? She fought the black hole that threatened to envelop her.
You can do this. Don’t give in to them. Then she drew the deepest, quietest Hen she could. The words of Sifu Quinlan echoed in her mind, “Use your diaphragm. You will have more strength. Let the energy balance, and release the tension.”
She imagined an invisible cloak as a miraculous peace slowed the thumping in her chest, and everything around her began to slow. She felt a shield of protection between her and her enemies. Was it real or imagined? She didn’t care. It was there. Years of diligent—obsessive--Tai Chi practice seemed to flood her senses at the time she needed it most. And in her wildest imagination, she could not have foreshadowed this.
She sensed him even before she heard his steps; terror threatening to break through the shield, rising in her throat like the vice his hands had been.
* * *
Kirsten Bell woke with a start; the whitewashed walls reflecting the rising sun just beginning to stream through the sheer coverings on her window. She pushed the covers off her hot, sweat-covered body and quickly swung her legs over the side of the bed, her head dropping into her hands. I am not a victim, she reminded herself and she pushed off the bed and grabbed her running shoes and socks.
Sleeping in black running gear wasn’t the most comfortable way to sleep night after night, but it made her feel better to know that she was ready at a moments notice to flee if she needed to.
How long had she been running? It seemed like a lifetime, and every time the dreams recurred it was because they were getting near.
Maybe it was time to entertain Aqua Weaver’s invitation to visit her in her hometown of Burnt River. She had resisted Aqua’s offer to help her change her identity and effectively disappear as Kirsten Bell forever. It made her feel like they would win—but living like this wasn’t winning either.
With a spring in her step that belied her nightmare, she began the familiar routine of her shortened Tai Chi workout, her mind cleared, and she grabbed the burner phone she had purChazd the night before and entered the number embedded in her brain.
“Hey Aqua, it’s me. Yes, I’m okay. I---I was just wondering if the invitation to visit you was still open…? I know, I know, I just want to make sure you know what you’re potentially opening yourself up to… Yes, I’ll be careful. My best guess is it will take two days of driving to get to you. I’ll keep you posted. And Aqua? Thanks.”
She struggled to keep her tone upbeat, but she knew in her heart that Aqua could sense her fear. Try though she might, and regardless of the precautions she’d taken, fear was always with her.
She had tried moving around constantly, living in other countries even, but somehow his goons had always come close to finding her. She’d be damned to know how. She had searched high and low to find a place where she could disappear and be safe, but lately that seemed less and less likely to ever be a reality.
Reaching out to Aqua was a risk, but at this point, she wasn’t sure she had any other options. Aqua was incredibly smart, and although they had both worked for the same government agency, Aqua had proven that she could navigate the systems and politics much better than Kirsten, and she’d left the Agency unscathed.
It was good that one of them had.
Kirsten found herself second-guessing her decisions more and more, and trusting herself less. The panic attacks, which had disappeared for a while, always seemed just beneath the surface lately. The decision to visit Aqua was last minute and likely a move of desperation, yet it felt right. Her gut approved, which was a good thing.
There was no point in delaying now that the decision was made, the only remaining choice was whether or not to eat breakfast in the kitchen of the little bed and breakfast she’d chosen to stop at late last night. The woman at the desk had seemed matronly, and she felt a stab of regret the memories of her mother’s final hours flooded her mind.
Kirsten and her mother had spent little time together after her mother had chosen to marry Clive Boxer, a self-made millionaire, and playboy. She hadn’t known why he rubbed her the wrong way, but her instincts screamed every time she was with him. She’d tried to talk her mother out of the marriage, but after raising Kirsten alone for her entire life, it was evident her mother looked forward to a life of leisure and finer comforts. Despite the fact that she had worked hard her entire life, her mother was beautiful and looked much younger than her 55-years. She’d had Kirsten when she was still a teenager.
Her mother’s parents tried to force her to give her baby up, but she had refused, and they had disowned her as a result; something Kirsten could not understand. Her mother was a good woman, a kind woman, and never once had Kirsten ever felt that her mother wished that she had given her up for adoption.
Kirsten had no idea what her real grandparents were like; her mother never spoke of them, but she suspected that they had money, confirmed by the ease with which her mother entered the lifestyle of the rich and famous once she’d married Clive.
Would she have married him if she’d understood the ultimate cost she would pay? Kirsten wasn’t sure, but one thing she did know, her mother was a strong and amazing woman, and Kirsten was not going to let her down by leaving this earth any earlier than she had to.
She couldn’t help but wish that she’d made it to her bedside sooner, but she was lucky she’d made it at all in light of the fact that they’d barely spoken in over two years, and it was a family friend who had finally tracked Kirsten down to let her know that her mother was ill.
She glanced around the room she’d barely spent eight hours in. The sun’s rays highlighting the pattern in the old wooden desk sitting next to a dresser and she wondered at the people who had sat there before her; were they passing through as she was, or had they stayed for awhile taking in the sights and exploring the mid-coast attractions this small town and the beautiful coast of Maine had to offer?
Walking toward the window, she moved the top latch aside and lifted it as high as it could go. The salt from the sea assaulted her senses and she breathed deeply, her lips turning up as the cry of the gulls drifted into her room. She missed the nights that she would lie with her window open, listening to the peepers as they lulled her to sleep. Sleeping with the window open now was out of the question.
She wasn’t even sure what had possessed her to come back to this sleepy seaside town where she’d grown up. Maybe she thought they would never look for her here, or maybe she was revisiting the places she loved, that she might never be able to return to i
f she moved forward with changing her identity.
It was likely the latter, but there was no point in living in the past, there was no safety there. She had to keep moving forward and trust that she would finally find a place she could call home. Her mother would want that, and somehow she felt like it would vindicate them both.
But would she ever truly find a place where she would be safe?
Aqua seemed to think so, and Kirsten was finally at the point where she was willing to accept help to prove—or disprove her friend’s theory.
* * *
CHAPTER 2:
“Okay, okay, stop!” Aqua moaned as she grabbed the top sheet before Blake could pull it off. “Blake Stone, I said stop or else,” Aqua giggled as she grabbed her pillow and threw it toward the end of the bed where he stood grinning, his right eyebrow arched in that oh so familiar way as his eyes raked downward. She pulled the sheet tighter toward her neck and then yelped as he pulled it away in one fell swoop.
Grabbing his pillow, she threw it at him as she leapt from the bed and raced toward the master bath, slamming the door behind her and locking it.
With a satisfied smirk, she waited for his next move.
“Coffee is ready, Aqua Weaver Stone. I have to make a house call before heading into the office, so we’ll continue this… tonight.”
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Author’s Note
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