“Almost enough to make you believe in the fine institution of marriage, isn’t it?” Jovon said as he watched his friend, Raphael de Luca, dance with his radiant new bride, Bryony.

The reception was taking place inside moon island's small, nondescript municipal building. It
wasn’t exactly where Jovon imagined any of his friends would host a wedding reception, but he supposed it was fitting that Rafe and Bryony would marry here on the island where so much of their
relationship had been forged.

The bride positively glowed, and the swell of her belly added to her beauty. They stood in the middle
of the makeshift dance floor, Bryony tucked into Rafe's protective hold, and they were so focused on
each other that Jovon doubted the world around them existed.

Rafe looked like he’d been handed the universe, and maybe he had.

Love did that to a person.

“They look disgustingly happy,” Devon Carter said next to him.

Jovon chuckled and looked up to see Dev holding a glass of wine in one hand, his other shoved into the
pocket of his slacks.

“Yeah, they do.” Dev’s mouth twisted in annoyance and Jovon
chuckled again.

Devon himself wasn’t very far away
from a trip down the aisle, and he wasn’t taking it with good grace. Still, he couldn’t resist needling his
friend.

“Copeland still putting the screws to you?”

“And how,” Devon muttered. “He’s determined for me to marry Ashley. He won’t budge on the deal unless I agree. And now that we’ve relocated the resort and begun construction, I’m ready to get on
with the next step. I don’t want him to lose confidence over this blown deal. Problem is, he’s insisted on a
dating period. He wants Ashley to be comfortable around me. I swear I think the man believes he lives
in the eighteen hundreds. Who the hell arranges a marriage for their daughter anymore? And why the
hell would you make marriage a condition of business? I can’t wrap my head around it.”

“There are worse women to marry, I’m sure,” Jovon said, thinking of his own narrow escape

Devon winced in sympathy. “Have you gotten any word about her?”

Jovon frowned and shook his head. “No. But I only just started looking. She’ll turn up.”

“Why are you looking for her, man? Why would you even want to go back down that road? Forget
about her. Move on. You’re better off without her. You’re out of your mind for pursuing this.”

Jovon curled his lip and turned to look at his friend. “I have no doubt I’m better off. I’m not looking for her
so I can welcome her back into my life.”

“Then why did you hire an investigator to find her, for God’s sake? You’d be better off letting the past stay in the past. Get over her. Move on.”

Jovon was silent for a long moment. It wasn’t a question he could entirely answer. How could he
explain the burning desire to know where she was? What she was doing. If she was all right. He shouldn’t care, damn it. He should forget all about her, but he
couldn’t.

“I want some answers,” he finally muttered. “She never replied to the e-mail I sent. I’d just like to
know that nothing bad has happened to her.”

The excuse sounded lame even to him.

Devon raised an eyebrow and sipped at the expensive wine. “After what she pulled, I’d imagine
she’s feeling pretty damn stupid. I wouldn't want to show my face either.”

He didn't know how, but word managed to get out about how Annie and Lukas cheated on him, and almost half of Santiago knew what happened and weren't too pleased with Annie and Lukas. His friends weren't pleased either.

Jovon shrugged. “Maybe.” But he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something more. Why was he
even worried? Why should he care?
Why hadn’t she replied to his messages?

Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? She haunted him. For a week now, he had cursed her, lain
awake at night wondering where she was and if she was safe. And he hated that he cared, even though
he convinced himself he’d worry about any woman under the same circumstances.

Devon shrugged. “Your time and your dime. Oh, look, there’s Can. Wasn’t sure Mr. Reclusive would
actually crawl out of that fortress of his for the event.”

Cameron Washington shouldered his way through the crowd, and people instinctively moved to get out of his way. He was tall and broad chested, and he wore power and refinement like most other people wore clothing. The stone set of his demeanor made him unapproachable by most. He could be a mean son of a bitch, but he could usually be counted on to relax around his friends.

The problem was, the only people he counted as friends were Cam, Devon and Rafe. He didn’t have
much patience for anyone else. Lukas whom he trusted all his life betrayed him in the worst way possible.

His friends had been surprised when he accepted the invitation for Rafe's wedding, considering how much he pushed them away in the past. They weren't happy when they learned about how Lukas betrayed him. They weren't pleased about Annie too.

“Sorry I’m late,” Cameron said as he approached the two men. Then he glanced over the dance floor
and his gaze stopped when he came to Rafe and Bryony. “How did the ceremony go?”

“Oh, it was lovely,” Devon drawled. “All a woman could hope for, I’m guessing. Rafe didn’t give a damn as long as the end result was Bryony being his.”

Cam emitted a dry chuckle. “Poor bastard. I don’t know whether to offer my condolences or my
congratulations.”

Jovon grinned. “Bryony’s a good woman. Rafe’s lucky to have her.”

Of course they were. It was a surprise to him when he heard that they were finally getting married. They had been on and off lovers, when he and Americus tied the knot. It was only fair to get married since they were so crazy about each other.

Devon nodded and even Cameron smiled, if you could call the tiny lift at the corner of his mouth a true
smile. Then Cam turned to Devon, his eyes gleaming with unholy amusement. “Word is you’re not far from taking a trip down the
aisle yourself."

Devon muttered a crude expletive and flipped up his middle finger along the side of his wineglass.
“Let’s not ruin Rafe’s wedding by talking about mine. I’m more interested in knowing whether you were able to acquire the site for the new location of our hotel since Moon Island is now officially a bust.”

Cam’s eyebrows went up in exaggerated shock. “You doubt me? I’ll have you know that twenty prime acres of beach front property on St. Angelo is now ours. And I got a damn good deal. Better yet,
construction will commence as soon as we can move crews in. If we really dig in, we’ll come close to
hitting our original deadline for the grand opening.”

Their gazes automatically went to Rafe, who was still wrapped around his bride. Yeah, the man had
caused them a major setback when he pulled the plug on the Moon Island venture, but it was hard for
Jovon to get up in arms about it when Rafe looked so damn happy.

Jovon's pocket vibrated, and he reached down to pull his phone out. He was about to hit the ignore
button when he saw who was calling. He frowned. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”

Cameron and Devon waved him off and returned to their bantering as Jovon hurried out of the building.
As soon as he stepped outside, the sea breeze ruffled his hair and the tang of salt filled his nose.

The weather was seasonable but by no means hot. It was about as perfect a day as you could ask
for, especially for a wedding on the beach.

He turned to look at the distant waves and brought the phone to his ear. “Beardsley,” he said by way of a terse greeting.

“I think I’ve found her,” his lead investigator said with no preamble.

Jovon tensed, his hand gripping the phone until his fingers went numb. “Where?”

“I haven’t had time to send a man to get a visual confirmation yet. I only just got the information in a
few minutes ago. I felt strongly enough about her identity to give you a heads-up. I should know more by tomorrow.”

“Where?” Jovon demanded again.

“Philadelphia. She’s currently in the Grace Medicare hospital,  There was a mix-up originally in her social security number. One of my men got it wrong. I’ll have photos and a full report for you by tomorrow afternoon.”

Philadelphia. The irony wasn’t lost on him. He’d been close to her all this time and never known it.

“No,” Jovon interjected. “I’ll go. I should be back in West Mercer by tomorrow night. Philadelphia is closer to Seattle. I can be there in a couple of hours.”

There was a long silence over the phone. “Sir, I don't know if she's still there. I prefer to get confirmation before you take a needless trip.”

“I don't have enough time for you to complete your research. Besides, if she isn't there, then I'll just ask the hospital staff. E-mail her address to me,” Jovon said impatiently. “And even if I don't find her in the hospital, I won't hold you
responsible.”

“Should I hold off my man then?”

Jovon paused, his lips tight, his grip on the phone even tighter. “If it’s Annie,I’ll know. If it’s not, I’ll inform
you so you can continue your search. There’s no need for you to send anyone down. I’ll go myself.”

*                           *                          *

A NEW DAY.

A new start.

Another one.

Walking along the Lake Shore, Jovon was head down and too deep in thought to really notice the
glorious pink sky over the smooth waters of Lake Washington.

All his plans about going to Philadelphia to see Annie became futile when he not only received a message from the private investigator that she wasn't in Philadelphia, but also the weather forecast, which for some unknown reason wasn't suitable for flying or even traveling on the road.

Jovon had realised that he couldn’t keep staying in the same place that he had shared memories with Annie
and had accepted, after some soul-searching, that things would never be the same again, could never be the same again.

He had decided to move out of the house and buy another one by the beach and take brisk walks and jogs each morning in search for another house in West Mercer but far away from his other one.

Jovon picked up speed, even broke into a jog, his large,muscular frame belying his deftness, and all too soon he reached his destination— the house that he had had his eye on for a couple of days now.

Looking online, speaking on the phone with real-estate agents, he had found several prospects to view over the weekend, determined to secure a home before he started
his work fully—deciding that maybe if he owned another property then he’d be more inclined to forget about Annie.

The real-estate agent had been showing him a typical bachelor apartment, a new development along the beach, with gorgeous bay and City views. It was bright
and airy and had all modcons with the bonus of a huge balcony which would be nice when he had friends or family over. It had everything, really, and Jovon had come
close to purchasing it that day, but, standing on the balcony as the agent sorted out the documents, Jovon had seen the house next door.

An older house, it jutted out
a touch further onto the beach than the apartment block. The garden, which had direct beach access, was an overgrown green oasis compared to the swish decking and clear-walled balcony that he’d stood on.

Instead of looking at the glorious beach, Jovon had found himself gazing into his potential new neighbour's garden. A huge willow tree shaded most of it, there was
a slide and swing and a trampoline, but what had really caught Jovon’s eye had been the boat parked along the side of the house—a man in his forties had been hosing it down and he had looked up and waved as they'd stepped out onto the balcony and Jovon had given a quick
nod back, only realising then that the man had actually been waving to the real-estate agent instead of himself.

"I’ll be with you shortly, Doug,"the agent called, then took a seat at the well-positioned glass table, sorting out brochures and papers and finally locating the contract.

"Is it on the market, then?" Jovon asked.

"Sorry?"

"The house next door—is it for sale?"

"Not yet," the agent said with a noncommittal smile."Have a seat, Mr. Phim, and we’ll go through the
small print."

"But is it coming onto the market?" Jovon persisted.

"Perhaps. Though, really, it has none of the specifications you outlined. That house needs a lot of work, it still has the original kitchen and the garden’s a jungle…"

Only Jovon wasn’t listening and the real-estate agent suddenly had that horrible sinking feeling that he was
losing his grip on his certain sale.

"The apartment complex is maintained, regularly serviced, there’s the gym and lap pool for tenants," he pointed out, pushing
what he assumed were the benefits of living here for this tall, rugged-looking bear of a single guy, with the title of a billionaire.

He had been so sure that low maintenance was the key to this sale.

He was wrong.

Jovon was fast realising that high maintenance would be fantastic!

This was a garden and a house he could lose himself in, what with house repairs and oiling decking. And how about a boat…? How much better to fill up his limited spare time renovating a house or out on a boat on the bay than to be confined to modern, sleek lines of
the apartment or burning off his endless energy in a lap pool?

For the first time in a very long week, Jovon found himself interested in something that wasn’t work, or his heartbreak, and staring at the house, he could almost glimpse a future. A future of peace and solitude. It was fitting to raise a family and. . . He shook his head. He wasn't going to think about her right now. This was him moving on as his friends and family wanted.

So, instead of closing the deal and
moving into the plush apartment complex, to the agent’s
obvious annoyance, he had decided to wait for as long as it took for the house to be on sale.

For Sale by Auction.

He saw the board and gave a smile as he read that the auction wasn’t far off, just a few weeks away, in fact. And there was an ‘open for inspection’ scheduled for the next
weekend.

Walking back toward the beach, this time he noticed the glorious skies and the stillness of the morning, seagulls sitting like ducks on the calm water, a dog running in and chasing them away.

And then he saw her, standing
in the glassy ocean, the water to her knees, legs apart and
stretching, her hands reaching for the sky. She stood still and held the position and then slowly lowered her arms.

And then did it all over again.

God!

Jovon rolled his eyes. He had a great physique and made a very half-hearted attempt to keep it, relying mainly on walking a thousand miles a day or jogging along the coastline to catch the morning sun, then burning it off with a swim, but this new-age,
welcome-the-day-type stuff, or whatever she was doing…

Please!

Still, Jovon conceded there was something rather spectacular about her lack of inhibition, something about her that made Jovon smile as he walked closer to the shoreline.

And then she turned and his smile vanished as she bent over…doubled over, actually. Jovon saw her swollen stomach and realised she was pregnant and visibly in
pain.

Picking up speed, he walked a touch more quickly along the sandy pathway and onto the beach—not
wanting to overreact as maybe it was part of her exercise routine. But, no, she was walking uncomfortably out of the shallows now, still bent at an awkward angle, and Jovon broke into a light jog, meeting her at the foreshore.

He stared down at a mop of dark curls on the top of her head as, still bent over double, she held onto her knees.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

"Fine,"she moaned, and then looked up. She had amber eyes and big silver earrings and was gritting her
very white teeth. "Stupid yoga!"

"Are you having a contraction?"He was assessing her.

Not wanting to just dive in and place his hand on her stomach, he thought he ought to introduce himself first.

"I’m Jovon Phim."

"And I’m Celine." She blew out a breath and then slowly unfolded. "And I’m not having a contraction,
it’s a stitch."

"You’re sure?"

"Quite sure" She stretched and winced and then rubbed the last of her stitch away. "Stupid new-age
stuff!"

He couldn’t help but smile and then so did she.

"According to my obstetrician, it’s supposed to relax both me and the baby. It will kill us both, more like!"

He tensed, standing on the beach on a glorious warm morning, and was slammed back there again—just as he was almost every day, every night before Annie came into his life. His nightmare had returned now, only that he kept seeing Annie's face instead of Americus's, and she was cradling a baby against her chest. The baby and her burned each time while she cried silently.

"A-are you okay?" Celine asked him as she straightened her back with a wince. "You seem tense."

"I should be asking you that."

She shrugged. "Well? Are you? Okay, I mean."

For a moment, he considered lying, but then realized that maybe he needed to let it all out. And what better way to do that than talk to a stranger who didn't know him?

"No."

Celine hummed as she walked away from the shoreline and made her way to the soft white sand. She wiggled her toes in the sand before sinking down on to the floor with a sigh. Then she gestured for him to do the same. Jovon sat cross-legged beside her, and together they watch the sun slowly rise in the sky.

"Girl problems?"

Jovon's surprised gaze settled on her. "How did you guess?"

"It wasn't that hard to tell. Ninety percent of men's trouble in life is always about women. And that says a lot coming from me."

Jovon couldn't help but smile. "It's a lot as you say."

Celine shifted so that she was facing him now. "So, what girl broke your heart?"

"A girl I trusted the most." He gazed out at the rippling waves. "She asked me to help her plan her parents wedding Anniversary and I agreed on the terms that we would be bed buddies. . ." By the time he finished telling her about all that happened, she was drawing lines in the sand and fiddling the hoop of her earring with her other hand.

For few minutes, no one said anything. The cries of the seagulls and waves filled the air. The beach was fast filling with people and children who came to catch the morning sun no doubt. So far, no one noticed them. And if they did, they didn't approach or even acknowledge them.

"Wow." Celine's voice broke his study.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Wow?"

"Wow." She nodded.

"Why 'wow'?"

"Because that's a lot to take in. And while I know you're feeling guilty for not going after her or listening to her explanation, I think that was the best thing to do." Celine said. "She would have lied to you the more. And because you are obsessed with her, she would take advantage of you. Besides, obsession is not healthy. It blinds us from seeing the truth just as it did with me. I was in obsessed with Ryan and he claimed he loved him, but when I told him I was expecting his baby, he left me."

"What bastard would leave a woman carrying his baby?"

"A selfish bastard. He claimed he loved him, and yet he was with me because of the sex he got. And now I've lost everything because of that bastard. I have no family, since they disowned me after they discovered I was pregnant. And I used most of my savings to rent a house in one of the units over there."

Jovon gazed at the direction she pointed at and found that there were indeed several units about two miles away from the beach. It looked so small and old. The blue paint was almost dull and it had a tiny porch.

"How do you cope with living in that?" He asked her.

Celine shrugged. "I just do. But enough of me, and back to you. Don't let her deceive you." Then she started to rise to her feet, but slumped against the sand with a frustrated sigh. "Damn."

Jovon leaped onto his feet with the easy grace of a panther. "Here, take my hand."

Celine took it with a grateful smile and let herself be pulled to her feet. Then she dusted her sand-stained jeans. "I have to go now. I better get some sleep if I want to be awake for my night shift."

Jovon gaped at her. "Night shift?" His eyes dropped to her very pregnant belly.

"I'm just six months along. I will quit in two months. If I don't work more now, the baby and I would have nothing to eat by the time he or she arrives."

"Did you even register for antenatal care?"

Celine's lips twisted into a frown. "No. I don't have enough money for that. And as much as I love chatting with you, I have to go." She started to leave.

"Wait!"

Celine stopped and threw him a glance over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Can I see you again? I really like talking to you."

"I stay in the third unit." Was all she said before she started towards the units.

And because her back was turned to him, Jovon missed the victorious smile that danced on her lips.