"It's beautiful," I stated as I exist the Land Rover looking on the villa that I will be living in for two weeks. After long hours Harlyn and I were finally in Maui, Hawaii, and it was too beautiful to be real.

He chuckled, "Yes, and it's all ours."

"For two long weeks." I agreed. Looking at my surroundings, I knew I wouldn't regret taking the two weeks off. I deserved this.

"Well, as long as we want. I bought it." He stated like it was no big deal.

I turn and look up at him, "You bought it? Why?"

He shrugged, "Why not? It's magnificent. Buying it means we could come here anytime we want."

"You'd buy the island too if it were for sale," I said to myself in a whisper, but he heard and replied.

"I would." he moved to the back of the car and opened the trunk. He started to take out our suitcases from the back. I moved towards him to get my things, but he stopped me. "It's okay. I'll get them." There were five suitcases in the truck, three of which belonged to me, and the remaining two was his.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help? I won't break a nail." I didn't feel comfortable with him bringing up all the suits to the villa by himself. Maybe it was because I was accustomed to doing everything by myself or because none of the other men in my life had ever offered to carry my luggage.

"It's cool. I can make two trips. Why don't you get the laptop bags from the backseat? The key is in one of the compartment."

I opened the back door and took up the laptop bag. I looked in a few compartments before I found the key. It had the name of the villa on the keyring. I walked up to the steps and stopped at the door. I searched for the most suitable key on the ring and entered it the door. I turned it two times, and the door opened. I smiled and pushed the door in.

I looked back at Harlyn, who was getting the last suitcase out of the trunk. "You can go without me. I'll be there in a sec."

It was new territory for me, so I didn't like the idea of entering it by myself. So I simply replied to him, "No, I'll just wait on you."

"Are you afraid, Miss Mona?" he asked with a teasing smile. "Oops, sorry. The right question is, Are you afraid, Mrs Hope?" Him calling me by my new surname brought shivers down my spine. Was it the way he said the name or was it the realisation that I'm actually married? It didn't matter what the reason was, but for some reason being called, Mrs Hope made me feel, different. I just couldn't tell if it was a good different or a bad different.

I shook my head, "Not afraid, but I'd rather have company before entering unusual territory."

He nodded, "Fair enough. Just give me a few minutes." He grabbed my purple hard shell suitcase and started to pull it up the three stairs leading to the door.

"Are you sure you don't want my help?" I asked again. He didn't look like he was struggling, but I felt the urge to help him.

He smiled, "I'm fine."

I ignored his statement and placed the laptop bag on the tile and walk up to him. I took hold of the suitcase. "I'll take this." He sighed and released the suitcase.

"You're stubborn," he stated before he went back down the steps to retrieve the remaining four suitcases.

"And you should learn to accept help." I dragged the suitcase in the villa and left it at the doorway then turn back to help Harlyn again.

"I would have accepted your help if you were a man. I don't think as a man I should let you carry your suitcases up those stairs."

"So, you're basically sexist. Not because I'm a woman I shouldn't do certain things. I behave in gender equality."

He chuckled, "I behave equality as well, but you're no longer just a woman." I raised my eyebrows waiting to for him to finish. He looked me in the eyes and smile, "You're my woman. The wife of Harlyn Hope."

I shiver at his words.

"I treat my woman with respect because a woman deserves respect. I wouldn't allow any woman I'm travelling to get her own luggage, especially since some woman travels heavy."

"So you're saying you'd do this for anyone?"

He nodded, "Of course,"

I nod. The man in front of me wasn't what I expected Harlyn Hope to be. He hasn't been ruthless. He was nice to everyone he crossed path with. He might not have smiled at them, but he was polite, unlike the Harlyn Hope that Joesph described or what was portrayed through the media.

After five minutes, we managed to get all the luggage in the villa.

"We should leave them there and come back for them after we take a tour of the property," Harlyn suggested.

I nod in agreement. "You must be exhausted after lifting the suitcases."

He shrugged, "I'm fine." He looked around the room then back at me, "Should we do outside first then inside or the other way around?"

"It doesn't matter. Whatever you want."

"Outside first because it's going to start getting dark soon." Even though we've been travelling for a while, I wasn't jetlagged. I felt great, and I was ready to do my tour of the villa.

I nod my head excitingly.

He smiled, "You look like a child who just got a gift and is eager to open it."

"I feel like a child who just got a gift. This is a gift. As you may know, I don't take vacations often, if at all and even though I love travelling I just didn't have anyone to go with or the time."Joesph and I work hour always clashed; we were both workaholics but for two different reasons. He was a workaholic because he wants to impress his father. I'm a workaholic because it's in my blood.

"Well thank God you're married to me because I happen to travel a lot and where I go my woman go." For some odd reason hearing, Harlyn called me his woman was hella sexy, but I had to be serious here.

"Is that necessary?"

He smirks, "Of course sweetheart. How else will my brother believe our marriage if you're not latched on to me like glue?"

"Harlyn, has much as I hate Joesph he was also my best friend and he knows me better than anyone else, well except my sisters, but you get my point. He knows I wouldn't go everywhere with you."

He shook his head, "And that is exactly why you'll follow me around because it's not like you. Love makes people go out of their comfort zone. You'll follow me around, and he'll believe that you love me because you never followed him around."

I smile, "That's a good idea."

Harlyn shook his head, "I will never understand what you find in my brother."

I laugh, "He's good to talk to when he's not stabbing you in the back." When Joesph and I met, we had a great platonic friendship, and we'd talk for hours about different topics that we founded interesting. It was the similarity between us that made Joesph decide that we'd be a great couple.

"Or stealing your girlfriends."

"Girlfriends? Meaning he stole more than one from you?" I always knew Joesph had a way to him that made women latch on to him, but he never seemed like the type to steal someone's girlfriend when he didn't have problem with getting one of his own. But then again, I recently learnt that Joesph had a thing for taking things that didn't belong to him.

"Oh, yeah. About four or five but it was the last one that stunk." That last one must have been the one that drove him to revenge.

" Did you loved her?" I asked. Why else would he want revenge?

"Love is a strong word. Let's just say I liked her a lot." he shook his head, "I always wondered why my girlfriends would leave me for my younger brother, but I never knew until I saw a few of my exes from high school." he laughed and shook his head. "Joesph is one crazy asshole."

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to finish the story. What the hell could Joesph tell those girls that they left Harlyn for him?

"Are you going to tell me?"

He smirks, "One day, I will."

I pout, "Pretty, please." I begged, There was no way he's going to leave me with a cliffhanger like that.

"I'll tell you one day, I promise," he said, looking staring into my eyes. "For now let's forget my thief of a brother and enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian island."

His eyes were so captivating that when he spoke, it sounded like a command in a whisper and so I obeyed. I cleared my mind of any thoughts that had to deal with Joesph and his betrayals. The only thing I could think about was the blue sea that laid beneath us when we were landing and how Harlyn's eyes were the exact same colour.

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