"Dolphin!"
Jonathon and Will both laughed. I couldn't believe how they were swimming and jumping at the bow of the ship as we sailed along.
"How far are we going?" I asked as I looked at my watch.
The sun wasn't setting for another two hours.
Will and Jonathon looked at each other, and then Will slowly looked at me.
Will smiled and took my hands in his. "I have a surprise for you, sweetheart."
Will
I watched as Lex's face lit up. She loved surprises, and I knew the moment I said it, she would get excited.
"Oh, yeah? Are we swimming with the dolphins? I thought that was illegal!" She began clapping her hands.
I wasn't sure if she was excited at the idea of swimming with dolphins or doing something illegal.
I stared at her for a moment and chuckled. "No, Jonathon is taking us to a private island-St. Joseph's."
Recognition hit Lex's face. "Mr. Shelton's ranch?"
I nodded. "Yep. We're gonna watch the sunset from there."
Lex slowly smiled. "I used to love going over there when I was little. Do you know how many sand dollars Colt and I used to find there?"
Jonathon laughed. "The untouched beaches of the island make it beautiful."
Lex looked around. "Well, darn it. Let me use the restroom before we get there, or I'll be peeing in the ocean!"
I watched as Lex retreated down into the cabin.
I spun around and looked at Jonathon. "Did you do all of that with the flowers?"
He smiled and nodded his head. "She was hoping y'all were alone, wasn't she?"
"Yes, and so in the hell was I."
Jonathon threw his head back and laughed hysterically. "Her daddy wouldn't like that response. He was the one who told me to do it."
My mouth dropped open. "Gunner did?"
Jonathon nodded his head. "Yes, sir, he did. Told me to fill the cabin with flowers. Stupid romantic bastard."
I chuckled and shook my head. "That he is, but he sure does teach me the right way to treat his daughter."
///
Jonathon rubbed his thumb and index finger back and forth across his chin like he was thinking. "I can imagine. The key is to always put them first, son. I've been married for almost thirty years. My wife comes first and foremost. She is my life."
Nodding my head, I said, "Yes, sir."
"Oh my gosh, there it is!" Lex shouted as she popped up out of the cabin. "I haven't been on that island in so long. Oh, Will, I wish you could see Mr. Shelton's home. It's breathtaking. I haven't seen it since I was eleven, I think. The last hurricane did some damage to it, but that thing was built to last."
I just grinned and pulled her next to me.
Jonathon gave me a wink as he made his way over to the private dock. "That's Kip, Mr. Shelton's ranch hand. He'll be taking care of y'all while I hang out here."
Reaching out to shake Jonathon's hand, I said, "Sounds good. Thank you so much, Jonathon."
Lex shook his hand next and said, "Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to the trip back at night."
"Will and Alex? I'm Kip," he said as he helped Lex out off the yacht.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you." Lex looked around.
Reaching out and shaking Kip's hand, I introduced myself and said, "Thank you so much for taking the time to do all of this."
Lex had already begun walking off down the beach. I smiled as I watched her.
"She is totally clueless, isn't she?" Kip asked.
I rocked back and forth on my feet. I was proud of the fact that I had been able to keep this surprise from her. "Totally clueless."
"If you want to take advantage of asking her at sunset, I suggest we head up to the house and start with dinner. My wife, Cassie, did all the decorations. Mr. Shelton is thinking of having weddings at the house, and when he saw how Cassie had done up the place for y'all, he said he was one step closer to that." Kip had a huge smile on his face.
"Does she do party-planning?" I asked.
"Nah, she's just a rancher's wife stuck on an island and bored out of her mind. If Mr. Shelton did this, it would make her so happy and give her something to do."
I let out a sigh. "So, tonight's like a test run?"
Kip chuckled. "No pressure, but yes. I hope y'all like what Cassie has done."
"We're going to love it." I looked back at Lex as she stood with her feet at the edge of the water. "Lex!" I called out.
When she looked at me, I waved for her to come back. She picked up her flip-flops and headed back over to the dock.
Alex
When Will called me back over to the dock, I had a feeling something was going down. "I thought we were gonna walk along the beach?"
The smile that spread across Will's face caused my heart to drop to the ground. I wanted to push my legs together or have him take me off somewhere to have his wicked way with me.
"Alex, we're heading up to the house," Kip said.
I jumped up and down. "Really? Is Mr. Shelton here?"
Kip didn't answer as he walked over to his truck and opened the passenger door for me. I slipped my flip-flops on and made my way over to the truck. Will got in and slid in next to me. Kip started off toward the house.
"Oh, Will, wait to you see this house. It sits on the highest point of the island, and the view is amazing. I can remember being little and dreaming of a house like this one. It's rustic-or at least, it was when I was here last."
Kip nodded his head. "You have a good memory, Alex. The log cabin was built back in the early nineteen hundreds for hunting. A few presidents have graced the island with their presence."
"LBJ stayed there. Colt stayed in the room he stayed in," I said.
Will grabbed my hand. He began rubbing his thumb back and forth quickly as we drove to the house. I'd peek over every once in a while, and he was just staring out the window.
"Will? Are you okay? You just don't seem like yourself."
Will turned quickly and looked at me. "What? Baby, I'm totally fine. I think I might have just gotten a little seasick, that's all."
I gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. He placed his hand behind my neck and deepened the kiss a little too much. I pulled back and motioned for Will to remember that Kip was in the truck.
"Here we are," Kip said as he parked the truck.
Will jumped out, and I slid over and took his hand. We followed Kip up the stairs.
A beautiful older woman with red hair greeted us at the door. "Will, Alex, it's such a pleasure to meet you."
///
I smiled and nodded my head. Okay, this is getting weird.
I peeked up at Will, and he was smiling at the lady.
He is up to something.
"I'm Cassie, Kip's wife. Let me show you where you're going to have dinner."
Will started following her, but I grabbed his arm.
"Dinner?" I shook my head. "Will, did you plan this or something?"
He gave me that panty-melting smile of his as he winked at me. He took my hand and pulled me along as he followed Cassie up a flight of stairs.
The house was just as I remembered it. The log beams through the house gave it such a rustic feeling. The deer, moose, turkeys, and ducks mounted all over the walls screamed hunting lodge.
"This place is amazing," Will whispered.
I giggled. I knew he would love it!
Cassie walked up to a set of double doors and pushed them open. I let out a gasp as I walked into a grand ballroom.
"It's more beautiful than I remembered." I turned and looked at Will. "Grace and I used to pretend we were princesses, and that our Prince Charming was going to scale the castle walls and set us free … but not before he danced with us." I let out a sigh as I shook my head. "Silly romantic dreams."
Cassie walked past us and pushed a button. Classical music began playing as she walked up to another sent of French doors. She turned and gave me the sweetest smile before turning back and opening the door.
The lodge house had a wraparound porch on the first floor and the second floor. My mouth dropped open when I saw the white lights hanging down with a round table in the middle of the deck. It had a white linen tablecloth on it, and the table was set for two. In the middle of the table was a beautiful arrangement of flowers, and two tall candles were lit. It was stunning.
I walked up to the table and then turned to Will. "Will … " I whispered.
Will
Lex's eyes looked amazing against the backdrop of the blue ocean. When she turned and looked at me, I thought it was the first time it really hit her that I had planned all of this.
"Will … " she whispered.
I walked up to the table and pulled out one of the chairs. "Lex, will you do me the honor and have dinner with me this evening?"
She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and nodded her head. "Yes," she barely said.
I pushed her chair in and then handed her the napkin. When our hands touched, the bolt of lightning shot through my body. Lex's eyes widened, and she began breathing slightly harder. She'd felt it, too.