Page 10 of Midnight Rose

Like it or not, this is my world, and I will never be able to escape it. Even with Orlando, even when it's just the two of us like it was all those years ago in the garden, I will never be able to escape this part of my life.

With that thought, I turn to head back upstairs, thinking a hot shower sounds really good right now, and I can take one in the guest bathroom while he uses the master bathroom. Almost as if he can sense my mood, he follows behind me.

"What did you do today?" He asks, his voice much softer now.

"Nothing." I offer a forced smile and continue up the stairs without really acknowledging him.

"Come on, no matter what it is, I want to hear it," he says as we hit the top of the stairs before turning to go down the family wing. Finally, I stop and look at him.

My Orlando is back. This isn't the cold version of him that I just witnessed. This is the version that I have seen over the last three days, and this is the version I have a feeling only I get to see.

I hand him the papers that I've been carrying around. They’re the ones I wanted to show him when I went in search of him.

"I found our next trip," I tell him as he takes the papers from me and glances down at them before staring back at me.

"Where?"

"An underwater hotel." I nod towards the papers, and he finally starts looking through them before a huge smile takes over his face.

"I love this idea. Pack a bag. I will make the travel preparations, and we will go this weekend."

While I want to protest, I know it will do no good. It doesn't matter that we just got in today from a three-day trip to Greece and that we would be turning around and heading out again after being home for less than five days.

Orlando will find a way to make it happen.

Chapter 10

Orlando

Walking into this resort and watching her take it all in, I have to admit that I feel like a kid at Christmas. She gets so excited over even the smallest things.

"Oh, look! That's the best part! They have a huge water park. Did you ever make it to visit one?" She asks with excitement.

"No, I didn't," I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

It hit me right in the gut that she remembered how much I wanted to visit a water park. A kid at school talked about how his parents had taken him to Myrtle Beach and all the water parks. I went home that day and looked them up, and it's been on my bucket list ever since. Well, just below getting Ruby to be mine.

I stare at the other side of the resort, where you can see some of the water park rides, and smile to myself. Something about this weekend feels important, yet I can't quite put my finger on it.

We go inside and check-in. I booked their biggest suite, which, of course, includes the underwater room that Ruby wanted. The suite is over-the-top with a huge two-story living room, dining area, a small kitchen, and an extra seating room which is perfect for the security team to set up in. There's a room with some bunk beds for the security team to sleep in. But the best of all is our master suite with a huge wall of windows with an underwater view.

The bed faces the view, and there's a seating area right next to the window. Even from the bathroom, you have a view where you can take a bath and watch the fish go by. It is absolutely beautiful. Ruby did well on this choice, and I'm actually pretty excited to spend the weekend here.

"The photos and videos online did not do this place justice. It’s absolutely amazing," Ruby squeals as she goes from room to room, taking in every detail.

"On top of that, I have an entire schedule set up to pamper and spoil you," I tell her as she turns to face me.

"You didn't have to do that. We could have spent the weekend just lazily going from one area of the resort to the other. But I can't wait to see what you set up."

"Trust me; I will always spoil you. Now get ready, as we have massages in thirty minutes."

She turns to stare at me, "the Mafia King is going to have a massage? Isn't that against the mafia rules?"

"Well, my men will be in there, and I will only lie on my back, but this is more for you than me. Because you're right, you don't ever turn your back and make yourself vulnerable."

She gives me this look that I've learned means trouble ahead.

"What if I wanted to give you a back massage later? Would you let me?"

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