Page 73 of What I Like About You

“What is this place?” she asked, looking around as they hopped out of the Jeep.

“The Preserve at Botany Bay. It’s almost four hundred acres of protected land. It’s also home to some of the fanciest houses on the island.”

“We drove a half hour off the resort to see fancy houses?”

“Nope, we drove a half hour off the resort to visit one of the best-kept secrets on the island,” he told her, his eyes wide with excitement. It was a little bit of a strange way to get there, but he knew this trip would be worth it. Sharing something this special with her would be one of the best parts of reconnecting with her. “Mermaid’s Chair.”

“Mermaid’s Chair?”

“Yup. It’s about a mile and a half hike in, but it’s worth it, I promise.”

Leading her down the paved path toward the beach, he casually took her hand in his. Linking their fingers together, it felt like they had been doing this for years.

“If it’s one of the best-kept secrets, how did you find this place?” she asked as they walked.

“A guest asked about it one day. Kyle and I had never heard of it, but Drea had been here as a kid. So she organized a day off for all of us and brought us here.”

They walked in silence for most of the way, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on them. Dalton let his mind wander to what it would be like to have her here with him full time. Could they maintain this euphoric happiness? He knew that no relationship was perfect all the time, but he couldn’t imagine the two of them not being able to make it work. They could get an apartment in Charlotte Amalie so she could be close to the airport and he to the resort. Even though he had his trust fund that he still hadn’t touched, he couldn’t imagine not working, and he was sure she felt the same way. Although maybe being a stay-at-home dad wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world once they decided on kids. He knew that being with Zara would mean a return to Atlanta at some point. After all, she was way too close with her parents to not visit at the holidays, if not more. And while their dads were still best friends, if he only had to suffer through Christmas dinner with the man, then he’d be able to suck it up.

When they reached the staircase that led down to the beach, Dalton tightened his grip on her hand, wanting to make sure she felt steady on the weird, uneven planks.

“Wow,” she said, when they reached the bottom.

The bright blue of the ocean sparkled under the midday sun, looking almost fake it was so perfect. The sandy beach was deserted, leaving them all alone to take in the rocks and cliffs along the alcove. The waves crashed against the outcroppings, providing the perfect soundtrack.

"Beautiful, huh?”

“It’s stunning!”

“Let’s get in the water. I want to take you to the sandbar over there,” he told her, pointing out to a strip of sand connecting the beach they were on and another little small island. They made quick work of getting undressed and waded out to the sandbar.

“So, if you look to your left,” he told her, watching as she followed his direction. “That’s the Atlantic Ocean. But if you look to your right, the Caribbean.”

“What?”

“Yup, this little strip is what separates the two.”

“No way!” she squealed.

“Way. So now you can say that you stood where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean.”

“So, why is it called Mermaid’s Chair?”

“Oh, there’s a rock over there somewhere,” he said, pointing back toward the main part of the beach, “that looks like a chair for a mermaid.”

“I don’t exactly know what that means,” she said, her brows a bit furrowed.

Dalton laughed. “Neither do I, but it’s what Drea said when Kyle and I asked her, and it sounded good, so now I repeat it.”

“Thank you for sharing this with me. For letting me into your world here,” she said, her voice sounding sad.

“You have always been part of my world,” he told her, walking up to her and pulling her body flush with his. “Always.”

His kiss was gentle and slow, drawing it out for as long as he could. Kissing her was one of the most magical things he had ever experienced, and his whole body thrummed with the idea of getting to do this for the rest of his life.

After a full afternoon of swimming and playing around in the secluded spot, Dalton was exhausted, and he was pretty sure Zara was too. But a good kind of exhausted. The kind that only came from spending a day having too much fun with those who mattered most. And that was certainly what they had done.

“This has been the best work trip of my life,” she said as they toweled off.