“You’llsee.”
“I want to know now.” But he was already rounding the front of thecar.
Justus got into the driver’s seat and started the engine, then he backed out of the driveway. “If I tell you, I’ll ruin thesurprise.”
“I’m kind of okay with that, considering that my last surprise landed me upside down in a car in thedesert.”
“This isn’t that kind of surprise.” But for the entire twenty-minute drive, he refused to even give me a hint, until we pulled into a parking lot in the closest little town to the cabincomplex.
“Ahotel?”
“Not justahotel. Thebesthotel SmallTown, Montana has tooffer.”
“It’s a Courtyard Marriot,” I said as he pulled into a space near thefront.
“Thatisthe best hotel SmallTown, Montana has to offer. But I hear there’s an available upgrade that includes a mini-fridge and an extra coffee pod.” He got out of the car and raced around to open my door before I could do itmyself.
“Do I get to guess why we’re here?” I asked as he held the door open forme.
“If you need more than one guess, we might have aproblem.”
I laughed, hoping he couldn’t hear how very fast my heart was beating. How loud my pulse was—at least in my own ears. “I’m assuming we’re here because everyone at the cabin has shifter hearing. And thinks we’re too young to be married.” Although we were clearly here with Faythe’s blessing, atleast.
“That’s definitely part ofit.”
“How long are we staying? I didn’t bring myluggage.”
“Everything you need ishere.”
“Is that your way of telling me I won’t be wearing anythingtonight?”
Justus groaned. “If you could just not say things like that until we’re actuallyinthe room…” He held the hotel door open for me, then he led me to the left, toward the elevators, rather than right, toward the frontdesk.
“Shouldn’t we checkin?”
“We’re already checkedin.”
“Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander,” the clerkcalled.
“How does he know who we are?” I frowned. “Though maybe we should have a talk about how I’m still KaciDillon.”
“I don’t care what your name is.” The elevator doors slid open, and Justus walked me backward into it as he kissed me. Inside, he pushed a button on the panel, then pressed me up against the mirrored wall and kissed me some more. “When I made the reservation, I wasn’t sure whether or not my sentence would separate us. I figured this might be the only night we get together for awhile.”
My heart slammed against my chest when the doors slid open, and he led me out of the elevator onto the fifth floor. “Unfortunately, there’s no honeymoon suite at the Courtyard Marriott, so we might have to make do…” He pulled a key card from his pocket and stopped in front of the third room on the right. “…with the wholefloor.”
“What? Wait. You rented the whole fifthfloor?”
He shrugged as he tapped the key card against the door handle, and the light flashed green. “I wanted privacy.” He turned the knob and pushed the door open just an inch. “Close youreyes.”
“Why?”
He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “You don’t have to question everything, Kaci. I’m not going to hurt you. Ever. So please just close youreyes.”
I closed my eyes. A second later, I squealed as he lifted me off my feet, cradling me in his arms like ababy.
No, like abride.
His back thumped against the door as he pushed it open, then he turned sideways to carry me inside. Through my closed eyelids, the light level changed. It looked dimmer, yet…flickery.
