She fell asleep in the tub, and this time, when he hoisted her up into his arms, she didn’t protest. Her body was lax as he toweled her off and laid her in the bed he could only see as theirs now.
Studying her, he battled conflicting emotions. His love for her was so great, but there was a new feeling he didn’t care for. Guilt.
The next day he took her and Spike on a drive in his Maserati GranTurismo, delighting her when he pulled over on a deserted country road lined with bare plane trees and handed her his keys. “Wanna give her a go?”
“Are you kidding?” Her golden eyes brightened, and shesnatched the keys from his hand. “Since I know guys, I understand how huge a gesture this is. But you bet I want to see what this baby can do.”
After they switched seats, she revved the engine and then punched the gas and knocked him back in his seat. He laughed, and Spike started barking from the back seat. Madison didn’t waver. She just curved her hands around the steering wheel and showed him what her entire focus looked like when it came to driving fast.
“Speed’s in my blood,” she teased, flicking him a glance. “But you already know that.”
The rest of the afternoon was one of the happiest they’d had. Their troubles seemed far away as they finally enjoyed a meal together in a restaurant, with Spike snoozing at their feet.
On the way back, he was juiced. Today had delivered an unexpected surprise. He knew what he was getting Madison for her birthday in April, which he vowed he would share with her, come what may. A fast car—all her own. For days when she wanted to get out of town and let her rip, as she’d told him.
They were laughing when they put Spike and Pierre to bed. Heading to the Dirty Dancing Club, as they’d both taken to calling it, they did some of their best dancing. He finally felt like they’d been dancing together their whole lives.
He decided it was finally time to man up and take the plunge on his next part of Operation Madison.
When the spicy salsa number ended, he brought her up slowly from the dip they’d executed. He cupped her cheek, holding her close, feeling the rapid beating of their hearts as the music turned to a rhumba.“Te amo. Estoy feliz todos los días porque de tú.”
I love you. I am happy every day because of you.
She tangled her hand in his hair. “I love you too, and youmake me really happy. Hey! Your accent is really top-notch now.”
“I’m learning the language of your heart,” he told her in Spanish, nerves licking up his spine.
Her throat moved as she pressed her cheek to his. “Kyle, you’ve always known the language of my heart. We agree on the never been happier part.”
“This is only the beginning, you know.”
Uncertainty filled her golden eyes when she angled back. “Let’s focus on the now. There’s so much going on.”
He had to bite back a persuasive argument. She was right. He knew she was. But she had to know every plan he made had her at its core. He wanted her to feel the same. “How about we call this me planting a seed?”
Don’t trample on it, Mad.
“Hey, I like seeds. Herbs grow from seeds, and I cook with herbs.”
She took his jaw in her hands, searching deep into his eyes. He felt raw and exposed and very much like he was hanging out there on the proverbial branch.
“Don’t be hurt by me not going all gooey and soft. Please! I still can’t believe you’re learning Spanish, and I’m finally getting used to dancing with you in our very own Latin club. No one has ever gone to these kinds of lengths with me before. I mean, sometimes I wonder if you’d walk five thousand miles for me like that one song talks about, but I get a little freaked out because I have a feeling you would.”
Tracing the line of her cheek, he fought against the clawing sensation in his throat. “Don’t you know it yet? I’d do anything for you.”
Resting her head against his chest, she whispered, “Yeah, I get that. I’d do anything for you too.”
For now, it had to be enough.
If she was extra watchful and pleasing when they madelove, he told himself it was her way of showing him how much she loved him.
Not that she was trying to memorize him and their final times together before she left.
