CHAPTER 376: OUR ISLAND (1)

Georgia’s POV

My entire body ached before my eyes even opened, like every muscle was protesting the very idea of waking up. The yacht swayed gently, and when my hand slid across the sheets, Nick’s side was already cold.

Great. My husband didn’t say good morning and immediately abandoned me for the driver’s seat. Perhaps it’s already late.

I stretched, groaned, blinked once... and then the world tilted.

"Oh shit—" was all I managed before I bolted upright and sprinted to the bathroom like my life depended on it.

I barely made it to the toilet before last night’s entire menu decided to come back up with vengeance. By the time I was slumped on the cold tiles, I felt drunk, except I hadn’t touched a single drop of alcohol.

Well, I couldn’t. I was pregnant.

"Hey, Georgia—" Nick’s voice rushed in, frantic and gravelly. He appeared at the doorway like he’d teleported. "Are you okay?"

I lifted one shaky hand, palm facing him.

Please wait.

Do NOT come closer.

I am fighting for my life.

Then another wave hit me, and I vomited again.

Nick was instantly behind me, rubbing my back in slow circles like he was trying not to freak out. He helped me up to the sink as if I’d break.

"What happened? You were perfectly fine yesterday. Why are you suddenly seasick now?" he asked, sounding like he was two seconds away from calling emergency services.

"Morning sickness," I mumbled as he walked me back to bed.

"But you were fine for weeks," he argued, still worried.

"Yeah, because it doesn’t happen every day. Two or three times a week, max. And usually when it hits, you’re already at the office, which is a blessing, honestly. You would’ve panicked exactly like this."

"I’ll always worry," he said immediately, pulling me into him. "Big or small."

I softened into him until a very important question struck me.

I squinted at him.

"...Who’s driving the yacht?"

Nick blinked, completely unfazed.

"It’s on autopilot for the next two hours."

"Oh. Okay." I nodded, relieved.

He sat up so fast you’d think he was responding to a military alarm. "Do you need anything? I’ll get it. Just tell me."

I shook my head. "Nope. I think I’ll just sleep. My whole body hurts." I joked lightly... then instantly regretted it.

Nick’s face morphed into horror.

"Oh my god. It is because of last night. I pushed you too hard. I hurt you—"

"What? No!" I cut him off and wrapped my arms around him. "Nick, stop. It’s not your fault. We had a long day. Wedding, reception, yacht ride... I’m just tired."

But the words slid off him like oil on water. "I might’ve hurt the baby," he whispered, eyes wide. "Maybe we should stop doing it until you give birth—"

"Absolutely not."

I slapped my hand over his mouth before he could finish that unforgivable sentence.

"You will never say that again. Ever. And no, you did NOT hurt the baby. So erase that thought completely. I hate it."

Nick’s panic melted in an instant. And was replaced by a slow, wicked smirk.

"Oh?" he murmured. "Then what does my wife like?" His arms wrapped around me, warm and strong, as he trailed soft kisses along my neck and shoulder.

I snorted, pushing his face away lightly. "I like sleep. And when I wake up, maybe I’ll be horny again and jump on you. But right now? I’m dizzy. I need to recharge." I pointed toward the stairs. "So go back to your post, chief. The captain is going back to sleep."

Nick chuckled, kissed my cheek, and slowly got up.

"Alright, love," he said, brushing a hand through my hair. "Join me upstairs when you wake up. I’ll be waiting for you."

God help me...

I could already tell he’d be waiting with ideas.

The next time I woke, it wasn’t from dizziness; it was from the sound of voices crackling faintly above me, mixed with the rumble of something mechanical shifting gears. For a moment, I just lay there, blinking at the ceiling, listening.

Voices.

Footsteps.

Movement.

Then... nothing.

Silence.

I sat up slowly, stretching my sore limbs. My stomach felt calmer but empty. That alone was enough to get me out of bed.

I grabbed one of Nick’s oversized t-shirts, because mine mysteriously disappeared somewhere between last night’s chaos and this morning, and paired it with my shorts. After splashing a bit of water on my face, I made my way up the stairs.

The closer I got to the top, the louder the faint radio chatter became.

And when I stepped outside, sunlight hit me full force, warm, bright, almost blinding.

Nick stood at the helm, one hand on the wheel, the other holding a radio to his ear. His brows were drawn in concentration, jaw set in his usual captain mode expression.

God, that look on him never got old.

He glanced sideways, noticed me, and the stern expression instantly softened into a warm smile.

"Hey, babe," he said, lowering the radio. "You’re finally awake. And just in time, we’re near land."

I walked forward, barefoot on the deck, and stopped beside him. Then I saw it.

An island.

Straight ahead.

Growing larger by the second.

My breath caught.

It looked... familiar.

The lush trees. The pale stretch of sand. The odd shape of the cliffs off to the left. Like something I’d seen before, maybe in a photo, maybe in a dream, but I couldn’t place it. However, it was certainly nostalgic.

Nick nudged me lightly with his elbow. "Look closely."

I grabbed the binoculars hanging beside the wheel and lifted them to my eyes.

The image sharpened immediately.

A small wooden dock extended out from the shore, newly built, clean, polished by sunlight. A few people stood waiting on it, waving towards us. Behind them were small rocky outcrops and a cluster of wooden huts with palm roofs, arranged neatly in a semicircle like a tiny village.

It looked like a resort’s welcome center.

But quieter.

More private.

More intimate.

"Do you recognize it?" Nick asked, watching me instead of the horizon.

I lowered the binoculars slightly.

"It looks familiar," I admitted slowly. "And I feel like I know it somehow... but I’m not sure. I’ve never seen that dock before. And those buildings, those are new."

Nick chuckled, the soft, knowing kind that instantly made me suspicious.

"Take a closer look, love," he said.

I raised the binoculars again.

This time, I looked harder. Followed the curve of the coastline. The angle of the cliffs. The formation of the trees. The huge rocks on the side. The way the sand dipped on one side, creating a crescent shape—

And then it hit me.

Hard.

I gasped, lowering the binoculars completely. My eyes snapped to Nick, wide, disbelieving.

"Nicholas Knight...!"

He arched a brow, trying and failing to hide a smile.

"Don’t tell me..." I whispered. "Nick, don’t tell me it’s what I’m thinking—"

He nodded once, slow and sure, letting the revelation sink in.

"Yep," he said, voice low with pride.

"That island is ours now."

*******

Thank you for the Golden Ticket!

Noni_Byz

hmerai

Teresa_H_6159