Time Alone and Trust Issues 1/3

Tim said something to the driver quietly and they headed back down the driveway. Once the massive gate opened, they were on their way. Mia expected to head back in the direction of central Norde City but that was not the direction they took.

Rather than question Tim she decided to go with the flow. Mia figured it was a surprise, why spoil it? Tim sat beside her looking pleased. He had poured them each wine and the car ride was relaxing.

Thirty minutes later found them pulling up to a tiny bistro restaurant right on the beach. They asked to be seated on the deck that overlooked the beach and ocean surf. The pair ordered a wonderful dinner of seafood scampi and a taster plate of fresh seafood, it was delicious. The newlyweds drank wine and really enjoyed themselves finally relaxing into this new reality. They were married again but this time things were going to be different.

The sun set with brilliant pink and orange light. It was a magical array of colors dancing across the surf. Mia wanted to be wholly in the moment but she worried about what happened next and how to get through the gauntlet so they could truly live their lives without all this turmoil. Mia pulled out her phone seeing several notifications. Nick, Eva. Dominic, even Connor had left her messages, and she didn't want to look.

Tim put his hand on top of Mia's over the phone, "Baby, for the next two days, put it away. Let's try to enjoy the tiny honeymoon that we get. We'll have a real one once everything is settled but for now let's just shut it all out. We are here in this tiny, beautiful place because no one will recognize us here and we can just be ourselves."

Mia put the phone in her bag and promised herself to try to let it all go for as long as she could. She didn't have to be Mia Lane. For a couple of days she could just be Mrs. Barrett. They left the restaurant and Mia expected to go to a hotel, so she was surprised when the car dropped them and a couple of suitcases off at a tiny cottage that sat right on the beach. Tim punched a code into a panel on the door and the door opened.

Timothy grabbed the suitcases while Mia held the door, and they stepped inside. Directly to the left was a small but tidy kitchen that had been stocked with more than enough supplies for two days. There was a table and two chairs.

Past that was a small living area that sat next to a sliding glass door leading onto the beach. To the right was a master bedroom with bathroom and a small closet. The furnishings were simple, tasteful, and clean. Mia smiled widely.

Turning her gaze on her husband, Mia walked up to him putting her arms around his neck and feeling his arms snake around her waist. She kissed him quickly.

"This is perfect, Tim. However did you find this place?" Mia wondered.

"It was on the internet. I knew we wouldn't get much time, but I couldn't stand to treat our marriage like it wasn't important. It is important to me. You know that, right?" Timothy asked her worry clear in his features.

"You have made me feel important, Tim." Mia said seriously. "I love this place, baby. You did good."

Then she was swept off her feet. "I really liked hearing that endearment. Now I feel special too." Tim sat down with her on the sofa. "Do you want to see the beach before it is dark?" 

"Sure, but not in heels," Mia laughed and grabbed her bag taking it into the bedroom. Finding her boat shoes she changed out of her heels.

Tim had taken off his jacket, unbuttoned another button on his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves. Mia liked watching the muscles in his arms as he moved. Timothy was strong. Thinking about his strong arms made her think about the rest of him, and before she knew what had happened, her breathing was fast and she felt a little dizzy.

Timothy walked over to her and caught her by the elbow. "Mia, are you alright?"

Mia looked up at him for a moment, "yes, I'm sorry, I got lost in thought."

"Let's just go please?" Mia felt embarrassed that she had such a strong reaction to mere thoughts.

Timothy took her hand and led her to the glass slider. They stepped out onto the beach together. Darkness would be on them soon but for now they could walk with their hands clasped to the edge of the surf. Mia sighed, taking in the smell of the salty ocean. She had always loved the beach, Tim stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He pushed his face into Mia hair enjoying her scent and her warmth.

Tim didn't know how he had lived before. How he had kept himself from this beautiful woman for nearly three years. It had been hard a lot of the time, but he had always held himself apart. As she cared for him in so many ways. He told himself that it was her job and how she got paid but he had never paid her. Mia had never asked for anything.

Even then he had wanted her so how had he remained unaffected? Though, maybe he hadn't because the second he believed she might leave he had wanted her back. Timothy couldn't understand his own thinking from back then.

Then that night when he finally caved in and was intimate with Mia. He felt so guilty because that day had been the day when his family had finally convinced him to get a divorce and marry Maya instead. He hadn't wanted Maya, he'd wanted Mia. So, he had gone home from that disastrous decision and gone to bed with Mia knowing he would file for divorce. He really had been a bastard.

Mia turned around to face Timothy. "You seem lost in thought. You know Ginger was excited for the visit tomorrow. I don't know what to tell her."

"Tell her that mommy and daddy needed some alone time together. She'll be so excited plus that girl can keep a secret." Tim laughed.

Mia sighed again and this time Tim tucked his hand under her chin and pulled her face up to see her eyes. They were full of worry.

Tim wrapped his arms around Mia. "Talk to me. What is on your mind?" 

"What are we going to tell them? Are we going to hide from them too? I don't know what the best course of action is." Mia was worried about her children and how to deal with this situation.

"Why don't we just act like it is perfectly normal for us to be together, which it is, and let them adjust stepping in as needed." Tim proposed.

"Sage might rat us out. He has spent more time with Nicholas and Rachel than me. I couldn't be there all the time. I had Ginger..." Mia stuttered trying to explain.

Tim rubbed Mia's back trying to soothe her. "Sweetheart, I am not judging. You dealt with a lot on your own. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's head back. It's almost dark." Together they walked back to the cottage stumbling occasionally in the failing light.

Mia sat on the sofa while Tim opened a bottle of champagne. She heard the pop and smiled. She was once again Mrs. Barrett but it felt different this time. This time she had hope. Tim brought her a glass.

"To my beautiful wife, may you never figure out that you still deserve better than me."

"To my husband, the only thing better than you is well you." Mia laughed.

Tim shook his head. "That is a terrible toast wife." His words and this toast triggered something buried deep inside Mia, something bitter. The echo of an old hurt and a deep self-loathing for her own foolishness.

"Alright I will try again, A long time ago when I was young and very stupid. I thought I could make a man love me by being a good wife. Now I am smart enough to know that I can't but what's the harm in trying it twice. Cheers! I'm going to bed." Mia drained the glass, set it on the table and walked into the bedroom. She grabbed a nightgown from her bag and went into the bathroom turning on the shower.

What was that about? Timothy thought about what her words were exactly. Mia thinks this is all pointless? No, they were not going to fall into the trap of second guessing each other. Her words stemmed from bitterness due to their terrible past. While Mia had every right to be bitter, they had to give each other some grace to be human.

Timothy sat his glass down and walked into the bedroom finding the bathroom door open a crack. He heard the shower running. Deciding he was going into the bathroom he stripped off everything but his boxers. Then he walked into the steamy bathroom. Mia was in the shower, but she was just leaning her head against the shower wall. It looked like she was sobbing as her shoulders were shaking.

Tim pushed his boxers off and stepped into the shower and wrapped his arms around Mia. She looked up at him with such a desolate look on her face that his heart froze. Why did she look like that?

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to leave you the first time? If I had to do it again, I..." Mia trailed off. She looked at the floor. "I can't do this again, Tim. Getting married was stupid. I will have Jason annul it tomorrow and we can forget it." She went to step out of the shower.

"No, that doesn't work for me. It wasn't stupid. We are supposed to be together. I get that you're scared but you are not going anywhere. If you need to cry, scream, punch, kick then do it, but you are my wife and you will stay my wife. There is no exit strategy here, sweetheart. We are in it until the end. Go ahead and be mad but don't you dare give up." Tim rinsed himself under the water to get the day's sweat off.

"Come to bed. I want to make love to my wife." Tim climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself and left the bathroom. He would give her five minutes then he would drag her into bed. Of course, he wouldn't touch her unwillingly, but she could lay beside him at least. Timothy just hoped she would come to bed on her own. It was still their wedding night even if it had taken a turn for the worse.

Right at the five-minute mark Mia stepped into the bedroom in a short black nightgown. Was it Peyton who packed her clothes or Caleb? Tim considered removing both men's eyes for a moment. Then he decided whoever had done him a favor and should be rewarded.

Tim reached an arm toward her pulling the covers back "Come here please."

Mia climbed into the bed and lay down beside him on her back. He was surprised that her hair was mostly dry. He hadn't heard the hair dryer, a mystery.

"I am sorry Tim. I think I freaked out a little bit there." Mia said very quietly.

Timothy nuzzled his face into Mia's neck and hair breathing her scent in. It calmed him. "I can understand the worry and the fear, but I will never give you a reason to run from me. This is forever Mrs. Barrett, get used to it." Mia nodded against his cheek. He would take that for now.

The time for talking was over. Tim had wanted his wife all day. He ached to the point of pain for half the day. Tim propped himself up on an elbow above her looking at Mia in the moonlight. Her beauty called to the part of him that was male, but it was everything that made Mia amazing that made him need her with such ferocity.

He had been around scores of beautiful women but only this one, only Mia had ever made him crave the physical intimacy of a husband for his wife. Timothy's hand moved down to cup Mia's cheek then curled into the hair at the back of her neck.

His lips came down to meet hers kissing her slowly waiting for her to open to him on her own. It was a minute longer than he had hoped but finally her lips parted, and his tongue moved against hers. Their lips moved against each other insistently trying to find that closeness they both desired as Mia's hand curled in Timothy's hair.

Tim's hand moved from Mia's neck across her chest where it cupped and kneaded her breast before moving to her waist the slippery feeling of her nightgown nice against his hand. His hand moved to her hip next pulling her closer to him before moving down to her bare thigh. Her skin was so soft. Tim groaned as his hand snaked back to her hip under her nightgown to find that she wasn't wearing anything else. He moved his hand to the bare skin of her waist listening to her soft moans as he touched her.

Timothy pulled back for a minute aware that he was very naked and very aroused. He reached down with both hands and pulled the nightgown off Mia. Her skin glowed in the moonlight, and he was enchanted. Startled Tim felt her hand wrap around him, and his head fell back. As Mia's fingers stroked him tentatively, he couldn't help the moan that escaped.

Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? He let her continue for a minute but quickly had to stop her exploration, the sensation was too much. She pouted and gave a mewling sound.

"Baby, if you keep that up this will be over way too soon." Timothy told her.

"Lay on your back." Mia told him. He didn't understand why but he was loathe to deny her anything, so he did as she asked. He was slightly self-conscious because he had a personal Barrett tower situation going on or he would have been if Mia hadn't immediately straddled him and placed her wet heat right on top of him.

Mia leaned down to him and kissed him, and he propped himself up on an elbow, his free hand tangled in her hair. Then he realized her breasts were directly in his face. Tim scooted them back against a mountain of pillows and pulled her nipple into his mouth. She moaned, beginning to rock against his core. He had to take several deep breaths to deal with the sensations.

Mia leaned up unable to take the unrelenting need anymore and moved so he would line up with her. She had slid down halfway when Tim's hands caught her hips and stopped her. She growled at him for stopping her.

"Give me a second... You caught me by surprise." Tim was breathing heavily.

"Go ahead..." he said after a minute smirking at how demanding she was.

Mia rose up and slid slowly to where she wanted to be with Timothy fully inside of her. She put her hands on his chest and rolled her hips against his. She moaned as intense pleasure shot through her. Tim's body convulsed and he threw his head back with a groan. One hand came to her hip and the other cupped and kneaded her breast.

They found a rhythm with the roll of her hips, the tempo becoming faster and faster as she got closer to her peak. Soon both of his hands held fast to her hips. Tim felt like he was just trying to stay on the ride while powerful surges of pleasure rocked through him.

Mia's rhythm became erratic quickly, and soon she cried out Timothy's name as she fell over the edge. Tim lifted her hips a couple inches needing something harder. He thrust into her body two times, and then a third time hard before releasing hot seed into her with a strangled curse as he held Mia tightly to him. She was slumped against his chest weak from exercise and adrenaline. Timothy kissed the top of her head as he tried to calm his breathing.

No, Timothy thought, he would never let her go. He would die first.