CHAPTER 382: PARADISE (1)

Georgia’s POV

I woke up feeling warm and comfortable, only to realize the person beside me wasn’t Katie anymore. It was Nick.

He was leaning against the headboard, tablet in hand, eyes narrowed in focus like he was signing off a million-dollar deal instead of sitting in our cozy little waterfall villa.

I smiled and immediately curled my arms around his waist. "Why are you working here? Everyone’s outside having fun."

Without missing a beat, he set his tablet down on the nightstand and brushed his fingers along my arm. "I am having fun. Katie’s the one running wild with the others. I wanted to stay here, with you."

My heart melted a little.

"Are you feeling okay now?" he asked gently.

"As long as I don’t smell anything that came from the sea, I’m fine," I grumbled. "I’m just... sleepy. But I also want to enjoy the island with everyone. I don’t want to miss out."

I ended the sentence with a huge yawn, which only made him chuckle.

"You’re adorable when you fight sleep," he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Come on, let’s go. There’s so much you haven’t seen yet. There’s another beach on the left side of the island, way better than the one where we built the dock. It’s past the spring and the waterfalls. Everyone’s there right now."

My eyes snapped open, fully awake now. "Playing? As in water sports? Swimming? Sandcastles? What kind of playing?"

Nick laughed like I’d just offered to buy him a new yacht. "All of the above, love. Since we’re turning this into a resort, I already bought a few... big-boy toys. Stuff the future guests can use too. I want this place to become a vacation destination for the locals and foreigners, too."

That reeled me in even more. "Okay, what exactly did you buy?"

He only grinned wider and stood up, extending a hand to me. "Why don’t you go see for yourself?"

I slipped my hand into his, excitement bubbling through me. We stepped out of our small but charming villa tucked near the mini waterfalls, ready to explore the island like two kids sneaking out to play.

The forest beyond the stream looked nothing like the wild, tangled place I remembered. The trees were trimmed, the undergrowth cleared, and a charming stone pathway now wound through the greenery like something straight out of a tropical fairytale.

"This place improved so much," I said, turning in a slow circle. "I almost don’t recognize it anymore. How did you even manage to buy it?"

Nick chuckled, the sound echoing softly under the canopy as he squeezed my hand. "Turns out, no one owned it. Oliver checked with the Register of Deeds. Since this island falls under a tiny county that barely has tourist spots, it was easy to acquire through the Bureau of Land Management once we submitted the development plans."

"Just like that?" I blinked.

"They actually liked the proposal," he continued proudly. "Tourism would grow, locals would get jobs, and the county would finally gain something valuable. They even launched a project to build a cemented road from the nearest town to the mainland dock we use. That road will serve the boats going here."

I stopped walking for a moment, stunned. "How big... is this entire island?"

"Just under five hundred acres," Nick said casually—like he was talking about buying groceries.

My jaw dropped. "Nick! That’s huge!"

He laughed at my reaction, looking ridiculously pleased with himself. "Yeah. And that’s exactly why the search team struggled to find us before. No one lives here; it’s way too far from town, almost two hours by boat. And the only fresh water source used to be the spring."

I looked around with a soft smile, remembering the days we spent here trying to survive.

"But don’t worry," he added, leaning closer. "My team solved all of that. We’ve set up systems, housing, and utilities. Maintaining life here won’t be hard anymore, not for the workers, and definitely not for us and our future guests."

Hand in hand, we followed the stone path deeper into the transformed paradise, excitement bubbling in my chest at every new step.

"I’m curious," I said as we walked, brushing my fingers along the leaves beside the path. "Why did you decide to buy this place?"

Nick slowed, then gave me one of those soft, meaningful smiles that always made my heart do somersaults. "Because the world out there can be harsh," he said. "And if it ever treats us badly... I want a place where we can escape. Somewhere peaceful. Somewhere that gives me strength." He glanced at me with a teasing smirk. "Somewhere that reminds me of how I found my reason to live again, when you walked into my life."

My entire face burned. I swear I blushed harder than a lovesick teenager. "You!" I squeaked, punching his arm lightly. "Why are you suddenly dropping lines like that? You’re making me blush!"

He chuckled, looking just as flustered as I felt. "What? You asked. And that’s the truth." His tone softened, eyes warm. "This island... It’s the first place I chose for us. My penthouse was a bachelor pad. Our new house? That’s your land, and I love it, but... this island is different. I’m the one who bought it for our family. Not my father. Not your parents. Me."

Emotion swelled in my chest until all I could do was slip my arms around his, hugging it against me. "I’m fine anywhere, you know," I said quietly. "As long as I’m with you... and our kids."

"I know, love," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "But I still want to give you the best. You deserve it. And once the new road is built, this place will be easier to explore. We’ll have golf carts, bikes, everything. Guests, especially you, won’t have any trouble seeing every corner of this island."

I opened my mouth to reply, but suddenly—

"Uncle Liam, faster! You are so slow!"

Katie’s excited scream echoed through the air, followed by splashes and laughter from the beach up ahead.

My eyes widened. "We’re here!" I grabbed Nick’s hand with both of mine. "Come on!"

I pulled him forward, almost running, unable to contain the excitement bubbling in my chest as the sound of our friends, family, and the waves grew louder and clearer with every step.

*******

Thank you for the Golden Tickets!

Megatron93

KATHLEEN_COLL

Seana4