Champagne flowed freely and the steak and lobster meal was delicious. Toasts were made at intervals, then someone would tap their glass with their knife and everyone would join in until the happy couple kissed. At one point, Jim glanced over at Claire and she smiled back, her eyes twinkling like the stars. He reached for her hand under the table and held it. She didn't pull away, which made Jim happy.
The cake was served and everyone exclaimed delight over how beautiful it was. The group broke out in applause after Mandy and Craig cut the first slice and fed it to each other. Mandy invited the staff to have a slice of cake and join in on the celebration, which they did with happy smiles.
After everyone had eaten their fill, music began to play from a sound system that had been set up just for the wedding party. As everyone watched, Craig escorted his bride onto a cleared section of the patio and they began waltzing to a romantic old tune. After a while, other couples joined in and soon the area filled with dancers holding each other close and swaying to the music.
Jim turned to Claire and held out his hand. He didn't have to say a word, she accepted it, and they joined everyone else dancing.
"No other wedding or reception could have been more beautiful than this," Jim said quietly to Claire as they moved slowly to the music.
Claire nodded. "Mandy knew what she was doing when she decided on this location. It's been amazing."
Jim grinned at her. "Even though you had to share a room with me?"
Claire laughed. "Yes, even with that. Being stuck together actually helped us. It gave us a chance to talk about what went wrong and air out our feelings. Even if we didn't want to hear what the other had to say," she said with a wink.
Jim looked down at Claire seriously. "Do you think you could ever forgive me for leaving you? Is it at all possible?"
"Oh, Jim." Claire closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. "Let's not think about anything other than this very moment," she said softly.
Jim pulled her closer, enjoying the way her body molded into his. It felt so right. They fit so perfectly together. They always had. In his heart, he wished this night would go on forever.
When the song ended, Jim reluctantly pulled away from Claire. He danced a father-daughter dance with Mandy while Craig danced with his mother. Claire accepted Carl's invitation to dance and soon everyone was taking turns dancing with each other to the soft, slow music the bridal couple had chosen to play. No hip hop, no rock n' roll, only soothing, romantic music that allowed couples to cuddle up together and give the evening a magical touch.
Jim kept refilling Claire's champagne glass until she shook her head no. "I'll be falling down drunk if I keep drinking like this," she told him, giggling. He liked when she was silly. Claire was such a serious soul that it was nice to see her having fun and relaxing after the emotional week they'd had.
The evening grew late and soon everyone began to melt away into the night. Janice and Carl said goodnight and went off to their room and soon Mandy and Craig also said their goodnights. Mandy came over and hugged both Claire and Jim.
"Thank you for this beautiful day," she told them both. "You made my dream wedding come true."
Craig also thanked Claire and Jim for the entire vacation and wedding. Jim shook his hand and welcomed him into the family and Claire gave him a hug. He was a wonderful young man and they knew he and Mandy would have a good life together.
As everyone left the patio, Jim took Claire's hand. "Come on. Let's not let the night end just yet."
She followed him through the breezeway and down through the pool area to the wooden steps that would take them down to the beach. Claire slipped off her heels and left them at the top of the steps. They walked down to the sand, close to where the water lapped up on shore.
It was a beautiful night with a gentle breeze and the moon and stars lighting up the sky. Without a word, Jim and Claire walked along the water's edge for some time. They were both still feeling exhilarated from the delicious food, champagne, and dancing, so it was nice to unwind down here by the water. After they'd gone a short distance, Jim interrupted the silence.
"Kaylie told me that Mandy was having some sort of a meltdown before the wedding. What happened?" Jim asked.
"Cold feet," Claire answered. "I think the entire week just caught up with her and she panicked. She was afraid…" Claire hesitated.
Jim stopped walking and looked down at Claire. "Afraid of what?"
Claire sighed. "She was afraid that she and Craig might end up like you and me."
Jim's face fell. "But we had twenty good years."
"Yes, we did. Or at least it seemed that way. But then we were divorced. Mandy said that if it could happen to us, even though it had seemed like we were happy, it could happen to anyone."
"What did you tell her?" Jim asked.
"I told her I didn't regret my marriage to you, even though it ended. After all, we were happy for years. And we had Mandy. I wouldn't have changed any of it. I also told her to always communicate with each other and never take each other for granted." Claire looked up into Jim's eyes. "I think that's where we failed. We stopped communicating with each other. We stopped telling each other how we felt. And we took each other for granted."
Jim shook his head. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. It was me."
"No, Jim. That's not entirely true. I just assumed you'd always be there even if I didn't have time to spend with you. I put the shop first, when I should have put our marriage first. We were both to blame for our marriage falling apart. I see that now."
Jim smiled down at Claire. "Well, you must have said all the right things to Mandy, because she did get married after all."
"I only told her the truth. She's the one who decided she wanted to marry Craig."
Claire looked up and their eyes met. The balmy breeze blew softly against their faces and the ocean waves caressed the sand. Jim reached for her. She didn't resist. He pulled her to him and when their lips touched, Claire sighed.
When they finally parted, Claire's eyes twinkled and she grinned. "Race you," she said and took off running down the strip of beach back toward the hotel.
Jim laughed and took off after her. He caught up to her at the bottom of the stairs, both of them out of breath.
"No fair. You had a head start," he said, laughing and trying to catch his breath.
Claire giggled and they climbed the stairs. She retrieved her shoes and walked barefoot across the compound and up the stairs to their room. Once Jim opened the door, Claire stepped in and fell down on the bed, completely out of breath, laughing.
Jim sat down beside her, laughing, too. The room was dark except for moonlight coming through the patio doors. He slipped off his jacket and loosened his tie, all the while looking down at Claire lying beside him. Tenderly, he reached down and brushed a stray strand of her hair away from her face. She smiled, her eyes warm and inviting. Jim lowered himself to her, his face only inches from hers.
"I want to kiss you," he whispered. "I love kissing you."
Claire reached up and gently touched the side of his face. "I love kissing you, too," she said.
Their lips met, gently at first until their kiss became more fervent. Claire ran her hand through his thick, silky hair at the back of his neck. Their tongues danced with delight. Jim pulled away and sprinkled light kisses down Claire's jaw line, searching for the sweet spot on her neck that had always driven her crazy. Claire's sharp intake of breath told him he'd found it, and he kissed her there, gently pulling with his soft lips.
Claire responded by drawing him closer so he was now on top of her. She nipped at his neck and kissed the base of his throat. Jim moaned with pleasure. Claire reached up and pulled Jim's tie loose and slipped it from his collar, then she began unbuttoning his shirt.
Jim pushed himself off the bed and stood, pulling Claire up to stand in front of him. She continued unbuttoning his shirt, opening it wider with each loose button and leaving kisses on the exposed skin. When she
got down to where his shirt was tucked into his pants, she pulled it free. Hungrily, she reached inside his shirt and ran her hands over his taut muscles, moving them around his sides and up his back as she pressed herself against him.
Jim reached around Claire and slowly unzipped the back of her dress. Pulling back, he let the strapless dress fall to the floor. Underneath, Claire wore only a black, strapless bra and lace panties. Jim smiled down at her as his hands explored the smooth skin of her waist.
"You're so beautiful," he said huskily. Reaching up, he unclasped her bra and let if fall to the floor to join the dress. He pulled her to him, savoring the feel of bare skin on skin, her beautiful breasts pushed up against his chest.
Eagerly, Claire ran her hands up and slipped Jim's shirt off. Her hands then found the button on his pants and she undid it, then pulled down the zipper. The pants slid to the floor and Jim stepped out of them. Claire reached down and touched the spot that would drive him crazy. He groaned.
They fell back on the bed, Jim on top of Claire, and kissed with a passion neither had felt in a very long time. Jim dipped his head and pulled one of Claire's nipples with his lips, sucking gently, and was rewarded with a gasp of delight. He then found her other nipple and brought it between his lips. Claire's back arched and her head fell back as she sighed. She reached for him greedily, massaging him where he desired it the most. Soon, they were a tangle of arms and legs, kissing, touching, and bringing each other to the height of pleasure until neither of them could hold back any longer.
"I love you, Claire. I've always loved only you," Jim said softly as he lay above her. Claire's eyes met his and she reached up and pulled him to her so they could finally bring their passion to a sweet release.
Chapter Sixteen
Claire awoke the next morning to the sun streaming through the patio window. She lay on her side, facing the window, and Jim lay behind her, his arm curled protectively around her waist.
Claire sighed and snuggled deeper into his embrace. She fit beside him perfectly, as if they'd been made for each other. A smile played on her lips as she remembered their passion from the night before. It had felt so right. So natural. No other man had ever brought her to such heights. Jim knew her so well after years together, and there was a comfort in that, despite the past few years apart.
As Claire lay in Jim's embrace, she remembered his words from the night before. I love you, Claire. I've always loved only you. She wanted to believe his words were true, that he really felt that way about her, still. If she were honest with herself, she still loved him very much, too. Despite his leaving. Despite the divorce. But how could she ever believe completely that he'd never cheat on her again?
Jim shifted in the bed behind her and Claire felt a soft kiss on her shoulder.
"Good morning," he said, pulling her closer.
Claire rolled over in his arms and faced him, smiling. How many times had they awoken just like this over the years? More times than she could remember.
"Good morning," she said.
Jim reached up and brushed Claire's hair away from her face, then lifted his head and kissed the side of her neck. A warm sensation ran down Claire's spine.
"I could stay here all day," Jim said, his breath warm on her neck.
Claire laughed and pulled away, sitting up in bed and pulling the covers up around her. "And miss out on our last day in paradise?"
Jim sat up against the pillows and tugged at her blankets. "I am in paradise," he said, grinning. "Right here with you."
Claire reached out and tenderly brushed the hair from Jim's eyes, across his forehead. Her eyes grew sad.
Jim drew up straighter. "Claire, don't. Please don't. I can see the doubt growing in your eyes," he said gently. "Please don't tell me you regret last night, because I don't regret a moment of it. Everything we did was out of love."
"Oh, Jim," Claire said, sighing, resting her head back against her pillows. "Last night was beautiful, and I don't regret it. But where does it leave us? Nothing has changed. Eventually, we still have to go back to reality."
Jim moved closer to Claire, curling his arms around her under the blankets. "This is reality, Claire. This can be our new reality. I love you. I want to be with you. We're still so good together, last night proved that. I'll do whatever it takes to convince you that I love you."
"Didn't our divorce prove that love isn't always enough?" Claire asked sadly.
"Just give me time, Claire. Please. Give me time to prove to you that I will be loyal to you forever. I made a huge mistake leaving you. I will never make that mistake again, I swear."
Claire bit her lip and looked at him doubtfully. Can it really be that easy?
"Let's not overthink this today, okay?" Jim said. "Like you said last night, let's not think about anything other than this very moment. We have one more beautiful day in paradise, so let's go out and enjoy it. I'm sure everyone else will be hiding out to enjoy their last day here, so let's do that, too. We can spend the day on the beach, tanning, walking, swimming, whatever you want. Okay?"
Claire nodded. "You're right. Let's just enjoy our last day here."
Jim smiled wide. "Good. You shower first and then we'll head over to the coffeehouse for breakfast and go from there."
Claire slipped out of bed, conscious she was completely naked, yet not uncomfortable about it. After all, Jim had seen her this way thousands of time before. She grabbed her clothes from her suitcase and walked to the bathroom, all the while feeling his eyes on her.
"Um, you wouldn't want some company in the shower, would you?" Jim asked.
Claire threw him a sideways glance and shut the door firmly behind her.
"Hey," Jim said. "You can't blame a guy for trying."
Claire's giggle could be heard through the bathroom door.
***
Claire and Jim walked hand in hand downtown to the coffeehouse. When they entered the patio, they saw Glen and Lisa sitting at a corner table and went over to say hello.
"Well, don't you two look chummy," Glen said with a wink. "Why don't you join us?"
"Coffee and a muffin?" Jim asked Claire. She nodded. "You sit and relax. I'll go get it."
Claire pulled out a chair and sat next to Lisa. "It's hard to believe it's our last day here," Claire said. "It went by quickly."
"Looks like you and Jim are getting along better," Glen said. "You were dancing awfully close last night."
Lisa hit Glen playfully on the arm. "Stop teasing her." She turned to Claire. "I'm glad you and Jim are getting along. I always liked you two as a couple. You fit well together."
Claire raised her brows. "What makes you both think we're together again?"
Lisa shrugged. "I'm only guessing," she said with a smile. "But to tell you the truth, I'm pulling for you two."
Claire cocked her head and stared at her brother and sister-in-law. She wondered if either of them had ever liked Steven.
"Here we go," Jim said, carrying a tray. "Fresh coffee and homemade blueberry muffins."
Claire smiled at him as he set down the tray and sat beside her. She took a small sip of her coffee. "Hmmm. Heaven in a cup," she said, sighing. Everyone at the table laughed.
"Everything around here is like Heaven," Glen said, finishing up his coffee. "We're all going to miss it here."
Claire nodded agreement. In that moment she realized that tomorrow she'd be going back to reality, back to her old life—her life without Jim. Was that what she wanted?
Glen spoke up. "We ran into Mandy and Craig earlier. They're going to hang out on the beach all day. It sounded like they wanted to be alone." Glen waggled his eyebrows. "I have a feeling everyone will be like that today, bracing themselves for leaving tomorrow. We're going on a bike ride around the island. Do you two want to come along?"
Claire looked over at Jim and saw his answer in his eyes. "Thanks, but we're going to spend the day on the beach, too," Claire told Glen. "Maybe we can catch up with you at dinner time."
&nb
sp; "Sounds good. Have a great day," Glen said, and he and Lisa rose and left.
"Did you want to spend the day with Glen and Lisa?" Jim asked after they had left. "I know you don't see him as much as you'd like. I really wouldn't mind."
Claire shook her head. "I want to spend the day with you," she said softly. She was rewarded with one of Jim's fabulous grins.
After they ate, Claire and Jim stopped at the hotel long enough to pick up towels, sunscreen, and some water bottles which they threw in a beach bag. Claire also grabbed her camera. Then they hopped in their golf cart and drove to Land's End Beach on the other side of the island.
They found a spot on the beach close to the sandbars and laid out their towels. The day was perfect, warm with a gentle breeze, and there were hardly any people on the long strip of beach. Far in the distance, they spotted Kaylie and Mark lying in the sun. Down on the other end of the beach a boat had come in and anchored by the shore and a few teenagers swam in the water there. Way out on one of the sandbars, a woman walked around with a bag, gathering something, but Jim and Claire had no idea what.
After applying a heavy layer of sunscreen, Jim followed Claire out onto the sandbar. The sandbars ran far out and at low tide were only about knee deep in the water. There was no surf here and the water was calm and easy to walk through. As they walked along, they saw shells, small fish, and starfish in the crystal clear water.
After about an hour of navigating the sandbars, they returned to their towels and dried off by lying in the sun. Jim lay on his side, admiring Claire in her bikini. She'd worn shorts and a tank over it when she walked on the sandbar, but she'd finally given in and taken them off to sunbathe.
"What are you staring at?" she asked when she opened her eyes and saw him watching her.
"You. You look amazing. I swear you haven't aged a day since we met in college," Jim said, smiling down at her.
Claire rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. "Don't be silly. I'm old. You must need glasses."
"Nope, I can see just fine and I'm enjoying the view," he told her. Jim leaned over and kissed her gently. "You taste like salty air and coconut suntan lotion. I love that combination."
Destination Wedding ~ A Novel Page 15