That simple confession flipped a switch I wasn’t even aware I had. I leaned closer, lowering my voice. “Want me to kick everyone off the yacht so we can start making some of our own?”
Ellie had the nerve tolaugh, even as her face turned redder than Whiskey’s pillow. “They’re our guests! We can’t kick them out.”
“Trust me, they’ll understand.”
Whiskey interrupted any attempts at changing Ellie’s mind by dragging over his latest sticky-pawed find—a plush seat cushion from one of the chairs. He dropped it at my feet, looking up at us like a proud little thief waiting for his praise.
“Oh no.Whiskey,” Ellie scolded, but there was zero bite in her tone. “We’ve been over this a million times. No stealing from our guests!”
He flicked his tail, unimpressed by her censure, and my gaze caught on the cushion he’d pilfered.
“Good boy,” I praised softly, leaning down to pat his head. I grabbed the cushion and set it on Ellie’s lap. “Here. Hang on to this for later.”
She stared at it. “A cushion?”
I winked, thinking of the time she’d tried to carry one to a couples retreat breakfast all those months ago. “You’ll need it tomorrow morning.”
Ellie’s lips parted before understanding brightened her gaze, and she threw her head back with a cackle.
The cushion whacked me in the face moments later.
Either thanks to the bottomless champagne or her charming personality, Kitty somehow convinced Grandfather to join her on the dance floor. They danced circles around the others, and I regretted only having one member of the yacht medical team on standby when he startedtwisting.
He was really putting that new hip to work.
Dr. Lovejoy skipped up to me and Ellie, pulling my gaze off Grandfather.
“To the newlyweds!” she toasted, raising a champagne glass with only a few drops left. “I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to celebrate your nuptials. It’s an excellent opportunity to find new clients. Oops, need a refill.”
She darted off without waiting for a response, and Ellie stifled a laugh behind her hand.
The love influencer had already given me and Ellie our wedding gift earlier—a signed book she’d written, titled,Finding Bliss: Intimacy Tips & Tricks for Your Marriage Journey.
There was an entire chapter devoted to the Slippery Crab.
When midnight had long since passed and most of our guests had stumbled off the yacht to go home, I took Ellie down to the dock custom built to accommodate the yacht.
“Where are we going?” she asked, giving up on lifting her poofy dress off the ground and just swinging our clasped hands between us.
“There’s one more present to show you.”
“Anotherpresent? But you already got me that fancy laminator! And a cushion.”
I grinned. “This one’s from Grandfather.”
I was careful to keep her facing me as I walked us to the best view of the ship. From the inner pocket of my tux, I pulled out a crisply folded document.
“I tried to buy it from him, but he insisted on gifting it to us instead,” I said, unfolding the paper and handing it to her. “It’s the title forThe Valencia.”
I pointed to the part that listed our names as the new owners, and Ellie gaped at the paper. She blinked once, twice, and her mouth hung open for a long time before any words came out. “…Your grandfather gave us his boat?”
My lips twitched. “Most call it a superyacht, but sure, he gave us his boat. And there’s one more surprise. I had it renamed…”
With both hands on her shoulders, I turned her toward the yacht and watched in satisfaction as Ellie took in its new name painted in swirling blue letters.
The Darling.
She sucked in a breath. “The Darling?”
