I hope you like this.
Chapter Twenty-Two:
"Heights, I don't mind," Reid said as he and Bella looked over the cliff's edge.
"Well, that makes one of us," she said with a shiver. She was wearing a pale pink bathing suit.
"Would you like me to go first?" he offered. "To show it's safe?"
"No," she said. "I might run away if you go first. I'll take the plunge. Never thought in all my years in wedding planning, I'd mean that literally one day."
He kissed her on the cheek. "For luck and courage," he said.
"I'll need both," she said and jumped.
Reid then went and looked over the edge.
"Are you okay?" he shouted.
"Incredible!" she screamed. "I have never felt so alive!"
"They say adrenaline—"
"Get down here!" she shouted.
He nervously took a step forward and then jumped.
It was exhilarating. He had never felt a rush like it. The jump was truly amazing.
"So, what were you saying about adrenaline?" she asked smiling.
"I have no idea," he said breathlessly.
She kissed him. Their bodies became intertwined in the water in a loving embrace.
…
Bella was wearing a red dress that accentuated her figure. The music group was playing a unique combination of reggae and salsa.
"Now I know you can barely dance," she said. "You can either follow my lead or walk stiffly along. If I were you I'd stop caring and let the music transform your body and your soul. We're alive, Spencer and we should live like we are."
She put hands around him and slowly danced. Eventually she began to speed up and he tried to follow her rhythm. Then he realized what he was doing wrong. He cared too much about what people thought. It was time to live. Time to improvise.
He stroked her hair and took the lead. He moved faster. She undid a button on his shirt. He lifted her up in the and spun. She kissed his neck. He pushed her away and she spun and then curled back into him. They did a few little dance moves. Finally, it was over and they were both sweating and out of breath.
They went to the table and waited for dinner to be served. Bella was beaming.
"Now that is what I call living!" she said.
"What do you think of a future, with me?" he asked.
"I think, that a future with you would be about exploration," she said.
"Even if I were to rejoin the FBI in some capacity?"
"I'm sure you know better than me that exploration doesn't have to be about physical locations," she said. "What do you think of a future with me?"
"I see romance and intrigue," he said. "I still haven't quite figured you out."
She laughed. "The wedding dress."
"It made a strong impression."
"I took a risk with that gown and I knew it," she said. "I had a feeling you were a person whose curiosity could be piqued without being scared away. You are truly one of a kind Spencer."
He looked down. "I never imagined it would be this hard," he said.
She touched his face. "Don't think about it tonight, Spencer. Live in the moment."
He held her hand. "I will," he said. "Would you like to stay the night?"
"Yes," she said.
…
Macy and Faye went out for dinner.
"Bella and Leah," Macy said as she sipped her wine. "I didn't see either making it past the first cut."
"I saw potential in both, but I never imagined they'd be the final two," Faye said.
"I never imagined the show would get this crazy when I agreed to casting Spencer," she said.
"But we should have," Faye said. "He's an FBI agent who just got out of jail."
"That was why we had contingencies I never thought we'd actually use."
"But thankfully, we did."
"You got to admit it was kind of fun though," Macy said with smile.
Faye sighed. "Your idea of fun is disturbing at times."
"So, regardless of who is chosen, how are we going to top this season?"
"I say we move the production to Hawaii and island-hop."
"Sounds like something we've done before," she said.
"And, Halia said she is bisexual and after seeing what Spencer went through, she is willing to go public with this knowledge."
"Now you're speaking my language," she said.
Faye raised her glass.
"To Spencer."
"To Spencer."
They clinked glasses.