Mia braided her hair and took deep breaths as she stared down her reflection. Her feelings were growing a little too intense with her excitement, joy, and a touch of optimism. The thought of spending another whole day in Aiden’s company almost had her bursting at the seams.
She had to rein it in. Simmer down. Control herself. Aiden only wanted friendship, and she understood his reasons. Sally’s actions and the blame she’d placed on him had broken Mia’s heart. She could only imagine how he must have felt. And if he didn’t want to open himself up to love again, well…that was his decision. Even if she thought it was wrong of him, it wasn’t her place to tell him that.
Nor was it her place to want more than friendship. She’d never had a relationship and she wasn’t ready to jump into one now. She just wanted to enjoy their day together at the elephant sanctuary. After all, who knew when or if they’d see each other again when they returned to Australia? Mia hoped they would catch up. She wanted to remain his friend and build a solid foundation so that one day…
Well, Aiden had admitted as such—he didn’t want to bring a woman into his life who might break his heart. Break Ella’s heart. But Mia had always been a firm believer that building a solid foundation as friends first could create a pathway to a successful relationship. Maybe it was because of the insane crush she’d had on Noah. They’d been friends since the beginning of high school and she couldn’t have imagined anything sweeter than becoming more than friends. But unfortunately, she’d never told him. She’d been afraid to put herself out there and confess her feelings. Afraid he’d reject her. He ended up rejecting her a few years later anyway when he’d disappeared from her life with no explanation.
So, she couldn’t risk telling Aiden about the attraction she felt. It wasn’t worth risking their growing friendship or their hearts. She was still grieving her mother and had a career to find. He needed to get his life back together and focus on Ella.
Mia smiled at the thought of that gorgeous little girl, and the way Aiden loved and protected her only added to his appeal. If anything, Mia wanted to remain friends with him in the hope that one day she might be able to meet Ella too.
Then who knew? Maybe once she’d built a solid foundation with them both…
Mia shook her head. ‘Stop fantasising.’
She grabbed her bag and left her room, but her mind was still on Ella. She’d asked more about her last night, enjoying the way Aiden’s eyes lit up as he’d subtly boasted about his daughter like any proud parent would. Like Mia, Ella loved all things pink, was a massive fan of strawberries, and her favourite stories were fairy tales. She refused to go to bed of a night without a story and the image of Aiden in all his hotness sitting with Ella in a bedroom full of pink reading to her made Mia’s hormones buzz and knees weaken.
She halted when she saw him approaching her from around the pool and shot him a smile. ‘Hi!’
He wore a black T-shirt with denim knee-length shorts and looked as sexy as hell.
‘Morning, Mia.’
‘How’s Ella today?’
‘Good. She wants me to bring her home an elephant.’
Mia laughed. ‘We’ll get her a plush elephant for sure.’
Aiden smiled. ‘That we will,’ he said as they strolled towards the breakfast buffet.
***
Joining Mia at the elephant sanctuary had definitely been one of his better ideas. Tucked away in the cool Ubud jungle, the park itself was breathtaking. Towering trees shaded the lush green foliage and everywhere Aiden looked, there were elephants. They roamed, trumpeted, bathed, and looked to be having the time of their lives as they studied the people walking around their home on the elevated pathways.
Upon arrival, a guide led him and Mia through the gardens and showed them directly to the docking platform where a large elephant was waiting for their safari ride. The trainer was perched behind its head and a small, padded bench was strapped to the elephant’s back. Aiden got on first, sliding to the far end of the seat before extending his hand to help Mia.
‘Thank you.’ She let out a deep breath and sat. The attendant clipped the chain across their laps and the elephant began to move. Mia shot him a grin beneath the brim of her pink hat. ‘We’re riding an elephant!’
Her sapphire eyes gleamed, her pretty face alight with genuine joy as Aiden returned her smile. His chest expanded with warmth. She sure was beautiful, and such a pleasure to spend time with as they’d talked all sorts of nonsense on the long drive.
He forced a laugh past his tightening throat. ‘We most certainly are!’
Mia held up her phone and moved her head closer to his. ‘Selfie time!’
They smiled happily, then pulled funny faces. Mia laughed again, the sound doing mushy things to his insides. She might still be grieving her mum, but Mia was happy, full of energy, and ready to embrace life. Being with her helped him embrace life too as a month ago, he’d never have thought he’d be in Bali riding an elephant with a woman as bright as sunshine. When he’d agreed to this trip, Aiden had planned to keep it simple. He would do a few activities, spend time alone with his thoughts, and relax on the beach. He’d take the opportunity to explore a new environment, enjoy time away from his parental responsibilities, and get his head together. That plan had sort of worked for the first two days, but he’d gone to bed the night before the Mount Batur hike feeling more alone than ever.
Then everything had changed. Now, he had Mia. And as he watched her snapping photos of the park, desire simmered inside him unlike anything he’d felt in years.
Sighing, he tore his gaze away and focused his attention on an elephant eating a pile of palm leaves. He didn’t want to have feelings for Mia. It was too confusing. He’d already got it wrong once. The thought of getting it wrong again…
He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about it. While things hadn’t worked out with Sally, he had to remember what was important. She’d given him the most precious thing in his life—his daughter. But he wasn’t going to let another woman hurt him like that again. He wouldn’t let another woman abandon his daughter.
At least…not until he was sure their life goals aligned. And as he watched Mia aiming her camera at the elephants, he wished to God that she was worth the risk. She was gorgeous today. She wore a pink T-shirt that hung loose over her small body and she’d braided her hair in such a complex pattern he couldn’t believe she’d done it herself.
But unfortunately, Mia’s focus was her career—just like Sally—and he wasn’t making that mistake again.
But…she wants to be a mum!
Aiden shook his head, silencing his subconscious.
‘This is amazing,’ Mia said, gripping the armrest of their seat and lowering her camera. She sighed and let her gaze wander over the park. ‘My mum would have loved this.’
Aiden smiled softly at the wistfulness in her tone. ‘Yeah?’
‘Mum loved elephants and liked collecting elephant trinkets and such. But that’s not surprising because she loved all animals.’
‘Elephants are quite popular.’
‘They are. Nana loves them too, so I’ll have to get her something from the gift shop. I think a bit of Bali décor will do her house good, even though it might look a little out of place. She and Pop have some land not far out of Charters Towers where Mum grew up show jumping and doing anything that involved horses. I think getting me involved helped her move through her grief over losing Dad. It gave her something to focus on.’
‘So you’ve been riding since you were…?’
‘Three. Ever since we moved to Nana and Pop’s property. Mum took time off work to grieve and just love me and Michael while the inquiries into Dad’s disappearance were ongoing. It took eight months to close the case and declare him lost.’
‘And he was never found…’
Mia shook her head. ‘Nope. When I was little, I used to dream he’d walk through the door, but I think that’s because it took Mum years to find closure. I guess that’s understandable though since they never found his body. But I believe he must have met with something deadly—a stingray or jellyfish or even a shark. His partner was discovered to have been stung by a stingray so we assume Dad must have been too.’
Aiden’s heart twisted. He couldn’t imagine anything more terrible. The not knowing… The wondering…
‘And your mum never remarried?’
‘Nope, but I think she liked her life just the three of us. There was no lack of love in our house. Michael and I never wanted for anything. She let me do everything I ever wanted with horses. Michael got to go on science camps and was allowed to take apart any electronic device he wanted. He’s now a mechanical engineer. But yeah, my mum…’
She trailed off, dropped her gaze and glanced back out at the trees.
‘Sounds like she was an amazing mum, Mia.’
‘Yeah, she was. The best mum a girl could hope for. She—’ Mia brought her gaze back to his, her eyes glistening ‘—my mum was my best friend. Even before she got sick, we were always together. We would train and go to horse shows. We’d spend weekends shopping. She was a bit bigger than me, but we had the same size feet so we’d borrow each other’s shoes and handbags and accessories. We exercised together, went to the movies, and chased waterfalls. I hate that she’s gone and I miss her like crazy, but…’
She paused again and glanced out at the trees. Aiden didn’t say anything as his heart broke for her. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend her loss.
Her shoulders loosened as she sighed. ‘I had a lot of counselling before she died, so I was sort of prepared for when it happened. I still see the psychologist and I’m doing okay. But it still hurts. I feel I have a huge hole in my life that will never be filled. But even though it provides little comfort, I know she’ll always be with me. I might wish she was here to share my life in the future, and it hurts that she’ll never see me marry or have babies. But I do know that she’d want me to be happy. So if there’s one thing I can do for her, it’s to embrace life, enjoy myself, and one day be the best damn mum there is. Just like she was.’
Aiden nodded slowly, a lump forming in his throat. Good God, could this woman be any stronger if she tried?
He reached for her hand, interlocked his fingers with hers, and squeezed. ‘I have no doubt you’ll be a fantastic mum one day, Mia. And I’m sure that when that day comes, your mum will be so proud of you.’
She met his gaze, her eyes glistening. ‘Thank you, Aiden. That’s very sweet of you to say.’ She exhaled and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. ‘Now, can we talk about something else, please?’
‘Of course.’ He cleared his throat and glanced down at the Balinese man perched behind the elephant’s ears. ‘So, mate, what’s this elephant’s name?’
The trainer—mahout—glanced over his shoulder. ‘This one name Pati.’
Aiden smiled at Mia. ‘Pati. We’ll have to remember that.’
‘We will,’ she said, a cloud passing through her eyes. He hadn’t let go of her hand. He knew he should, but he didn’t want to.
‘This one about twenty-seven years old,’ the mahout continued as they made their way off the bitumen path and into the depths of the jungle. ‘This one the mama of the first baby here.’
‘Oh, she’s a mama!’ Mia cried.
Aiden laughed. He’d read about the history of the sanctuary before deciding to join Mia and these elephants had been rescued from the Sumatran Containment Camps where they’d been treated cruelly and had a life expectancy of seven years. The sanctuary had saved twenty-seven elephants, all who now had a happy home in the Ubud jungle, similar to their Sumatran habitat. They might not live without human contact or roam wild, but they each had a safe home, their own mahout with whom they’d spent years forming a special bond with, and the sanctuary was dedicated to the protection of their endangered species.
‘Where you come from?’ the mahout asked.
‘Australia,’ Mia replied, her hand relaxing in his. Aiden smiled softly to himself and didn’t let go. It felt too nice.
‘Melbourne?’
Aiden shook his head. ‘No, we’re both from North Queensland.’
‘How long you been in Bali?’
‘We’re just here for the week,’ Mia said.
‘What you think of Bali? Good?’
Mia lifted her gaze to meet Aiden’s. ‘It’s been amazing…’
His heart leapt at her dazzling grin, and he squeezed her hand again. ‘We’ve had a marvellous time. Best trip ever.’
Aiden had never spoken truer words.
***
Travelling never ceased to amaze Mia and the safari ride through the dense jungle was beautiful. She might fantasise about and plan these holidays, but every time she could scarcely believe what she was experiencing. She’s stood atop the Empire State Building in the frigid winter wind overlooking New York City in a state of wonder. She’d stared out over the Grand Canyon in mindless awe. Now she was riding an elephant through the beautiful jungle in Indonesia, which wouldn’t be half as memorable if not for the gorgeous man by her side. And that he was holding her hand.
Aiden spoke with the mahout, asking many questions about what the elephants ate, how they lived at the sanctuary, and about the breeding program. They allowed natural breeding here and had produced a few babies. She enjoyed learning about the place though, and how the elephants had been rescued. It was clear that the mahout had a strong bond with Pati.
But she couldn’t get past the fact that Aiden holding her hand felt like the most natural thing in the world. It was wonderful. And confusing as hell.
The ride ended with a walk through the bathing pool, where Mia was able to hand her camera to another mahout to take photos. Only then did Aiden let go of her hand. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they threw their arms into the air, capturing the memory.
Not that Mia would ever forget. The one thing the camera wouldn’t capture was the overwhelming fullness in her heart and flutters in her belly. She may look relaxed and happy, but the truth was, she was a nervous wreck.
But that would remain her secret.
She and Aiden returned to the docking station and disembarked, calling goodbye to Pati.
He turned to her at the bottom of the stairs and grinned. ‘That was awesome.’
‘It was. I’m…I’m glad you came with me. It was a lot of fun.’
‘Thank you for letting me tag along. And you know what I was thinking?’
Her belly clenched. It seemed like he was always thinking of things that led to spending more time together. ‘What?’
‘We both have Friday free, right? So, when we get back to the hotel, why don’t we take a look at the activities and tours? Maybe there’s something we’d like to do together?’
Mia nodded, slipping her hands into her back pockets. All day today with Aiden, then Friday, and Waterbom on Saturday? Thank goodness she had a day alone at the spa tomorrow.
‘All right. I’m sure we’ll find something fun to do.’
‘I think so. Now, let’s feed these elephants.’
They walked around to the fence overlooking the pool and docking station where one large and one smaller elephant relished being fed by tourists. Mia gathered some sticks of coconut palm from the feed bin, then approached the smaller elephant.
‘Hello. How are you?’ She held out the treat. His small trunk wrapped around the stick and tossed it into his pink mouth. He greedily reached for another and Mia laughed. ‘Oh, is that yummy?’
‘He’s hungry,’ Aiden said as the elephant took more coconut. ‘Got a lot of growing to do, don’t you, mate?’
Thankfully they had a few hours to spend at the sanctuary because playing with these elephants proved to be tonnes of fun. The elephants loved people. They wrapped their trunks around their waists or over their heads to take photos. Mia and Aiden took many, both together and of each other. Then a new elephant arrived and they did it all over again. They went for a walk around the elevated platforms and marvelled at the sight of an elephant holding a brush in his trunk as he painted colourful squiggles over black canvas.
‘He looks like he’s having fun.’
‘Certainly talented,’ Aiden murmured as the elephant finished and they continued walking and returned to the feeding station when they saw different elephants had arrived.
Mia grinned as they took the coconut palm she offered. She could stay there all day.
‘I do love you,’ she said as a young elephant, hardly taller than herself, wrapped his small trunk around her waist. She leaned her head against his and wrapped her arms around his large neck. His name was Fajar and he was lovely. She wished she could take him home. Would Cindy and George like a new stable mate? She almost laughed at herself. If only…
‘Got a new best friend?’
Mia smiled. ‘I don’t want to leave. I love them all.’
‘They’re certainly fun. Very playful. But how about we grab some lunch?’
The buffet lunch was included in their tour and was served on a massive timber deck overlooking the playful elephants. Mia and Aiden grabbed a table by the railing so they could continue to watch Fajar, the big girl Melanie, and the growing boy Risky.
‘This has been the best thing I’ve done so far,’ she said. ‘I mean, Mount Batur was awesome and I enjoyed the waterfalls, but this…this I’d do again.’
Aiden nodded as he bit into a spring roll. ‘Animals are always a winner.’
‘They most certainly are. I guess that’s what I love about this so much.’
He sighed and glanced out at the bathing pool. ‘Ella would love it here.’
‘Does she get to play with many animals?’ Mia asked, wrapping noodles around her fork. ‘Do your parents have pets?’
‘No. Her uncle does, but we don’t see him a lot. I’d like her to interact with animals though as I took her to the ag show this year where she saw a calf and cuddled ducklings. She loved it.’
Mia smiled. She loved ducklings and could imagine Ella cuddling one to her little chest. ‘I always loved going to the show and seeing the animals.’
‘It’s my favourite part. But I don’t know…’ He paused as he ate, his brow furrowing in thought. ‘I haven’t been getting her out much. Mum does, but on weekends, I spend most of my time at home with her. I mean, we have fun. We play with toys, read books, and I’ve watched more cartoons than decent movies this past year. But I really need to make the effort to do more.’
Mia nodded slowly. ‘Do you usually do the same things? Same movies and types of play?’
‘Yeah, pretty much.’ He sat back in his seat and ran his hand through his hair. ‘I like to spend my days off at home and I figured Ella gets out enough with my parents. But I didn’t recognise I’d been in a rut until they pointed it out and sent me here. I thought I was doing a good job, but I really need to get her out more and see what fun adventures we could have.’
Mia smiled softly. ‘I think you’d enjoy that, Aiden.’
‘Yeah, I just don’t know what to do though.’
‘There’s always the park.’ It wasn’t the most original thought, but it was the first one that came to mind. ‘And you said she loves the beach.’
‘Yeah, but it’ll be a little too hot for that over the next few months. The library will have more activities though since it’s school holidays, so I could take her to some of those.’ He bit into a spring roll and his eyes lit up. ‘Ooh, we could go to the wildlife sanctuary!’
Mia gasped. ‘Ella would love that!’
He nodded, hastily swallowing his food. ‘They have so much variety down there, so we could go and feed the wallabies and the turtles.’
‘And maybe pat a koala.’ Mia hadn’t been in a long time, but the wildlife sanctuary sounded like the perfect place for Aiden and Ella to have fun day outs.
‘I could get annual passes and go most weekends when I’m not on call. I think we’d both love that. And it’ll help her build her confidence around animals for when I get her a dog.’
Mia’s eyebrows shot up. ‘When will you do that?’
‘Once I get us a house to rent. My current lease expires in July, so I’ll find something then.’
‘Sounds like a good plan, Aiden. And you know, you can always bring Ella out to visit me when we get home.’ The words left Mia’s mouth before she could stop them. ‘Timmy and Tess would love to play with her. My geese are a little stubborn, but my cats like kids.’
Aiden chewed slowly, his gaze holding hers. Mia’s heart began to race as a blush crept up her neck. It was the first time they’d talked about seeing each other when they returned home. She thought it’d be a good idea, but had she been mistaken? Had she read him wrong?
But then he smiled and Mia relaxed. ‘That’d be lovely. We might take you up on it in the New Year.’
She smiled and scooped up more noodles. ‘The invitation’s always open. After all, we’re friends, aren’t we?’
He nodded. ‘We are.’
They fell into comfortable silence as they finished eating. Around them, people talked while elephants trumpeted and splashed in the water.
They sat for a while chatting and enjoying the serenity, until Aiden glanced at his watch.
‘We have an hour left. You want to go to the gift shop?’
Mia nodded. ‘Yep. I want something to remember this place by.’
They almost skipped to the shop and Mia would admit, she loved souvenirs. She had a Statue of Liberty on her hall table, a Golden Gate Bridge picture frame, and playing cards from nearly every Las Vegas casino. Shopping was a weakness and she loved collecting things on her travels, especially snow globes. But while she liked fun and quirky mass-produced merchandise, she always tried to find herself a non-commercial memento on her travels, like folk art or local handcrafts or something that symbolised the culture of the area. Her favourite throw blanket had been locally hand-woven by Native Americans from the Grand Canyon. It was the memories she held to an object that made it more meaningful than placing a yellow taxi cab with NYC on it on her shelf.
Her trip to Bali would be no different. Considering this gift shop was full of artworks and decorative trinkets, Mia went a little overboard. When she found the paintings, she winced. They weren’t cheap, but when was she going to get another opportunity to buy a painting done by an elephant? So she chose the squiggly lines she liked best, then took her time to browse. She selected an ornamental elephant for her nana and embroidered cushion covers for herself, friends, and sister-in-law. She also chose a gorgeous string of beads that contained five painted elephants, but what could she say? She wanted a lot to remember this beautiful day by.
‘What have you got?’ she asked Aiden when she finally decided she was done.
He held up a plush elephant and two cushion covers. ‘One each for Mum and Ella.’
‘You’re not getting a painting?’
He shook his head. ‘They’re too expensive. And while I’ll admit they’re cool, I think I’ll just get these.’
Mia nodded. The paintings were ridiculously expensive and they weren’t any great works of art. But… ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yep. These are more practical.’
That was true. She imagined the purple embroidered cushion would look great in Ella’s room. Besides, she could see where he was coming from. He had rent to pay and a daughter to support. The painting was an extravagant purchase. But…
‘I’ll get you one if you like.’ She offered before she could change her mind.
Aiden stilled. ‘You don’t need to do that.’
‘Aiden.’ She gave him a pointed look. ‘It’s a painting by an elephant. Surely you want to hang that over your TV?’
‘Well, yeah, but…’
‘Come on.’ She weaved her way through the shop towards the paintings, leaving Aiden no choice but to follow. ‘Pick one. Please.’
‘Mia, honestly. I don’t—’
She touched his arm. ‘I want to. I understand your hesitation, I find it hard to accept gifts too. It’s awkward. But meeting you has made my trip, Aiden. You’re my friend and we’ve had this wonderful day together. I want you to have a painting.’
He swallowed, his throat bobbing with hesitation. But she wanted to do this for him, to give him this gift. He’d had a tough year and he deserved it.
Then, his shoulders relaxed. ‘You’re very kind, Mia.’
She managed a laugh, her heart swelling. ‘I do try,’ she said, reaching for a painting. ‘What do you think of this one?’
They found a painting that Aiden liked and Mia happily bought it for him. He needed something tangible to remember the time when they’d played with the elephants.
To remember her…
No. All she wanted was for him to have the painting to hang in his house. So, she made her purchases, feeling good about her gesture.
When they left the shop, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. ‘Thank you, Mia.’
She glanced up into his blue eyes and smiled. ‘You’re welcome, Aiden.’
***
They returned to Beach Club and headed straight for the tour desk.
‘All right.’ Aiden rubbed his hands together and observed the brochures. ‘What would you like to do? Animals again? A temple tour? Something adventurous?’
Mia pressed her lips together, running her gaze over the colourful flyers. ‘I’ve been to the monkey park and while they’re cute, I wouldn’t recommend going again.’
‘Fair enough. I saw plenty of monkeys on Mount Batur anyway. I guess you don’t want to go sailing…?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t do well on boats, and I find temples tiring after a while.’ Her gaze landed on one brochure and her heart lurched as she reached for it. ‘I had wanted to see this show though. I just couldn’t find anywhere that would take a single person booking.’
That had been a minor issue she’d discovered travelling alone in Bali as most tours had required a minimum of two people.
Aiden took the brochure and Mia bit down on her lip. It was a Balinese dance spectacular and while he did like theatre, she wasn’t sure he’d be interested.
But he nodded, his eyebrows lifting. ‘All right. I’m keen. We’ll do this on Friday night, but let’s also find something to do in the morning.’ He looked at the brochures again, then grinned. ‘This looks cool. Do you like dolphins?’
She blinked. ‘Dolphins?’
‘Yeah.’ He handed her the brochure and took another for himself.
Dolphin interaction… Interact with friendly dolphins… Up close and personal contact through hugging, petting, kissing, and playing with a dolphin…
Part of her swooned. It sounded amazing. Except… ‘It’s in the ocean.’
‘Well…yeah, I suppose. But they’re just big pools on a pontoon, Mia.’ Aiden met her gaze, his eyes softening. ‘Is that too much for you? It’s okay if it is.’
Mia took a deep breath and glanced through the pictures, her heart pounding. Aiden was right. It was just a big pool. It’s not like there’d be sharks. Or a rip. It was perfectly safe. And it would be awesome to hug a dolphin.
But her belly still twisted. ‘I don’t know…’
For the second time today, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She looked up and found kindness in his eyes. ‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But I promise, I’ll keep you safe. So come on.’ His arm tightened around her in a squeeze and his kind smile morphed into a wicked grin. ‘Come cuddle a dolphin with me. I know you want to.’
She took a deep breath and glanced down at the flyer. She wouldn’t be in the ocean. Not really. And she did want to cuddle a dolphin.
A pool. It’s just a big pool. It’s not the ocean…
She exhaled and her shoulders relaxed beneath his embrace. ‘Okay. Let’s go play with the dolphins.’
Her heart continued to pound as she and Aiden spoke with the concierge, but it wasn’t just nerves. She was excited too. She could do this. It was time. Time to face what really was only her mother’s fear.
She paid for the tour and something deep inside her loosened.