Unseen Messages(121)

But there she found salvation.

In the form of unwanted vacation.

By a man sworn to damnation.

And a woman with no foundation.

Once there was a little girl who swam within the waves. Her smiles hardly changing, her happiness darkly raging, and her world now black and brave.

Once there was a young girl who flew above the earth. Her soul was free, her future at sea, and her world vastly different in wealth and worth.

But there she found salvation.

In the form of unwanted vacation.

By a man sworn to damnation.

And a woman with no foundation.

Once there was a little girl who harnessed hell itself. Her past long forgotten, her will never rotten, and her world full of tempest and war with herself.

Once there was a young girl who fought against death for life. Her soul will survive, her future will revive, and her world will finally be free of hardship and strife.”

And that was how Estelle stole everything and made me hers.

For eternity.





Chapter Forty-Five


...............................................

E S T E L L E

......

My world changed from notes and quavers to flesh and sinew.

I’m no longer defined by music, but by the days I spend alive. I’m no longer afraid of stepping from the pages and living. Truly living.

I’m no longer interwoven with fear but standing free with my pockets bursting with possibility.

My heart is the drum, my feet are the chords, and my fate is my finest melody.

Taken from the notepad of E.E.

...

ONCE WITHIN A song, a woman who trusted in nothing finally found the strength to stop doubting everything.

“G?” I smoothed my gold negligée (the one piece of clothing not tatty and sea-faded) and cursed my fluttering heart.

This is ridiculous.

I lived with the man. I cooked, I laughed, I joked, I argued, I survived with him by my side. He knew what I looked like tired and cantankerous. He knew my smiles and tears. He knew me in torn t-shirts and boring bikinis.

Just because I’d dressed up and done my best to pinch some colour into my cheeks and plaited my hair with the same flowers he laid on my breakfast every morning didn’t mean this was any different to everyday living.

So why does it feel so completely scary?

If it wasn’t any different...why did my heart jackrabbit and my breath come shallow?

Because it is.

We’d had sex before. This wasn’t new. I’d seen him naked. He’d been inside me.

But this...it had a whole new level of romanticism and connection.

My flip-flops stopped making a sound as I drew to a halt in the bamboo grove.

Galloway had vanished after dinner, leaving me to tidy up and get the children to brush their teeth (with well-used toothbrushes), rinse their faces, and climb into bed.

He’d told me to meet him here.

I had no idea what to expect.

I jumped as a twig cracked in the dark. My eyes flared in the gloom, doing their best to see. “Galloway?”

He smiled, coming from the darkness to gather me in the tightest embrace. “You came.”

We shared a brief kiss. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know.” He let me go. “Lots of reasons.”

Stalking forward, he took my hand and guided me into the magical grotto he’d created. Not only had he layered a few of my flax blankets on the ground with a couple rolled up for pillows, but he’d also gathered coconut shells and captured fire in their half-round shapes for illumination. The flickering lights surrounded us with warmth while the wind-up torch from the cockpit wedged in the bamboo stems to create an up-lit effect. The spooky shadows of the skinny, sensuous leaves seemed like an intricately woven bed-head.

“Wow, G...this is amazing.”

He chuckled. “I had grander plans, but they didn’t quite work out. This will have to do, I’m afraid.”

Tugging his fingers, I wrenched him to a stop. “This is perfect. I can’t thank you enough.”

Spinning to face me, he met me in the middle of the flax blanket. My skin sparkled as his eyes glowed with lust. My breasts grew heavier and everything inside me awoke, stretched, and liquefied in preparation for whatever he’d planned.

I had no idea what he intended to do. But I was certain of one thing. I wasn’t leaving without pleasuring both of us. We would make love, we would orgasm, and I wouldn’t freak out like last time.

I’ll trust him.

Not being with Galloway would be the biggest mistake of my life.

He was the answer I was supposed to find. And that was far more important than the stressful words of ‘unwanted pregnancy’. Life was too short to refute happiness. Life was far, far too short to say no to love.

Galloway’s lips parted as his eyes drifted to my mouth. “I wish I had a fancy restaurant to buy you dinner. I wish I had a bottle of champagne to toast whatever dreams you chase. I wish I could take you out, Estelle. To spoil you like you should be spoiled.”

“You are spoiling me.”

He rolled his eyes. “All I see is hard ground, dark forest, and entrapment on an island in the middle of nowhere.” His fingers slinked into my hair, dragging me closer. “You deserve so much more.”

His head bowed; his mouth found mine.