Torn [SHAWN MENDES]

~60~

"Look at that view!" Yasmin exclaimed as she threw open the curtains in their luxury suite at the Rosewood Miramar Beach resort. "Maybe our next home should be oceanfront."

Shawn chuckled. "Are we moving?"

"Not anytime soon, but maybe eventually." This was the first time in awhile that she'd felt comfortable talking about long-range plans.

He walked behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her slim waist. "I'm glad you suggested getting away together. It's hard leaving Piper, but we need this."

Having a celibate marriage had been difficult for him. It's not that he needed sex, but to him, it was a really important way to connect. Sleeping alone in the guest bedroom had been tough, too. It felt like a punishment, which maybe it was. He understood why they'd waited and was happy that Yaz felt they healed enough to take this step even if things weren't perfect yet. There was still a sadness in her eyes and he was often overwhelmed with guilt. Vera said that rebuilding would be work, and she was not joking.

"Did you want to keep our reservation at Caruso's or should we order room service?" she asked.

Located at the resort, Caruso's was one of the finest Italian restaurants in the Santa Barbara area and getting a last minute reservation had required pulling some strings. The fact that they were staying in the Beach House suite for two nights, which amounted to over seventeen thousand dollars, certainly made the manager of the restaurant more accommodating. Their celebrity status didn't hurt, either.

"Dinner isn't for a couple hours," Shawn said. "Why don't we pop open this bottle of champagne and sit out on the deck so we can truly enjoy the view?"

Yasmin appreciated that he wasn't trying to get her into bed within minutes of their arrival, because it showed that he wanted to spend time with her and not just fulfill a carnal need. At the same time, it would have been very romantic if he'd thrown her on the bed and ravaged her out of sheer lust.

He carefully opened the bottle of bubbly and poured the sparkling beverage into two flutes which he carried to the expansive private deck that looked out over the Pacific. The salt air was refreshing, and it was a beautiful spring evening. The sunset would be remarkable, and thankfully their dinner was early enough that they'd get to enjoy it.

"To new beginnings," he said after handing his wife a glass.

"New and even better," she replied with a smile.

They spent the next hour talking about their respective careers, since when they were at home, they tended to talk about their daughter. Yasmin had been doing a lot of print work and had several photo shoots on the horizon. In six weeks, Shawn was performing at the first of many festivals. Yaz and Piper were joining him for some of the stops in the United States, but he'd be away from his family for weeks at a time when he traveled to Europe. He hated the thought of not seeing Piper each day.

Standing up from the blue cushioned seats, Yaz said, "I need to change for dinner, as do you."

He looked at his faded jeans and nodded. The dress code was "casual elegance" and he definitely wasn't anywhere near that standard. After retrieving black slacks and a gray button-down from his suit bag, he changed in the bedroom while Yasmin got ready in the bathroom. There was no need for modesty, but he was willing to give her all the space she needed.

"What do you think?" she asked when she rejoined him twenty minutes later.

She was wearing a simple navy blue dress that hugged all of her curves and ridiculously high hot pink heels. Instead of wearing her long straight hair down, she'd pulled it back into a smooth ponytail, which accentuated her fine facial features. He was pleased to see that she had on the aquamarine earrings he'd given her the summer before.