“It’s okay,” I cut in. “But we have an idea.”
Chapter 22
After my finalshift at Liz’s before the wedding, two days before we left for Vegas, I began to put my plan in motion. James was working one last shift, and Hannah and Kian were gathering last-minute supplies, giving me the chance to talk to Erin and Ben about the double wedding idea. I hadn’t seen either of them much since Hannah moved to Cambridge, other than running into each other in town, but the conversation had to happen in person.
Armed with a bottle of Ben’s favorite scotch, I knocked on their front door. The Valentine’s Day wreath hanging on the surface rattled against it, and I took a step back to wait.
I hadn’t cared much for Valentine’s Day in the past—it was just another day for me—but it was important to James. My hopeless romantic loved every bit of it, and on our first one together, he’d gone all out. The brutal wind that blew took me back to that day, and how the breeze felt coming off the river by the hotel…
“How long areyou going to make me sit here blindfolded?”
“I’m going to give you the same answer I gave you ten minutes ago.”
“You didn’t answer me ten minutes ago!”
“Exactly. Now sit there and enjoy the ride, love.”
We’d been in the car for what must’ve been hours. I was restless, and I was starving. James had leapt on me as I exited the bar, tying a red satin blindfold around my eyes and guiding me to the car with his hands on my shoulders. Despite my squirming and fighting, he didn’t budge an inch. My instructions were clear: Sit down, be quiet, and don’t take the blindfold off.
Unfortunately, quiet wasn’t one of my default settings. What the hell could he have been planning?
Even though we’d already fought a life-threatening battle against a couple of vampire hunters, James and I had only been seeing each other for a few months. I didn’t think we were in “weekend away” territory just yet.
Finally, the car rolled to a stop. I went for the handle, but James was faster, snatching my hand away. “Stay.”
I grumbled, shivering at the snap of cold air that hit me when the car door opened.
James took my hand and helped me to my feet. Then we were walking. I heard the sound of automatic doors opening, and noises bustling around me.
James led me to a chair and helped me sit down. “Wait here.”
Damn it, if I didn’t love surprises so much. I pretended to be irritated, but I was buzzing. A flurry of accents swept aroundme, and I couldn’t tell exactly where we were. But it wasn’t Boston. James was only gone for a few minutes before his hand was on my shoulder again and he was helping me into an elevator. The classic ding gave it away. “Where are we?” I asked.
“You’ll see in a second.”
I practically bounced on my toes.
“Need something, human?”
We must have been alone.
“Shut up—you caught me off guard and that was the longest car ride of my life. Now tell me where we are!”
“All right, don’t wet yourself over it.”
I gave him a playful shove. As the elevator doors opened, he said, “Trust me.” He paused, and I heard the buzz of an automatic lock. Hotel? “This will all be worth it.”
A few more steps, and a door shut behind us. My shoes went silent as we transitioned from a hard surface to carpet. James tugged me to a stop, and his hands finally went to the knot at the back of my head.
“Surprise, love,” he whispered in my ear. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
A sea of lights came into view, and I blinked against the blurry vision. A vast river sparkled in front of the picture window. Beyond it, a dazzling skyline lit up the night, glittering off the surface of the water. “Manhattan? You brought me to New York?”
“Mmhmm.” His fingers combed through my hair. “Have you ever been here?”
I shook my head, breathless. “No, I never got the chance.”
He took my hands, planting them on the glass in front of me. “Let me give you the best view.”
