“C’mon, cowgirl, there’s somewhere special I want to take you.”
“But they haven’t cut the cake yet. You’re the best man. Won’t it be rude?”
He didn’t reply, just locked his fingers with hers and led her to the deck doors. The sun had set, and with the party going full tilt, the romantic in him clearly wanted alone time. They really hadn’t had much of that today with him in the bridal party.
Exiting onto the deck, a salty, summer breeze filled her lungs.
Her lover was a man on a mission, escorting her down the staircase to the sand. She slipped off her sandals, and, in silence, they walked hand in hand through lit tiki torches, then down the beach. Laughing she said, “Are you taking me where I think you’re taking me?”
“Yup.”
“You’re such a romantic.”
Stopping near the dune, he turned to her. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?”
“Yes. But tell me again.”
“You take my breath away,” he said, lips lowering to hers. “Would you like to sit and listen to the waves with me on a chaise?” he asked, entwining his fingers with hers again.
“Are you feeling amorous?”
Wearing a soft smile, he led them to a covered lounge tucked amid the sea grass on the dune, then laid down beside her.
Once settled within his arms, they gazed out at the waves and how the moon glittered on the water. It was a beautiful night, just like in June. “The scene of the crime,” she joked.
“Best crime I ever committed.”
“That wasreallyballsy of me.”
“In the best way.”
They laughed, quipping back and forth about how easy he was to seduce, but then a contented, peaceful comfort settled in the silence with just the ebb tide’s roar and woosh as background. Snuggled beside each other, from their perch, they watched the few evening beachcombers and romantic couples pass at the shoreline.
“So much has happened in the last eight weeks,” he stated.
“Yet, it seems like only yesterday when we were here. What a night that was.”
William chuckled. “And here we are making our public debut as ‘Manhattan’s hottest billion-dollar couple.’”
“The press. Ugh. Why did Carrie invite the press?”
“She dreamed of this wedding after Louisa’s,andshe thrives on attention. Thank God, Rick hasn’t taken a piss on a plant yet. My aunt will be apoplectic.”
“For sure! And to compound matters, it looks like your cousin stole your fiancée and co-opted your wedding plans, and you ended up hooking up with the woman your fiancé hired to get the Seurat.”
“Ah, but in the process, La Tempera has made headlines, and you now have five new acquisition clients and an upcoming Anne Darcy exhibition.”
“All within sixty days! Isn’t fate a wonderful thing?” she gushed.
“I find it ironic that the marriage pact I made with Beanz all those years ago, with the intention of avoiding love and heartbreak, ended up being the very tool to bring you and me together again to upholdourmarriage pact.”
“The power of a pinky swear. I guess it was written in blood rather than ink.”
Gently turning her face to him, his love-filled expression touched her heart. He kissed her, then whispered. “This is real.”
“This is heaven.”
“Lizzy ... Do you have anything you want to tell me?” he softly asked, smoothing the back of his hand down her cheek.
