I had to force myself to keep from blurting out something inappropriate. “Nothing fancy. I want you to be comfortable tonight.”
“Hmm,” she mused. “Let me think.”
One of our family excursions had been a shopping spree to help round out her limited wardrobe.
“Is this event in a group setting?”
I shook my head.
“What kind of footwear?”
“No heels.”
She twisted up her mouth adorably. “Okay, give me twenty minutes.”
I noticed that Nina didn’t ask me where we were going. It was one of the many things I appreciated about her: she was up for everything, although tonight wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for her. She showed up in the entry hall in an oversized white button-down and black leggings, looking appropriately comfy for the night ahead.
The drive to the marina took a little more than thirty minutes, and I lost count of the times I glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Are youkiddingme?” She laughed when we finally arrived at our destination.
“What? Boats are my life,” I said as I pulled the car into my usual parking space.
“You’re sort of an addict.”
I laughed at her on-the-nose take. “Guilty.”
We boarded my mid-sized yacht, greeted the crew, and made our way to the top deck.
“Gorgeous view,” Nina said. She walked to the railing and gazed out at the setting sun in a blazing pink sky. “Are we staying in the harbor?”
“Absolutely not. We’re doing a little dinner cruise out on the high seas.”
Her eyes went soft as she gazed up at me. “All of this is just for me?”
“You deserve it, Nina,” I said in a quiet voice. “You’ve been pulling double duty, working with Noah and keeping up our little marriage charade. I appreciate all of it.”
“Not like it’s hard,” she snorted. “Noah is making incredible progress, and pretending to be married to you is…”
“Not what you signed on for,” I finished her sentence.
“No, it’s not,” she mused, her eyes on the horizon. “But I’ve come to appreciate it. You’re a surprisingly good temporary husband.”
I was taken aback by the compliment. “Thank you.”
Nina turned to focus on me, and the intensity of her gaze felt familiar. I was pretty sure she’d looked at me like this before, but the memory of the specifics was hazy.
I hated that I couldn’t remember every second of our night together.
“Your future real wife is very lucky.”
Her comment landed like a gut punch. The words were kind, but not at all what I was expecting.
They were a reminder of another bit of housekeeping in our arrangement.
“Speaking of…” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tiny black velvet bag. “This is way past due.”
She took a step back. “You didn’t.”
“I had to. People were asking questions about your missing engagement ring, so let’s make it even more faux official.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw my staff bustling aroundinside the cabin. “It feels weird to get down on my knee since we’re already married, but…”
