Broken Wings (Contemporary Romance) (9 page)

Joshua was in the small lodge kitchen cooking up a storm. The beautiful aromatic smells were drifting up the stairs and into the bathroom, grabbing the attention of Angelina's senses!
Wow, that smells good
. She stepped out of the bath and sat on the edge as she smothered her legs and arms in her favourite moisturizer. Once satisfied that they were smooth and shiny, she dabbed her hair dry some more and combed it through thoroughly before drying it. Once finished, she slipped into her black shift dress and straightened it out along the line of her body as she looked in the mirror, admiring the image before her. After applying minimal make up, a splash of lip gloss and casting a spray of her favourite Estee Lauder perfume Sensuous over her neck, she was very happy with the image staring back at her in the mirror.

She slowly made her way down the creaky wooden stairs and found her way to Joshua, who was watching over the food cooking away on the old stove. He turned around and smiled at Angelina.
“You look beautiful, truly beautiful, Angelina.” He took her by the hand and led her to the dining table he had dressed to perfection. “Now, I am going to take a quick shower, so have a glass of champagne and choose a CD for us to listen to over dinner. There is a huge selection to choose from over there in the corner; by the way, what sort of music do you like?”

“
I love Ed Sheeran, I think his music is fresh and original and I also like Rebecca Ferguson, especially her song “Nothing's Real but Love.” I think it's such a beautiful song. She has an incredible voice; I also love the old classics too, like the Beatles. You got to love the Beatles!”

“
I have not really listened to Rebecca Ferguson but I do like Ed Sheeran and totally agree with you he is unique and refreshingly original. You will find his CD in my collection. I'm sorry to say you won't find anything by the Beatles but I do agree they were pretty cool in their day and continue to be!”

Joshua ran up the stairs to take a shower and Angelina decided there was only one CD fit for their evening! She reached for the Ed Sheeran CD and slipped the disc into the CD drawer; using the old remote, she pressed ‘play’ and sat down listening to the beautiful words echo around the lodge as she sipped her champagne and sat back, allowing the bubbles to tickle her brain. Relaxed and comfortable, she closed her eyes and listened to the beautiful words of Ed Sheeran echoing through the lodge as she waited for Joshua.

As she thought back over the week, she smiled and curled up her legs on the old arm chair by the window, looking out onto the lake which looked hauntingly beautiful under the night sky. I could stay here forever, she thought to herself. No worries, away from the world, deep in the middle of Lake Windermere. It was a paradise in its own right. Joshua came strolling down the stairs in a pair of jeans and white shirt open at the collar and loosely hanging over his jeans, looking fresh and casual.

“
Well, don't you scrub up well?” she teased as he poured himself a glass of champagne and made his way over to the stove.

“
Okay then, ma lady, would you kindly take your seat at the table as dinner is being served.”

Smiling, Angelina made her way to the table and sat down. Joshua placed a large oval dish onto the middle of the table.
“I hope you like Coq au Vin?” he said as he lifted the lid of the dish and the aromatic smells permeated the room.

“
Lucky for you, I do!” she teased.

“
Well, thank goodness for that as this is my signature dish!”

Joshua served up dinner with Ed Sheeran playing in the background. He looked at his Angelina with nothing but love in his eyes for this beautiful woman he'd known but only a week.
“Come on then, what's the verdict?” asked Joshua curiously.

Angelina remained quiet, chewing her chicken slowly and teasingly with a cheeky smile displayed across her face.
“I'm teasing, it's lovely, really lovely. So what else do you have on the menu?”

“
Ah, now that would be telling! You will just have to wait and see.” After they talked, laughed and finished up dinner, Joshua disappeared to the kitchen and reappeared a few moments later, sporting a suspicious smile. When he sat down, he was quiet and slightly fidgety, which did not go unnoticed by Angelina.

“
Okay, I have something I would like to give you. It's an early Christmas present and under the circumstances, I thought it was perfect timing, I just hope you think so too.” Joshua handed the small quaint box to Angelina. She was stunned into silence, not quite knowing what to say. This was quite unexpected and she had not thought to buy him a gift in return. Slowly and carefully, she removed the baby blue paper to reveal a beautiful square Tiffany & Co signature box. As she carefully lifted the lid and took out the blue pouch, she looked towards Joshua. “Oh Josh, you really shouldn't have, I don't know what to say.”

“
Don't say anything, just look inside,” urged Joshua.

Angelina slipped the contents of the Tiffany locket onto the palm of her hand. She looked in awe at the beautiful necklace and her eyes filled.
“Joshua it's beautiful,” she cried.

“
My thought behind this was, we could take some pictures and maybe you could put one in your locket.”

After she had composed herself, Angelina nodded her head in agreement.
“Yes, that was a perfect idea. We better take some pictures then before we leave.”

Angelina lifted up her hair and as Joshua fastened her locket, he kissed the nape of her slim neck slowly, moving around to her lips. He picked her up and carried her upstairs and lay her down onto the large wooden framed bed. He slowly unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. Angelina unbuttoned his jeans and slipped them off him, allowing them to fall to the floor haphazardly. She slid on top of him, her hair falling forward and resting on his chest, then she bent down, kissing him, their tongues meeting with a passion reserved for those with limited time and a desperate need to make the most of every last moment they had together. She raised her hips and then lowered herself down onto him. Joshua placed his hands around her lower back and encouraged her movement, they moved in sync with one another. Angelina's head flung back and a tear of pleasure fell from her eye as she came to orgasm, swiftly followed by Joshua. They fell side by side onto the bed. Joshua turned to her, sweeping a strand of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.
“I love you, Angelina.” And then he kissed her once more.

Angelina could not stem the flow of tears, betraying her feelings as they cascaded down her cheeks.
“I love you, too.” They lay side by side for over an hour before once again making love well into the early hours of the morning.

The following morning, Angelina snuck out of bed and slipped down the stairs quietly to surprise Joshua with breakfast for a change. She managed to rustle up a full English breakfast fit for a king before Joshua's eyes opened and he realized she was not beside him! As he stretched his arms wide and sat up, he smiled and followed the smell of bacon all the way down to the kitchen where Angelina was plating up breakfast wearing nothing but the white shirt he had been wearing the night before.

“My shirt looks great on you.” He smiled and ran up to her, scooping her up in his arms before planting a kiss on her lips.

“
I hope you're ready for this, because I am famished.”

They sat down to a sumptuous breakfast of sausage, eggs, bacon, beans, and fried bread.
“I meant what I said last night, you do know that, don't you?”

“
It's going to be so hard while you're away, Joshua, you have turned my whole life around in the last week. You have made me so happy in a way I never thought possible. I'm going to miss you so much.”

“
If you want to feel close to me, just hold the locket. I have given you my heart and that locket symbolizes that. Keep it close. I will be back before you know it. I will write to you often, I promise. That reminds me I have two smaller gifts for you.” Joshua walked over to the small Christmas tree, picked up the two small gifts and handed them over to Angelina.

“
What's all this then? The one gift was more than enough, Joshua.” Angelina slowly unwrapped the first gift to reveal a bottle of her favourite perfume, Sensuous by Estee Lauder.

“
I noticed you were running out when I came over to your cottage the other day so I thought a new bottle was in order.” Joshua smiled.

Angelina then opened the second gift, which revealed a beautiful writing pad and pen.
“I thought you would be needing lots of paper while I'm away so I thought I would start you off,” said Joshua mischievously.

“
Joshua you are full of surprises, thank you so much, I love them.” Angelina flung her arms around his neck and planted a kiss firmly on his lips. “So what's the plan for today?”

“
I have organized a cruise around Lake Windermere and hired the whole cruise boat out for just the two of us; the trip includes lunch and will take us slowly all around Lake Windermere so it will last half a day approximately. How does that sound?”

“
Oh, that's fantastic. I always see those large cruise boats cruising around the lake, packed to the rafters with tourists, in the summer time especially, and often thought I must book myself on one. But to have the boat all to ourselves is just perfect. I had no idea you could hire them out for private bookings.”

“
Right then, go and get ready and put some warm clothes on as it's very cold out there on the lake this time of year.”

Angelina took the stairs two by two and jumped into the shower. Thirty minutes later, they were leaving the lodge and climbing into the car as the cruise steamer was anchored on the other side of the lake at the end of the pier. As they made their way down the pier, a rather rotund man was waiting for them.
“I was beginning to think you weren't coming, you're ten minutes late,” he snarled.

“
So sorry, we were unexpectedly delayed,” lied Joshua, smiling towards Angelina devilishly.

“
No harm done. Jump on board and then we can get going.”

They stepped onto the large steamer, made their way to the very back and sat in the crisp open air on one of the long wooden seats as it slowly started its engines and moved away from the bank. Throughout the morning, they drank coffee while sailing around the beautiful vistas of Windermere. They huddled together in the corner, looking out onto the beautiful vastness of the lake. There was hardly anyone to be seen, just a few dog walkers, joggers and hikers. The tourist season was over and the lake was once again blessed with the peace and tranquillity it deserved.

The area surrounding the lake was adorned in beautiful autumn colours; the leaves on the trees had turned a deep burnt orange and fire red. The ground beneath was carpeted with fallen leaves, which added to the beautiful surroundings. Angelina took a deep breath and clung on to Joshua's arm, smiling as the large steamer glided with ease along the lake. The views were breath-taking and she couldn't imagine a more beautiful place to be. She couldn't remember one single moment in the last three years where she had felt so unbelievably happy. She dared to imagine a future with Joshua and what it would be like to grow old with him.

She was brought back to reality with a jolt as a rotund man holding a tray stood in front of them.
“Champagne as requested, sir” said the waiter.

“
Thank you,” replied Joshua as he turned to Angelina, sporting a mischievous grin. “Before you go, would you mind taking a couple of pictures for us?” he asked, looking straight at the disgruntled waiter. The waiter nodded and took the camera from Joshua, took two photos and then handed the camera back and walked off.

“
Champagne, ma lady?” Angelina smiled and nodded, taking the glass from Joshua.

“
You really are full of surprises. Well, you have certainly achieved your aim, I am going to miss you like crazy!”

Joshua poured them both a small glass of champagne and they clinked glasses.
“To us,” toasted Joshua.

“
To us,” said Angelina.

“
As this is our last day together for quite some time, I thought we could spend the whole afternoon and evening together at the lodge. What do you think?”

“
I think that would be lovely, especially if you're cooking tonight!”

Joshua threw her a teasing look.
“Maybe, or we could just grab a pizza and another bottle of wine?”

“
Now that's an offer I can't refuse,” said Angelina, laughing.

“
So tell me, how long have you known Lucy?”

“
I have known Lucy for about five years now. She is amazing; if ever there was a test for friendship then she surpassed it three years ago when I lost Daniel. She really was there for me and helped me to get through the most traumatic time of my life. If it wasn't for Lucy, I don't think I would have gotten out of bed during those first few months. I remember one particular day she came round to the cottage and I was still in bed mid-morning. She was hammering on the door and I simply turned over in bed, hoping she would go away and leave me alone. Only Lucy had other ideas. The next I heard was a window smashing downstairs; believe it or not I still didn't move, but she had certainly got my attention. She climbed through the window and ran up the stairs. She came running over to me and started shouting at me with tears pouring down her face. That day was a turning point for me. Lucy made me realize that I was truly alive and that it wasn't me that died in the accident. After weeks of trying to get through to me, it finally took direct action to wake me up from my own misery.”