Is this destiny?

~ Private island, Pacific Ocean ~

JoAnna woke up and lazily stretched in the bed. The sound of the ocean is intoxicating. It took her few seconds to realize based on the high position of the sun that it's mid-day.

"Oh, no… so much from maximizing my day...", JoAnna grumbled.

"We maximized last night." Jeff grinned while pulling JoAnna closer to him.

JoAnna rolled her eyes, but she could not deny that previous night was… maximized. Two of them made love and cuddled until the first sunrays. And she is not sure at what point she slept off.

She snuggled next to him and yawned. "As much as I want to spend the day awake, I am still sleepy…"

"You can sleep as long as you want." Jeff kissed top of her head. "I will hold you."

JoAnna loves the idea of spending time in the bed, in Jeff's embrace… but she does not want to sleep. Not now. "No. It will be a pity to waste such a great day on sleeping. I can sleep at home."

"OK, then… let me go and get you breakfast. Don't move!", Jeff leaped out of the bed and headed out.

JoAnna was disappointed that he left the bed, but she was distracted by the sight of his retreating back. Oh, God! Her handsome man is wearing only boxer shorts, and he leisurely walked out of the room!

She reminded herself that it's only two of them in the villa… or probably on the island. Ah! No people, no bodyguards, no reporters, no work, no responsibilities… just the two of them… perfect day, perfect birthday!

JoAnna smiled at the thought that Jeff is getting her breakfast in bed. It's a nice treat… She got cozy under the cover, and she must have slept off again because next thing she knows is that Jeff entered the room carrying a tray. Probably his cheerful "Happy birthday!" woke her up.

The rest of the day was wonderful, in JoAnna's opinion.

Two of them shared breakfast in bed and exchanged light kisses and loving gazes. It's the best way to start the day.

After breakfast, Jeff helped her shower. His hands-on service was exceptional. But he didn't go beyond hands-touching with an explanation that they should save their energy for after dinner.

Ah, JoAnna can guess that another sleepless night is ahead of them, and she likes that thought very much.

They spent some time on the beach, enjoying in the shade on a lounging chair while sipping chilled drinks.

JoAnna is happy that the staff prepared everything in advance, including food and drinks. They only need to get it out of the fridge and warm it up if necessary. That saves them the time they would otherwise spend on food preparation… and they get more time to hold each other and unwind.

She was telling him about her work on the script for the TV drama and he listened attentively. Jeff even asked questions about future story plot developments. JoAnna is really touched by all the love he showers her with, because she is confident that if it's not for her, he would not care about that TV drama at all.

JoAnna avoided mentioning Jules because she noticed that Jeff does not like him very much. She met Jules few times on the set, and in JoAnna's opinion, Jules is very polite after that incident at the resort when he apologized because he mistaken her for a crazed fan. She is confident that he is the one who talked to producers of the show and got them to hire her as a professional advisor. After all, he is the only one who knew that she has a background in medicine and is qualified for that position. But she still does not know what Jules's motives are. Is he really sorry and wants to be friends? Or is this his way of getting her to lower her guard so that he can seduce her later? Or is it something else…? She can't even guess, so she decided to be vigilant and to observe him. Eventually, she will find out.

Since JoAnna and Jeff got out of the bed late, they burned they daytime rather quickly, and decided to skip lunch and move onto the dinner right away.

JoAnna wanted to set up the table together with Jeff, but he insisted that she should leave everything to him. "Go, rest, change clothes, keep busy… I will come and get you when everything is ready." He almost pushed her up the stairs, and he went toward the kitchen only when she entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

JoAnna got comfortable in the chaise on the balcony of the master bedroom and enjoyed the sound of the ocean. She reflected on the day and recent events, as well as upcoming ones. She can't believe that in only five days she will be Mrs. Jeffrey White! Officially!!! JoAnna pinched herself, to make sure she is not dreaming.

It feels like only few days ago that Jeff was in her apartment after beating up Greg in the parking lot of Franciscan Medical Center. JoAnna remembers that she was stealing glances at him, unsure if she will ever be able to catch the eye of an exceptional man like Jeff. Why would someone absolutely amazing in every way give her a minute of his time? And here she is now, relaxing and enjoying feeling of a warm tropical breeze on her cheeks while the most impressive man in the world is busying himself with preparing dinner for her. Treating her like a queen. His queen. That alone is the best birthday treat!

JoAnna thought about his birthday. It's in March. They met around that time… About a week before his birthday he was in the hospital, and he had a party where he met Isabella as his future wife. Shortly after his birthday they met again, and she spent next few nights in his embrace. By that time, she was already smitten with him… and he was a gentleman.. Almost.