Island Love Songs

Sultry days, hot nights and passion in the air…

Enjoy the thrill of unexpected romance in three scintillating stories that lead to “I do,” island-style…

Seven Nights in Paradise by Kayla Perrin

After flying halfway around the world to see her friend get married in Fiji, Melanie White bumps into the one man she’s never been able to forget. Will one week be long enough to erase past mistakes and create sizzling new memories?

The Wedding Dance by Carmen Green

Vivian Franklin was asked to choreograph a surprise dance for a wedding in the Virgin Islands—and gorgeous best man James Smith has all the right moves. Almost every female in attendance wants to sweep him off his feet and right into the bedroom. But all James wants is Vivian—for tonight, and forever.

Orchids and Bliss by Felicia Mason

Baden Calloway ran away on her wedding day after deciding not to walk down the aisle. And she didn’t stop until she reached Maui. Now lawman Jesse Fremont, her ex-fiancé’s partner, is at her door, determined to win the woman he’s always loved from afar.…

USA TODAY Bestselling Author

Island Love Songs

Seven Nights in Paradise

Kayla Perrin

The Wedding Dance

Carmen Green

Orchids and Bliss

Felicia Mason

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CONTENTS

SEVEN NIGHTS IN PARADISE

THE WEDDING DANCE

ORCHIDS AND BLISS

Seven Nights in Paradise

Kayla Perrin

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my children: Jeremy Green, Danielle Green and Christina Green. I love you with all my heart. Mom

To the sparrow. I’ll see you in the Rapture someday.

Acknowledgment

Thank you to Shannon for asking me to take part in this fun project.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Chapter 1

As the small seaplane soared over the turquoise-blue waters of the Fijian islands, Melanie Watts could hardly breathe much less look out the window. Her fingers were finally beginning to cramp after gripping the edges of her seat for the entire seven minutes that the small plane had been in the air. She felt tension in her back and neck as a result of not being able to relax.

To say that the seaplane with a seven-passenger capacity was not her preferred mode of transportation was an understatement. But it was the quickest way to get from Fiji’s Nadi International Airport to Malolo Island, where she, her best friend, Richelle, Richelle’s fiancé, Roy, and their wedding guests would be staying at the much-acclaimed Likuliku Lagoon Resort.

“Can’t you just go to Jamaica?” Melanie had tried to reason with Richelle. “Four hours nonstop from JFK, same time zone as New York, nice and easy to get to.”

“Roy and I want to do something different,” Richelle had explained. “Something that not every couple does. We know Fiji’s far, and expensive, which is why Roy’s going to pay for everyone. And please don’t tell me you can’t make it. If you’re not at my wedding, I’ll be devastated.”

In the end, even though Melanie wasn’t thrilled with the idea of a superlong flight, she knew she couldn’t deny her best friend of fourteen years. Of course she would go to Fiji and be Richelle’s maid of honor. And with Roy, a recently retired multimillionaire NFL quarterback, footing the entire bill for seven nights in paradise? Melanie didn’t have one good reason to say no.

“Oh, my goodness!” Richelle exclaimed, and Melanie flinched reflexively. “I see the resort! Look at all the bungalows over the water! Oh, Roy, we’re really here!”

Melanie opened her eyes to peek through the window. She was sitting on the left side of the plane, and Richelle, who was to her right, was leaning against her as she tried to get a better view of the resort.

There had been room on the plane for everyone to have a window seat, but Melanie hadn’t wanted to sit with one of Richelle’s or Roy’s relatives she didn’t know. Richelle had wanted to sit with Roy, which was why they had crammed in the only row with three small seats.

“Oh, wow,” Melanie said, taking in the sights below. It was extraordinary. Not to mention the stretch of pristine golden beach. Melanie inhaled her first relaxing breath.

But suddenly, the plane’s engine, which had been loud for the entire trip, sounded like it had just conked out and the plane rapidly began to fall.

“Oh, God!” Melanie cried, fear seizing her body. “Did the engine just die?”

“We are beginning our descent, ma’am,” the pilot, a man named Suli, explained.

“But—but the engine,” Melanie protested.

“Relax,” Richelle said. “We’re in paradise.”

“So it’s okay if we die because we’re in paradise?” Melanie countered.

Richelle giggled. “Mel, I swear, sometimes you let your fear stop you from enjoying life. Did you even see the view? All those small islands and the ocean’s different shades of blue?”

“I...I saw some of it,” Melanie admitted sheepishly.

“It was stunning. Priceless. Yet you had your eyes closed.”

“At least I’m on this plane. Give me credit for that.” Rationally, Melanie knew the plane would have to go down, but she was still beyond afraid. This was a new experience for her—one she’d never anticipated doing, or ever cared to do.

“The only reason you agreed to go on this plane was because you feared you might fly off the catamaran if it was going too fast,” Richelle said. “Or that the helicopter would crash. You figured a seaplane was at least equipped to land on the water.”

The seaplane swooped, and Melanie uttered a cry. Then it leveled off, and she was suddenly wishing she’d been sedated for this trip. “I’m starting to second-guess my decision. I’m feeling very Tom Hanks in Cast Away.”

“You see the small island on the right?” Suli said, pointing. “That’s where they filmed Cast Away.”

“Wow,” Richelle said, and Virginia who sat two rows in front of them echoed the sentiment. They had all heard that Monuriki was close to the resort.

Which didn’t exactly impress Melanie right now. “We’ll be landing momentarily,” Suli announced, reading Melanie’s thoughts exactly.

Richelle patted her hand. “I swear, Mel—sometimes it’s not just about the destination. It’s about enjoying the ride.”

As the plane went lower and lower, Melanie closed her eyes and braced herself. Then it crashed against the water, and she let out a small shriek.

Seconds passed. She was breathing frantically, but she was breathing. Water wasn’t flooding the small plane. They were safe.

The other passengers on the plane began to cheer.

“Look at this place!” Richelle said excitedly. “I can’t believe we’re here! Open your eyes, Mel.”

Melanie obeyed. And she finally drew in a calming breath and released her death-grip on the seat. The plane was slowing as it approached a dock near the over-the-water bungalows, and Melanie had to admit, the place looked magical. From the rooms that seemed to float on the water, to the mountains in the background, to the stretch of beach...it was postcard perfect.

“We’re really here.”

Melanie looked to her right to see Richelle slip her arms around her fiancé’s neck and plant a kiss on his lips.

Massaging her fingers to get the cramp out, Melanie glanced at the relatives in the seats around her. They were mostly talking excitedly among themselves around how gorgeous the place was. But Edward, Roy’s cousin, immediately met her gaze and smiled.

Melanie offered him a polite smile, and then turned back to look out the plane’s window. Edward had been making awkward conversation with her for two days now, from the time they’d first gotten to JFK on Tuesday afternoon, but now that they were finally in Fiji, she hoped she could escape him.

As Melanie continued to look outside, she realized that the plane had come to a stop while they were still a ways from the dock.

“Um, excuse me?” Melanie called to the pilot, leaning in the plane’s small aisle. “With all due respect, are we supposed to swim to the shore from here?”

“Miss, don’t worry,” Suli said. “Look.”

She did. And she saw a boat heading toward them. Of course, the adventure wouldn’t end with the seaplane landing on the shore. They had to get on a boat to get to the dock.

Melanie forced a laugh. What else could she do? At least the plane had landed safely and they were all in one piece.

Soon, they were loaded onto a boat too small for Melanie’s comfort and taken to the safety of the dock. Only then did she truly start to relax. Members of the resort were on the wooden walkway with guitars, singing what she believed was the same welcome song they’d been serenaded with at the airport. It was lively and jovial, and in the native tongue, so Melanie couldn’t understand a word of it.

But she did understand the warm, inviting smiles the staff members wore—which immediately helped to lift her spirits.

Melanie did a 360-degree turn once she was standing on the dock. She looked out at the dazzling view of the vast turquoise waters finally able to appreciate its beauty.

She spontaneously smiled. They were in Fiji. And it was truly an island of paradise. From the lush mountains to the stunning shoreline, it was clear that she had left the bustling world of New York City behind.

As the men continued to sing, a woman from the resort approached Melanie. “Bula. Welcome to Likuliku.”

“Bula,” Melanie repeated. Once they’d landed at the airport, she had quickly learned that bula meant “hello.”

The woman then placed a string necklace with a wooden trinket around Melanie’s neck.

“Thank you,” Melanie told her.

The woman moved past her to greet Richelle, and placed a necklace around her neck, as well. Once Richelle stepped past the cheerful woman, she came to stand beside Melanie and took hold of her arm. “Oh, my God, Melanie, look at this place.” Richelle squealed in delight. “It’s even more beautiful than what we saw in the pictures!”

“I know,” Melanie agreed. “It’s incredible.”

“I—I can’t believe it.” Richelle’s voice caught. Melanie met her friend’s gaze. She saw the look of awe on her face that matched the tone in her voice. “It’s perfect, Richelle. The absolute perfect place for your wedding. ” Even if it did take a hundred years to get here.

Richelle squealed again. She then giddily skipped over to Roy. She threw her arms around his waist, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. Then he brought his lips down on hers.

“Get a room,” Roy’s older brother, Lance, teased. But even he was holding his wife’s hand.

Melanie watched as Richelle snuggled close to Roy, then as Lance slipped both arms around Lisa from behind. It was as if just being here had quickly transfixed the two couples with a spell of romance.

Melanie couldn’t help but feel slightly wistful. Here she was in Fiji for Richelle’s wedding, a place that seemed to ooze an aura of romance. It was hard to forget that just nine months ago she herself had been scheduled to walk down the aisle. Nine months ago, on a bright September morning, she had gotten dressed up in her beautiful white gown, had gone to the stylist to get her hair and makeup done, and Richelle had been by her side, telling her that the day would go marvelously well.

But the wedding never happened. Melanie hadn’t been able to go through with it. En route to the church, she had suddenly been seized with the fear that her marriage was doomed to fail, and no matter how Richelle and her bridesmaids had tried to convince her that she simply had the pre-wedding jitters, Melanie had ultimately instructed the limo driver to turn around and drive her back home.

Richelle and the bridesmaids had gone on to the church, where they’d told Melanie’s parents her decision. And instead of seeing their only daughter married, her parents had had to break the news to the groom and wedding guests that she wouldn’t be showing.

“Beautiful place, isn’t it?”

Jarred from her trip down memory lane, Melanie spun around to see Edward standing behind her. “Um, yeah,” she agreed. “Gorgeous.”

“I love the still of the morning, don’t you? No sounds of traffic. Just chirping birds and flowing waves.”

“And the beautiful singing,” Melanie added. She looked toward the trio of singers, where Edward’s sister, Virginia, was shaking her heavy body to the beat.

“And the singing,” Edward acknowledged. “We’re definitely a long way from New York.”

“Go get your necklace,” Melanie told him.

“Oh, right.”

When he walked away from her, Melanie went back over to Richelle and Roy. “We don’t have to wait here for our luggage, right? The hotel staff is going to bring it to us when it arrives?”

“Right,” Roy said. “All we have to do is check in.”

“Then let’s do that. It’s barely after six in the morning, and I can’t wait to take a long nap.”

They all began to walk toward the hotel’s main building, which Melanie could see was at the end of the path they were on. After a few seconds, Richelle came beside her and said, “Hey, why do you look so glum?”

Melanie faced her, forcing a smile. “How could I feel glum in a place like this? This is incredible. I’m just exhausted. We left New York Tuesday afternoon. And now it’s Thursday morning.”

“I know,” Richelle said. “Quite the adventure getting here, but it’s totally worth it.”

“I just hope the beds are comfortable.” As if to emphasize the point that she needed rest before doing anything else, Melanie yawned.

Until Richelle and Roy’s wedding on Sunday, in just three more days, Melanie and Richelle would be sharing a room. Then Richelle and Roy would move into a honeymoon suite, which was a private bungalow on the beach.

They didn’t have a schedule for today, other than to arrive, relax and recuperate from the jet lag. Tomorrow, for most of the afternoon, Melanie and Richelle were scheduled for time at the spa. After that, there would be a dinner for all the family and friends who had come for the wedding. And the next day, Roy and Richelle would become husband and wife.

“Have you ever seen a lobby like this in your life?” Melanie asked once they reached it. It was like a giant hut, with walls that doubled as the roof, angling on each side and coming together to form an upside down V. The walls didn’t quite hit the ground, allowing a breeze to flow in from beneath them. There were no doors. The path from the dock simply led straight through to the lobby. It was a truly open concept type of building, blending with nature.

There were beams beneath the roof structure to give it support, and lighting fixtures that hung from the beams. The exterior of the roof was covered in straw, giving the place a true rustic island feel.

Had the resort in Aruba where she and Lawrence had planned to honeymoon been this beautiful? Melanie wondered.

“Hey, something’s wrong,” Richelle insisted, moving to stand in front of Melanie before they reached the front desk. “Talk to me.”

“I already told you, I’m tired.”

Richelle shook her head. Then she led Melanie to a chaise with red cushions near the wall, while the rest of their travel party headed to reception. “You’re thinking about Lawrence, aren’t you?”

“Of course not,” Melanie lied, forcing a smile.

“Mel, you don’t have to lie to me.”

Richelle knew her too well. “Look, this trip isn’t about me. It’s not about my failed relationship. This trip is about you. You and Roy. How you finally found the man you were meant to spend your life with. And how you’re going to have the most amazing wedding ever, in this paradise.”

Richelle beamed from ear to ear. “I am, aren’t I?”

“Of course you are.”

Richelle drew in a breath. “I just—I can’t believe this is actually happening. That only six months after being devastated by Vern, I found my Mr. Right. Who knew that Vern cheating on me would be the best thing to ever happen to me?”

Four months before Melanie was to marry, Richelle herself had already had a date set to walk down the aisle. But a couple weeks before the wedding, she had discovered that her fiancé had been cheating on her. Not that he had cheated once, but that he’d carried on a long-term affair. The news had crushed her, naturally, and the engagement had been called off. But after allowing herself a few months to grieve, Richelle quickly got back in the saddle and started dating. Having created a profile on an online dating site, she was determined that fate was going to deal her a better hand.

And maybe it was that belief, that confidence, that faith, that had led to her finding Roy. Only as fate would have it, she didn’t meet him online. She met him while trying to hail a cab outside a restaurant in Soho. And it was more like hate-at-first sight rather than love, considering they got into a little spat over who had hailed the cab first. Roy had acquiesced on one condition—that Richelle would take his number and call him.

Which Richelle had no plans to do until the colleague—whose birthday she’d been attending at the restaurant—had encouraged her. What did she have to lose?

And from their first date, Richelle had known. So had Roy. The two became a couple after that night. Roy hadn’t told her until their third date that he was a recently retired NFL player. The fact that Richelle had been clueless as to who he was had attracted Roy to her even more. It had been clear to him that she wasn’t after his fame or fortune.

“Vern was a jerk,” Melanie said. “But thank God he did what he did. Talk about a silver lining, you hit the jackpot, Richelle. The love jackpot. Roy’s the real deal.”

“How did I get so lucky?” Richelle asked. “I keep pinching myself. A part of me wonders if this is all a dream, but everything that man does shows me he adores me.”

“He’s the one,” Melanie said.

“God, can you imagine if I’d married Vern?” Richelle shuddered.

“Sometimes something beautiful comes out of the ashes of disaster,” Melanie advised.

A smiling woman approached them with a tray of frothy drinks, garnished with a slice of papaya. Melanie and Richelle took them, and after thanking the woman, sipped them at the same time.

“Oh, wow,” Richelle said. “This is delicious.”

“I don’t think I want to leave,” Melanie chimed.

Richelle took another sip, and then said, “There’s only one thing that would make me happier than I already am.” Richelle ran a hand over Melanie’s shoulder. “Knowing that you’ve found the guy you’re destined to be with.”

Melanie waved a dismissive hand. “As I said, this trip isn’t about me. Soon, you are going to be marrying the man you are meant to be with. One I feel confident will cherish you for a lifetime. I’m thrilled for you. And here he comes now.”

Richelle turned, and her eyes lit up. “Room keys,” he said, presenting them to Richelle. “For you and Melanie.”

“Who are you rooming with?” Melanie asked.

“I’m with Edward until the big day. We’re all staying in the bungalows on the water, or, as they say here, the bures.”

Melanie looked toward their rooms in the distance and sighed. It was a far walk. And she was desperate to hit the bed.

“And don’t worry. Hotel staff is coming with golf carts to take us there. All we have to do is head to the edge of the path outside the lobby.”

Relief washing over her, Melanie looked at Richelle. “He’s a keeper.”

Richelle grinned. “No doubt.”

* * *

A short while later, Melanie and Richelle were in their room, where the sense of awe continued. The room was elegantly decorated, and boasted a large bathroom with a spa tub that was situated so that you could see the ocean while you bathed. The words Bula and Welcome were written in colorful rose petals on the king bed they would be sharing. There was a living room area with a sofa and a coffee table. And outside, there was a large patio with lounge chairs and steps literally walking down into the ocean.

But the focal point of the room was the floor. Amid the wood, there were two giant panes of glass enabling people to see into the water below the room.

“Oh, my God, I could stay in this room forever,” Richelle said, sighing happily as she sank into the sofa before one of the panes of glass. “Seriously—there are fish beneath our feet. Look!”

Melanie quickly hurried over to look, and sure enough, a school of fish was swimming among the coral beneath the room. “Breathtaking.” Then she faced Richelle. “As I remember telling you, sure the Caribbean is lovely, but why not do something different for your wedding? You only do it once, after all.”

Richelle grabbed a cushion off the sofa and hurled it at her. “You told me to do something different? Yeah, right! Remember your Jamaica solution? I’m lucky I even got you here!”

The two friends shared a laugh. “What I’m really saying,” Melanie began, “is that you made the best choice. We came halfway across the world, and it took forever, and I’m totally a nervous traveler, but this is absolutely the best spot for your wedding.”

“Mel, you’re going to make me cry.”

Melanie sat beside Richelle and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Richelle. I really am.”

“Thanks, Mel. And thank you for being here. You know I couldn’t get married without you.”

“And you know there’s nowhere else I would rather be right now. If I had to walk over hot coals to get here, I would.”

“Now I’m crying,” Richelle announced, and raised her hands to wipe her tears.

Melanie hugged her. “I love you, Richelle. You’re the sister I never had.”

“I love you, too. And I know you don’t want me to say it, but I don’t want you to give up on love. You’re going to have your own happy ending. And I still think Lawren—”

“Eh, eh,” Melanie chastised as she pulled apart from Richelle. “No talk about him, remember?” Melanie got to her feet. “Now as beautiful as this room is, I have got to get some sleep if I’m going to enjoy any part of this day. Don’t wake me up for at least four hours.”

Chapter 2

It was shortly after noon when Melanie woke up. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight streaming into the room. Then, upon coming alert and remembering where she was, she turned to her right to see if Richelle was still asleep.

But Richelle wasn’t there. Instead, there was a slip of paper beside her.

I’ll be on the beach at the island bar.

Call for a shuttle. It’s a long walk.

See you soon.

Love, Richelle

Melanie sat up, noticing that their luggage was now in the room.

She got out of bed, showered and dressed, and did as Richelle suggested. The shuttle arrived at her bure within five minutes.

As she rode on the back of the golf cart, she surveyed the resort. Fully awake now, she was even more dazzled by the impressive view of the lush foliage and beach. There were a number of rooms situated among the trees beyond the shore on the beach, which were lovely. But Melanie was glad that she was staying in an over-the-water bure. She could stay in a room on the beach anywhere. How often could she stay in a room that was actually on the water?

“How do you like the resort?” the driver asked.

“What’s not to like?” she countered. It was lovely. She saw people walking along the golden sand or resting on lounge chairs. All couples. This resort catered to adults, and clearly was a choice for men and women in love.

The beach was extensive, and she didn’t see Richelle or Roy on the portion that was visible. The driver continued on to the island bar, which was where they had originally arrived by boat.

She could hear the sounds of a live band before she saw the performers, and as the cart came to a stop, she looked around the small intimate bar with comfy cushioned seats and saw Richelle at the same time that she saw her.

“You’re awake,” Richelle said, rising to greet her.

“I’m awake.” Melanie drew in a deep breath of the fresh island air. “When did you get up?”

“About eleven-thirty. Then I called Roy and woke him up.” She smiled sweetly and rubbed his arm.

“What are you drinking?” Roy asked, looking up at Melanie.

“Is that a piña colada?” Melanie asked, indicating Richelle’s drink.

“Yep.”

“Then I’ll have one of those.”

“You’ll want to see how they make it,” Richelle said. “Fresh pineapple and fresh coconut. And the taste? To die for.”

“I’m sold,” Melanie said. When Roy began to stand, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll go get it.”

“Just tell Manueli to add your drink to my tab,” Roy told her.

“Why did you walk here with your purse?” Richelle asked her. “Just charge everything to the room.”

“Oh. Right. I didn’t think of that.”

“Please don’t tell me you have your phone in there,” Richelle said, giving her a knowing look. “No one is going to call you for wardrobe work on a film set this week. And even if they do, you’re taking a break, remember?”

“I can’t even play Angry Birds?” Melanie countered.

“No,” Richelle told her. “Good grief, there’s so much more to do here than be tied to your phone.”

“I was kidding,” Melanie said, though she did have her phone in her purse. Force of habit. “I was only thinking about paying for food and stuff.”

“Put all food and drinks on my tab,” Roy said. “I’m taking care of everything. I will be offended if you don’t.”

“Thanks, Roy,” Melanie said. “For everything. This place is amazing, and I already feel relaxed. Now how about putting off the wedding for a week or two? That way, we can stay in paradise longer.”

“Already working on it,” Richelle said as she took Roy’s hand and smiled at him. “Meet us at the beach once you get your drink. We’re headed down there.”

Warmth filled Melanie’s heart as she watched them stand and walk hand in hand out of the bar. As they strolled contentedly, Roy lifted Richelle’s hand to his lips and kissed it.

Melanie made her way to the bar. “Bula,” she said to the bartender, whose name tag read Manueli.

“Bula. You must be Melanie.”

Melanie’s eyebrows shot up as she sat on a bar stool. “How did you know?”

“Because your friend told me you would be arriving soon. Said to make you an extraspecial drink.”

“Richelle says you make an amazing piña colada.”

“One Likuliku piña colada coming right up.”

Melanie watched him cut slices from a fresh pineapple and put them in the blender, and then chop the top off a green coconut and pour the juice found inside into the blender, as well. He added some sort of cream, followed by a good dose of rum and ice, and then turned on the machine.

After about seven seconds of whirring, the blender came to a stop. Manueli poured the creamy concoction into a tall glass and presented it to Melanie. “Here you go.”

She sipped it. And felt like she had just tasted heaven. “Oh, my goodness. This is delicious! Thank you, Manueli. I’ll be back for more of these.”

Turning on the bar stool, she took another drink of the delicious cocktail and surveyed the area.

And her eyes caught a glimpse of a seriously sexy body. Strong golden brown legs, washboard abs, perfectly sculpted pecs...

An odd sense of realization dawned a moment before her gaze went higher, to the man’s face. Her heart slammed in her chest. And as she dared to look at his face, her eyes bulged in stupefied horror, and the liquid she’d just sipped went down the wrong way.

No! her mind screamed. No. It can’t be possible. There’s no way that could be him!

She coughed, almost violently, trying to clear her windpipe. With the commotion she was making, she knew she was drawing attention to herself.

Which was exactly what she didn’t want, especially if the man she thought she’d just seen was actually not a figment of her imagination.

Perhaps the Fijian heat was getting to her. Obviously, that couldn’t be him.

She turned back to the bar, where Manueli looked at her in alarm. “Are you okay?”

Melanie waved a hand to dismiss his concern. She slapped her chest, hoping to relieve the endless hacking. And as the coughing finally began to subside, she was certain now that the man she’d seen had simply been a look-alike. He had to be. Everyone had them, after all.

For God’s sake, she was in Fiji, not strolling along Wall Street.

Surreptitiously, she glanced to her right once more. And there he was, still standing at the perimeter of the island bar as if frozen to the spot, staring in her direction.

And then she knew.

She saw, at the moment, that he knew, too. The question in his eyes morphed into complete surprise.

Clearly, he had just spent the last few seconds trying to determine if she was truly who she’d appeared to be, just as she had done where he was concerned. And now, there was no longer any doubt.

God help her, it was Lawrence.

The man she should have married nine months ago. The man she had left standing at the altar.

* * *

Lawrence looked in the direction of the coughing woman at the bar, and at first thought that he had to be hallucinating. He was halfway across the world, on one of Fiji’s beautiful islands, a far cry from New York City. He had come here expressly to forget the very woman he feared his eyes now rested on.

She glimpsed in his direction once again, and then he was absolutely certain. The deer-in-the-headlights look on her face made it clear that he wasn’t dreaming. That indeed, Melanie Watts was here in the same bar at the same resort he was staying at.

Of all the islands that made up Fiji, Melanie was actually at the very same one where he was.

Melanie quickly jerked her gaze away from his and shot to her feet, and the purse that was on her lap went flying, spilling the contents onto the sand. Then her hand swung to the side as if in fright, and she knocked over the drink that was on the bar in front of her.

The bartender reacted quickly, grabbing up the glass. Melanie dropped to the ground to collect her strewn items.

Lawrence watched her, intrigued and mortified.

Melanie looked terror stricken. She kept glancing at him as she picked up the contents of her purse, as if she expected him to charge over to her.

And there was no doubt that a part of him wanted to do exactly that. Go over to her and demand the answers to the questions she hadn’t given him after standing him up at the altar. But the other part of him—the part filled with too much pride to belittle himself after she’d made it clear she didn’t care about him—kept him rooted to the spot.

Melanie finished hurriedly putting the items into her purse, not even dusting off the sand first, then threw another nervous glance in his direction, as though she feared he was approaching her at that very second. And that was what got to Lawrence. The idea that she was afraid of him. Even when she had broken his heart, she hadn’t needed to fear him. All he had wanted were answers, and even though she hadn’t given them to him, he hadn’t lost his mind and hounded her. He had simply let her be.

He watched as Melanie rebuffed a hotel worker’s help in getting to her feet. She quickly stood, then turned in the opposite direction from the path where he was standing, and hustled out of the bar area toward the beach.

And that’s when he made the impromptu decision to follow her. He had initially come to the bar to pick up a couple beers for him and his buddy, Shemar, but that would have to wait.

Nine months had passed and, yes, his relationship with Melanie was over. But still, he had to know.

She looked over her shoulder once more as she tried to flee, and her eyes widened when she realized he was coming after her. The reaction irked him. She had known him—known his heart—yet she had let every insecurity come between them and prevent them from getting married. Now, she was looking at him as though she thought he would rush her and throttle her.

Lawrence picked up his pace, jogging. Nearing the water now, Melanie suddenly stopped. She wanted to get away from him, but she wasn’t about to dive into the ocean to make her escape by swimming. Not the Melanie he knew, anyway.

She quickly scanned the area to the left. Endless beach. Then the right. Same thing. He caught up to her in time to hear her whimper.

She took a step to her left, but Lawrence put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Hey,” he said softly. “You’re seriously not even going to say hi to me?”

Turning, Melanie looked up at him, and he could see the trepidation in her eyes.

“For God’s sake, Mel. Why are you looking at me like I’m some sort of crazy stalker? If there’s one thing you knew about me, it was that you didn’t have to be afraid of me. Yet the look on your face would make a person think you’re scared I’ll hurt you.”

To emphasize his point, he looked toward a couple a short distance away. Indeed, both the man and the woman were staring in their direction, clearly a little too curious about Lawrence’s interaction with Melanie.

“Oh,” Melanie said, following his line of sight to the couple in question.

“Yeah,” Lawrence said, unable to hide his irritation. “After everything, I figure the very least you can do is say hello when you see me, not run scared. I don’t deserve to be treated like I’m the one who hurt you.”

There. He’d gotten that off his chest. Because if anyone should be running scared, it was him. Melanie was the one who had trampled all over his heart.

He sure as heck hoped that she hadn’t avoided him because of an unfounded fear that he would become some sort of nutcase. She owed him a conversation, an explanation, and that was all he had wanted. If she’d been able to tell him that she didn’t love him and didn’t want to marry him, as much as it would have hurt, he would have wished her well and moved on.

But she hadn’t told him anything, and that had him stuck emotionally. Unable to truly move on.

“I—I—I’m sorry,” Melanie stuttered. “It’s just—I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“That makes two of us.”

“I’m here for Richelle’s wedding,” she explained.

“Ah. So Richelle’s getting married again?” Lawrence processed the information. He remembered all too well that it was Richelle’s own failed engagement that had led to Melanie’s doubts about whether or not any marriage could be successful. That and the fact that her father had never been able to stay faithful to her mother.

“Not again,” Melanie clarified. “This will be her first marriage. Since her wedding to Vern last year didn’t actually happen.”

“Yeah, I know what that’s like,” Lawrence couldn’t help saying. When Melanie’s lips tightened, he asked, “She getting married to Roy? The football player?”

“Yep,” Melanie answered, not looking at him. Instead, she was searching the beach. “And, ah, there they are. They told me to meet them, so, uh, I’ll see you around.”

Lawrence’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll see me around?”

“What do you want me to say?” Melanie asked, sounding exasperated.

“I want to know why,” Lawrence said. “That’s what I want to hear from you. Tell me why you left me.”

Melanie withered beneath his hard stare. But Lawrence didn’t avert his gaze, because she deserved to wither. She deserved to feel even a morsel of the pain she had caused him to feel.

“This isn’t the time,” she said.

“Then when is the time?” Lawrence asked. “Let’s set a date. Mark me in on your calendar and put it in that phone of yours so you won’t forget. We’re in Fiji, where you can’t hide behind your work. Maybe now I can get some answers.”

“Lawrence, stop.”

“Stop?” he countered. “So that’s just it? You break my heart, you humiliate me in front of my family and friends, and I don’t have a right to know why?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, you didn’t say anything. You just stood me up and never even gave me a courtesy call to say you were sorry, at the least.”

Melanie’s bottom lip trembled. And once again, there was the look of fear in her eyes. But he could see now that it wasn’t the kind of fear that said she was afraid he would hurt her. Rather, it was the kind of fear that came when you were caught in an uncomfortable situation you didn’t want to be in.

But dammit, she owed him closure. She owed him answers, and then he could forget her forever.

“We were supposed to get married,” Lawrence went on. “We were supposed to be husband and wife. Only you didn’t show up. You made an executive decision to change the plans we had for our life together. Fine—maybe you’re not sorry about how you handled the situation, about how you hurt me. But at the very least, don’t you think you owe me an explanation as to why?”

“I—I can’t do this. Richelle...she’s waving me over.”

“Richelle isn’t going anywhere. We’re on island time.”

Melanie was shaking her head. “I—I’m sorry, Lawrence. I—I am. I know I never told you, and, yes, you deserved an apology, so I’m telling you now. I’m sorry. Just know that.”

And before he could say another word, she quickly turned, desperate to be able to escape him, and all but sprinted on the sand over to Richelle and Roy.

Leaving Lawrence standing there like a fool.

Much like he had stood like a fool at the altar of the church on their wedding day, waiting for his bride-to-be who would never show up.

Chapter 3

“Was that Lawrence?” Richelle asked, gazing beyond Melanie’s shoulder to look in the direction of the stretch of beach near the island bar.

Now beside her friend, Melanie finally released a pent-up, frazzled breath. “Yeah.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

Melanie’s heart was beating frantically, and she felt light-headed. She was in a state of shock.

“Why is he here?” Richelle went on, a sense of wonder in her tone.

Melanie threw her hands up in frustration, and then dropped down onto the lounge chair beside the one where Roy was sitting. “Hell if I know.”

“Wait,” Roy said. “That was Lawrence—your former fiancé?”

Melanie nodded.

“I didn’t realize you guys were talking again.”

“We’re not.”

Roy looked confused. “But you must have told him you were going to be here.”

“You think I invited him here?” Melanie asked, her tone incredulous. Then, realizing that her reaction was too harsh, she said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice. It’s just that...I haven’t spoken to Lawrence in nine months. I have no clue why he’s here.”

“I was just gonna say, if you want to bring him to the wedding, it’s cool with me.”

Melanie’s eyes widened. Invite him to the wedding?

“Roy, honey,” Richelle began, placing her hands on Roy’s shoulders. “You said you were going in the water, right?”

Roy looked over his shoulder at Richelle, who smiled sweetly at him, then at Melanie. And he seemed to get that Richelle was shooing him off so that she and Melanie could have some privacy.

Roy stood and dutifully took his shirt off. “Yep.”

Richelle gave him a quick kiss, and then he headed into the turquoise-blue water. Richelle sat across from Melanie on the second lounge chair.

“Wow,” Richelle said, and then chuckled softly. “We come all the way from New York to Fiji and Lawrence is here?”

Melanie looked up from the sand and met Richelle’s gaze. Her friend’s eyes were dancing with excitement. “You don’t have to sound so happy about it.”

“I don’t think that’s a coincidence,” Richelle went on. “Come on, you don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s here?”

“It’s a disaster, that’s what it is.”

“You didn’t tell him accidentally, did you?”

“Accidentally?” Melanie looked at Richelle in shock. “How could I tell him accidentally if I haven’t spoken to him in nine months?”

“I’m just wondering if he saw the news about the wedding on your Facebook page, or on Twitter.”

“I unfriended him, but even if he had access, I never said where we were going to be. I’ve been very careful about that.”

“Well, maybe he heard about the wedding through a mutual friend, and he decided he’d head to Fiji to get a chance to talk to you. I’m sure he still wants closure.”

“Lawrence isn’t the kind of guy to get on a plane and come all the way here for the sole purpose of talking to me. If he’d wanted to talk to me, he would have done so in New York.”

“If you’re certain that he didn’t find out about the wedding, then it sounds like fate is making a major play.”

“Fate?” Melanie countered. “It’s simply a coincidence.”

“Coincidence?” Richelle shook her head. “No, it’s more like the universe forced the two of you together. I sense a reconciliation in the making....”

Melanie’s jaw dropped. “Don’t say that. Don’t even start on that.”

“Why not? I always thought you and Lawrence—”

“We’re over. He never even called me after the wedding, remember?” Melanie swallowed painfully, remembering how a part of her heart had hoped that he would reach out to her. Reach out to her and beg her to take him back, beg her to come to her senses.

“You mean the wedding where you stood him up?” Richelle said, giving her a pointed look.

“Obviously, he wasn’t too torn up over it,” Melanie insisted. “Because he said nothing to me. Not a call, not a text message, not an email.”

“Because you stood him up—” Richelle stressed.

“He didn’t reach out to me, and I didn’t reach out to him, which makes it very clear that both of us knew we were heading down the wrong path. It was better to leave things as they were than fight for something that wasn’t supposed to be.”

Richelle rolled her eyes. “It’s more like you broke his heart, and he was too hurt to talk to you,” she said. “Everyone has to have their level of pride.”

“Don’t take his side,” Melanie said, pouting.

“This isn’t about sides, Mel. You’re my friend, and I love you, but I’ve never once told you that I agreed with you if I didn’t. Remember how I reamed you out for putting Nair in LaRita’s shampoo in tenth grade? I still loved you, but I told you that you were wrong to get revenge like that. You should have just reported her for bullying you.”

“She never bothered me again, now did she?” Melanie countered, smiling slightly with the memory of how the tables had turned on LaRita. Once half-bald, other students had started bullying her, and Melanie’s life had gotten a lot easier.

“You got what you wanted, but you didn’t do it the right way,” Richelle said. “Just like with Lawrence. If you didn’t want to marry him, fine. But you shouldn’t have stood him up at the altar like that. It was wrong. You can’t turn around and blame him for not trying to talk to you after that.”

Melanie swallowed uncomfortably. She knew that no matter what she said, Richelle was right. Melanie couldn’t shift any blame onto Lawrence for her actions.

It was just that she never expected to see him again. Least of all not here, in Fiji.

“What did he say to you?” Richelle asked.

Melanie sighed. “That he wanted an answer. That I owed him one for how I humiliated him on our wedding day.”

“And you said?”

Melanie hesitated. Then she shook her head.

“You avoided him,” Richelle surmised. “Of course.”

“It’s a big enough shock that he’s here in Fiji, for God’s sake. I’m supposed to have a serious conversation like that on the spot?”

“Mel.” Richelle tsked. “What are you going to do? Avoid him for the rest of the trip?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. I know you. You’re afraid to face him. And I understand why. But please, hon, don’t run scared while you’re in Fiji. If it’s truly over between you and Lawrence, what harm will come from talking to him? And what if it’s not really over....”

Richelle got to her feet, grinning devilishly as she did. Then she pulled off her bathing suit cover, dumped it on the lounge chair and jogged into the water to join Roy.

Leaving Melanie to ponder Richelle’s words.

* * *

“Was that Melanie?” Shemar asked when Lawrence slumped onto the lounge chair beside him.

“Yeah.” Lawrence’s tone was clipped.

“She’s here?” Shemar asked, disbelievingly. “We come all the way to Fiji and she’s here?”

“Tell me about it, bro. That about sums up my luck.”

“Unbelievable.” Shemar made a face. “Guess that’s why you didn’t get our beer.”

“Oh, sorry. I was distracted.”

“So, what’d she have to say for herself?” Shemar asked, his tone sounding cautious.

“That she’s here for a wedding. You remember how her friend Richelle started dating that quarterback who used to play for the Giants?”

“Vaguely.”

“Well, Richelle’s marrying the guy. Here. In Fiji. Of all places.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Shemar said. “If there’s a wedding happening, sounds like Melanie will be busy. And so will we. You probably won’t run into her again.”

Lawrence gritted his teeth as he stared out at the water. This was an island paradise, the exact type of place he would have loved to come with a special woman in his life. But he’d come with Shemar instead to golf, snorkel and scuba dive.

And now Melanie had appeared and had already turned this trip upside down. Lawrence had six more days here—six days he was supposed to be spending purging Melanie from his system. Yet how could that happen now?

Shemar stood and clamped a hand down on Lawrence’s shoulder. “I know that look, Lawrence. But like I said, don’t sweat it. It’s a big resort. You don’t have to see her again if you don’t want to. I’m going to get those beers. You need it.”

Shemar was Lawrence’s best friend. He’d been his best man for the wedding that never happened. He’d been there in the aftermath of Melanie’s no-show and had consoled him with tough talk about how he was better off not having married her because clearly Melanie wasn’t the woman for him. Shemar had assured him that there were many other fish in the sea, and that there were thousands of women in New York City who would appreciate a guy like him.

“We’re stockbrokers, man,” Shemar had told him. “We make a ton of cash. You know how many women appreciate men like us? They’ll be coming out of the woodwork for you, bro. Trust me.”

There were problems with Shemar’s theory, of course. The first one was that Shemar himself was still single, despite the fact that he saw himself as a hot commodity. The second problem was that the women who tended to be interested in them simply because of their careers were shallow. That breed of woman was more intrigued by their healthy bank accounts than by who they really were.

And it was easy to find the gold diggers when out with Shemar. He loved to flaunt like a high roller, buying drinks for beautiful women, waving cash at the bar, the whole nine yards. It was no surprise to Lawrence that women ended up being more interested in what Shemar’s money could buy them, than in the man himself.

None of that fazed Shemar, though. He enjoyed dating a series of beautiful women, enjoyed wining and dining and impressing them. And ultimately, leaving them when he got bored.

It was that kind of mind-set Shemar had tried to impart onto Lawrence, but without luck. Lawrence wasn’t like Shemar. He couldn’t move from one monogamous relationship to the next with ease. Shemar had set him up with a few girls back home after his disastrous wedding day, but Lawrence had ultimately compared all of them to Melanie.

Which was ridiculous. What was the point in comparing any woman to Melanie? She wasn’t the ideal woman. Certainly not the ideal woman for him.

He was still dealing with the pain of heartbreak. Lawrence’s funk was the reason Shemar had suggested they get away. Far away. They both loved the water, and Shemar had suggested Fiji for diving, snorkeling and water sports like kayaking. Lawrence had readily agreed.

Shemar had also joked that maybe they’d find some lovely ladies at the resort whom they could spend time with. He had hoped that would be the answer to Lawrence forgetting about Melanie once and for all.

And now, incredibly, Melanie was at the very same resort. Was fate playing some kind of cruel joke on him?

“Here you go, my man,” Shemar said.

Lawrence looked over his shoulder to see Shemar extending a bottle of Fiji Gold beer.

“Thanks.” Lawrence accepted the bottle and took a pull of the light-tasting ale.

“We’ve got just about an hour before Ratu comes to take us out on the dive,” Shemar said. “I’m gonna head to the room, get changed. You?”

Lawrence stood. “Sounds like a plan.”

And though he didn’t want to, as he started to walk away from the beach with Shemar, Lawrence threw a glance to his right, in the direction where Melanie had run off to.

He saw Richelle and Roy in the water in the distance, but he didn’t see Melanie.

She was gone.

But whether he could physically see her or not, she was back in his thoughts.

There was no doubt about that.

Chapter 4

Try as Melanie did to get a good night’s sleep, she couldn’t. Not with the exchange between her and Lawrence playing in her mind over and over again. Instead of feeling relaxed and at ease—as she initially had once on Fiji—her body was consumed with nervous tension.

She hadn’t seen Lawrence for the remainder of the day, but as she’d gotten dinner, and enjoyed a traditional Fijian show on the beach as night fell, she had been consumed with worry that Lawrence would make an appearance at any given moment.

He hadn’t, but she was still cursing fate and whatever joke it was trying to play on her by having Lawrence show up on the very island paradise where she had hoped to soothe her still-hurting heart.

The first thought that came to her mind as she got up that next morning was that she would see Lawrence again. In fact, she was half-paralyzed with the fear that she would run into him sooner rather than later.

“Ticktock,” Richelle chastised her. “We’ve got to get going if we’re to make it for breakfast.”

If not for Richelle, Melanie might be tempted to hide out in the room. But she knew that was an insane idea. She hadn’t battled her fear of flying long distances, traveled through how many time zones and gotten on a seaplane, only to stay in the room—despite how incredible the view from here was.

No, she had to leave the room sometime. For one thing, there was no room service, which meant Melanie had to go to the restaurant in order to eat if she didn’t want to starve to death. She and Richelle were going to enjoy breakfast on their own this morning since Roy, his brother, cousin and some other family members had gotten up at the crack of dawn to scuba dive. Richelle had opted to pass on the excursion, because she and Melanie had a spa appointment later that morning. Today would be a day for the two friends to relax and enjoy whatever the resort had to offer.

Now, if only Melanie knew that Lawrence had left the island...then she could truly relax.

“Mel—”

“I’m ready,” Melanie quickly said, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she looked in the bathroom mirror. “My beach bag is set. Call for a golf cart.”

Melanie and Richelle had donned bathing suits with summer dresses atop them, since they didn’t want to have to head back to their rooms to change. They’d also decided to pack small bags with towels, sunscreen and reading material. Thanks to Richelle’s work as an editor for a publishing house in New York, she had a number of novels for Melanie to choose from.

Minutes later, the golf cart arrived with a man named Henry, who already knew them by name because he’d driven them around the previous day. They rode the golf cart to the Fijiana, a restaurant overlooking the pool and the ocean. Melanie took in the stunning decor only briefly—then surveyed the place to see if Lawrence was anywhere in sight.

He wasn’t.

“Table for two?” a smiling woman asked them when they approached the restaurant’s entrance.

“Yes,” Richelle said.

The woman led them to a table close to the pool as a band played lively island music for the diners. Melanie took the seat that faced the ocean as well, and as she looked out at the view, she sighed happily. This place was truly stunning.

“I love how the pool looks as if it leads right into the ocean,” she said. “Maybe we can hang out at the pool instead of the beach until our eleven o’clock appointment?”

“Works for me. A couple drinks poolside? No crazy schedule? I’m going to hate to leave this place.” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Melanie. “You left your phone in the room, right?”

“Yes. And you didn’t sneak one of your author’s manuscripts into your bag?”

“Not a chance,” Richelle said. “I’m thrilled to be able to use my free time to leisurely read a novel I’m not working on. I think I’m going to read that time-travel horror everybody’s raving about.

“But since I am getting married, maybe I should read something romantic.”

“Whatever you want,” Melanie said, lifting the menu. But Richelle suddenly frowned, so Melanie set the menu back on the table and asked, “What is it?”

“Here I am, worried about which novel to read.” She shook her head. “Shouldn’t I be doing something else?”

“What do you mean?” Melanie asked.

“Everything just seems so easy and peaceful and beautiful, and I feel like I should be a stressed-out bride. Am I missing something?”

“That’s the reason you came here, right? Because you didn’t want the stress. Because you wanted a simple yet incredible Fiji wedding.” Melanie smiled. “So here we are. And if your biggest decision right now is which novel to read, be grateful, not wary.”

Richelle drew in a breath and nodded. “You’re right. I don’t know why I keep expecting disaster.”

“Probably because, between the two of us, we’ve had two failed weddings,” Melanie supplied. “But this one’s different. This one’s gonna happen. Don’t you worry.”

The waitress arrived and offered coffee, then took their orders. They both opted for a plate of fresh fruit and omelets. As they waited for the breakfast to be prepared, they enjoyed the sounds of the Fijian music and the tranquil setting.

“Here you go,” the waitress said cheerfully. “A plate of fresh fruit.”

“This looks amazing,” Melanie said, eyeing the splendid-looking display of pineapple, papaya, kiwi, oranges and strawberries. And as she glanced up at the waitress to say thanks, she saw Richelle’s eyes widen.

The waitress walked away, and Melanie asked, “What is it?”

But by then, she felt his presence behind her. And she knew.

“Melanie. May I talk to you for a second?”

Melanie shivered. She felt a tremor through her entire body at the sound of Lawrence’s voice. And then her eyes fluttered shut.

“Mel, it’ll only be a few minutes.”

Richelle speared a piece of pineapple with her fork and got to her feet. “Why don’t you sit here?” she suggested. “By the way, great to see you, Lawrence.”

Oh, my God, no! Don’t leave, Richelle—don’t leave me! With her eyes, Melanie tried to implore her friend to stay put, but Richelle was already walking through the restaurant toward the far edge of the pool.

And then, Lawrence lowered himself onto the seat Richelle had vacated.

Melanie could hardly breathe, as her throat had suddenly constricted. The inevitable meeting with Lawrence had come sooner than she was prepared for.

As if she would ever be prepared for it.

Melanie tried to swallow, but couldn’t. There he sat, looking as fine as she had ever seen him, staring at her in this beautiful restaurant with a backdrop of palm trees and the perfect ocean. And as her heart began to hasten, all she could think was that this was exactly where they should be right now. The two of them together here in this restaurant. On this gorgeous island. But not by chance. Because if things had worked out for them nine months prior, they would be here as husband and wife, together on this trip to Fiji for Richelle’s wedding.

Which was exactly what she didn’t need to be thinking. “Good morning,” Lawrence said casually, as if their sitting together like this was entirely normal.

“Lawrence, this is a bad idea.”

“Actually, I think it’s a good idea. It’s the one way I know to get the answers I need from you.”

Melanie’s jaw flinched.

“I know you, Mel,” Lawrence continued. “And you’re not going to want to make a scene. So with me sitting here, you’re not going to jump up and leave, or go into hysterics or anything like that. I figure this is my best shot at finally having the conversation we should have had nine months ago.”

Nervously, Melanie glanced around. The other diners were all absorbed in their own lives. Their own relationships. Most were couples, and they all looked happy and carefree and deeply in love.

“I know that yesterday it was a shock for you to see me,” Lawrence said. “Trust me, it was a huge shock for me, too. And when you left me standing on the beach, I told myself that I didn’t care why you stood me up. But I’ve had a night to reflect, and I can’t lie to myself any longer. I’ve cared since September 15. Here I am at this resort, and here you are. And if there’s any chance I’m going to enjoy the rest of my vacation, I need to know why. For my own peace of mind, for me to have closure, I need to know why you left me at the altar without even letting me know that you were having second thoughts.”

Melanie picked up a piece of pineapple and put it into her mouth, buying time. She chewed the morsel, but couldn’t savor the sweet taste. All the while, Lawrence’s eyes bore into her.

The moment she swallowed, he said, “I’m waiting.”

Then he picked up a strawberry and popped it into his mouth. Casual as could be.

“What’s the purpose of this?” Melanie asked in a low voice.

“You owe me,” Lawrence said. “Or do you think that it was actually okay to leave the man who loves you and tell him absolutely nothing? Leave him to guess and explain to his family why the woman of his dreams was a no-show at their wedding?”

“Fine.” Melanie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I just—I just didn’t think it was going to work long-term. I figured it was best to walk away before tying the knot.”

“Not good enough,” Lawrence said.

“That’s my answer.”

He folded his arms and placed them on the edge of the table.

The waitress returned then with the two plates of omelets. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that a man had replaced one of the women.

“Oh,” she said. “The woman who was here?”

“Will be back momentarily,” Melanie said. “Please.” She gestured for the waitress to put the food on the table, which she did.

“Actually,” Lawrence said, lifting Richelle’s plate. “Our friend is right over there.” He pointed to the far end of the pool, where Richelle sat with her feet in the water. “Now, see my buddy at that table there? Can you set our friend up at his table so she can enjoy her meal there?”

“Sure,” the waitress said, shrugging. “No problem.”

Lawrence grinned at her. “Wonderful. Because the two of us—” he eyed Melanie “—we’ll be a while.”

Melanie raised her eyebrows at him.

“And whatever this omelet is,” Lawrence went on, “I’ll take one, too. It smells delicious.”

“Certainly.”

Horrified, Melanie watched as the waitress walked over to Richelle with the plate of food. Then watched as she gestured toward Shemar’s table. Richelle then got to her feet and made her way over to where Shemar was sitting, eyeing Melanie with a puzzled expression as she did.

“Now,” Lawrence began, “where were we?”

Melanie gaze met his. “Seriously, Lawrence.”

“Think of it this way. Once you explain it to me, I’ll be able to move on. Then, if we see each other around here again, you won’t have to worry about me hounding you for an answer.”

Melanie drew in a frazzled breath. “You want an explanation? Okay. You and I were on different pages, Lawrence. That’s why I realized I couldn’t marry—”

“Bull,” Lawrence said, cutting her off.

“If you want an answer, then you—” She stopped herself when the couple at the table across from them looked at her. “If you want to hear what I have to say,” she went on in a calmer tone, “then you need to listen.”

“I’m happy to listen.” Lawrence’s jaw stiffened. “But I want the truth.”

“I don’t know, Lawrence. Like I said, I’m sorry for what I did. I know I took the coward’s way out. It’s just...we didn’t agree about everything.”

“Who does?”

“And I was afraid,” she pressed on. “Afraid those differences were going to lead us in different directions.”

“Really?” Lawrence looked flabbergasted and hurt.

“You thought I worked too much. And I know it annoyed you that there were a lot of things you wanted to do that I was afraid to try. Like swimming.”

“We are different people,” Lawrence said. “I didn’t expect you to be a carbon copy of me.”

“Yes, you said that. But I just... Come on, Lawrence. We wouldn’t be the first couple to drift apart because of differences like that. And then there was that job offer I had on that series in Los Angeles. You weren’t happy that I was considering it.”

“Not so unhappy that I thought it meant the end of our relationship. If I had to live without you for a while, I would have managed.”

“I know,” Melanie said softly. “I know it’s easy to think that issues are surmountable when you’re in love, then suddenly, everything changes. What if I got a wardrobe job on a set in another part of the country or even in another part of the world—one that would take me away for weeks or months?”

“Did I ever once say that I didn’t support your career? From the day we met in that men’s clothing store—where you were doing some shopping for a film, and you gave me advice on the suit I was picking out—I knew what you did for a living. And I’ve always supported it.”

“I know. But...”

“But you were looking for reasons to walk away,” Lawrence said, his tone sour. “Sure, we got involved, but ultimately, you never could let down your guard with me. I thought I’d made it clear how much I loved you, wanted to be with you, wanted a life with you. But you...you couldn’t get past what your father did to your mother. He told your mother that he left because she wasn’t a homemaker, and you, at the end of the day, you believed I would do the same thing.”

Melanie’s heart began to pump a little harder. Lawrence had so easily torn away the layers of her excuses and hit the very core—something she didn’t even like to acknowledge to herself. Because Melanie had spent years believing that her father wasn’t a typical man. And then, there she was, on the morning of her wedding, and suddenly paralyzed with fear that Lawrence would hurt her the way her father had crushed her mother.

“Nothing’s impossible.”

“Wow.” Lawrence shook his head. Though he had come up with the very reason for her bailing on him, he seemed stunned to hear her verify his hypothesis. “Wow.”

Melanie glanced down, feeling bad for how her words had clearly hurt him. At her core, she had definitely believed that Lawrence was a family guy, one who would value her and not up and leave.

That was why she had fallen for him, why she’d agreed to marry him. But in the end, she just couldn’t go through with it.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Lawrence asked when she faced him again. “After all we meant to each other, after we were about to get married, you didn’t think you owed me the courtesy of a phone call?”

“I was afraid of how you would react.”

“Nothing would have been harder than the reality I was left to deal with. Being stood up at the altar and facing all the wedding guests who wondered what the heck was going on. My family and yours. Having to explain to them that the wedding was off. Having to be consoled by people when I didn’t even understand what was going on.”

“I’m sorry,” Melanie said.

Lawrence pushed his chair back and stood. “Yeah,” he said dully. “Thanks.”

And then he walked away, and Melanie knew—by the tone of his voice, even though she had explained her actions—her apology nine months after the fact was too little, too late.

Chapter 5

Hours later, Melanie still felt ambiguous about her meeting with Lawrence and how he had left her. He’d wanted answers, saying that he needed closure, and she’d given them. She even hoped that, by finally talking to him about their failed wedding day, she herself would feel better. But while Melanie had watched Lawrence’s back as he’d walked away from her table—moments before the waitress had returned with his omelet—the last thing she had felt was closure.

Still, during her spa session with Richelle, she’d talked tough. “I feel good,” she’d said as she and Richelle had lain on side-by-side massage tables, overlooking floor-to-ceiling windows that faced the stunning view of the ocean. “We talked, I explained my feelings, and now he understands. It’s silly that I avoided him for so long, because the truth is, talking to him today helped me get closure, as well.”

“Closure?” Richelle asked, her voice ripe with skepticism.

“Yeah. He deserved to know why, and I’d been running from that for months. That’s why I was so stressed. Because I never talked to him and gave him answers. I guess I thought he was going to flip out, and I couldn’t deal with that. But our talk went well, we resolved things, and now all the stress is leaving my body.”

That’s what Melanie had said as the skilled masseuse had worked the kinks out of her neck and back, but hours later, she felt some of the tension in her neck return. That’s where she really felt her stress. She was still thinking about Lawrence, remembering that crushed expression in his eyes. And she was definitely feeling guilt over the fact that she knew she had hurt him.

“I didn’t even ask Lawrence how long he was staying in Fiji,” Melanie said now, leaning in to whisper to Richelle hours later, as they sat on chairs on the beach for the evening’s entertainment.

“Why does that matter?” Richelle asked.

She shrugged. “Just curious. I know you don’t believe me about having closure, but if he shows up here tonight, I assure you I’ll be able to go over and have a friendly chat with him. He and I can be friends now, Richelle.”

The fire illuminated Richelle’s face, making it extremely easy to see exactly what she thought of Melanie’s theory. “Hogwash.”

“What?”

“You do realize that you haven’t stopped talking about Lawrence all day?” Richelle pointed out.

Melanie’s stomach tightened uncomfortably. “Richelle, let’s just enjoy the show.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who brought up Lawrence. Again.”

Roy returned from the bar then with the two piña coladas Melanie and Richelle had requested. He handed a drink to each of them, then sat beside Richelle and slipped his arm around her shoulder. The entire wedding group seemed to be enjoying the traditional Fijian warrior show, with men in grass skirts and donning swords doing some sort of ritualistic dance. It was spectacular. But with each minute that passed, Melanie felt increasingly alone.

Beside her, Richelle was caught up with Roy. Leaning into him. Giggling at words he whispered into her ear. It suddenly struck Melanie that once the wedding was over, and even before that, she would be largely left to her own devices.

She surveyed the crowd of hotel guests. So far she hadn’t seen Lawrence and Shemar. She wondered if he was avoiding tonight’s festivities on the beach because of her.

But he had no need to. He had gotten the answers he’d wanted. Even if he didn’t like them.

About ten minutes later, Melanie caught sight of his face through her peripheral vision as he sifted his way through the crowd. Instantly, her heart slammed into her chest at the mere glimpse of him. She felt that familiar, fierce attraction she’d felt even the first day she had laid eyes on him. He was absolutely gorgeous.

You let him go? people had asked. But he’s so hot.

Perhaps it was because Lawrence was so hot that Melanie had felt even more insecure. She was a beautiful woman, and he’d told her so often, but women were often dogged in their determination to steal a man like Lawrence. That’s what Vern had claimed when Richelle had found out about his affair.

But right now, as she took in his sexy torso draped in a white cotton shirt, and his firm behind clad in denim, she felt a purely carnal pull of lust for him.

He was alone and looking for a place to sit. She swallowed, wondering if this was the time for her to put her money where her mouth was and get up and go over to him. Invite him to sit in the empty seat beside her.

And she was just about to rise when she saw him turn and gesture to someone behind him. Craning her neck to see whom he was beckoning over, her stomach tensed violently. Because walking toward Lawrence was not only Shemar, but also two olive-complexioned women dressed in short, tight dresses.

They were gorgeous. The kind of women who oozed sexuality.

“What’s he doing with them?” Melanie asked, her heart beating faster than normal.

She didn’t realize she’d spoken the question aloud until Richelle turned to her asking, “What was that?”

Melanie glanced at Richelle, saw that even as she was trying to talk to her, Roy was nuzzling his nose in her neck.

“Nothing,” Melanie said, swallowing. “Nothing.”

“Stop it!” Richelle chastised Roy playfully. Then said to her, “Sorry, Mel. Oh. Oh. I see. Looks like he did get his closure after all.”

Melanie gaped at Richelle.

“What?” Richelle asked. “You said you two are friends now, didn’t you?”

Melanie grimaced, then put on a brave face. “Exactly.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Nothing,” Melanie said. “He’s entitled to talk to whomever he likes. We’re not together.”

But despite Melanie’s words, her stomach sank when she looked at Lawrence with the women and saw one in particular laughing and touching his arm.

“Wow,” Melanie muttered. “She’s so not his type.”

“Obviously, he’s had to get a new type,” Richelle said. “Since you dumped him.”

The words stung, even though they shouldn’t. But before Melanie could think of a reply for her friend, Roy was stroking Richelle’s face, and she was turning back to her man, and no longer paying any attention to Lawrence or either of the two women who were no doubt trying to seduce him.

The crowd erupted in applause, and Melanie jerked her gaze forward. Out of duty, she put her hands together and clapped as well, though her mind wasn’t on the show at all. Her mind was on Lawrence, and how he was now flaunting his single status in front of her.

Several moments passed and she glanced over her shoulder and saw that Lawrence, Shemar and the two women had taken seats at the far back of the small seating area. He was sipping some sort of green cocktail concoction in a tall glass.

Melanie couldn’t help scoffing. “Since when did Lawrence drink froufrou drinks?” she asked.

Richelle placed a hand on her arm, and Melanie faced her. “Mel, you say you’ve moved on. That you gave him answers and closure. And that you yourself got closure, as well. So what do you expect?”

“You seriously don’t think there’s a part of him doing this for my benefit?”

“Why would he need to? You dumped him nine months ago. As you’ve said all day, he’s single and free to date whomever he wants. I suggest you do the same. Roy told me that Edward is interested....”

“You’re joking, right?” Melanie asked. She had picked up Edward’s glaring interest, but he was totally not her type.

“Why not?” Richelle challenged. “He seems nice enough. A little awkward, yeah, but certainly a nice guy.”

“This isn’t about me dating anyone else. I’m not about to get caught up in some island romance. Unlike Lawrence, it seems.”

“Seriously, Mel—why do you care?”

Melanie swallowed. “Because—because he’s flaunting the fact that he’s moved on in front of me. Don’t you think he should exercise a little tact?”

“Is that what bothers you?” Richelle asked. “That he’s flaunting someone new in front of you? Or are you really bothered by the fact that you’re not with him right now?” She raised an eyebrow, an exclamation point on her question.

Melanie tried to tamp down on the unsettled feeling in her stomach, on the sensation of bile rising in her throat. She knew she had no right, after all it was she who had let him go.

It was just that seeing him move on so quickly... She didn’t like it.

The show was over, and people were now going up to the warriors and posing for pictures with them.

“I know you better than you know yourself sometimes,” Richelle said. “And you know as well as I do you didn’t dump Lawrence because you didn’t love him. You dumped him because you couldn’t stand the idea of getting hurt one day. But you can’t expect a guy you’ve dumped to worry about how you might react to the fact that he’s met someone new. If you’re upset because you still love him, then why don’t you fight for him?”

Melanie tightened her jaw as she looked at Richelle. “It’s over.”

“Then get over it.”

Richelle’s blunt response left Melanie stunned. Her stomach twisting painfully, she couldn’t think of a thing to say.

“Sorry, Melanie,” Roy said, getting to his feet and taking Richelle’s hand. “I’d like to borrow my fiancée, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” Melanie forced a smile.

Roy helped Richelle to her feet, and the two walked off wrapped around each other toward the shoreline.

A lump formed in Melanie’s throat as she watched Richelle and Roy. Perhaps she was coming down with something.

Yeah, right, she said to herself. The only thing she had come down with was a case of the blues.

She dared a glance behind her again, and saw that Lawrence, Shemar and the women were walking away from the beach.

Yeah, she had the blues all right. And perhaps a major case of jealousy.

As Melanie got up, a feeling of defeat came over her. One that didn’t make sense. She’d dumped Lawrence, and even when they’d spoken today, she hadn’t thought of asking for his forgiveness so that they could reconcile. So why, as Richelle had asked her, did she care?

She turned from looking in Lawrence’s direction and felt a spate of alarm when she saw that Edward was walking toward her, a huge smile on his face.

“Hey, Melanie,” he said, adjusting his glasses as he reached her. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

He glanced up. “Have you ever seen so many stars?”

“No.” Melanie looked at the sky. “It’s incredible.”

He was still grinning when his eyes met hers again. “The night is young. Feel like taking a walk on the beach with me?”

“Actually, I’m not feeling well.” Which wasn’t a lie. “I think I’d better rest up, since tomorrow will be a busy day.”

“You’re getting sick?” Edward asked, concern in his expression.

“Probably still the jet lag,” Melanie said to allay his concern. “I’m sure I’ll feel better after a good night’s rest. But thanks, anyway.”

“Oh, sure.” Edward sounded disappointed. “Maybe another time.”

Melanie didn’t reply to his suggestion, just offered him a smile. “Good night, Edward.”

Then she turned and headed toward the path that led to the main lobby, her eyes frantically searching. When she didn’t see Lawrence on the lit path, she then surveyed the darkened areas.

She didn’t see him anywhere.

And she began to feel an enormous ache in her heart. Because as she made her way toward the lobby, she couldn’t help wondering if one of those women had offered to spend more time with Lawrence tonight.

And if he had said yes.

Chapter 6

The next day was busy with the final details before the wedding. One of Roy’s cousins was going to act as the photographer, and Roy had made arrangements with a local videographer to capture the event. The wedding planner from the resort went through all these details with the bride, groom, maid of honor and best man.

How many Fijian touches did they want for the wedding, if any? Did they approve of the stretch of beach allocated for the special event? Was the reception menu okay?

Melanie was intrigued when the wedding planner mentioned the option of the bride and groom wearing traditional Fijian tapa wedding costumes. These special wedding garments would have to be made on the day of the ceremony, mere hours before the event. Formed from the bark of a mulberry tree and hand painted, the tapa costumes would be all raw fiber, and wrapped around the bride and the groom, creating the look of long and full skirts on both. Though charming and definitely a uniquely Fijian touch, Richelle and Roy had passed on that idea. Roy wanted to wear the tuxedo he’d brought, and Richelle wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to wear the designer gown she’d purchased from an upscale fashion house in New York.

Late in the afternoon, the bridal party had a fitting to make sure none of their outfits required adjustments. Then came discussions about the choir that would sing during the bridal procession. And on went the last-minute planning, with Richelle and Roy approving every aspect for their special day.

After a day that was spent finalizing the details, the wedding party got together for a lovely dinner at one of the resort’s famed restaurants. It was an opportunity to spend some quality time together as a group before the big day, and was followed by the wedding rehearsal.

Richelle was overcome with emotion for much of the day, and Melanie couldn’t help remembering how jittery she had been on her own wedding day months earlier.

“And lastly,” Roy said, now that everything had come to a conclusion, “I’d like to thank you all for being here to make our day that much more special. I know Fiji was a far trek, and I appreciate you committing the time to be here. It wouldn’t be the same for Richelle and me without you all.”

Richelle had been dabbing at her eyes during Roy’s thank-you speech to the wedding party, and now she pushed her chair back, uttered an “Excuse me” and headed in the direction of the restrooms.

Melanie quickly got up from her own chair and followed her friend. By the time Richelle was shouldering the restroom door open, she was crying.

“Hey,” Melanie said as she stepped into the bathroom behind her. “What is it, hon?”

Richelle lifted a thick paper towel from a basket on the sink. She wiped at her eyes before speaking. “I just... Is this really happening? Am I really getting married?”

Melanie walked toward her. “Yes, this is really happening. You’re marrying the man of your dreams. Don’t you worry about a thing, okay?”

“I’m not making a mistake, am I?” Richelle asked.

“A mistake?” Melanie gaped at her. Then she placed her hands on her shoulders. “No, honey. Of course you’re not making a mistake. Not at all. You and I both know that Roy is the one.”

Richelle sniffled. “Everything happened so easily. I can’t help thinking that the other shoe is going to drop...and that I’m going to be devastated.”

“No, no, no, no.” Melanie shook her head. “Don’t you go thinking like that. If there’s one thing I’m absolutely sure of, it’s that that man loves you. He’d do anything for you. Don’t start doubting your love.”

Richelle blew her nose, then said, “But you did. You doubted Lawrence’s love for you.”

Melanie exhaled sharply. “I know. And perhaps that doesn’t make me the best person to give you this pep talk now. But from the outside looking in, I can tell that Roy is the real deal.”

“I told you the same thing about Lawrence,” Richelle said. “But you didn’t listen to me.”

Melanie’s stomach twisted as she remembered how Richelle had tried to convince her to go through with her wedding, but she hadn’t been swayed. There had been a huge part of her that regretted not listening to her dear friend.

“And now Lawrence is here, and I don’t know. Is it a good sign? A bad sign? Your wedding didn’t happen, and now the guy you were supposed to marry is here in Fiji. Maybe Roy’s going to stand me up and my marriage won’t happen, either.”

As Richelle began to cry now, Melanie pulled her into an embrace. “Are you kidding me? Roy stand you up? There is zero chance of that happening. Lawrence being here isn’t a good sign or a bad sign where your wedding is concerned.” Melanie paused. “You said something about fate...and maybe you’re right.”

Richelle eased back to look at Melanie, her eyes wide. “You really think so?”

Again, Melanie felt her stomach tightening. She had run from Lawrence months ago, but seeing him again, she knew he was still in her heart. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I do know that I’ve been hoping to see him all day. Last night, you called me on my claim that I’d gotten closure, and you were right. I was lying. To myself, mostly. All I keep thinking about is how Lawrence was with that woman, and now I haven’t seen him all day.” She paused. Swallowed. She hadn’t wanted to burden Richelle with her thoughts, not on the eve of her wedding. “Maybe it’s too late for me and Lawrence, but you and Roy...that’s an entirely different story. He adores you. Absolutely. And in your heart, you know that. Seriously, sweetie, you have nothing to worry about.”

Richelle dabbed at her eyes again, but the edges of her lips began to curl. “You’re sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. And there’s one thing you ought to know by now, I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Satisfied with that, Richelle nodded and finally smiled. “I do know that.” She breathed in deeply. “Okay. I can do this.”

“Girl, you didn’t drag me on a plane—and heck, a seaplane—to not do it.”

That elicited a chuckle from Richelle. “That’s for sure. Okay, I’m going to do this.”

“You’re going to do this.”

“And it’s gonna be great.”

“It’s gonna be amazing. And you’re going to be happy forever. I’m absolutely certain of that.”

Richelle threw her arms around Melanie’s neck. “Thanks, Mel. Thanks so much.”

As Richelle eased back, Melanie couldn’t help thinking about the advice she’d just given her friend and wondering why she hadn’t been able to apply it to her own life.

Instead, she had let Lawrence go.

There was a sudden knock on the bathroom door, then Roy called out, “Everything okay in there?”

“I’m fine,” Richelle said. She glanced at herself in the mirror, fluffed her hair and then went to the door. Melanie watched Roy pull Richelle into his arms the moment she went through the door.

“I was worried,” Roy said.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Richelle said. “I just needed a moment.”

Roy glanced at Melanie as she exited the bathroom, too, and his gaze held hers a beat too long. Then he said to Richelle, “Don’t scare me like that again.”

Melanie knew exactly what he feared. That like Melanie had done, Richelle was contemplating not walking down the aisle.

“Everything’s fine,” Melanie told him, offering him a reassuring smile. Then she continued on, leaving the two of them alone.

And not just for their sake, but because she needed to be alone with her thoughts of Lawrence.

Melanie drew in a shaky breath as she remembered a few days earlier when she had first set eyes on him in Fiji. As her eyes had traveled up that magnificent body... Good Lord, what a shock! And while she had been absolutely stunned to see him—mortified, actually—her body had also been electrified. It had been as if she had touched a live wire.

Even as she’d tried to get away from him, the one thing she hadn’t been able to escape was how utterly incredible he looked. One glimpse of him had been enough for her to realize just how much she had missed him.

She had talked to Richelle about closure. She had told herself for nine months that she had dodged a bullet by not marrying Lawrence. But now, as she sauntered back into the restaurant, hugging her torso, all she felt was conflicted and uncertain.

Melanie recognized herself in the Richelle who had been sobbing in the bathroom. The difference was, Richelle was going to go through with her wedding. She wasn’t running scared. She trusted her love for Roy.

Why hadn’t Melanie been able to trust Lawrence’s love?

She was far from convinced that she’d made the right decision. In fact, she couldn’t stop thinking that she’d made the biggest mistake ever when she’d let Lawrence go.

Chapter 7

Melanie didn’t see Lawrence at all the rest of that day, but she spent much of the night dreaming about making love to him, and awoke in a state of arousal. Quickly, she glanced at the other side of the bed, and found it empty. For which she was glad. She didn’t want to think that she’d done anything to embarrass herself with Richelle there to bear witness.

She glanced around the room, and then saw that Richelle was standing on the patio overlooking the ocean. Melanie got out of bed and went outside to join her.

“Hey,” Melanie said brightly, shading her eyes from the sun with one hand. “Morning.”

Richelle didn’t face her. She continued to look forward at the vast turquoise waters. “You stand here, being still, taking the time to see what’s around you, and you realize you are one small part of a big world. A beautiful world.” She faced Melanie. “How can you be afraid in a place like this? Everything is calm, peaceful. It’s stunning, isn’t it?”

“If ever there was a description of paradise, this is it,” Melanie said.

“It’s a perfect day.” Richelle sniffled and reached for Melanie’s hand. “Absolutely perfect.”

“Yes, it is. It couldn’t be more perfect.”

“My wedding day.” Richelle sighed contentedly. “It’s finally here.”

“You ready?”

“Absolutely.” Richelle beamed. “I’ll never be more ready.”

A surge of emotion washed over Melanie as she remembered the contrast of how she had felt on the morning of her wedding. Crippled by fear.

Melanie squeezed Richelle’s hand. “Then let’s go do this.”

* * *

As Melanie, Richelle and the rest of the official party began to get ready, Melanie was able to push thoughts of Lawrence aside. She was too busy to obsess over him, and it was time for her to be there for Richelle as her maid of honor.

With Richelle’s makeup and hair done and sleeveless princess-style dress on, Melanie’s eyes filled with happy tears. “Wow, Richelle. You look gorgeous. Seriously, you are the most beautiful bride. Ever.”

Richelle’s chest heaved with a shaky breath. “Thanks, Mel.”

Richelle, Melanie and the bridal party were in a special wedding bure, from where the wedding procession would begin. Melanie and Richelle were side by side in front of a standing mirror framed in bamboo wood, staring at their reflections.

“You’re the princess you wanted to be,” Melanie said. “A princess on your fairy-tale day.”

Melanie was wearing a beautiful red dress made of satin that swooped low over her breasts, and hung to the floor. The two other bridesmaids were wearing similar dresses. The gown defined Melanie’s shape, and she found herself thinking that if Lawrence could see her now, he wouldn’t be able to resist her.

“The flowers on my veil don’t seem right,” Richelle said, pulling Melanie from her thoughts.

“Here,” Melanie said, and adjusted the crown of white flowers so that it was symmetrical. “There you go. Better?”

Richelle checked out her reflection, and nodded. “Thank you. I guess we should finally take the official pictures. David has been patiently waiting.”

Moments later, David, the photographer, was taking photos of the bridal party. When Melanie wasn’t in a photo, she stood to the side and watched, not sure she had ever seen Richelle smile so brightly.

While Richelle and Roy had declined to dress in the style of a traditional Fijian bride and groom, they had opted for other touches native to Fiji. Richelle wore a lei of fresh flowers around her neck in addition to the veil adorned with flowers. Soon, the choir would begin singing wedding songs. And Melanie especially couldn’t wait to see Richelle escorted to the beach by Fijian warriors.

“Those pictures are going to be amazing,” Melanie said when they were done. She fussed with the curls hanging at the side of Richelle’s face. “And you’re glowing. Everyone should get married in a place like this. It just seems so right. I look around here and the setting is so romantic, so meant for love.”

Richelle sniffled. Her eyes were moist again. “Do I have everything I need? I have something old, something new, something borrowed—”

“You have everything,” Melanie assured her. “But most importantly, you have your man waiting out there on the beach, thrilled about making you his wife.”

“You’re right. I have the man of my dreams, and I have my best friend here.” She grinned at Melanie. “I have everything I need.”

“Are you ready?” the wedding planner, Maria, asked.

Melanie looked at Richelle, deferring to her. Then Richelle nodded and said, “Yes. Tell them to start the music.”

Moments later, the cheerful sounds of the Fijian choir drifted from the beach to the wedding bures. And the wedding procession began.

Though Melanie had had no idea how a wedding in a tropical location would play out, that moment exceeded every dream she could have had. As she made her way barefoot in the sand toward the beach, her heart skipped a beat as she saw Roy beaming with pride and expectation.

I should have had this moment, she told herself, trying to hold back the sudden urge to cry. I should have had this moment when I got to see Lawrence standing at the altar, excited to see me as his soon-to-be bride.

Somehow, Melanie kept it together as she took her place on the bride’s side of the altar. Once the last bridesmaid made her way down the sand, the sounds of the choir became softer and more romantic, and the guests were beckoned by the wedding planner to stand.

Everyone looked on in anticipation. And after several seconds, the bride emerged. Six men dressed as Fijian warriors, with green skirts made of the leaves of banana plants, carried her to the beach on a bamboo raft. Cell phone cameras began going off. David quickly began to take shot after shot.

It was magical. And when the bride and groom exchanged their personal vows, there wasn’t a dry eye among the guests.

* * *

The wedding was simple, yet beautiful. The music of Fiji enthralled everyone during the wedding and continued to do so at the reception. A band was playing and a smaller choir was singing an array of happy, love-inspired songs as the meal and speeches came to an end.

Roy was at the microphone, addressing the small group of wedding guests. “Honestly, this day would not have been as special without all of you here. So thank you.”

The guests clapped and cheered.

“Now, I don’t know if you all know the story about how Richelle and I got together,” Roy went on, and at the center of the wedding table Richelle playfully groaned.

“I don’t know why he keeps harping on about that,” Richelle said.

But Melanie smiled as she prepared to hear the story for the umpteenth time.

The guests began to laugh.

“You never know when Cupid’s arrow is going to hit you.” Someone cheered. “When I saw that fire in her, even as she gave me a piece of her mind, I was hooked. I knew that I had to get to know her. And thankfully, she allowed me the chance. Because that was it for me. And here we are in Fiji, and I’ve made this incredible woman my wife,” Roy concluded.

There was exuberant applause to Roy’s closing statement. The applause only got louder when he went back to the table, where Richelle rose to meet him, and the two shared a long, passionate kiss.

Richelle and Roy’s love was a testament to the fact that people could find their happy ending. As the wedding party moved to the sand to dance under the stars, Melanie beamed with happiness for her friend.

Just like Richelle had said that morning, the day had been perfect. The skies remained clear and the weather not too hot. But even a torrential downpour would not have soured the mood for Richelle and Roy.

A DJ began to play American love songs, and Richelle and Roy started their first dance to “I Found Love” by BeBe Winans. As they gazed into each other’s eyes under the moonlight, Melanie felt that familiar pang. She had four more days here. Four more days when she certainly couldn’t be the third wheel with Richelle and Roy. Now legally husband and wife, they were going to begin their honeymoon. Melanie knew she wouldn’t see much of them, if any, before she left Fiji.

Another slow song began, and the guests made their way onto the sand dance floor.

“May I have this dance?”

Melanie turned around to see Edward standing there. All day she had been busy with her duties as maid of honor, and had been able to avoid him for the most part. But now, there was no putting him off.

He was a nice guy. There was no real reason to avoid him. “Sure.”

They danced, and he held her close, and on a night like this, Melanie was all too aware that these were not the arms she wanted to be in.

She wanted to be in Lawrence’s arms.

“Thank you, Edward,” Melanie said after that dance. “Will you excuse me?”

Edward seemed surprised, but he didn’t object. “Sure. I’ll be here.”

Melanie first went to the restroom, where she checked out her reflection and touched up her makeup. Here she was, looking beautiful with her hair and makeup done, and in a dress that flattered her figure. This was the day she wanted Lawrence to see her.

With Lawrence on her mind, she exited the restroom and headed toward the beach away from where the wedding celebration was taking place. She wanted some time alone. She began to walk along the water’s edge, pausing to dig her toes into the sand. Behind her, a lively tune was now playing.

Melanie strolled, holding her dress up so the hem wouldn’t get wet. She was doing what Richelle had done that morning before her wedding. Taking time to simply enjoy the environment around her.

Melanie had only been walking alone for a couple minutes when she heard a male voice call out, “Hey.”

That voice... Her pulse began to race. She turned, her eyes searching the stretch of beach. And in the distance, she saw him.

It was Lawrence.

Her heart began to pitter-patter in her chest as he walked toward her.

She stood rooted to the spot. Waited until he caught up to her. And when he did, she looked at him, felt that familiar jolt of white-hot heat when her eyes could fully take in his face.

How did you let this man go? she couldn’t help asking herself.

“Hey,” he said again when he reached her.

“Lawrence.”

“What are you doing out here by yourself?”

“I went for a walk.” She paused. “What are you doing here?”

“I...” he began, and then paused. “I knew it was the day of the wedding. I came by to see you.”

“Oh.” Melanie was excited, though she tried not to show it.

His eyes swept over her. “You look...you look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” But as nice as it was to hear Lawrence say that, Melanie felt a rush of doubt. “I haven’t seen you for a couple days. I guess you’ve been keeping busy with your new friends....”

“My friends?” Lawrence asked, but a moment later, his eyes registered understanding. “Wow, I came out here to see you, and that’s what you have to say to me?”

“One minute I saw you with them at the beach, the next minute, you’d disappeared.”

“And you think...”

Melanie’s shoulders drooped. This wasn’t what she had planned to talk about the next time she saw him. What was she doing?

“Forget what I just said,” Melanie told him. “Obviously I gave up any rights to you a long time ago.”

Something flashed in his eyes. Hurt? “What you saw was me and Shemar being friendly with two women. No big deal.” He paused. Held her gaze. “The truth is, I wish I could get involved with someone else. Shemar keeps telling me that I need to start dating again. But damn it, all I keep thinking about is you.”

Butterflies began to flutter in Melanie’s stomach, but she said nothing.

“Do you know I came here to try to forget you once and for all?” He laughed without mirth. “Instead, I get here and you’re at this resort. Of all places. Talk about a kink in my plan.”

“If I had known...”

“If you had known, what? You would have avoided coming here? That’s how uneasy you are at the idea of seeing me?”

Melanie said nothing. Because every time she opened her mouth, she was saying the wrong thing.

“I always believed that you loved me, Mel. But I guess I was wrong.”

“Of course I did!” she said immediately.

“Then prove it.”

Melanie looked up at him in confusion. “What?”

In a flash, Lawrence took her by the shoulders and brought his lips down on hers. He kissed her in a heated, almost angry fashion. As his tongue tangled with hers, he slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close.

She sighed against him. His kiss... It was like coming home. Coming home when there was a celebration going on. Because the sensations she felt were hot and thrilling, like fireworks going off in rapid succession.

Lawrence eased his lips from hers. “God, this is what I wanted to do since the moment I saw you again. It’s what I wanted to do every day for the past nine months.”

A lust-filled sigh escaped Melanie’s lips, and then his mouth was on hers again. Her hands were moving up his back now. She dug her fingers into his shirt, needing to feel more of him. Re-familiarize herself with his magnificent body.

She hadn’t felt this alive in a very long time.

And as his tongue twirled with hers, creating the most delicious sensations, and as her body overheated, she acknowledged that this was the truth. Since the day she had dumped him by not showing up for the wedding, a part of her had been dead.

But that part had just come roaring back to life.

Chapter 8

All too soon, Lawrence broke the kiss and stepped back, leaving Melanie feeling dazed and confused. She stared up at him with narrowed eyes, not understanding why he had stopped just as things had gotten decidedly hot.

“What— Why are you stopping?” Melanie stammered.

Lawrence took another step backward. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you again,” Lawrence repeated, too dispassionately for Melanie’s liking. “Maybe that’s my own way of getting closure.”

“Closure?” Melanie nearly choked on the word as she said it. “You—you kissed me for closure?”

“Good night, Melanie.”

“Good night?” Melanie repeated, totally baffled.

But he was already turning, already starting to walk back toward the hotel.

Melanie scrambled after him. “I don’t understand. You follow me out here, you kiss me like that—and then—and then—”

“And then nothing.” Lawrence paused. “You don’t trust me, remember? I’m a man, so I’m bound to cheat. Right?”

Melanie didn’t want to think about what she had said to him, the words she had used to push him away. Because right now, she wanted to be lost in his kiss again. The sensations she had just experienced were overpowering and so delicious that nothing else mattered.

“You’re right, I was wrong to mention those women,” Melanie said.

Lawrence raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“What I’m saying is that, right now, it doesn’t matter.”

“It might not matter for you, but it matters for me.”

Lawrence began to walk again. Melanie was hot and bothered and utterly frustrated. She continued after him. “Okay, I don’t believe you slept with that girl from the bar. I’m just saying that, even if you did, I don’t have a right to be upset. I pushed you away.”

Lawrence stopped, looked at her. “Great. See you around.”

Melanie was at her wit’s end. He couldn’t leave her like this!

Holding up her dress, she ran in front of him and stopped him by putting her palms on his chest. Her heart was beating hard. She smoothed her hands over his firm, hard muscles and drew in a shaky breath. Oh, how she had missed this.

“Lawrence, I don’t understand. You come out here on the beach with me, and you kiss me like—”

“You needed to let me go, and I needed closure.”

“Then why stop at just a kiss?” she asked. “Why don’t we... Why not make it a night of real closure? One last time.”

She knew she sounded desperate, and she was. That kiss... She wanted more of him.

Lawrence placed his hands over hers, and Melanie’s heart began to beat more rapidly. But then he lifted her hands from his body, removing rather than caressing them, and the night air around her seemed to suddenly chill.

“No,” Lawrence said.

“No?” Melanie said, her voice sounding like a little cry.

“You don’t understand, Mel. I can’t do what you want. I can’t make love to you without emotion and just go on.”

“Why not?” Melanie asked, one last desperate attempt. Again, she was aware that her words had come out wrong. But she didn’t want to argue, to bring up the past. Because she was certain that once they fell into bed together, everything else would fall into place.

“Because I’m not the kind of guy that you made me out to be,” Lawrence said, holding her gaze. “I never was.”

Melanie swallowed.

“It’s okay, Mel. Now that we don’t have the pressure of a relationship between us, we can be friends.”

Friends?

“Like I said...I’ll see you around.”

And with that, he walked away from her with long, fast strides.

Melanie watched him, feeling as though her heart was breaking.

All over again.

* * *

Walking away from Melanie had been one of the toughest things that Lawrence had ever done. To see the look of lust in her eyes, to know that she wanted him in her bed... It would have been so easy to simply say yes. Say yes and end the nine-month dry spell with the woman he still loved.

But he couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t do it. He wanted all with Melanie, or nothing.

And he had a plan. Sort of. The kiss had been calculated. To give her a taste of what she had walked away from. And if a part of her still loved him, then she would now be remembering that love.

He knew that she wanted him physically. But he wasn’t about to start a booty-call relationship with the woman he had once planned to marry.

Oh, no. He wasn’t going to do that. But if she loved him, he was willing to try and work things out.

Because the truth of the matter was that he had come here, halfway around the world, to escape the memories of Melanie. And yet she was here. Making forgetting her impossible.

And maybe, just maybe, there was a reason why.

Fate?

Shemar would tell him he was an idiot, but he couldn’t help how his heart felt. When he and Melanie were together, snuggling in bed, or talking about their hopes and dreams, he saw a passionate woman he wanted in his life forever. So if fate had any hand in trying to give them one more chance at love, he was willing to take it.

But the ball was in Melanie’s court. She had to show and prove now that she wanted the same thing.

And if she didn’t... Well, then he would be able to move forward with a sense of closure.

* * *

Melanie had a night of tossing and turning and sweating. But mostly, she spent the hours thinking of Lawrence when she was awake and dreaming of him when she was asleep.

She couldn’t forget the kiss they had shared, nor could her body. And knowing that Richelle was spending the night making love to her new husband only had her feeling more alone in her beautiful resort bure.

Melanie was still hot and bothered the next morning. And confused. Why would Lawrence kiss her like that, claiming it was for closure, and not want to take it to the next level?

Of course, she knew she was speaking as a woman whose body hadn’t been touched in nine months.

Though she was barely rested, the sun was shining and she was in paradise. She wasn’t going to sit in her room and mope. Besides, staying inside would ensure that she didn’t see Lawrence.

Maybe once he saw her again, in the sexy gold bikini she’d packed, he would change his mind about sharing her bed.

What’s gotten into me? she asked herself. She wanted to bed the man she had left at the altar. It wasn’t natural.

She got up, got dressed, packed a beach bag and took a golf cart to the restaurant for breakfast. She knew she could contact Richelle’s family, see about spending time with them now that Richelle and Roy would be honeymooning. But she preferred to enjoy the morning breakfast alone and then head to the beach or the pool.

She entered the restaurant and looked around with a fluttery stomach, wondering if she was going to see Lawrence. But he wasn’t there, at least not from where she could see. She didn’t even know when he was leaving. For all she knew, he had left the island already.

She continued to look for him as she was escorted to a table, and not seeing him, she felt a wave of disappointment. Then she felt stupid. Maybe the kiss Lawrence had laid on her hadn’t been about closure, as he’d said, but about a sort of payback. One last hot kiss designed to make her remember just how good they’d been in bed—and drive home the point that she would never have him again.

Priya, one of the waitresses she had come to know, greeted her with a warm smile. “Good morning, Melanie. Would you like some coffee?”

“Please.”

Priya filled her cup and asked if she was dining alone.

“It’s just me,” Melanie said cheerfully.

“I hear the wedding was beautiful,” Priya said. “Maria is very pleased with how everything turned out.”

“She was a fabulous wedding planner,” Melanie commented. “Everyone was thrilled with how the day went.”

“Maybe you will come back here one day for your own wedding?” Priya said, her voice rising on a hopeful note.

The very mention of marriage made Melanie’s stomach tickle. Right now, she should be in bed lying in Lawrence’s arms, recovering from a night of wild lovemaking. But to Priya, she said, “Perhaps. But for now, I would love to try the strawberry crepes this morning.”

“Excellent,” Priya said and headed off.

Melanie’s gaze wandered to the view surrounding the restaurant. It truly was magnificent here. But what was she going to do for four days on her own?

Reaching into her beach bag, she found her novel. She opened it to the page where she had left off, and then saw the shadow of a body approaching her from behind. She looked up, hopeful.

And saw Edward.

“Morning, Mel,” he said, smiling brightly at her. Then added, “You don’t mind if I call you Mel, do you?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“You’re not dining alone, are you?” he asked.

“Richelle’s married now, so it’s just me.”

“Dining alone...it isn’t right. Let me join you.”

“Oh, I’m sure you have company already. Don’t worry about me. I was planning on enjoying a quiet breakfast, so I’m perfectly fine.”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.