Chapter 22

Isabella nervously waited to board her flight to St. Thomas. She knew Kelsey was on the plane waiting for her, but so were her daughters with a couple of friends in tow.

They had texted and talked on the phone nearly every day since returning from the Valentine's trip. Kelsey was patient and never asked Isabella if she was ready to talk. A couple of times things felt a little awkward as they planned the next month's trip, but Kelsey found a way to ease them right back to their easygoing friendship. She told Isabella that what had happened between them was too important to talk about on the phone. It needed to be a face-to-face conversation so nothing could be misunderstood.

Isabella agreed with her and they hoped to find time to be alone that evening after they got the girls settled. Her greatest fear was losing Kelsey. If all they could be was friends then that would have to be enough for Isabella. In a few short months Kelsey had become the most important person in her life aside from her boys.

She sighed and shook her head as she laughed at herself. Isabella had envisioned getting back to her everyday life and the thought of that kiss would fade. Part of her thought she and Kelsey had just gotten caught up in the occasion. After all, they were at a romantic resort and celebrating a month of love.

Forget that kiss?She couldn't stop thinking about their kisses. If it wouldn't get them kicked off the plane, Isabella would grab Kelsey and kiss her as soon as she laid eyes on her!

There was no doubt in Isabella's mind or heart that she wanted Kelsey Kenny, but there was so much more to it than that. How did Kelsey feel? Isabella had never been with a woman. What did this mean for their big marketing strategy and the resort? The questions kept coming.

Isabella sighed. All she wanted was to see Kelsey. Somehow she knew just being with her would make everything manageable.

"Finally!" she murmured as she showed her boarding pass and walked down the tunnel to the plane. She smiled at the flight attendant and started down the aisle.

When she made it to her row she stopped. The aisle seat was vacant and Kelsey sat in the middle seat, leaving the window seat for her. Isabella could see an anxious look on Kelsey's face, but before she could say anything, Kelsey looked up with anticipation.

The most beautiful smile grew on her face as Kelsey stood up. Isabella grabbed her and hugged her like her life depended on it.

"Uh, I hope you're Isabella," a woman said from the row across from them. "Or my mom has a secret girlfriend she hasn't told us about."

Isabella laughed but didn't immediately let Kelsey go. She winked then turned to the woman. "It wouldn't be a secret if you knew."

The woman raised her eyebrows while her seatmates began to laugh.

"Duh, Dana. I know you recognize me from our phone calls and pictures," Isabella said. "Where's Emma?"

"Right here!" she exclaimed, coming up the aisle from the restroom.

Kelsey shook her head and chuckled. "These are my girls."

Isabella chuckled. "I'm so happy to finally meet you in person." Isabella gave each of them a quick hug.

"The flight attendant is giving us looks," Kelsey said in a quiet voice. "I saved the window seat for you."

Isabella smiled at Kelsey and felt her heart speed up. From the moment they'd met, Kelsey Kenny had been doing nice things for her.

"Wait!" Dana exclaimed. "Isabella, this is Lily and this is Grace," she said, pointing to the two girls sitting next to her.

"Hi." Isabella shook each of their hands and smiled. "We're going to have so much fun."

Kelsey took Isabella's bag and placed it in the overhead bin. "Is this the only one?"

"Yep," Isabella said, plopping down in her seat. "I learned from the best."

Kelsey chuckled and sat down next to her.

"Surprise, surprise. We only brought one bag each, too," Emma said, sitting down next to her mother.

"Don't be fooled, girls. Your momma is full of surprises," Isabella said, looking into Kelsey's eyes.

"Ha!" Dana said sarcastically. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Rule number one," Isabella said, leaning over so she could see all four girls. "I'm the only one who gets to tease your mom. We're partners and we stick together."

"Okay, okay," Dana said with a grin.

"Yes ma'am," the other girls replied in unison.

Isabella leaned in and quietly said to Kelsey, "We're a couple."

Kelsey nodded and squeezed her hand.

Isabella sat back in relief. So far, so good.

It had been such a strange day. Kelsey was relieved when she was able to look into Isabella's eyes and that giant hug on the plane certainly helped. She had no idea what their relationship looked like going forward, but there wasn"t any awkwardness between them for now.

The strange part was having someone else with them. They usually traveled alone and experienced these trips together, just the two of them. But not just anyone was with them this trip: It was Kelsey's daughters and friends. It made Kelsey tentative. Where she usually didn't hesitate to reach over and squeeze Isabella's hand or bump her shoulder, now she was aware of every time they touched.

As they were walking through the airport Kelsey glanced over at Isabella and smiled.

Isabella put her arm through Kelsey's, "Relax, this is going to be fun."

Kelsey sighed. "I hope so."

Once they'd made it to the resort everything happened quickly. They were whisked away to their rooms which were on the ground floor and poolside. Carmen's kids, Tanner and Mia, were waiting to greet them at the pool. After quick introductions they made plans to meet at the pool bar once they'd unpacked.

Kelsey left her room and was about to knock on Isabella's door when it opened.

"Hey," Isabella said.

"Hey." Kelsey felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest. "Maybe we could sneak away for our beach walk after dinner and talk."

"I'd like that, Kels," Isabella said with a smile.

The way Isabella said her name and the look in her eyes sent warmth through Kelsey's body. All she wanted to do was kiss her. It was as if their kisses last month had opened some kind of gate and all the feelings Kelsey had been trying to tamp down were now free.

"Hey, Mom," Dana said excitedly, walking over to them. "This place is amazing. Thank you so much for bringing us."

Kelsey smiled. "You're welcome."

"Come on Isabella." Dana grabbed her hand. "I want one of those fruity drinks you're always showing in your posts."

Isabella looked back at Kelsey with a grin. "Come on, Mom," she implored her.

Kelsey chuckled and followed behind them.

As everyone got their drinks Tanner and Mia were quick to tell Kelsey's girls how much fun they'd had with her at Christmas.

"Yeah," Dana said. "We messed that up."

"We thought we wanted to do our own thing at Christmas, but we were wrong," Emma added.

"What?" Kelsey exclaimed. "I can't believe you're admitting it."

"It wasn't so great for you either," Dana said.

Kelsey looked over at Isabella. "We had a wonderful Christmas, didn't we, Bella?"

"Yeah we did. It would've been nice to have our families with us, but we made new friends," Isabella said.

"And family," Mia added. "The Peaches crew loves you both."

"That's the bar on the other island, right?" Dana asked.

"Yeah, you're going to love it over there. My mom has a business on St. John," Tanner said.

"I thought your mom ran the resort," Emma said.

"She does." He chuckled. "I have two moms."

"Oh! Did you tell us that?" Emma asked, turning to Kelsey.

"I did," Kelsey replied and shook her head. "You can see how well they listen to me."

Isabella chuckled. "You'll get to meet Sylvie tomorrow," she said. "She'll be jetting us from island to island and party to party."

"Wow!" they exclaimed.

"Let's go have dinner and we can talk about what's to come," Kelsey suggested.

Tanner and Mia entertained them with their favorite things about the islands while they had dinner.

"Isn't this strange?" Kelsey said, leaning closer to Isabella where they sat at the end of the table.

"What?"

"We know people here," Kelsey said. "I'm so used to looking around the dining room and smiling at the servers, but we actually know guests this time."

Isabella chuckled. "That's true. Do we still look like a couple?"

Kelsey shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"If you look around the restaurant you see families and couples," Isabella explained.

"Okay," Dana said.

"The first time we were here our server thought we were a couple and suggested a nice walk on the beach after dinner." Isabella chuckled. "Remember, Kels?"

"I remember the look on your face when you figured it out," Kelsey said.

"I was surprised. That's never happened to me," Isabella said defensively.

"Did it bother you?" Dana asked.

"Not at all," Isabella said. "Look who I was with."

Kelsey scoffed. "I look like a mom surrounded by her kids now."

"No way!" Tanner exclaimed. "You look too young."

"Yeah," Lily said. "You and Isabella look like you're here with all these other people for spring break. Look around the room."

Kelsey gazed around the room and sure enough it was a different crowd than usual. The tables contained groups of people, most around Dana and Emma's age. She wondered if their posts leading up to this week had helped fill the resort. Carmen had mentioned they were booked.

"I think people are watching your posts, Mom," Emma said with a grin.

"How about that," Isabella said.

"We're doing something right," Kelsey said quietly.

Isabella winked at her and just like that Kelsey's heart began to pound. She couldn't wait to talk to Isabella later this evening, alone.

After dinner they went back to the pool. Music filtered from the bar and if they weren't dancing they were swimming. Everyone was having a good time and the kids seemed to hit it off.

"Do you think we can slip away to the beach?" Isabella asked quietly from behind Kelsey.

Shivers went through Kelsey just as they had the night Isabella kissed her. "Let's go," she said, getting up.

They started to walk away.

"Hey, Mom," Emma called to her. "Where are you going?"

"Bella and I are going for a walk on the beach," Kelsey explained.

"Can I come with you?" Emma asked.

"Oh, I want to go." Grace jumped up from her chair.

Kelsey looked at Isabella and sighed. "Sure, come on."

Isabella chuckled, put her arm through Kelsey's, and led them to the beach.

"This is so nice," Emma said.

"Listen to those waves," Grace commented.

Kelsey chuckled. "Bella and I take a walk on the beach every night before we go to bed."

"Yeah, it's our way to end the day," Isabella said. "And dancing," she muttered so only Kelsey could hear.

Kelsey smiled and noticed Emma glancing her way. "What is it, Em?"

"You two have become close friends," she said.

"We have," Isabella replied. "I don't know what I'd do without your mom."

"But what about when you're home?" Grace asked. "Are you just friends when you're here?"

"No," Kelsey said. "Don't you still have friends in your hometown, Grace?"

"Yeah, but they're not close like you two are."

"We text and call each other when we're home," Isabella said. "This is also part of our job. We have to plan and get ready for these trips."

"I can't wait to hit the beach tomorrow!" Emma exclaimed.

"Pace yourself, Em," Isabella warned her. "We have several days ahead of us."

"Gotcha, Isabella. Thanks," Emma said.

Isabella chuckled as they made their way back to their rooms.

Kelsey was about to tell Isabella she would come to her room once the girls were settled when Emma turned to her.

"Mom, can I stay with you tonight? I know Dana and Lily are going to be up for hours talking and I'm tired. I'm taking Isabella's advice," Emma said.

"Sure, honey," Kelsey replied and stole a glance at Isabella. She could already tell finding time to be alone was going to be a challenge.

Isabella gave her a sweet smile and pulled her away from the others. "I know we can't dance tonight, but we will at Peaches. Okay?"

Kelsey sighed. "Okay. I was hoping to talk after they were in their room."

"We'll find time. Don't give up," Isabella said.

Kelsey smiled and remembered those were her words to Isabella on their last trip.