Our plan in Hawaii was to do...a whole lot of nothing. 

We decided that it was absolutely our right to be able to spend two weeks doing anything that seemed enjoyable at the moment. If we wanted to sleep in all morning, eat lunch in the nude, make love all afternoon, and then go out on the town all night, we absolutely could. Or if we wanted to see every sight and join every tour, we could do that, too. The point was that we didn't want to have a plan, and that was kind of new for me. The only plan I had was to enjoy every moment with my husband since I knew that our real lives weren't always going to be so peaceful and carefree.

We rented a private villa at a luxurious all-inclusive resort, complete with a private pool and private beachfront. Private, private, private! That's what we wanted and needed; after all, isn't that what a honeymoon is about? Spending dedicated to building intimacy. The foundation of intimacy is trust. We had already had our trust tested, through no fault of our own, so we were already starting strong. But two weeks alone with Harry, doing anything and everything we wanted was going to be heavenly. 

Harry paid a pilot for the entire two weeks to be on-call for us with a private plane, so we might travel to any place in the Hawaiian Islands that suited our fancy on a particular day. He also had two bodyguards and an assistant staying nearby in case we needed anything. Yep, that was still a hard thing for me to grasp, having such an abundance of money that we could have almost anything we wanted at our fingertips. 

People say money changes you, and I'm sure it does. I didn't know Harry back when he was a kid, but even now, he was very humble and down-to-earth about his wealth. The real advantage I could already see was having the ability to make time for the things that were truly important, like this honeymoon, or the time we spent together at the cabin. When life became too busy or if we were separated for too long by our different schedules, having enough money to splurge on a getaway like this, or even an impromptu weekend trip, would be a bonus. Even so, if Harry were dirt poor, I'd still be in love with him because of who he is.

So Harry and I honeymooned and enjoyed every minute. Even the hours we spent sleeping in the hammock outside our villa were not wasted simply because we were together. We flew back to the Big Island because I was eager to see the volcanoes again; we did some snorkeling and lots of swimming. We spent a few days on Oahu, and during that time, we visited the Halekulani hotel, where the staff had been so generous and kind to us. 

A shock came, however, when we caught sight of none other than Lucy Danvers, clad in a bikini and stuck to Kai's side. To say it was awkward was an understatement. It was one of those moments when you really would like to just walk away and pretend that you hadn't noticed the other person, but it was too obvious that you had actually noticed them. 

None of the four who were involved in my untimely disappearance had spent much time in jail. We settled out of court because they all pleaded guilty to some degree or another. I just wanted to forget the whole thing now that it was long over and well behind us.

The World's Most Eligible Bachelor had aired as planned, beginning in January of this year. Through some very creative editing and re-shooting a few key scenes, we all agreed to go with the story that I had actually chosen to leave because I was so crushed and confused after seeing my mom that I felt I could no longer trust anyone in my life, not even Harry. Insert some key scenes where I confided in Dad and Allegra, as well as Ariana and Victoria by phone, and it looked like they succeeded in talking me into coming back. Over all, that particular element of the show painted them in a very heroic light. Most women in these kinds of shows would have rejoiced at one less competitor, but our true and dear friends knew that Harry and I wouldn't be happy unless we were together. Oh, and of course, we had to create some footage of Harry showing me his home in Holmes Chapel, which involved a fun jaunt to England and back, a completely top secret mission.

Whether the public believed that's how it all happened was another story. Surely people had gotten wind of the ugly truth, but most people suspected that reality shows weren't all that "real" anyway. It was a good thing neither Harry or I were into public humiliation, or Claudia's and Lucy's names would have been smeared all over the world by now.

Harry and I recovered from the initial shock of seeing Lucy and said our hellos in the smoothest way possible. We greeted Kai as well, but he wasn't exactly the lively, engaging surf instructor we had met over a year ago. Instead, he stood protectively close to Lucy, not that Harry and I would ever think of hurting her.

After a few awkward moments, Lucy quietly said, "I suppose it's too late to say I'm sorry." 

"Things turned out all right, didn't they?" I said with a genuine smile. 

"You could have killed her," Harry said flatly, obviously not feeling as merciful as I was.

"I know," she said in a hoarse voice. "I never meant for anything like that to happen. I honestly didn't know anything about the drugs, but I know it was stupid for me to meddle in the first place. I hope you both can forgive me." 

"It's over," I said. "I forgive you." 

Harry just nodded in agreement. 

"You both might be interested to know that Kai and I are getting married," she said, changing the subject abruptly. "I guess I found Mr. Right after all. He just wasn't the world's most eligible bachelor." 

"I'm happy for you both," I said sincerely, and then we left. No reason to prolong the uncomfortable situation. 

When we were out of hearing range, I said to Harry, "What's done is done."

"I know," he nodded solemnly. "I just really hate to think what might have happened if there had been more drugs in your coffee."

"Well, there weren't and I'm fine, so let's finish our honeymoon before we have to return to real life.

"Sounds like a plan, Mrs. Styles."

I sighed. "I love hearing that." 

"What should we do now?" He asked, recovering from the encounter with Lucy and Kai. 

"I think it's time for us to head back to our villa," I said with a suggestive smile. 

He leaned in and his lips brushed my ear as he spoke. "I think that's the best idea I've ever heard." 

Back in our own personal retreat, we enjoyed a late, leisurely dinner on the beach, after which we took a swim in the ocean, not hurrying any particular moment of the evening.

One thing I loved about Harry was that he couldn't keep his hands off me. It wasn't always sexual, but just a constant reminder that he was there, that he wanted to be connected, whether it was holding hands or rubbing my back or little love nips on my neck when no one was watching. 

We waded out to water that was about chest deep and then we swam leisurely while watching the last remnants of the sunset. Harry always had to be touching my fingertips or my hair. Finally, he captured me, wanting to take advantage of the impending darkness. He gave me a somewhat sloppy kiss so I pushed him away and wiped my face, all the while laughing at him. 

"No one can see us, you know," he said quietly. 

"There's a full moon," I argued. "Besides, people can hear us," I said more quietly because I knew that sound traveled well over the water. 

"Pssh," he mocked. "Like no one heard you the other night." 

"Shut up!" I said, pushing him further away from me. As soon as I was out of arm's reach, I swam vigorously towards the shore, knowing Harry was right behind me. I struggled to get out of the water, but he caught me in time to scoop me up and carry me to the shower outside the villa. 

We stripped down right there and washed the salt water off our bodies. Harry handed me a towel and we dried off with record speed. No sooner had I hung my towel back up than Harry hoisted me over his shoulder - not a very dignified way to be carried while in the nude - and tumbled with me onto the bed. 

"Turn off the lights," I whispered, knowing the full moon would illuminate the room well enough. When he returned to the bed, I welcomed him with everything I had and so began the rhythm that changed every time we made love, but somehow also stayed the same. I knew his breath, his warmth, his sounds and his scent. This was one thing no one could ever take from us; literally no one could come between us when we were connected like this. 

Throughout the rest of our honeymoon, and well into the years ahead, we continued making the same connection, committing ourselves to each other again and again, strengthening and defining our marriage more and more. 

That's the story of my gift to my best friend on her 25th birthday, which turned out to be the greatest gift I could have ever asked for.

______

The End!

Sad, but true. However, I decided on a new book to start writing. I will give you a little synopsis in the next chapter so that I don't clutter up the end of this story.