° Willem °

"Where is she?"

Filo looked down at the floor, pursing her lips, a sign that nothing good was about to come out of her mouth. "She left."

Standing at the kitchen's glass door, I had to slide it open to get some air. Breathing, something I rarely thought about was suddenly a chore and I had to remind myself to take in a lungful of fresh air before releasing it. I stood at the doorway for a long time, staring out at the ocean.

It was a humid afternoon where the sun was trying its hardest to fry everything in its path. Once in a while, a weak breeze would ruffle my curls and circulate under my collar to cool my heated body a bit.

Filo came up behind me, her footsteps light, her breathing heavy. "You left her no choice."

"Don't start."

I kept my head straight, refusing to meet her wise eyes. I was not in the mood to address Amelia's leaving. She was a grown woman and she had the right to walk away whenever it suited her.

"You embarrassed her."

"I did no such thing. She's my wife and this is my fucking house. You should have knocked."

Filo scowled and raised her left eyebrow. "Watch your language, and the next time you decide to bring a stranger, who also happens to be your wife, into this house, maybe let me know in advance."

"Dammit, Filo. I messed up. I know I messed up. Just let me wallow in my failure."

"Hmm. You can't just marry a woman overnight and then expect her not to hightail it out of here when Tessa shows up here all crazy and as territorial as a bulldog. I've known that woman for years and she scares me sometimes."

I leaned on the doorframe, shoved my hands in the pockets of my pants, and then turned my head to look at Filo. "Tessa's not thinking straight right now."

"When does she ever?" Filo scoffed.

"Bradley's really sick. He's in a coma and they're keeping a close eye on him for now, but he's going to need extensive surgery from a specialist."

The corners of Filo's lips dipped and she looked grim. Filo practically raised me and that automatically made Bradley her grandson. Filo was my mom in a way my mother never was. My brother and I were the children she never had. It was unfortunate because the woman had so much love to give. When Bradley came around, her love was just as intense, if not more.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, son. The house hasn't been the same without him. I've been praying for him ever since you told me what happened."

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. I couldn't lose him. The thought alone was heartbreaking and much too painful. He was all I had. My brother's death had left a gaping hole in my chest, a void so deep, I drowned in it every time I missed him.

Bradley couldn't die.

And for the second time in my life, I found myself putting my family, my son, before my love life. Deep down inside I wanted to chase after Amelia and bring her home. I wanted to express to her how she made me feel. I wanted to touch her and kiss her and make love to her until the wee hours of the morning. I wanted to lick pancake syrup off her lips just to hear her laugh.

Strangely, I never noticed how lonely my existence was until now. My parents were a lost cause. My father was a tyrant who only cared about building his empire, and my mother, a submissive, only lived to please him. As for romance, I'd only been with one woman in the last decade and I wouldn't even call that a relationship. It was a fuck-ship for when I desperately needed to empty my balls.

"How are you feeling, Filo?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Talking about Bradley and Amelia hurt way too fucking much.

"I'm as healthy as an ox, you know this. Tell me, what are you going to do about her leaving?" Filo questioned with a hand on her hip.

"You know I don't deserve her, right?"

Filo didn't respond and the look in her eyes told me I was stupid without her having to utter a single word.

"What?" I asked. "She's better off without me. I have way too much going on right now. Bradley's my first priority. And the only reason I changed my mind about getting a divorce was for my own selfish needs. She makes me feel good and this morning was the happiest I've been in a long time."

"Does she know about the boy?"

I rubbed my eye, feeling tired to my bones. "No. She knows nothing. Our marriage was an arrangement, something I did to piss off my father. I didn't marry her for love and she doesn't even know that."

"A business arrangement?"

I nodded, not liking how it all sounded when I said it out loud. Thinking back now, I had every intention of honoring my marriage, but then Bradley came along and that changed everything.

In my early twenties, I didn't have the faintest clue how to be a father, let alone a husband to a clueless seventeen-year-old girl I married to prove a point. I chose my son, not wanting to be like my father, and it cost me my marriage.

"How is that different from something your father would do, marrying a whole human being, someone's daughter, as a business venture?" Concern laced Filo's voice, but it wasn't enough to hide the disappointment simmering beneath it all.

"My father married for love and I think he regretted it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have pushed so hard for my brother and me to marry into a wealthy family."

Confusion settled like a blanket over Filo's face. "Yet you married for money."

"Yes, it was the wise thing to do to get out of the rut I was in. My father, of course, wanted me to marry into a particular family and to one woman in particular."

"Is that why you never married Tessa? Because that's what he wanted?"

I thought about that for a second while gazing to the horizon where the sun was slowly sinking into the ocean, leaving a streak of pinks and oranges in its wake.

"I didn't marry Tessa because of the bro-code. She's also not my type. And yes, it's also what my father wanted." I swiped at a mosquito as it buzzed past my ear.

Filo nodded in understanding. "And Amelia is?"

"Is what?"

"Your type."

A small smile caused my lips to quiver thinking about her. Amelia had the kindest, most genuine smile I had ever seen. There was a warmth about her that set my core on fire whenever she was around. She ignited my entire being in a way no other woman could.

For a long time, I'd wanted out of the marriage because I thought that was the right thing to do. Because I thought she deserved better. Because I wasn't willing to put in the work to make up for the lost years. Because my marriage to her was a stark reminder of my daddy issues.

Until I met her . . . And heard her voice. Kissed her.

She threatened to divorce me and it only made me want her more. So much more.

A lot of it was sexual, but I knew she had a brain on her and that in itself was a turn on. I loved the gentle ebb and flow of her voice, speaking to a part of me I didn't know needed soothing, dislodging, and rearranging pieces of my heart reserved for family only.

"I didn't know she was my type, if that's even a thing, until this morning. And now that she's gone, it's like I'm an unfinished puzzle. I never knew I could feel this empty when I have so much going on for me."

Filo laughed with excitement and it was unexpected. "And all along I thought you were gay."

I pushed off the wall, my eyes widening. "What? You thought I was gay?"

"Imagine my surprise when I walked in on you this morning? Oh my. I was a proud mama. You were finally getting you some punani." She beamed and did a little dance, thrusting her hip forward and back. "And I'm not the only one. Omar also thinks you're gay."

I groaned and then slapped at a mosquito that had landed on my arm. "He's my best friend. How can he not know I'm as heterosexual as they come?"

"Hard to tell with the serious lack of skirts walking around here. Especially because I know you meet a lot of women at work and when you travel for leisure." Filo dragged herself to the counter and turned on the lights. "Please, come inside. The mosquitoes are looking for blood."

I pulled the glass door shut and then sat down on one of the bar stools around the kitchen island. Propping both of my elbows on the counter, I tried to relax.

"What about Jessie? You've seen her here a couple of times. She wasn't just here to look pretty."

"I thought maybe you were experimenting. Gay men sometimes like to dip their dicks in wells to test the waters, especially if they're in denial."

I shook my head in disbelief. "I'm not gay."

"So why are you letting a lady as smart and as beautiful as Amelia walk out of your life? You know she makes your dick hard and it's obvious you haven't felt this way about any woman. I raised you and the last time I saw you this worked up about girl was in kindergarten when little Mae refused to play with you in the playground." Filo's tone was that of a mother scolding a five-year-old.

"This conversation is over and I'm not worked up about anything." I stood up and started walking away, proving my five-year-old theory right. "I'll be in my office. Do not disturb me."

"Because you'll be looking for Amelia I presume?" Filo shouted as I was halfway out the door. "Wherever she is. With all your money, you'll find her by tonight. She couldn't have gone far."

"I'm sure she just went back home to her dad."

"That's the one place I know she didn't go."

I paused on my way out. Of course, she wouldn't go home. She still hadn't confronted her father about our little arrangement. That kind of betrayal coming from a loved one had to be a tough pill to swallow.

I acknowledged Filo's comment with a nod and then strode out of the kitchen to find my study. I didn't like the fact that Amelia was somewhere out there all alone. These were dangerous times and a susceptible, lonely, female tourist was highly vulnerable. Easy prey.

Once in the study, I pulled out my phone and called Omar. He picked up on the first ring.

"I need you to help me find Amelia," I said tersely.

"I just knew you couldn't keep a woman. Especially one of Amelia's caliber." Omar joked.

"Can you find her or not?"

"I can. That's not even a question. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

"None."

"No surprises there either, I mean, you barely know the woman. Give me a second." There was a pause and then I heard the clacking of a keyboard in the background. "I'm back. What did you do to make her pack her stuff and leave?"

"Tessa happened, man."

Omar whistled. "Makes sense. That woman is bat shit crazy. Ever since her family lost most of their money, she's not been the same."

I sat up straighter, bringing the phone closer to my ear. "What's that about the Moretti family losing their money? They're one of the top ten richest families on the island."

"Not anymore. The old man gambled it all away."

"That is not like him. He didn't make all that money by gambling. Mr. Moretti believed in working smart and hard where necessary. They own all the gas stations and night shops, here and many on the islands near here."

"Owned," Omar corrected.

"Why didn't Tessa tell me anything?"

"You're asking the wrong person."

"Not once did she ask me for more money. Maybe it's not as bad as you say."

"It is. They officially declared bankruptcy a week ago."

"I guess it's a good thing that I never got into business with them," I said under my breath.

"Hmm. Hold up. I've got something." More clicking of a keyboard and then, "Gotcha. Your girl is in Anguilla. You won't believe this, she's staying at the Bougain Villa. She checked in this afternoon after three."

The Bougain Villa was one of my favorite vacation houses. I hadn't visited there in over a year and I guess it was about time I did.

"Thank you, Omar. Please make arrangements, we're going to Anguilla. Tonight."

"Did you say tonight?"

"Tonight. Call Hunter, he'll arrange a boat for us."

"Cool. I'll pick you up in a bit."

I hung up the phone, a smile forming on my lips. Amelia was safe and I couldn't wait to see her. I mean, what were the odds of her staying at one of my houses. That had to be a sign. But on the other hand, I did own a lot of properties and hotels in the entire Caribbean.

Didn't matter. I was going to bring my wife back home.

If she would have me.

I got up to leave, turning the lamp off on my way out. The maid, Xiomara was also on her way out. She had a glow about her that I hadn't noticed before. Her thick dark hair gleamed in the light as she spun around to face me.

"You're home early," she said. "Glad to see you're changing your bachelor ways. I wonder why that is."

"I didn't hire you to mind my business," I gritted.

"Are you sure about that? According to you, hiring me was not necessary. So what else am I supposed to do with my time?"

I looked around the spacious living area. "Did you clean the doorknobs today? And what about that spiderweb I saw floating in my study?"

She turned up her nose at me. "That's not in my job description."

"How about a trip to Anguilla? I have a villa there that needs cleaning as I will be staying there for a few days. Is that in your job description?"

"Hell yes. When do I leave?"

"You leave tomorrow on the ferry. I'll have a driver waiting for you."

Xiomara jumped up and hugged me, her hands going around my waist. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah yeah, you can let me go now."

She released me, skipping toward the door. "Anguilla, baby!"

Anguilla indeed. Anguilla and my Amelia. All I cared about right now.

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