Toni

Toni was ordered to remain on bed rest for five days, and by the last day of her confinement, she was ready to be up and about, but Nico wouldn't hear of it. He was like a protective watchdog, always by her side, and honestly, she wasn't sure what she would do without him. At night, he'd hold her close, as if he were afraid she would disappear if he let her go. During the day, he waited on her hand and foot until she demanded he let her rest and get some work done on his project. She knew what protecting her was costing him. He had a job to do and although Heather seemed quite capable of handling things back on the island, Nico needed to do his part. He tried to blow off her concerns, saying he had an excellent team behind him, but she could see he was worried about meeting his deadline. This report was too important not to be finished. The island's future depended on him getting his data into the right hands. Sure, Toni knew that would mean that development companies like her father's would suffer. But why build and develop an island, only to have it crumble into the sea because it wasn't done properly?

Toni had placed a call to her father's attorney two days earlier when Nico finally gave her back her cell phone privileges. She had left a message for Mr. Shields to get back to her, but she worried there would be nothing that could be done about her father's estate and company going to Zac. The thought of that snake having any control of her father's legacy made her sick. Sure, her father's business practices weren't always on the up and up, but she didn't know that when she was working for him. If she had known about the island's erosion problems, she would have insisted her father pay more attention to the warning signs and less to his bottom line. Her dad hadn't always been concerned about the money, but she worried that had become his driving force after her mother died.

Nico was in the shower when her phone rang. He had put it on the dresser, out of reach, because her doctor said that too much screen time was bad for her head. Toni snuck out of bed and retrieved it.

"Hello," she loudly whispered.

"Miss Bernston?" a man's voice asked.

"Yes," she said, returning to bed. Nico would be a little less upset with her if she tried to follow some of his rules.

"This is Mr. Shields, your father's attorney," he said. "Is now a good time to talk?" Toni could hear the shower still going and decided now was as good a time as any.

"Yes," she said.

"I got your message about Mr. Bierman having control of your father's assets and I have to tell you is only partially true. Your father put a clause in his will, that if any living blood relative was found alive, he or she would inherit his estate and company, in its entirety." Toni gasped.

"Why would he put that clause in place? As far as he knew, I was dead, and there wouldn't be anyone else." Her questions were more rhetorical, but she hoped Mr. Shields had some answers.

"I don't know why the clause was added. All I can tell you is that James had me put it in about six months ago. He also gave me a sealed envelope addressed to you, Miss Bernston. I thought he was out of his mind, leaving a letter for a dead woman, but maybe he knew something the rest of us didn't."

"Do you think he knew I was alive this whole time?" she asked. Toni was trying to piece together the puzzle, but things just weren't making sense to her clouded mind. Why would her father leave a note for someone he believed to be dead?

"I wish I had more answers for you, Toni," Mr. Shields soothed. "I'm so sorry for everything you have been through. I was not just your dad's attorney, but his friend. He grieved your passing and I believe that is what led him to take his own life. I can't believe he would kill himself had he known you were alive and well somewhere on the island. I also can't believe he wouldn't have tried to contact you, had he known." Toni knew he was right. Her father would have tried to contact her if he had known she was alive and well, living just half an island away. Still, the mystery of the letter plagued her curiosity.

"I guess I'll just have to wait until I get back home to see what the letter is about then," she said.

"As to that, I'll have everything sent via courier to your location," he offered. Toni worried about giving her and Nico's exact location to anyone. She knew he could easily pass it on to Zac, and that wasn't something they could chance.

"I'll get back to you with that information," she said. Toni wanted to talk to Nico first and get his input. "In the meantime, what will I have to do to prove I am my father's true living heir?" She was sure safety measures were in place to ensure someone couldn't just walk off the street claiming to be a blood relative and take control of the company. She also worried about the lengths Zac would go to in order to keep control of the business.

"I'll just need to have you submit to a DNA test, which can also be done remotely," he offered. "Just let me know what you decide to do." Mr. Shields ended the call, and she heard the shower turn off. Nico walked into their room, still wet from his shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. She looked him up and down, and almost dropped her cell phone at just how good he looked half-naked. His body was still so new to her and the sight of him in just a towel left her feeling achy and needy in all the right places.

"Um," she squeaked. "I had to take a call." She held her phone up to him and he took it from her, replacing it back to the chest of drawers.

"I thought we talked about you staying off of your phone until your head was better?" He cocked his eyebrow at her, and she wanted to crawl across the bed and help him out of his towel, but Toni knew Nico wouldn't want to go against doctor's orders. Besides holding her at night, he had kept his distance, and she was starting to feel his absence. Having him standing in front of her, half-naked and wet, wasn't helping her with that little problem, either.

"We did, but it was my father's lawyer, returning my call. You were in the shower, so I—"

"So, you thought you'd have a few minutes to sneak in a call without me stopping you?" She couldn't help her smile. She loved the way he was so bossy. It seemed to be Nico's true nature and she craved him that way, wanting more of his need to dominate her body, mind, and spirit. Was this what their last year had been like? Toni was starting to remember little glimpses into their past year together, mainly from her dreams, but even while awake now. She didn't question that they were in love and that she wanted him. The way her body responded to him every time Nico was in the same room with her told her everything her mind couldn't remember. She belonged to him.

Nico sat down next to her, making the bed dip from his weight. She wished his body was on top of hers, but she was getting ahead of herself. First, she was going to have to tell Nico about her conversation with Mr. Shields, then she would negotiate getting Nico to lose the towel and help remind her just how bossy he was.

"What did the lawyer say?" he asked, pulling the towel tighter around his waist as if reading her dirty thoughts. She smiled at him, letting her eyes dip to where his hand rested on his thigh.

"Well," she started, "he said my father left a sealed letter for me and placed a stipulation in his will that if any living blood relative came forward, he or she would inherit everything."

Nico whistled. "Do you think James knew you were alive?"

Toni shrugged. "A part of me thinks that but the rational side of me knows that couldn't have been the case. Why wouldn't he come and find me if he knew I was alive and well?" Nico pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her body. She loved that he picked up on her sadness, giving her the comfort she needed before she even knew what she wanted.

"Maybe he was trying to protect you?" Nico asked. She wondered the same, but then why would her father take his own life? "When can you get the letter? Maybe that will answer some of your questions, baby."

"Mr. Shields says he can have everything to me, overnight. That would also mean I would have to tell him where we are. What if Zac somehow gets that information?" Toni knew Nico was working with the island's police department to try to piece together what, if anything, Zac had to do with her accident and James's death. He was still a wild card, and without knowing Zac's involvement, they had nothing to go on.

"Let's have him send everything a few towns over. I have an old college buddy who wouldn't mind us using his address. We can even have it sent to him, and that way our names aren't linked to the package." Toni nodded against Nico's chest, cuddling into his hold.

"As for the other things running through that pretty mind of yours, baby, the answer is no." Nico stood and set her gently back onto the bed. Toni didn't try to hide her pout, and Nico chuckled.

"But why?" she questioned, grabbing for his towel as he started back to the bathroom. She successfully grabbed it away from him and was gifted with the sight of his glorious ass as he walked away from her.

She watched as he pulled on his boxer briefs and moaned as he covered himself up from her roaming gaze. "You still have one more full day of recovery," he said. "Then I'm all yours, baby." Nico held his arms open wide as if giving her full access to his body. She couldn't help her glee at the thought of getting her way with him, even clapping her hands and squealing at the prospect of it all.

"Hold onto that enthusiasm for tomorrow, honey." He shot her a smile and pulled his t-shirt over his head. "I'm going to run you a bubble bath and help wash that sexy body of yours, and then we can order room service and watch some old movies." Toni knew arguing would do her no good. Nico was determined to follow the doctor's orders this time. She had overdone things with her meeting with Zac and the reporters and having to travel to Boston.

The doctor said her body and mind needed time to rest. He gave them hope that if she got proper rest, she might even get her memories back. Toni knew Nico wanted her to remember him, but she also wanted to reassure him she didn't need to remember her past with him to know she wanted a future with him in it. She was falling for him again. The sooner she admitted it, the better because she was tired of Nico walking on eggshells around her and treating her as if she might break. It was time to introduce Nico to how strong she was and remind him that his Jenn was still in there too. Tomorrow, when he gave her the green light, she'd show Nico exactly who she was.