“You should be able to figure that one out on your own, Mr.Broussard.”
I hope that I’m not building this up in my mind only to be let down. That would break myheart.
“Your next surprise is coming up very soon.” Tristan reaches into his inner jacket pocket and takes out something. “And I want you to wearthis.”
“Ablindfold?”
“Yes, mon bien-aimé. I don’t want this one spoiled before I’mready.”
“Okay.”
I don’t think Tristan would blindfold me for a proposal, so I have no idea what’s goingon.
He slips it over my head and I feel the car stop a couple of minutes later. I recognize the sound of an opening car door. “Can you see anything through theblindfold?”
Ironic. My Dom has blindfolded me in the car, not thebedroom.
“Nothing.” All I see is darkness with a bit of sunlight. It’s increasingly disorienting as we get out of the car, and he leads me to wherever we’regoing.
I hear something—crashing waves, I think. And I smell salty air. Maybe. Are we at thebeach?
“This way, love. I’ve gotyou.”
I take baby steps in the direction that he’s leading me in. It feels like he’s walking backward as he holds both of my hands. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let you fall. Ever. I’ll always haveyou.”
“I know. I trustyou.”
“Not much further, mon bien-aimé.”
It’s not sand I’m walking on. It feels firm, like concrete or asphalt, but I take about twenty more steps before we stop. “I’m taking your blindfold off but I want you to keep your eyes closed until I tell you to openthem.”
“Okay.”
He removes my blinder and the sun shines directly on my face. I feel its warmth against my skin and see its brightness on the other side of my closed lids. “You can openthem.”
The breeze from the ocean blows a strand of hair into my face and lodges itself in the slit of one my eyes. I shake my head to make my hair fall over one shoulder. When I straighten, I look before me and see a magnificent beachfronthome.
I wait for him to say something—give me an idea about what we’re doing here—but he doesn’t. “Is this where we’restaying?”
“Yes.” He’s beaming, looking so proud. “Do you likeit?”
“It’sstunning.”
Behind me, he snakes his arms around my waist and pulls me tight against him, his mouth next to my ear. “It’sours.”
“What?”
“I bought it for you. For us. For our family.” I turn my face toward him and his facial hair scratches my face. “I wanted a place where we could spend our vacations making happy memories with ourchildren.”
“Tristan… I don’t even know what tosay.”
“Say that you loveit.”
I turn in his embrace and wrap my arms around him. “I absolutely loveit.”
“And I absolutely loveyou.”
Coming up on my tiptoes, I press my mouth to his. “Same. And since we’re staying here instead of a hotel, I’m going to show you very loudly how much I loveyou.”
