Page 108 of Modern Romance March 2025 (5-8)

“Yes. Tessa?”

“Yes. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

When I woke yesterday morning in the circle of Rafe’s arms, my body sated and my soul content, a different kind of desire hit me. I suddenly wanted what I had been resisting ever since Rafe agreed to my proposal; the slow, rambling road to intimacy. I didn’t just want to spend the next few days in bed.

Well, I amend with a small smile as I near the boat, I do. But I also wanted to spend time with my husband. To get to know the man I shared far more in common with than I realized. Someone who was hurting, living with the guilt of his past.

My smile vanishes as I remember how quickly he retreated from me. It’s only been a day, but he’s kept his distance, from sitting on the opposite side of the plane on our flight back to Corfu to spending the night alone in his room at the villa.

It hurt. I poured myself into work, spending most of yesterday afternoon and evening jumping back and forth between Juliette’s home and the farmhouse.

But this morning when I got up and rolled out onto the balcony, saw the calmness of the ocean, I could suddenly think of nothing else but slipping beneath the waves.

I glance once more over my shoulder. The villa is stark white against the vivid blue sky. My eyes wander over the balconies, the portico.

Nothing.

My stomach sinks. The woman I was six months ago would never have dared to ask Rafe to spend a morning with me. She certainly wouldn’t have pushed past the first rejection to try again. But I did, texting him shortly after I booked my dive. He never responded.

I turn my back on the villa and focus on Emerson, on the boat gently bobbing on the surface of the sea and the familiar sight of scuba diving gear on deck. Excitement fills me.

“Just the one dive?”

“Yes. I haven’t been diving since I got certified other than practicing in a pool, and I can tire easily.”

“Then you’re in for a treat.” Emerson steps up onto the bow and extends his hand. “If we set out now—”

“Tessa.”

I freeze. Then, slowly, I turn, lightness filling my body until I feel like I could fly as I watch my husband walk onto the dock.

“You came.”

The blank mask slips, giving me a glimpse of the inner battle he’s fighting as his eyes dart between Emerson and me. “I did.”

I want to go to him then, wrap my arms around him and kiss him. Something a wife would do when her husband accepts an invitation.

A real wife, I remind myself. I inhale deeply to calm the tingling sensation in my chest.

“Rafe, this is Emerson. He’s a divemaster based out of Corfu.”

Rafe nods to Emerson. His fingers curl into fists, then flex outward as his gaze locks on to the boat. “One of my meetings was unexpectedly canceled.”

My smile dims almost as quickly as it appears. “I told Emerson you weren’t coming, so I don’t know if there’s any gear for you on board.”

“Actually,” Emerson says, “you called just as I was leaving, so I left all the gear on board. I didn’t want to be late.”

Rafe looks back at me. His gaze softens as one corner of his mouth curves up. “Let’s go diving.”

Twenty minutes later, the boat is anchored and Emerson is double-checking our equipment.

“We’re good to go.”

Emerson helps me sit on the back of the boat and get my legs in the water before going to grab his own gear. Rafe stands next to me, his wetsuit clinging to his muscular physique as he eyes the water.

“It’s going to be worth it. I promise.”

“Definitely different from the budget meeting I had planned.”

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