“See,” I say, “I do like it when you tell me what to do.” My sass earns me a swat to the ass when I walk in front of him toward our room.
I notice there are two outfits laid out on our chairs that I didn’t see when I first got up. The first is my tiny teal bikini, a pair of shorts, and a T-shirt. The second is a mint-green sundress I’ve never seen before.
“What are these for?” I ask, running my fingers along the silky fabric of the dress.
“Parts one and two of our date. Right now I need you to get that bikini on so we can commence with part one. It may be too late for dawn patrol, but the surf report looks good all day.”
We’ve been a bit lax about waking up early over the last month. Since surfing was integral in the beginning of our friendship, it makes me smile that he chose to include it in our date.
It takes us longer than planned to get to the beach because getting into bathers required getting naked, and one thing led to another and… Well, I won’t be complaining about a couple of missed waves.
We spend a solid hour and a half surfing before we land on the beach winded, wet, and hungry. I can’t stop smiling as I look at Wes laid out on the sand with a matching smile. It reminds me of our trip up the coast. Was that really six weeks ago? After a few minutes, when our breathing has returned to normal, he looks at me with a boyish excitement in his eyes that makes me feel giddy.
“Time for part two.” With that, he bends to pick up the towel bag and his board. He turns to find me ogling his fine ass and just raises an eyebrow and smirks.
“What? I’m just enjoying the view.” I laugh, and it’s so carefree and easy with him that I can’t quite believe he’s real.
We hardly make it in the door, boards and bags discarded around us, before Wes presses me against the wall, using one hand to pin both of mine above my head. The way he looks down my body, stretched long before him, makes me burn. He leans in just enough for our lips to brush before he pulls back, teasing me.
He runs his nose along my jaw and neck, nipping at the shell of my ear and making me gasp. “It’s a good thing, Grey, that part two isn’t for a couple hours.”
He lifts me so my legs wrap around his waist, crashing his mouth on mine until we’re nothing but a tangle of limbs and lips and tongues and teeth. He walks us with purpose to the bathroom, where he sets me on the counter and continues to take his time with me. We’re in the shower so long that the water runs cold and we have to jump out to save our skin from the icy burn.
We laugh and talk while we finally get dressed for whatever Wes has planned for this second part of our date. When he walks out of the closet in a pair of grey shorts that hug his hips just right, I want to say forget part two and pull him into bed with me. I watch as he does up each and every button on his navy-blue shirt and revel in the way it transforms the color of his eyes to an unfair shade of blue.
As we walk to the waterfront, I can’t help but stare at him. His hair is lightly styled in a way that makes it look like he didn’t even try, and with the breeze ruffling through it, it gives him that tousled look I love. I could stare at him all night, and I totally intend to. When I slipped into the mint-green dress, I was amazed to find it fit like a glove. The open back is strappy and dips to my tailbone, allowingthat same cool spring breeze to caress it and send tingles up my spine. I paired it with white strappy wedges, my damp hair pulled half up with little tendrils curling around my face. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so pretty.
When we reach the restaurant, the host directs us to a table on the deck, and there’s a bottle of champagne waiting in an ice bucket. This feels like too much, but I know Wes put a lot of thought into it. I allow myself to just sit back and enjoy every moment. When he pulls my chair out for me, I feel his hand slide up my bare back, and I shiver at his touch.
We order drinks and appetizers, in no hurry to order dinner, and catch up on all the things we missed while I was away. I tell him about the night I spent in Honolulu, grabbing dinner at Duke’s with my fellow flight attendants and then surfing at Waikiki. He tells me every detail of his interview with Qantas. He gave me highlights over FaceTime, but hearing about it in person makes it so much more real. It sounds like it went well, and he’s cautiously optimistic he’ll get a conditional job offer before we leave for Tahoe. A perfect Christmas present.
The sun is setting beautifully across the water, and I feel so content that it takes me a beat to notice the hush that’s come over the restaurant. And the fact that Wes is no longer sitting in his seat. Instead, when I look away from the sunset, it’s to find Wes on one knee next to the table with a velvet box in one hand.
“Oh my god.” They’re the only words I can muster as I meet his blue gaze, watching as it turns a little glassy and the smile on his face grows to show those beautiful dimples.
“Joss.” He clears his throat, the emotion in it evident, threatening to take over. “I literally fell for you the day we met, and I never stopped. Since then, I’ve known you’re it for me. That you’re meant to be mine. I’ve never wanted anything more than I want you. I’ve never felt more at home than I do with you. I have never loved another person the way that I love you.”
The tears in my eyes spill over now, but I can’t stop smiling. I can’t believe this is happening. His hand is in mine—I don’t even remember taking it—and he gives me a gentle squeeze before continuing.
“I know to some it may seem fast…” He gives me a little wink, and it makes me laugh. “But I have never been more certain of anything in my entire life, and I don’t want to wait to start my life with you. Will you marry me?”
His expectant gaze searches mine, and I’m at a total loss for words. My mind is a complete blank, and I’m pretty sure there’s something stuck in my throat because I can barely breathe. He lifts a hand to swipe away a tear as it falls down my cheek and I lean into it, drawing strength from this man who has become my everything.
I slowly nod as I whisper a quiet “Yes.” It’s all it takes for him to pull me into his arms, standing to twirl me around. The exhilaration coursing through my body masks everything else. He sets me back on my feet, pulling my face into a light kiss before bringing the ring box between us.
When he pops the lid open, I gasp. The ring inside is magnificent. In the center sits a brilliant sapphire, outshone only by the eyes of the man holding it. It’s surrounded by a hexagon halo of small-cut diamonds glinting in the fading light, with an accent diamond oneither side. It’s the most unique ring I have ever seen, and it’s exactly what I never knew I wanted.
“Do you like it?” Wes looks from the ring to me, and I can see the pulse point on his neck fluttering.
“It’s…” I reach my hand out toward the box, almost afraid to touch it, like it might disappear. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
The smile on his face could light this entire restaurant for years. He pulls the ring from the box and slides it on my finger. A perfect fit. I’m spellbound by the effort he’s put into all the details. We’ve never once talked about rings, never looked at them, yet he was able to find the only ring I want to wear for the rest of my life.
When it’s fully seated on my finger and he’s done drinking in the sight of it there, he runs his hands up my arms and pulls me in to kiss him again. The restaurant around us explodes with applause, and I remember we aren’t alone. I laugh and he laughs with me, our lips still brushing, our foreheads resting against each other. When we finally turn away from one another and find everyone staring, Wes gives a little bow and I flush at all the attention.
I’m breathless when I sit back down, looking between Wes and the ring on my finger. His smile is so wide that I think it must hurt his cheeks, but he doesn’t mind and it doesn’t waver, not once, as he takes my hand in his.
“I’ve got one more proposal for you,” he says, and it’s the first time tonight I find him looking a little nervous.
