She studies my face for a long time. “Okay.” She whispers.
“From now on we only move forward.”
She nods. “Deal.”
“I love you sugar.”
She smirks. “Not enough to paint my toes.”
We’ve just got back from Lilly’s physiotherapy. They’re helping her keep her muscle tone even though she’s not using her left leg. I’ve spoken to her physio and her doctors, and both have cleared her for travel.
I take her to one of her favourite pizza places. It’s a shit hole, but she loves it. She gets so excited whenever we come here. Even though they serve giant slices of pizza, she still makes me buy at least four, because she can’t decide which one she wants. Luckily for her, I can eat four slices of pizza.
She takes a bite of one slice and puts it down in front of me, for me to finish. “I have a surprise for you sugar.”
She tilts her head. “What kind of surprise?” A small smile pulls at her lips. The cuts on her face have now healed, the bruises faded. She’s almost back to her original self.
I grin. “The good kind.”
She waits. “Well tell me then. I’m dying over here!”
She’s so impatient. “I’m taking you away.”
She smiles wide. “Really? Where?”
“To your new house.”
She squeals. “Cape Verde!” I nod. “When?”
“Tonight.”
“No way! I haven’t packed…”
“I have.” I cut her off. “We’re going to the airfield as soon as we’re done here.”
“Oh my god.” She shrieks. “Get a box, take it with.” She starts flapping.
She’s crazy, and I love her for it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
LILLY
Theo holds me tight against his chest, refusing to let me walk, well hobble on my own. He is insisting I keep my eyes closed for his big reveal.
After flying to Cape Verde, we then had to helicopter to the house. The island isn’t exactly overly populated, but the house is literally in the middle of nowhere. It’s the early hours of the morning now, but I can still feel the balmy air brush against my arms. I hear what sounds like the click of a key in a door, before the frigid air of an air conditioner touches my clammy skin.
“Okay, open your eyes.” Theo whispers against my ear.
I slowly open my eyes and smile. “It’s amazing.” I breathe.
It really is. We’re in a large entrance hall. In front of me is a spiral stair case, and behind it is floor to ceiling glass that follows the stairs all the way up. Dangling in the middle is an enormous, modern chandelier. It looks more like a piece of art than a lighting fixture. The floor is all marble, and the staircase has intricate metal vines wrapped the entire way up it. If this is what the hallway looks like, then the rest of the house must be ridiculous.
“I’ll show you the rest.” He beams.
“Theo, I can walk.”
“You can, but you’re really slow.” He mocks. Arsehole.
He walks through a doorway to the left and into an enormous sitting room. The back wall is made up entirely of bi-folding doors, just like his house in London. The furnishings are all simple, mainly white. He takes me out the doors, onto a deck. There’s garden furniture out here, a big-arse barbeque, and a pool. I peer into the darkness beyond the deck. I cock my head. I can hear…the ocean.
“Put me down.” I wriggle. He eventually pops me down. I hobble to the edge of the deck and dip my toes in white sand. The house is literally on the beach.
I turn and glance at him. He’s leaning against one of the large wicker sofa’s, his arms crossed over his chest. He has a beautiful smile on his face.
“I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time sugar.” He says quietly.
I shrug. “I haven’t been this happy in a long time.” I can feel the smile spread across my face. “I love the beach.”
He nods. “I remember.”
“You do?”
“Why do you think I had this built here?” Amusement laces his voice.
“Wait, you had this built?” He nods. “For me?”
“Yes.” Holy shit!
“How long did it take?” I ask carefully.
“Six months.”
“Six months ago we were just fucking.”
His lips kick up at the sides, a cocky smirk lighting his face. He steps closer to me, closing the distance between us. He grasps my face in both hands and brushes his lips gently across mine. “We were never just fucking, sugar.” He whispers against my lips. My heart leaps into a sprint immediately. His eyes lock with mine, ensnaring me. “From the first moment you rolled your eyes at me I was hooked. I knew you were it from that moment. No-one could possibly fascinate me or infuriate me the way you did with that one simple act. You were always different, Lilly - complicated, feisty, down-right antagonistic, but so sexy, so beautiful, and so mine, even if you didn’t realise it yourself.”