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With a hoot of laughter, Sam clapped. “Beautiful. You obviously know him well enough to know you needed to discuss business. Keep going.”
“The first night in Cancún I had a dinner set up on the beach with a harpist playing in the background.”
Sam ran a perfectly polished fingertip over the row of chocolates in her box and finally chose another. “I love this. Romance, the cat-and-mouse game and eating chocolates. Don’t stop.”
Abby smiled and settled into the chaise lounge. This was a nice recap.
“We walked a bit and he nearly kissed me, but his phone rang. It was Mona.”
Sam cringed. “Oh, no.”
“Yeah.” Abby reached for her own piece of chocolate. What the hell. “But that night was not totally a wash because he was looking at me like he never had before so I knew I was getting somewhere. And he kissed me.”
“He what?” Sam all but shouted.
Abby chewed on her lip. “But it was an angry kiss.”
Sam smiled. “Oh, the best kind. Keep going.”
“He actually apologized and I was so hurt, I just left the room.”
The other woman closed her eyes and groaned. “Idiot. Him, not you. What happened next?”
“At our next stop in Puerto Vallarta, he booked a bed-and-breakfast for us and arranged a quiet dinner around a small pond and tropical plants. I couldn’t believe it.”
“He’s a romantic at heart whether he knows it or not,” Sam said. “Then what?”
“Our next stop was Cozumel and I requested the Honeymoon Suite so he could see the amenities they offered. Of course I booked another room in my name so there was no pressure, but he didn’t know that.”
Sam extended her tan legs and crossed her ankles. “I love blindsiding a man.”
“As soon as we arrived two ladies came to give us our couples’ massage. Once they were gone, he did kiss me. And I can’t even describe that to you, because I’ve never been able to find words.”
Sam glanced over, patted her stomach and smiled. “I understand.”
Yeah, she would.
“The next morning we went snorkeling,” Abby went on, shoving her sunglasses up onto her head so she didn’t have white lines around her eyes. “When we got back, I passed out. Heat combined with no breakfast was not a smart move, but we, um…”
Sam darted up in her seat, which was not an easy feat considering the added midsection. “You…did? Oh, Abby. You really do love him, don’t you? There’s no way he’ll marry Mona. No matter what’s at stake.”
Abby’s heart leaped in her chest. “What makes you so sure he won’t change his mind?”
“Cade isn’t like that.” All joking now gone. “I’ve only known him a short time, but I know Brady and those men aren’t the type to play with a woman’s heart. Cade may not realize that he loves you, but he does. He wouldn’t put billions of dollars at risk by sleeping with you if he didn’t.”
Abby sighed. “That’s what I thought, what I’ve prayed for, but hearing someone else say it eases my mind a bit. But then I think of Mona. Have you seen her?”
“Mona Tremane? Once or twice.”
“She’s beautiful.”
Sam nodded. “She is. But do you think she’s the only beautiful woman in the world? You do look in a mirror for your daily grooming, right? You’ve got that simplicity that Mona doesn’t. There’s something wholesome and…angelic about you.”
“That doesn’t make me sound like a catch. It makes me sound like a Sunday School teacher.”
Sam reached over, patted Abby’s leg. “Listen. Cade has dated actresses, models and gorgeous women from all over. But I’ve never seen him so relaxed, so at peace with himself, as when I saw the two of you in the lobby. He was beaming just as much as you were.”
Did she dare hope? “Really?”
“You two seemed like just another honeymooning couple to onlookers.”
Abby looked back to the turquoise water and the white caps rushing to shore. “I don’t want to just portray the image. I want to actually be that couple.”
Cade escorted Abby back to her room after they’d dined with Sam and Brady. The bellboy had taken their luggage to the honeymoon suite, where they’d changed for dinner, but the sleeping arrangements were still unclear. She wasn’t sure if they were sharing a room or if they were keeping things simple.
Simple? Nothing about this whole situation was simple. She was sleeping with her boss who was recently engaged to someone else.
Abby cringed. Her mother would be so disappointed.
The elevator dinged at the Penthouse and Cade gestured her ahead of him once the doors opened. There was only one room on the top floor so no keycard was required since they’d needed it to get on this particular elevator.
