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“The city?”
His lip twitches. “New York.”
“As in Manhattan?” I try and fail to keep my eyes from bugging out. “To be clear, you’re whisking me away on your private plane for a swanky dinner in New York City.”
“It’s not my plane. I just chartered it for—”
“Same thing,” I interrupt, pushing his shoulder.
Shane’s smile turns wicked. “Should I tell you about the helicopter transfer required to make our reservation?”
My legs suddenly feel like jelly. “It’s… This is too much.”
The loving way Shane grips my chin, keeping my attention purely on him, sends goosebumps down my neck.
“Nothing is too much for you, Willow. I know you’d rather be cozy at home, or antiquing, or playing arcade games, but just this once, let me spoil my wife.”
My mouth goes dry as I manage a wobbly, “Okay.”
Who am I to say no to that?
Chapter 33
Shane
A month later
“I hate this.”
“I know.” Willow gives my black long-sleeve rash guard a patronizing pat. “But you’ll survive.”
“I thought you loved me,” I grumble as she hands me the beach chairs we took to the cabin.
Willow pauses, rising on her tiptoes to kiss me. “I do love you.”
Her lips on mine slightly brighten my sour mood from being at one of my most detested locations after being gone all week. But then Willow moves to lift the cooler out of the back of my truck, and I practically growl as I nudge her out of the way. She can carry her iced green tea and that’s it.
“I’ve just been dragging my feet this morning because I missed you,” I tell her, voicing the thoughts inside my head instead of staying silent.
It’s something I’ve been working on since my brother’s wedding, ever since Willow accepted my bumbling excuse for telling her how I felt.
Her eyes meet mine from behind her jewel-shaped sunglasses. “I missed you too.”
A grunt escapes me.
Old habits die hard, I guess.
If anything, my monosyllabic response makes Willow brighten. Of course, that could just be the oppressive sun reflecting off the sand.
As Delilah, Adam, and Piper meander down the wooden beach path toward the ocean, I resign myself to my fate, sliding two beach bags over my shoulders and stacking the chairs atop the cooler.
“What don’t you like about the beach?”
“Sand. It gets everywhere and then follows you home like a stalker. Wet towels. Jellyfish. Crabs. Aggressive seagulls. Did you know my teammate got attacked a couple months ago? Drew blood and everything.”
Willow stops short between the dunes. “Really?”
I nod.
