Chapter 20 The sky melted into a soft blush of orange and rose as the sun kissed the ocean. I stood barefoot on the warm wooden deck of our private overwater villa, the silk robe Scott gave me loosely tied around my waist. The sea breeze tangled with my hair as I watched the waves glimmer under the golden light. "My wife," Scott called behind me, a teasing lilt in his voice. I turned, smiling as he walked toward me shirtless, towel slung around his neck. His skin glowed from the afternoon swim, and his eyes still held that look-like I was the most precious thing he'd ever seen. I held out my hand. "You're late for our sunset date." "I'm right on time," he said, pulling me into his arms. "Because now, I get to watch you glow." laughed softly, resting my cheek against his chest. "I still can't believe this is real." He kissed the top of my head. "It is. You're safe. You're mine." The next hour was a slow dream. Dinner had been perfect-lobster tail glazed in garlic butter, grilled fruit with hints of cinnamon, and a bottle of wine we never even finished. The air was warm with the scent of salt and citrus. Soft music drifted from the Bluetooth speaker Scott insisted on bringing, filling the night with quiet melody. By the time we stepped back inside our villa, I was already lost in the way he looked at me-like I was the most sacred thing he'd ever touched. Scott didn't speak. He didn't have to. His eyes asked the question. And mine answered. He stepped behind me, fingers grazing the knot of the silk robe around my waist. He kissed the hape of my neck first-slow, lingering. Then the soft slope of my shoulder. His hands moved carefully, reverently, like he was unwrapping a treasure. When the robe slipped from my body, shivered-but not from the cold. He turned me to face him, his thumb brushing along my cheekbone. "You're beautiful," he whispered. "Scott…" My voice trembled. His lips caught mine before I could say more-gentle at first, then deeper. Slower. Hungrier. It was more than a kiss. It was a confession. He kissed down my collarbone, fingertips tracing my spine. I gasped as his mouth met my skin again and again, worshipful and tender. His body pressed into mine, warm and familiar, anchoring me. "You're safe," he murmured against my neck. And I believed him. When he laid me back onto the bed, the sheer curtains swayed like whispers around us. Candlelight flickered over the sheets, painting golden trails across his back as he hovered above There were no rushes. No fears. Just us. His mouth found mine again, slower now. The kind of kiss that made me forget everything outside this moment. The world. The past. Even my name-except the one he breathed like a Vow. "Taylor." He took his time, learning every reaction, listening to every breath. I arched into his touch. His hands were everywhere-cradling, memorizing, healing. And when our bodies finally moved together, it was nothing like before. It was love. Real. Raw. Deep. He held my hands above my head, lips brushing my forehead. "I've waited for this," he said. "For you." "I'm yours," I whispered. We moved as one-unrushed, like the stars outside. His name left my lips again and again, like a promise. And every kiss, every touch, stitched something back together inside me that had long been broken. Later, wrapped in the sheets, limbs tangled and breath slowing, he traced lazy circles on my bare back. rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. "We made it," I whispered. He kissed the crown of my head. "We did." And just like that-I drifted into sleep in the arms of the man who chose me. But then I woke up without him in bed until I heard voices from the balcony. 'No. Keep him away from the property. I don't care what he says, don't let him near Taylor. No the shop. Not the estate." My stomach twisted. When he came back inside, I sat up straighter. "Scott…" He looked at me, trying to play it off. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it, baby." 'Scott," I pressed, heart pounding. "Is this about Troy?" He hesitated. Just for a second. And then sighed. "Yes." held his gaze. "What's happening?" Scott sat beside me, rubbing his palms together. "He's been… showing up." "Where?" My voice was small, cold sinking into my chest. "Outside your boutique. Every day. He sleeps in his car. Waits outside the gates of the estate." Scott looked down, jaw clenched. "At first, I ignored him. But then… your brothers started showing up too." My lips parted in disbelief. "What do they want?" "They're demanding to talk. To explain. To… apologize, maybe. I don't know. But I told them to leave you alone." My hands trembled as I clutched the sheets. "I don't want to see them. Any of them." "You won't," Scott said firmly. "They won't come near you. I've made sure of that." A silence fell between us. Then I nodded slowly, wiping a tear that had escaped. "I don't want to go back there… and fall apart again." "You won't," he whispered. "Not on my watch." The next few days were everything a honeymoon should be. We explored the island-Scott rented a private boat and we sailed along the coast, stopping to swim and kiss beneath waterfalls. We visited a remote reef where I snorkeled for the first time and laughed so hard I cried when Scott got stung by a harmless jellyfish and screamed like a child. We took photos. Shared ice cream. Watched the sunrise wrapped in blankets, drinking coffee as pelicans skimmed the water. One night, Scott surprised me with a candlelit dinner on the beach. The sand was cool, the breeze soft, and the sky was a canopy of stars. He played our wedding song on a speaker and asked me to dance barefoot. "I don't care how many people saw us or didn't," he whispered as we swayed, "you're my forever." I clutched his shirt and closed my eyes. "I know," I said. "And I'm not afraid anymore."