“Mason?” Destiny gasped. “I, ummm, didn’t think you’d still be around here.”
“I wanted to apologise.” My voice was soft as I handed her the bunch of flowers I’d grabbed in town. “These are for you.”
“Thank you,” she said, as she took the blooms out of my hands.
“Feel like a bit of a walk?” I nodded my head toward the path that lead to the resort’s private beach. She placed the flowers on the bench I’d been sitting on and she followed me toward the entrance. A light breeze flowed through the tall grass that lined the path, making it dance as we strolled toward the sand. Myhand tentatively reached out for hers, fingers grazing her soft skin. Destiny intertwined her long fingers in mine and my heart leapt.
I led us along the sand to a spot at the edge of the cove where a large log laid on the ground. Sitting down, I wasn’t sure where to start with my apology. To be honest, it wasn’t something I usually did.
“Destiny, I don’t know how to say this, but I wanted to say I’m really sorry for making a scene last night.” I took a breath, hoping that she would jump in with some quick words of acceptance. When the silence between us drew out, I continued. “I don’t have any excuse really, but I do want to say that seeing you last night, in my home, with my family, it hit me in a way I didn’t know how to deal with.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Your inability to regulate your emotions as an adult is not my problem.” She looked into the distance, at the water crashing on the rocks.
“I get that but Destiny, when I woke up in that hotel room, alone, I thought I’d lost you.” I cringed at my desperate tone.
“Mason, it was a one-night stand in Las Vegas. You make it sound like we were in a relationship.” Destiny shook her head.
“That night, it was the best night of my life.” I ran my hand through my hair. “To me, it was never just a one-night stand. To me, it was a beginning. ”
“You say that, like our visit to the wedding chapel, was more than just a bit of fun, like your proposal was real.” Her voice faltered at that last part, like she didn’t believe her words.
“I think I wanted it to be real.” I admitted. “There’s something else I need to tell you, though.”
Destiny grew silent, like she didn’t know how to reply to me. I steamrolled ahead with my news, unsure how to say it. “Do you remember that on the night we had all that paperwork we needed to sign?”
“Barely. I wasn’t paying much attention to anything other than the man I wanted to drag back to the nearest hotel room,” Destiny laughed. “Just spit it out Mason, I have a feeling I won’t want to hear this.”
“We’re married. Legally.” I pulled out the marriage certificate.
“What? How?” The shock poured off Destiny as she grabbed at the paper in my hand.
“The concierge at the hotel. I think he heard ‘married’ and thought we meant a real wedding.” My heart clenched at the idea I was losing her again. “We can get it annulled, we’d both been drinking…”
“I was not drunk, and neither were you,” Destiny defended herself. “But I guess it would be best to-”
“We don’t have to get it annulled if you don’t want to.” I interrupted, my heart full of hope. “Or at least we can wait…get to know each other a little?”
We sat there in silence while Destiny thought about what I’d just said. Watching the rhythm of the waves as they gently rolled toward the shore.
“My parents named the resort after this beach.” I began the story to fill the stillness of the moment. “Back when my great grandparents owned this place, it was a traditional caravan park. When Dad inherited it, there were a few old vans, but it was mostly powered sites. It used to be called ‘Kings Holiday Park’.”
“The origin story on the website was one of the reasons I was obsessed with this place…” Destiny said softly.
“Growing up onsite, this place was like my own private paradise. Fishing, swimming, hiking. Mum taught us all to play guitar and piano. I had my first gig at the restaurant when I was 13.” I smiled at the memory. “Don’t get me wrong, we were all cleaning cabins and checking in guests way before it was legal for us to be on the payroll.”
A laugh peeled from her. “So you weren’t always an entitled jerk?”
“I’m sorry, Destiny. Genuinely, for embarrassing you last night. Until you, I’ve never wanted anything more than a casual hook up with anyone and before you tell me how selfish that sounds, let me explain. My whole life I’ve been taught that King’s fall in love at first sight. If the story is to be believed, I was conceived on this beach the same night my parents met.”
“So what you’re saying is that you believe you can meet a woman in a bar, propose to her, marry her that night and live happily ever after?” Destiny looked skeptical.
“No.” I took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “What I’m saying is that I can be awestruck by a beautiful woman walking into a bar, that I can walk up to her and talk to her and I can recognise the potential of the moment. That it could easily be the beginning of something more, something monumental.”
“I don’t know if you’re delusional or just narcissistic.” I would’ve been hurt by what she said if she hadn’t hinted in Vegas that her dad’s multiple marriages had heavily coloured her ideas of love. “But I have to say that running into each other again had me questioning if maybe we were meant to be something more than a one-night stand.”
The hope blooming inside me must’ve been written on my face.
“Let’s just get one thing straight. I’m not your wife. Even if the paperwork says otherwise.” The look Destiny gave me made no secret that she was to be believed. “But I will agree that maybe this is an opportunity and that maybe this could lead to something more. That maybe we need to explore it. There could be some things I might like to revisit from our night in Vegas, too.”
