“Hmm.” Tinker hooked his arms over his upraised knees and stared out at the ocean. “I usually ride down to Edisto, but this is my favorite spot close to town.”
The setting sun lit up his profile. “Why Edisto?”
“The ride, mostly. I take the rural routes instead of Highway 17. Slower route, fewer people. Most people go there to get away from the crowds. I.O.P.? Sullivan? They’re too…”
“Developed? Touristy?” Abby finished.
“Yeah. Actually.” He cocked his head and looked at her. “I was heading out to ride to Edisto the night I met you.”
“Really?”
“Really. But you were looking at Ned like he’d insulted your family tree, so I stopped to ask if you were okay,” he said.
“I still maintain Ned is a silly name, even if it is alliterative. Kind of.”
Tinker chuckled. “What would you have named him?”
“I don’t know. Charles? Richard?”
“Charles the Knight?” Tinker shook his head. “Nah. Ned fits.”
Abby smiled and shook her head, looking out at the last rays settling on the horizon.
Tinker reclined, one head behind his head, and tugged on the back of her hoodie. Abby lay back, resting her head in the pocket of his shoulder.
“Thank you for bringing me out here.” She sighed and relaxed against his warmth, listening to the crash of waves. It was so easy to imagine they were in a bubble, where nothing could touch them.
“I have something serious I want to discuss with you,” he said.
Abby froze.
“It’s not bad.” Tinker shifted and rose on one elbow. “At least, I hope it’s not bad.”
“What is it?” Abby whispered.
“It’s too soon right now, but at some point in the future, I’m going to ask you to marry me.”
Something she hadn’t felt in a long time started unfurling in her belly and spread through her. A smile spread across her face. “Really?”
“I meant it, when I said I love you. I didn’t say it because I was under duress.”
“Duress?” Her eyebrows went up.
“Emotional duress,” he said.
“I didn’t say I love you because you were under duress either,” she said.
He smiled. “Good. I meant it when I said I was in it for the long haul. This is the long haul.”
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay.” He lowered his head and their mouths met.
It began sweet and quickly turned scorching. Abby pulled back at the same time she had the urge to pull him closer and wrap her legs around his waist. Public be damned. “We’re going to miss the sunset.”
“Yeah.” His sigh was heavy with disappointment as he lay back on the blanket, one arm bent under his head, the other holding her close. “There is something else I want to talk about.”
Abby craned her neck to look at him. “What’s that?”
