I cradled the lazy pup in my arms. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I just wanted to tell you. But.”
“Tell me what?”
She wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m such a girl.”
“What?”
“He uhhm. His mom and all his family died. He’s a little orphan. We’re his only family.”
It probably shouldn’t have made a difference, but it did. My throat went dry, my heart filled with love, and I knew—absolutely knew—that the little pup and me would be the best of friends. My mind went to thoughts of taking him to work with me, taking him to the park, and teaching him how to do all of the things a puppy should learn to do.
My chance to raise a son in a manner I wish someone would have raised me.
“I love you,” I said. “Thank you.”
I leaned toward her and kissed her with Hank sandwiched between us.
She looked over my shoulder and toward the kitchen. “What’s my surprise?”
“It’s not in there,” I said.
“Where is it?”
“A long way from here,” I said.
She pushed her hands into her back pockets and twisted her hips back and forth. “Oh really?”
“Do you have a passport?”
She nodded eagerly. “Yes, I do.”
“Can your little Long Island shoe store live without your consultations for a few weeks?”
Her eyes widened. “I think so, why?”
I hoisted the pup to my chest. “Well, as long as they don’t mind us taking Hank with us, we’re going on a little vacation.”
The look in her eyes told me my decision to take some time off was the right thing to do. Terra had seemed stressed out lately, and I suspected moving in together was to blame. Too much change too quick. She wrapped her arms around me, held me tight and kissed me like it was her last chance.
And I cradled Hank in my arms the entire time.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Terra
Blindfolded, I was led up some steps, through a doorway and into a room. A very familiar scent caused my nostrils to flare. The aroma gave me an immediate feeling of comfort, even though I was blind to my surroundings and in a strange place.
I heard Michael let Hank out of his crate and then I felt him fumbling with the blindfold. After a few-seconds-long struggle, the cloth was removed, and I gazed around the room. Dimly lit and illuminated by candles, and only candles, the small space felt romantic and possessed a certain warmth.
That smell...it’s...
I gasped. “But. They’re Jo Malones. How...”
“I had them shipped down here and paid a guy to set it up. What do you think?”
I think you just melted me into a puddle.
“I think I love you.”
I knew we were on an island of Belize, but that’s all I knew. After arriving at the airport and taking a shuttle to another island, Michael insisted that I allow him to blindfold me for the last leg of our journey.
I felt like I did when I was a little girl and it was finally Christmas morning. It was all I could think to compare it to. I gazed around the room and inhaled slowly though my nose. As my nostrils filled with the wonderful aroma, my heart swelled with love for the perfect man providing me the perfect getaway.
He smiled the dimple-producing smile I rarely got a chance to see. “I love you, too.”
He kissed me. The candles flickered in the otherwise dark room, reminding me that although we had reached our destination, it was late at night, and I was exhausted. I bet Hank and Michael were, too.
“Where are we?”
“Caye Caulker, Belize. It’s a small island. And this...” He waved his arms around the open room. “This is our home for two weeks.”
“Are we close to the beach?”
He opened a pair of French doors. A veranda looked out to the beach, which the home was positioned directly on top of. The ocean was our backyard.
“Oh my God. This is...”
“Perfect?”
I closed my eyes and listened to the waves wash ashore. “Can you imagine living here?”
“I can.”
I turned to face him, draped my arms over his shoulders, and thanked God for his existence in my life. “I can’t even...I just...I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
It had taken us twenty hours of flights, layovers and shuttles to get where we were, and neither of us slept the entire time. As exhausted as we were, we should have probably gone right to sleep. Instead, we cuddled in a hammock on the veranda, and listened to the sounds of the ocean.
Silently, and in each other’s arms, we swayed back and forth until we finally fell asleep. I didn’t think of my father or Michael’s dealings with him, but my need to clear up the mess of lies that seemed to be piling up at my feet seemed to linger.