Marriage Reunited

Chapter Eight

Lilly's mother arrived to pick up Melissa that afternoon and she was disappointed to realise that her mum couldn't stay for too long. She had been worrying about her mum and stepdad all week but had hidden it for Melissa's sake. She was glad to hear that they were doing well and that her stepdad was recovering with the help of the nurses that Connor had provided. With a heavy heart Lilly waved off her mum and sister while wondering if things would ever be the same again. She had become used to the routine of her life even if it hadn't offered much in the way of happiness.

Connor's first surprise came after Melissa's departure and Lilly could only stare at him in shock as she studied the brochures he held out.

"A honeymoon?" she repeated in confusion. Wasn't it a little late for a honeymoon now given everything that had happened?

"You said you wanted to start from the beginning and what better way than with what should have been the start of our marriage," Connor said. Lilly was still unconvinced.

"But a honeymoon?"

"We never actually got to have one the first time around and I think that if we had then maybe things would have been different. We would have connected both physically and emotionally. Think about it. Just the two of us on a beautiful island of paradise," Connor said persuasively and Lilly could picture it perfectly.

"I'm in!"

Connor already had everything packed and it barely took any time at all for them to get to the airport and on to his private jet. The island was a good ten hours away but it seemed to fly by. Connor immersed himself in work as he cleared the last of his workload while Lilly distracted herself with a good book she'd been meaning to read and several movies.

It seemed barely any time at all before the captain announced that they were landing. Lilly stared out the window as the ocean came in to view and she gasped aloud at the sight of the cool crystal waters below them. It was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen and she could have sworn that she even saw dolphins gliding through the clear water. A moment later an island appeared and Lilly was equally impressed with that. It was a lot bigger than she'd expected but twice as beautiful as her imagination had conjured up. Beautiful white sand stretched for miles and palm trees towered over it like sentinels guarding the masterpiece. It was an impressive sight from above but even more amazing when Lilly stepped off the plane.

The heat hit her first and for those first few moments it felt stifling but then it seemed to settle around her like a warm cloak and scents assailed her. It seemed incredible that the very air around her could smell so sweet. Given that she had nothing to compare it to she wondered if the very atmosphere of a place felt different in every country or if it was just this paradise of an island.

Connor ushered her to a waiting jeep and it gave Lilly a strange thrill to see her husband looking more like the laid back man that she remembered. He'd insisted that they change before they landed and Lilly was glad of it now. The cool summer dress she wore offered at least some protection from the surrounding heat. It seemed strange to see Connor dressed so casually in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that should have looked ridiculous but somehow made him look even sexier.

Connor drove and he apparently took the long way round. Lilly couldn't help but be mesmerised by everything the island had to offer. It's beauty and peacefulness was the main selling point for her. She didn't think that she'd ever felt so relaxed in her life. It was as though all her stress and worries had just melted away. It was just her and Connor and the idyllic paradise around them.

'It's so beautiful," she breathed in wonder and Connor slanted a glance her way. He smiled at the look of bliss on her face. He'd known that she would love the place and was glad that he'd decided to do this. When he'd first thought up the idea of taking her on a honeymoon he'd almost rejected it as a stupid plan doomed to failure. But the more he'd thought about it the more some time alone together appealed to him. This was exactly what the two of them needed, some time away from everything where there was just the two of them and al the time in the world to get to know each other all over again. Maybe this was what their marriage had needed from the start but at the time they had been so wrapped up in their own lives and each other that they'd never even thought about going somewhere for a honeymoon. They'd figured they had their whole lives for things like that.