Mia Jones sat in the open-aired resort lobby with her backpack clenched in her lap and her legs dancing an excited jig. It was two am and she should be tired, but she wasn’t. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She could hardly believe she was in Bali, let alone about to hike a volcano!
No other soul occupied the beautiful lobby except for the concierge running the twenty-four-hour check-in counter. Mia glued her gaze to the entrance as she waited for her driver. There was no public transport in Bali, so all tours included hotel pickup. Mia had arrived on the Indonesian island at three am the previous night and after being the only person on her tour yesterday afternoon, she hoped she wasn’t about to spend another day alone. Not that she wasn’t content with her own company. She’d come to Bali by herself and had enjoyed her time exploring the Royal Temple of Mengwi, seeing playful monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest, and marvelling in the beautiful Sunset Temple at Tanah Lot.
But a girl could find herself too alone.
A Balinese man entered the lobby. Mia stood as he approached her and held out a sheet of paper.
‘Amelia Jones?’ he asked, pointing to where her name was printed on his list, above three others. Yay!
‘Yes, that’s me.’ She read his name badge—Eka.
‘Good. We wait here for the others.’
His gaze moved past her and Mia stepped aside as Eka extended his list again. She shrugged into her backpack and turned to see a man approaching them. A tall, dark haired, gorgeous man with the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.
‘You going to Mount Batur?’ Eka asked. ‘Your name?’
‘Yep. I’m Aiden,’ he said in an unmistakable Australian accent.
Mia’s heart both leapt and dropped at the same time. While her shyness might prevent her from talking much with her tour mates, she’d hoped to meet people from a country different to her own. Then again, Australia was massive and she’d only lived in one tiny dot on the map. Aiden could be from anywhere.
His gaze landed on hers and the corners of his mouth curved. ‘Morning.’
A blush crept into her cheeks and she had to stop herself from awkwardly shifting her feet. ‘Hi,’ she said, gripping the straps of her backpack.
Aiden turned as two young men strolled into the lobby. Eka checked off their names and while they greeted him in English, they chatted with each other in a foreign language as they all followed Eka out into the warm summer’s night and climbed into the minivan. Mia slipped into the first row while her Australian companion settled into the seat behind her. Eka drove away from the hotel and they began their two-hour drive to Mount Batur, located on the opposite side of Bali from their hotel in Kuta.
Mia pulled out her phone and opened a game, wanting to keep her mind occupied for the fear of falling asleep. Not that she was likely to with the excitement coursing through her veins. She was about to see a real volcano!
Mia had to stop herself from grinning like a loon. They didn’t have volcanos in Australia, but she’d always been fascinated by their ferocious beauty. This sunrise trek to the peak of Mount Batur had been the major drawcard for her choosing Bali as her first solo overseas adventure. Everyone back home always talked about Bali—the beaches and the cheap beer—but she’d never understood the appeal. She didn’t drink alcohol and she was terrified of the ocean. So when direct flights to Bali had been announced from a city near her home in North Queensland, she hadn’t been as fussed as her twenty-five-year-old peers. Until she’d taken a closer look and realised there was much more to Bali than everyone her age raved about.
Hiking volcanos, riding elephants, and the cheap spa treatments—that was more her style. So she’d treated herself to a pre-Christmas break.
Behind her, Aiden cleared his throat. Mia peeked up from her game to see him shuffling in his seat. His eyes were closed. At the back of the van, the other two men were still talking. Eka had the radio on low.
She glanced back at her phone and sighed as her heart clenched with pain she feared would never go away. This trip was her chance to have fun while she decided what to do with the rest of her life. Since high school, she’d been caring for her sick mother, spending what time her mum had left by living life to the fullest.
Now though, Tabitha Jones was gone and Mia was emerging from her grief. It was time she achieved her own dreams. The first being to hike a volcano while considering the possibility of studying geology at university. It wasn’t just volcanos that fascinated her, but all of Mother Nature’s weapons. She’d experienced floods, droughts, and cyclones in North Queensland. She loved collecting rocks, fossils, and had marvelled at the displays in many natural history museums during her travels. Trekking around the world as a geologist had to be more fun than her current job at the bank, surely!
But while that fantasy filled her with hope, doubt still gripped her heart. The problem was, she didn’t know what she wanted to study. She wanted to go to university and pursue a career she was passionate about. She just wasn’t sure which of her passions was the right path.
But she had time. Right now, she had a week of adventure, fun, and self-discovery ahead of her. A week to try new things and be brave.
She swallowed a laugh. Yeah right. Be brave? When had she ever been brave in her life?
***
Aiden Knight had planned to sleep on the long drive to Mount Batur, except the gorgeous blonde sitting in front of him proved to be an unnerving distraction. Almost an hour had passed and he’d barely been able to take his eyes off her, let alone sleep. But he continued to try because he wasn’t interested in talking to anyone. He wasn’t interested in anything, which said a lot about his current state-of-mind. It was none too pleasant.
Sighing, he wriggled in his seat. Not long ago, he’d had everything he’d wanted. Then he’d lost it. Now, he was a divorced single dad who’d been forced into a holiday—without his daughter—in order to find himself again.
Settling his head against the cool window, Aiden stared out into the darkness. Ten nights in Bali was supposed to give him the chance to experience adventure and love life again. He didn’t blame his parents for the idea. Their hearts were in the right place and their gift had been kind, but he still wished they would have let him bring Ella. He ached for missing her as they’d never been apart for more than a night.
But rather than think about his daughter and the pain inside him, he turned his gaze back to the young blonde woman. She sat askew in her seat, giving him a good view of her profile. She sure was pretty with delicate features and soft flowing hair in a ponytail. When she’d said ‘hi’ in the lobby, there’d been no mistaking her Australian accent. Aiden wasn’t surprised, as Aussies frequently visited Bali, but she looked quite young to be travelling on her own. She couldn’t be much more than twenty. Where were her friends?
He swallowed a laugh. Where were his?
She glanced up and her gaze met his. Aiden’s heart leapt. Caught watching her, he couldn’t pretend to be sleeping. She smiled softly and instinct had him returning the gesture.
‘Hey,’ she whispered.
‘Hello.’
She paused, pressing her full pink lips together. Her eyes clouded and he received the impression that she was as introverted as he. Aiden hadn’t planned to meet people while in Bali. He preferred his solitude. But part of him wanted to talk to this girl, so he said the first thing that came to mind. ‘You’re from Australia?’
‘Yeah. A little town in North Queensland. What about you?’
He smiled at how she’d brushed over the name of her town as though he wouldn’t know it. ‘I’m a North Queenslander too. Grew up in Cairns, but upgraded to Townsville for uni. I’m still there.’
Her eyes widened and she turned in her seat, her smile broadening. ‘Really? I’m from Charters Towers!’
A laugh bubbled inside his chest, but he didn’t release it. Charters Towers was located an hour and a half west of Townsville. ‘Wow. They say it’s a small world.’
‘Yeah, they do.’ She extended her hand. ‘I’m Mia.’
He took her hand, ignoring the tingle of heat that scorched his palm. ‘Aiden. Nice to meet you.’
He dropped his hand and sat straighter in his seat. He doubted he’d sleep now, not when he had Mia to talk to, which was weird as he didn’t like talking to strangers. ‘What brings you to Bali, Mia?’
‘Honestly? The fact Townsville started direct flights.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Really?’
‘Yep. I’ve never understood the appeal of Bali because I hear a lot of stories about people coming for the nightlife. But I don’t like clubbing and I don’t drink alcohol.’
He nodded, understanding that. ‘Fair enough.’
‘But then I did a bit of research, saw beautiful pictures of temples and how cheap the spas were. I went to the monkey forest yesterday and will be going to the elephant sanctuary while I’m here too. I’ve never seen an elephant, so I’m keen for that.’
Aiden nodded. He wouldn’t mind seeing elephants himself.
‘But this,’ she continued, ‘was my major drawcard.’
‘This? Mount Batur?’
‘Yep. I love volcanos.’
Aiden laughed. ‘Really?’
She nodded, her enthusiasm palpable. ‘Yep. I’ve been fascinated with them ever since I was a little girl. I’ve always wanted to visit Pompeii and maybe Hawaii to see Kilauea in action. One of my greatest disappointments was not seeing Mount Fuji on a school trip to Japan.’
He blinked. ‘You didn’t see Mount Fuji?’
She shook her head, her lip curling. ‘Nope. Apparently, it wasn’t important enough. The trip was still fun though and I’m sure one of the many mountains we passed was a volcano. Japan has so many, so the odds are good. But I wouldn’t know for sure.’
Aiden couldn’t get past why anyone would go to Japan and not see Mount Fuji. It was Japan’s national icon and located just outside Tokyo. It wasn’t like going to Australia and not seeing Uluru, which was isolated in the central outback and thousands of kilometres from any major city.
‘I guess. Although, that does suck about Fuji. Did you know you can climb it too?’
She nodded. ‘It is so on my bucket list.’
Aiden thought he might put it on his too. Not that he had a bucket list, but he liked adventure, the great outdoors, and hiking. That’s why he’d signed up for this tour despite its ungodly hour. It’s also why he got on well with his former brother-in-law, who was a more serious hiker. John had climbed Mount Fuji and said it’d been an amazing experience, but Aiden doubted he’d ever do it himself. Not until Ella was old enough to go with him.
‘So, this isn’t your first trip overseas then?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t think I’d have had the courage to come here by myself if it was. That trip to Japan was ten years ago now.’ Aiden blinked. She must be older than she looked. ‘And while I’d love to go back, I’ve been to New Zealand and the US twice since then. New York, and then the west coast.’
‘New York?’ Now that was a place he wanted to visit for one very specific reason. ‘That would’ve been fun.’
‘Oh, it was. It was on my mum’s bucket list. She wanted to see the Grand Canyon, so we went to L.A. and Vegas. But she always dreamed of soaking up Broadway—’
Aiden’s heart leapt. He straightened in his seat. ‘Broadway!’
Mia’s eyes lit up like he imagined those Broadway signs did. ‘Mum loved musicals.’
His hand flew to his chest. ‘I love musicals.’
Mia laughed. ‘They’re fantastic, aren’t they?’
‘Hell yeah. I’d kill to spend a week or so seeing everything on Broadway. Or West End. I’ve just never gotten there since going to university and starting work and then…’ He stopped himself before he mentioned his disastrous marriage. ‘Life got in the way of my dreams, I suppose. I’ve only managed to see shows when they come to Australia.’ He and his ex-wife had seen many considering it’d been a love they’d shared. ‘What did you see on Broadway?’
‘Everything!’
And Aiden lived vicariously as Mia told him all about her trip to New York City. She really had seen everything—new shows in short seasons as well as the long-running masterpieces. A tiny bit of envy shivered though him, but the good kind as he couldn’t believe he was talking to a woman about musicals at three am somewhere in rural Bali of all places.
‘Mum and I didn’t see the point of doing anything else of an evening, so we did sightseeing by day and spent every night at the theatre.’
It sounded like she’d done it right. She’d seen a new show at the time featuring one of Broadway’s biggest stars and had managed to catch a famous baritone in the role of Phantom. Aiden could only imagine he’d have been fantastic.
‘I was disappointed that Les Mis has closed, but hopefully I’ll catch it on West End one day.’
He nodded. ‘You know, Townsville’s choral society is performing that in February.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah. I’m a bit of a performer myself and am part of the local choir. I’ve been in a few shows.’
She grinned. ‘That’s awesome. I wish I could sing. Which shows have you been in?’
Relaxing into his seat, he gave her a brief overview of his various roles, feeling sentimental. He hadn’t performed in so long and missed it terribly.
‘Wow. I bet you made a great Tony.’
‘Thanks.’ His heart swelled. Tony in West Side Story had been the last role he’d played during his university days. ‘It was fun, but life’s been too busy. Now, I only go to choir practice when I can manage it. I did perform at Townsville’s Christmas carols this year though.’
‘I love Christmas carols. Mum used to…’
She trailed off, biting down on her lower lip. Her eyes clouded over and the silence lengthened. He hoped it was a delicate way of asking as he said, ‘I noticed you talk about her in the past tense?’
‘Yeah.’ Her mouth curved sadly. ‘Mum had cancer and died six months ago.’
Aiden’s heart twisted. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Thanks.’ She paused, then exhaled. ‘It’s been hard and I do miss her. I was almost eighteen when she was diagnosed and I stayed by her side until the very end. We made the best use of the time we had.’
He nodded slowly. He wasn’t sure if he should ask considering he’d just met her, but it seemed strange not to. ‘And your dad?’
She lifted her slender shoulder. ‘He died when I was young. I barely remember him.’
Aiden resisted a grimace, hurting for her. Mia was so young—although obviously older than twenty—and she’d already lost both her parents. He thought of his own parents, both nearing their sixties and in the fittest of health. He was suddenly grateful for that.
‘It must be hard though,’ he found himself saying. ‘Do you have any—’
‘Oh, I’ve got a wide support network,’ she said, dismissing his concerns with a wave of her hand. ‘My brother lives in Townsville with his wife and I have friends. It’ll be strange when I…’ She frowned. Aiden would prompt her, except he barely knew her, so he bit his tongue.
But he was curious about Mia. She was friendly, chatty, and had a zest for life that pulled at him. He might not be sociable, but he hadn’t enjoyed talking to someone this much in so long. Especially not since his divorce.
Spending the day with her suddenly made the tour more appealing as not only did they have the hike up Mount Batur to enjoy together, but afterwards, they’d stop by the hot springs, have a buffet lunch, and then visit a coffee plantation.
Perhaps this holiday wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Mia shook her head and emerged from whatever thought she’d fallen into. ‘Anyway. Now’s not the time to be worrying about life stuff. What brings you to Bali?’
‘Same as you, I guess. The direct flights were the inspiration. Although, it was my parents’ idea. This is my Christmas present.’
‘Wow. That’s nice of them. Very generous.’
Generous, yes. Nice? He guessed so. It would have been nicer if he had Ella with him. But once again, his mum had been right. If Ella were here, he’d be more concerned about keeping her happy and safe, putting aside his own needs and feelings for hers. And while that was important for him to do as a father, his own dad also had a point. Aiden had kept himself and Ella cooped up inside their apartment doing nothing other than watching cartoons and playing games of make believe for too long. He’d spent his days working and had let his mother be the one to take Ella to the park, playgroups, and story time at the library. Sure, he did those things when he could, but during his days off work, Aiden would rather stay home with his little girl than go out and enjoy the world. Choir practice was the only exception, but even then, he sang and went home. He didn’t talk to anyone else.
Aiden hadn’t even realised he was doing it until his parents had pointed it out and handed him a ticket to Bali. He’d neglected his own happiness for the sake of Ella’s all year, and that wasn’t healthy. He hadn’t liked the thought at first, but he needed to get away from the trials of ‘normal life’ to be Aiden Knight again. Not Daddy. And he needed to do it for Ella.
Because he couldn’t be a good daddy if Aiden Knight was lost. He couldn’t be a good daddy if he wasn’t happy. He certainly wouldn’t be here chatting to Mia and on his way to hike a volcano if Ella were with him. And he did want to be happy.
But if his divorce had taught him anything, it was that he needed to be happy alone with Ella. His daughter deserved a safe and loving home, and he was all she had. All she could ever have. Because how could he possibly think he could bring another woman into his life, into Ella’s life, when her own mother—
Aiden shut off that thought as pain filled his chest.
He glanced at Mia. She was right. Now wasn’t the time to be worrying about life’s troubles. He was on holiday and he wanted to enjoy his day with her. Because Mia was the first ray of sunshine he’d seen all year.
‘My parents are amazing like that,’ he admitted. ‘And they were right about the fact that I needed a holiday.’
‘I think we all need one at some point,’ she said, peering out the window.
He followed her gaze as he realised the van had slowed. More vehicles came into view in a dark grassy parking lot.
Mia grinned. She clapped her hands together. ‘We’re here!’
He laughed at her excitement. ‘Yep. You ready to hike a volcano?’
She bounced in her seat. ‘Bring it!’