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She and Ted walked down the front lawn and onto the wooden dock. A small bench at the end of the dock faced the water, which is where they sat.

“It’s beautiful,” murmured Emmie.

Ted took hold of her hand. “You’re beautiful. I hope you’re not discouraged by Cinda’s concerns about us. I’d rather she be open with us than hide her feelings.”

“It’s much better that way. I know Cinda is trying to please you, but it will take something different to make her accept me. I’m okay with it.”

“Good, because I don’t want any hard feelings among all of us. Lauren and Rick are supportive, and that means a lot,” Ted said.

“Let’s forget everyone else and concentrate on us,” said Emmie.

Ted pulled her to her feet and grinned. “My thoughts exactly. Come on. Let’s go.”

Upstairs in Ted’s bedroom, Emmie had a chance to see what it was like making love with a skylight above them, allowing dusk to creep into the room with them.

Lying next to Ted, snuggling against him, Emmie let out a long sigh. Their relationship was sexy, sweet, and worth fighting for.

###

Later, downstairs in the kitchen, Ted heated up the meal Halona had made for them.

Sitting at the kitchen bar, watching him work comfortably, Emmie mentally added another check to the list she was creating about all the things she liked about him.

After dinner, they spent time watching a movie and finally climbed the stairs to bed.

###

The next morning, Ted was up early, leaving her in bed. Moments later, he brought a cup of coffee to her and sat on the bed beside her.

“Today, let’s play tourist,” he said. “We can go to the Village and the Harriet Tubman House. Many of the village's architectural treasures date from the 1830s. We can go to town early before dinner so you can see some of the shops there, if you wish.”

“You choose what to see and when. I’ll willingly put myself in your hands,” said Emmie, and stopped when she saw the teasing leer cross Ted’s face.

“You know what I’m thinking,” he said.

She laughed. “I do. Now let’s have more for breakfast than coffee.” She started to get out of bed.

Ted pulled her back and kissed her. “I’m really happy you’re here. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

Emmie hurried through her morning routine and then went downstairs wearing Ted’s terrycloth robe.

Ted looked up when she walked into the kitchen. “Good morning. Help yourself to coffee and have a seat. Would you like eggs scrambled or fried?”

“Fried, please.” Emmie inhaled the aroma of cooked bacon and saw bread lined up beside the toaster. “And one slice of toast.”

“Done,” he said, and moments later, a warm plate with one fried egg, one slice of toast, and three slices of bacon was set before her.

“Better watch out or you’ll spoil me,” she teased.

“I intend to,” said Ted, sitting beside her with his own plate of food.

The feeling of being spoiled stayed with Emmie throughout the day as they traveled to the Village and walked around, taking in as much as they could of everything offered to them.

Mid-afternoon, they went to Ted’s house to rest up for dinner in the town that evening with Chase, Diana, Cinda, and Ryan. It was a meal that Emmie was nervous about because she already knew that Cinda was lukewarm about her relationship with Ted.

###

Rosie’s was a well-loved Italian restaurant, Ted explained as he drove them to it. “It’s fairly new, built in 2010, and grew a reputation for excellence early on, winning a lot of awards for its food and its wine list.”