just looking out for your best interests. And what good did it do? Look at you now. Happily married.” His tone it was tinged with pity.
“True,” Logan said cheerfully. “And now it looks like Sally and Ellie are new best friends. Hmm. Coincidence? I think not.”
“Damn,” Aidan muttered as he watched the two women chattering up a storm. “I’m gonna have to watch their every move now.”
“Why bother?” Logan said, chuckling. “Just give in to the inevitable.”
Aidan scowled. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Wanting everyone else to get married just because you were dumb enough to get shackled.”
“Yeah, that’s me.” Logan scratched his head. “What was I thinking? I like Ellie. Why would I want her to be stuck with you?”
“Very funny,” Aidan said derisively.
“Dude, you just refuse to accept the fact that you’re in love with Ellie.”
“Oh, great,” Aidan said. “One more delusional statement from the newly married man.”
Logan slapped his back. “I’m gonna love watching you fall, bro.”
*
Tom Sutherland and Sally Duke were married two days later surrounded by their closest friends and family. The setting was a secluded lagoon and waterfall nestled in the foothills of the rain forest with Alleria Bay as a backdrop.
Ellie was honored to be invited and was thrilled for Sally and Tom, who seemed so happy to have found each other after many years of living on their own. It was amazing to Ellie that Sally, a widow who had spent so many years trying to track down her late husband’s missing brother, Tom, had finally found him.
With a soft sigh, Ellie thought that nobody deserved her very own “happy ever after” more than Sally Duke.
“Everything is so beautiful,” Grace whispered. “Thanks for helping with the decorations.”
“There wasn’t much to do,” Ellie said. “This setting is perfect just as it is.”
“It’s my favorite spot on the island,” Grace said shyly.
Ellie smiled. Her friend had confessed to finding the hidden lagoon while spore hunting one day and had returned to enjoy it many times with Logan.
Ellie wished she could return here someday with Aidan. It had to be the most romantic spot she’d ever seen. That thought reminded her of Aidan and she glanced over at the handsome twin brothers standing by their father’s side.
As the ceremony began, Ellie paid special attention to the vows the couple spoke. The words were so simple, yet filled with so much emotion and love that Ellie was almost overwhelmed by everything she was feeling. As Grace passed her a tissue, Ellie chocked it up to the simple fact that this was a wedding, after all. She’d choked up during her sister’s wedding, too. And Logan and Grace’s nuptials had been lovely, as well.
To keep herself from dissolving into tears, she stared straight at Aidan, knowing his presence would help to ground her. He looked so incredibly handsome standing with Logan and Tom, surrounded by all that natural beauty.
At that moment, Aidan turned and winked at her. Ellie smiled at him. And realized it didn’t matter that someday he might be the father of her child. Didn’t matter that they’d signed a legal agreement. Didn’t matter that she seemed to have succumbed completely to being her mother’s daughter when it came to obsessing over one man. Didn’t matter that she’d never expected to fall in love and marry a man. The plain fact was that she loved Aidan Sutherland with all her heart and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. Even if she was never lucky enough to have a baby, she would always want to be with Aidan.
And that was impossible.
All of a sudden, she couldn’t breathe. She stood abruptly and stumbled to the aisle. Grace grabbed her hand and Ellie mumbled an apology as she left the ceremony. She made her way along the flower-petal-strewn path and staggered down the hill until she reached a bend in the trail. There she was able to sag against the trunk of a coco palm tree out of sight of the others.
“Oh, God. Oh, God.” In a panic, she struggled to get enough breath into her lungs so she wouldn’t pass out. Because she was suddenly struck by the immensity of her feelings. She was truly and irrevocably in love with the man.
Yes, yes, fine, she had always been attracted to Aidan. She’d always cared about him. But this was so much bigger than what she had felt before. Her heart ached with the enormity of it all. Did it show on her face?