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“Is that a problem?”
“No.” She took a tentative step. “Just a surprise.”
I opened her door to help her inside. “Well, get used to surprises. There’s more where this came from tonight.”
She shot me a suspicious smile. “What’s gotten into you today?”
“Can’t I just do something nice for my girlfriend?” I planted a kiss on her lips before she could answer, then shut the door and jogged around to my side.
I started the car and backed out to head to New Orleans, trying not to think about how often I’d been there the last few days, and why. No. Tonight was about her.
I kept the radio low and on the station she liked, holding her hand the whole way.
She turned to me when we drove past the Redemption city limits. “Where are we going?”
I squeezed her fingers and lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. “It’s a surprise.”
She frowned. “Where is my Adam, and what have you done with him?”
“Your Adam.” I laughed. “I like the sound of that.”
“I’m serious. I don’t like surprises.”
“Sure, you do.” I shot her a look. “You’re just impatient. There’s a difference.”
She huffed out a breath.
“Tell me about your day,” I diverted. “How’s the party planning going?”
“Fine. We’re done with all that. We’re keeping it easy.” She settled into her seat, obviously realizing I wasn’t going to tell her where we were headed. “Matthew meets with Wexley tomorrow about his trust. Apparently, besides the church, he’s inheriting a load of money on his birthday. He’s a little shell-shocked.”
Pittman’s money. It had to be. The dirty money that nearly cost Faith her life, that I was supposed to be searching for. The thought made my stomach turn.
“Damn, baby,” I mumbled. “How do you feel about that?”
She shrugged. “Honestly, I was hurt when all this started. Confused. But now? Now, I’m kind of relieved. I don’t belong at the church anymore, and I like Matthew too much to hate him. I’ve moved on...” Her eyes were soft and love-filled when she looked at me. “And I’m happy now.”
“I’m glad.” I swallowed the thick lump of regret clogging my throat. I wanted nothing more than to make Faith happy. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I’m happy, too.”
She asked me about my day, and I fed her some half lies about running errands and seeing Tobias, then changed the conversation as we rolled into New Orleans. Something else I’d dug from my memory bank. She loved visiting this city, and she loved seafood. I’d overheard her and her sisters talking about this hoity-toity restaurant that I personally would avoid like the plague, but for her, tonight, I’d made reservations.
When I parked and she spotted the sign, her mouth fell open. “We’re going to Pêche?”
“We are.”
“Seriously?”
“Would I lie to you?”
God, don’t strike me down for that.
She leaned over and kissed me. “I love you, Adam Bishop. For real.”
“Was it this easy?” I laughed.
“Pretty much.” She laughed too and unbuckled her seat belt, jumping out of the car before I could be a gentleman and help her. She grabbed my hand and practically ran toward the entrance. “Grace and Hope are going to be so jealous.”
I held the door. “Glad to help you gloat.”
