“Oh, is that what we are?” she asked with a teasing lilt, taking a step toward him. “Like Romeo and Juliet?”
He matched her step with two, his dimple on full display. “Exactly. Just replace feuding families with a few ill-timed pranks.”
“A few?” she laughed.
“Okay, maybe more than a few. But who’s counting?”
They stood toe to toe, and with his sunglasses poised on top of his head, she could see the laughter in his eyes. But as the sun set behind him, the sparkle in the deep pools of blue softened to a tender glimmer.
She shivered as his fingers curled around a wind-tossed strand of hair, gently sweeping it behind her ear. His hand lingered on the side of her face, his thumb caressing her cheekbone, leaving a trail of tingling heat across her skin.
“When I came home for Luke’s wedding, I had no idea how my life would change.” The husky timbre of his voice rippled through her, scattering goose bumps down her arms. “And now, I only seem to know one thing for certain. Penny Heart, I have fallen so deeply in love with you, I can’t see a way out. And I don’t want one. Without you, Everest is just another mountain. And the Grand Canyon? A hole in the ground.”
Joy bubbling to the surface, she beamed up at him through happy tears. “It’s descriptions like those that got you out of writing the guidebook article,” she teased, though her voice was thick with emotion.
He chuckled a low, gravelly rumble as he slipped his arm around her waist.
She inhaled sharply, anticipating the warm, welcome pressure of his lips on hers.
“It’s comments like that one that will get you a dip in the ocean.” In one fell swoop, he hoisted her over his shoulder.
Laughing breathlessly, she made a show of fighting him off.
But deep down, she hoped he never let her go.
Colt Davis had said he loved her!
And even more unexpected…
Was how badly she wanted to say it back.
* * *
No matter how many times Colt tried to focus on the sun slipping behind the horizon, casting streaks of gold, amber, and magenta across the dusky blue water, he couldn’t. Not with Penny curled up beside him, her head resting on his chest.
His heart had never been as full as when he’d watched her frolic in the gentle surf, kicking up sprays of water like confetti. And later, when they’d built the sandcastle that now stood proudly by their feet, she’d worn an expression of such pure and unbridled joy, the beauty of it made his chest ache.
But the best part? The stolen glances she’d cast in his direction as they’d knelt side by side in the sand. While she hadn’t returned his declaration of love in so many words, she’d done so with the soulful shimmer in her eyes, the flush of her cheeks, and each earth-shattering kiss. And he would wait as long as he needed to in order to hear the soul-affirming phrase spill from her lips.
The modest campfire crackled as night fell upon them and the sky traded a myriad of vivid colors for a canopy of stars.
Penny snuggled closer. “Does this mean we have to go soon? I imagine it’s difficult to fly in the dark.”
He smiled at the wistful sigh that accompanied her question. “I’ve logged plenty of night flights over the years. And I made sure the trolley taking us back to the airport runs late enough. There’s something else I want to show you before we leave.”
“There’s more? Why, Mr. Davis… you spoil me.”
His chest swelled at the laughter in her voice, and he kissed the top of her head, taking a moment to savor the sweet scent of her floral shampoo mixed with the crisp, salty air. “That’s the idea. Keep an eye on the water.”
Relishing the weight of Penny nestled in his arms, Colt held his breath, utilizing every fiber of his being to take a mental picture, praying it would last forever. While many more adventures awaited them, some moments surpassed the rest—a snapshot of a perfect point in time.
Penny’s soft gasp drew his attention to the waves tumbling toward the shore. Lit from within, the dark indigo surface shone an electric blue as though someone held a neon sign beneath the water.
“What is it?” she breathed.
“They’re bioluminescent waves. The phenomenon is caused by phytoplankton.”
“It’s breathtaking. Like something out of a fairy tale.”
