Chapter 29

"This view is more beautiful today than I've ever seen it," Isabella said, leaning on the rail of the ferry. Her arm was looped through Kelsey's and they both gazed out at the beautiful blue water as the breeze blew through their hair. "Aren't you going to ask me why, Kels?"

Kelsey glanced over at her. "I'm sure it has something to do with the couples massage we enjoyed then the fun we had in our bungalow afterwards."

"The fun we had?" Isabella said. "That was some of the absolute best sex I've ever had, babe. Let's call it what it is."

Kelsey giggled. "God, I know. It was amazing."

"Really?" Isabella asked, turning to face Kelsey.

"Yes!" Kelsey assured her. "There's sex and then there's what we did. It felt like you were holding my heart and loving it, but there was more. It's hard to explain. Your love was wrapped around me, inside me, then swirled around us."

"I felt it, but it wasn't just my love. It's our love." Isabella smiled. "I've never felt anything like this, Kels. When I kissed you, the love inside me exploded and grew. And when you told me you felt the same way, my love had a place to go and that was even better. It was like the icing on the cake."

"Are we being over the top?" Kelsey asked.

"If we are then who cares. I plan to tell you and show you how much I love you every chance I get," Isabella said.

"It may have taken us a while to get here, but once we made it, things really did speed up," Kelsey said.

"Does that bother you?"

"No, I think I've been in love with you since that afternoon we spent on the beach after we met with Carmen the first time. We drank, we swam, we planned these adventures, and we talked. Remember?"

Isabella nodded. "It amazed me how easy it was to talk to you. I felt safe and didn't hesitate to be honest. That's when I should've known something was going on."

"It was friendship, but already so much more."

Isabella took out her phone. "Let's take a pic and send it to Riley so she'll know we're on the way."

They stood next to the railing with the gorgeous blue sky meeting the sparkling water as their backdrop. Their smiles were bright and love shone in their eyes.

As they left the ferry Kelsey said, "Let's walk to Peaches. We can take the beach route and surprise them."

"It's such a beautiful day," Isabella said, grabbing Kelsey's hand.

"It's not as beautiful as my girlfriend," Kelsey said, kissing Isabella's cheek.

"Your girlfriend?" Isabella teased. She stopped and looked at Kelsey. "You're my girlfriend. I've never had a girlfriend."

Kelsey raised her brows. "I promise I'm worth it."

Isabella melted. "Oh, babe." She wrapped her arms around Kelsey and held her close. Isabella hadn't really thought about what it meant to be in a relationship with another woman. She realized problems would arise, but they did in all relationships, right?

After a moment Kelsey pulled back. "Is everything okay?"

Isabella nodded. "I can't imagine my life without you now and I don't ever want to."

Kelsey smiled and they began to walk again. "We're on island time, remember? Real life can wait until we get back on the plane."

Isabella furrowed her brow and wondered what would happen after this trip. Being away from Kelsey had become harder and harder, but they were together now and that's what mattered.

"I can almost taste my favorite fruity drink Alex makes," Kelsey said as Peaches came into view.

"There's Riley," Isabella said, waving to the woman on the patio.

"Hey!" Riley shouted.

When they got closer Riley put her hands on her hips and smirked. "Is there something you need to tell us?"

Isabella laughed. "Let's just say that our talk last month went well."

"I was wondering." Riley laughed. "I'm happy for you both."

"Thanks," Kelsey said, grinning at Isabella and kissing the back of her hand.

"Oh, you've got it bad," Riley said.

"If you mean being in love, then yes we do," Isabella said, smiling back at Kelsey.

"Wow, things change quickly around here," Riley said.

"You're one to talk," Liz said, joining them on the patio. "You and Alex fell in love in less than two weeks." She gave Kelsey a hug then turned to Isabella. "You see what I see now, don't you?"

"Yep." Isabella grinned, hugging Liz. "I'd give your island magic the credit, but it was our hearts." She put her arm around Kelsey and gazed into her eyes. "They knew from the beginning."

"Yeah, we finally listened to them," Kelsey said.

"We need to celebrate," Liz said. "Alex is inside making your favorite drinks."

"Perfect," Isabella said.

Riley led them to a table. "Sit down and tell us what happened."

"I think we know what happened. You two could no longer deny your feelings," Liz said.

"Here we go." Alex set a tray down on the table and passed everyone a drink. "Welcome back."

They all clinked their glasses together and drank.

"I almost said welcome home." Alex chuckled. "Have we convinced you two to move here yet?"

"Oh gosh, could you imagine?" Isabella said, looking at Kelsey.

"You never know." Kelsey shrugged. "Maybe someday."

"I could tell your girls loved Isabella," Liz said. "Were they surprised you became more than friends?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

Kelsey chuckled. "They couldn't understand why we weren't together from the beginning. But you're right. They love Isabella and are happy we're together."

"I haven't explained it to my boys yet," Isabella said. "This trip was for us to figure it all out."

"What's to figure out?" Liz said.

"Well, we live in separate states. I have two boys still in school and Kelsey and I are in the middle of this big marketing campaign."

"Not to mention this is a brand new relationship that comes with issues simply because you are both women," Riley said.

"Yeah, this is all new to me," Isabella said. "But I love Kelsey. I don't see why that should be a problem for anyone else."

"You're right, hon. But it's surprising how people you don't even know will have an opinion about who you love," Liz said.

"Have you told Carmen?" Alex asked.

Kelsey nodded. "We talked to her this morning. She's supposed to meet us here later."

"She was happy for us, but it could affect the project," Isabella said.

"You never know how people online are going to react," Alex said. "It gives them a sense of anonymity."

"Yeah, and people can be awful," Riley said, reaching for Alex's hand. "We deal with assholes from time to time."

"I hope you don't mean me," Sylvie said, walking onto the patio with Carmen right behind her.

"Hey," Liz said. "You're only awful when we need you to be."

Sylvie laughed. "I have had to play bouncer a few times."

"I think I'm the awful one today," Carmen said, sitting down across from Kelsey and Isabella.

"I'm sure you were surprised by our news," Kelsey said.

"I shouldn't have been, but I don't think you're going to like what I have to say," Carmen replied.

Isabella raised her brows and reached for Kelsey's hand under the table. "Why's that?"

"For now, we think it's best for you two to remain the friendly single moms in front of the camera," Carmen said.

"I don't know why it has to be such a big deal," Isabella said softly then sighed.

"It won't be any different than what you've been doing," Carmen said.

"I understand that," Kelsey said. "But what if we run into people at the resort that are here because of the earlier posts we've done? Are we supposed to act like nothing is going on between us while we're in public?"

Carmen nodded. "I know it's a lot to ask, but for now I'd rather you keep your relationship between us."

"It might be a good thing." Riley shrugged. "You won't have anyone staring or approaching you with questions."

"I'm not sure why you want to keep it a secret," Liz said. "It was obvious from the beginning that the two of them have chemistry. Don't you think your followers can see that?"

"That's just it. We never mentioned anything about them being a couple. If it comes out, I think it could be a shit show," Carmen said.

"Some people won't like that you're gay," Alex said. "Some people will think you were keeping secrets."

"And others may not give a shit," Isabella said, exasperation in her voice. She had no idea this would be such a big deal. While she had concerns about how her boys might react, she never dreamed it would be such a problem for the resort.

"I know you think we're making a big deal out of this when we shouldn't, but you and Kelsey are reaching more people than you think, Isabella. And you of all people know how a blemish on our brand could affect us going forward," Carmen said.

"Of course I understand all that," Isabella said. "In my experience, honesty works so much better in the long run. Trying to spin things often times leads to more problems."

Carmen studied them for a moment. "Give me more time to think this through. I'm listening to what you're saying, but I also know there are more haters out there than you think."

Isabella looked over at Kelsey. She didn't want to hide her feelings. The last couple of days had felt magical. They had openly expressed their love for each other whether it was through a look, a touch, or simply a smile. It felt wonderful and freeing. And now Carmen wanted them to rein it in.

Kelsey gave Isabella a sad smile. "I guess that messes up our first date."

"It's okay." Isabella squeezed her hand.

"What are you talking about?" Riley asked.

"We realized all this time we were kind of dating," Kelsey said.

"Yeah, we just didn't know it." Isabella chuckled. "Anyway, we were going to get dressed up and have our first official date at the resort."

"I'm sorry," Carmen said with an apologetic look.

"You can have it here," Riley said. "I know a place that is very romantic as well as private." Riley looked at Alex and raised her brows.

"What a great idea," Alex said. "We'll take care of everything."

"You don't have to do that. We can stay in our bungalow," Isabella said.

"Absolutely not," Liz said. "Let us show you a little island hospitality."

"You've been showing us that since we've met," Kelsey replied.

"Then let your friends do something special for you," Riley countered.

"Besides, you've been bringing us business," Sylvie said. "This may have started with highlighting the resort, but it's helped me and other businesses, too. Come on, I'll be your private water taxi."

Isabella looked at Kelsey and widened her eyes. "What do you think?"

Kelsey smiled. "I think we have a date tonight."