Page 93 of The Billionaire's Teacher

“Absolutely.” I took a bite and chewed. “In fact, if you want to help out with the beginning certification class that just started, I’d love it.”

“That sounds fun. I haven’t run an open water class in a while.”

I reached for a mushroom. “You teach other classes though, right?”

“Now and then, yeah. I haven’t had as many recently. My own fault, really, as I haven’t been seeking them out.” She shrugged and took a bite.

“I guess you needed a little break after the whole shipwreck thing.”

She reached for a slice of bread and studied it. “Not really. Although Zee was pretty firm on making me. I just wanted time to brood, I guess.”

I nodded. I could understand needing that kind of time. According to the guys, I’d done a bit of that myself. Of course, that was because I was missing Sunshine. I just hadn’t been willing—or able—to put it directly into words.

I cleared my throat. “I’m guessing the girls mentioned I was buying the island.”

“They did.” Sunshine’s eyes danced with laughter. “It’s a bit of a kick to say I know someone who owns an island.”

“It’s surreal to be able to say I own one. Although I don’t close until the end of the month. So I guess I don’t. Yet.” I cleared my throat. “Any chance you’d want to come down and walk through it with me and the general contractor to talk through our plans?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Her agreement eased some of the tightness in my chest. She was here, and that was step one, but I still wasn’t sure—not really—if she was all in on a relationship with me. I didn’t want to ask outright. It seemed pushy. And insecure.

Which, okay fine, I felt both of those things. But neither were particularly masculine, and I didn’t want to send her running because I was being childish.

I felt her eyes on me and looked up from my food. “What?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” She reached across and laid her hand over mine. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“What?” I laughed and shook my head. “No. Ha. Definitely no. I was sort of wondering if you were.”

She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, Wes. No second thoughts.”

I closed my eyes as my breath came out in a whoosh. “Thank goodness.” I opened my eyes and leaned forward. “I’m pretty sure I love you back.”

24

SUNSHINE

Istretched, luxuriating in the cloud-like sheets on the guest bed at Jenna’s place. Wes and I had lingered over dinner, and then spent the evening curled up on the couch in his den. There’d been a movie on the TV, but I certainly hadn’t caught much of it.

I couldn’t stop the grin.

Who would’ve thought he could kiss like that?

The best part? I hadn’t gotten trapped in my head, comparing things to Luca. Wes was different. He was Wes. And as much as I loved Luca—and always would—I was gratified to know there was room in my heart for someone else without it turning into a competition of memory.

I closed my eyes and snuggled back into the pillow, replaying the gentle, almost hesitant brush of his lips on mine the first time. And then the insistent hunger that exploded when I responded.

It was good that I had been expected at one of the girl’s houses for the night. I couldn’t swear I would have made myself leave. And that wouldn’t have been fair to Wes. Luca and I had always had a tiny bit of regret that we hadn’t stayed true to our faith before we were married. Oh, we had reasons. Excuses, really. But they had worked in terms of justification for both of us. At the end of the day, we’d gone along with the idea that everyone lived together before they were married. Only people caught up in some kind of fanatical religion didn’t. Why pay two rents if we didn’t have to? We were getting married anyway.

It was easy to dismiss the niggle of conscience when it tried to poke through. And, in the end, we had gotten married. And about a year after that, we’d had to sit down and take a hard look at ourselves and realize that while we’d said we were Christians, we weren’t living for Jesus and hadn’t been for a while.

The change that came in our lives after we made a conscious decision to truly walk with Jesus had made us stronger as a couple. And it had given me the strength to carry on after Luca died. Because it wasn’t my strength that was carrying me. It was God’s. So now? I wasn’t going to make those same mistakes again. No matter how much my body might prefer I did.

There were a couple of light taps on my door and then Jenna called out, “Sunshine? You up?”

“I’m awake. You can come in.” I scooted myself up so I was sitting.

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