She shoots me a shy smile over her coffee cup, and it makes my heart clench.
I want to be with her—only her.
It messes with my head to think I could have had this all along.
“I’d like that.”
“It’s nearly ten now, so I thought maybe we could go for a drive around first and head over to Napier.”
Her smile widens. “I’ll just finish this and grab my bag.”
“No rush.”
“Looking forward to Auckland?” Mr Warren asks.
I nod. “I can’t wait. Mum and Dad got a house in a great spot—not too far from the university.”
“That’s good. I can’t bear the thought of living in the big smoke. But if you can make it work.” He chuckles.
“It’ll be different. I’ll miss this place. Never thought we’d all be moving, but things just worked out that way.”
“And you’ll be near Cassie.” His gaze pierces me.
“Ready to go?” Cassie interrupts.
“Sure.”
She stands and grabs my hand, pulling me toward the door.
“See you later, Dad,” she calls over her shoulder.
I wait at the base of the stairs as she runs up to get her bag.
She rolls her eyes as she runs back down, grabbing my hand again and pulling me out the front door.
“I am so, so sorry,” she says. “I was sure he was about to ask you what your intentions are.”
I laugh. “Oh, I’m not sure he’d like the answer to that.”
I click the key fob to the car to unlock it, and she goes to the passenger side while I get into the driver’s seat.
“Why wouldn’t he like the answer?” she asks.
“Because I’m not sure any parent would be a fan of my intentions toward you.” I reach over and give her knee a squeeze.
She swallows hard.
Leaning over, I give her a soft kiss on the lips. “You’re all mine for the day. Let’s get out of here.”
Cassie’s smile warms my heart.
At the beach,the hot sun beats down on us, and despite the sun block, my skin feels like it’s on fire.
In front of us, a girl in a bikini drops a towel to the ground before she looks toward us. She’s tall, brunette, and looks vaguely familiar—I think we went to school with her. Her face lights up and she waves in our direction.
Cassie’s grip on my hand slackens, and I shift my gaze to her. Her head is bowed, and the smile’s gone from her face.
“Cass? You okay?” I come to a stop and pull her into my arms.
