One Night

Chapter 258

Audrey

The lake cottage appeared just as it had the last time we visited–secluded and quiet, nestled into a copse of pine trees with the water’s calm surface glittering in the afternoon sunlight. Edwin put the car in park at the end of the gravel driveway, and the scent of fresh air hit me as we climbed out.

Before I could remark on the fact that we had come here on a whim, barely having given ourselves enough time to change out of our ceremony attire before we had packed two bags and jumped back into the car, Edwin turned to me and held out his hand expectantly. “Hand it over.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Your phone,” he said, eyes narrowing slightly. “This is supposed to be a work–free weekend, remember?”

I instinctively clutched my phone a little closer to my chest. “But what if something happens? What if Charles needs to reach us about the orphanage investigation?”

Edwin shook his head, his patience unwavering. “Then he knows how to reach me. Trust me, Audrey, the world will still be there for you to save when we get back. But right now, you need to take a break. And I’m not taking no for an answer.”

I hesitated for a moment and glanced down at my precious phone, but deep down, I knew he was right. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed this. I needed to unplug, even if just for a little while. Yet again, I had thrown myself headfirst into my problems and was beginning to suffer for it.

So, with a heavy sigh, I handed over my phone. I felt oddly vulnerable without it.

“Thank you,” he said, slipping it into his pocket with a satisfied smile. “You can thank me later.”

I doubted it, but I managed a small smile in return.

Once we unpacked our things, I found myself sprawled across the plush leather couch, flipping through a magazine that I had found on the coffee table. The cottage was quiet, far too quiet. Edwin had insisted on bringing us here to spend a weekend alone together, a chance to clear our heads, but with it this quiet, it just made the thoughts whirling through my mind even louder.

That was, until Edwin appeared from the bathroom. I glanced up–and immediately did a double–take, nearly choking on my own breath.

He stood there in nothing but his birthday suit, his muscles glistening in the sunlight streaming through the windows. His manhood was on full display, a cheeky grin plastered to his face. I couldn’t tell if he was coming on to me or… what.

But before I could say anything, he tossed something at me. My reflexes kicked in just in time, and I caught the soft bundle. Looking down, I realized it was a beach towel.

“Meet me outside in five minutes,” he said, winking before disappearing through the back door, still fully nude.

I blinked, caught between amusement and exasperation. “It’s nearly October!” I called after him, but he was already gone. Still, the day was much hotter than it should have been for fall, and the thought of soaking in the lake’s cool water suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad idea. With a shake of my head and a smile, I stripped off my clothes and headed outside.

What greeted me made me burst out laughing.

There, in the middle of the lake, was Edwin–lounging in the water on an enormous inflatable swan, sunglasses askew, drink in hand, and a ridiculously pleased grin on his face.

1/3

Thu, Nov

Chapter 258

“Where did you even get that thing?” I shouted, trying to suppress the giggles bubbling up in my chest.

like a king on his swan throne. “Get in here!”

“Does it matter?” he shot back, reclinin

81%

+5

The water was cooler than I expected as I climbed down the ladder at the end of the dock, but it wasn’t unbearably cold. The contrast between the refreshing water and

“le warm air was actually pleasant, and by the time I was fully submerged, I hardly felt the cold anymore.

When I reached the floatie, Edwin reached out and helped pull me up onto the swan beside him.

“There,” he said, wrapping an arm around about work?”

y shoulders as we floated lazily across the lake. “Isn’t this better than worrying

I had to admit, it was. The sun felt wonderful on my skin, and the clouds were drifting lazily through the blue sky overhead. We floated in easy silence for a while, just listening to the sounds of nature around us–the soft rustling of leaves, the occasional call of a bird, the water lapping against the shore.

Every time my mind began to wander toward work or the ever–present orphanage investigation, Edwin would splash me with water or crack some ridiculous joke that had me laughing despite myself. It was impossible to stay focused on anything serious when he was around, and in this moment, I was grateful for that.

“The world can’t be saved in one night, you know,” he said softly after a while, his fingers brushing through my wet hair.

“I know,” I sighed, leaning into his touch. “I just wish it could be.

“I get that feeling too, love. But let’s not forget that you spent nearly all of your summer working your ass off, and you practically kill yourself with more work every day.”

I let out a soft sigh at that. Edwin was right; we’d hardly done anything but work and worry all summer, and already autumn to the estate and one date night, had arrived. We were lucky that today was as warm as it was, because aside from a brief trip we hadn’t really enjoyed our summer at all.

The afternoon stretched on like that, quiet and peaceful, until I began to feel a different kind of restlessness settle in. Edwin, had been doing so much to help me unwind lately, always making sure I was taken care of, always knowing exactly what I needed. I wanted to do something for him in return, something to show my appreciation.

“Stay out here,” I told him as I carefully climbed float and swam back to shore. “I’m going to make dinner.”

off the

to

Cook?”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “You’re goin

I shot him a playful glare, wrapping my towel around myself. “Don’t look so shocked. I can handle grilling some steaks.”

True to my word, I managed to grill the steaks to perfection–medium rare, just the way Edwin liked them. I found some simple sides in the cottage’s small kitchen, and soon enough, I had everything plated up and ready to go. By the time I brought the food out to the deck, where Edwin had set up a small table, the sun was beginning to set, casting the lake in hues of orange and pink.

Edwin poured us each a glass of red wine as we settled into our seats. The evening air was still warm, but the soft breeze from the lake kept it from being too heavy.

I nuzzled down a little into Edwin’s white button–down, making no effort to hide the way I was admiring his bare muscles. He had put on some pants, but his torso was still on glorious display in the light of the setting sun.

“To taking breaks,” Edwin said, holding up his glass with a small smile.

raised mine in return, clinking it against his. “To taking breaks. With you.”

We clinked our glasses together and dug into our meals.

09:21 Thu, Nov 7 BB.

Chapter 258

3

chair.

01/0

As we sat there, watching the sky darken and the stars slowly begin to peek through the twilight, I couldn’t help but feel a breath of relief slip out of me. “You were right, as always,” I said around a mouthful of steak, leaning back in my “Oh?” Edwin shot me a bemused glance as he cut the last piece of his steak. “That’s a first, coming from you.”

+5

I rolled my eyes and rose, rounding the table to meet him. He dropped his knife and fork back on his plate, tilting his head up as I cupped his stubbled face in my hands.

“My wish came true,” I whispered, tracing my thumb across his cheekbone.

He grinned and held my wrists, his palms cool against my skin. “Are you going to tell me what it was now?”

I shrugged. “I just wished for happiness with you, even in the smallest moments.” My voice dropped as I leaned down to capture his lips against mine. “And I got that peace today.”

0