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After I get in, he shuts the door and goes back around to the driver’s side. He pulls out of the driveway and starts heading away from town. I had expected him to go towards Boston, but instead, we’re going North.
“Where are we going?”
He smiles and reaches over to place one hand on my leg. “Now, what fun would it be if I just told you?”
“Plenty. I hate surprises.”
“Some things never change, but you’ve always loved my surprises.”
I roll my eyes because he’s right. No matter how much I used to beg him to tell me where we were going or what it was that he had for me, he never gave in and I always loved it anyway. I kick off my flip-flops and put my feet up on the dashboard, knowing he’ll hate it but getting under his skin is one of my favorite pastimes.
“Ay.” He lightly taps my leg. “Feet down.”
“Nope.” I pop the p just to dig it in a little more. He turns his head to glare at me. “Eyes on the road, Brooks.”
His amusement is all over his face. “I’ll remember this.”
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, we pull up to a beach that’s only illuminated by streetlights and the moon. Completely bewildered, I climb out of the car and meet him at the trunk. He opens it, pulling out a blanket, lantern, and a picnic basket – like something out of a damn movie.
“A picnic? Seriously?”
He smirks. “Do you have something against picnics, Princess?”
I shake my head. “Not at all. I just never took you for a picnic planning kind of guy.”
“What can I say? You bring out the best in me.”
“Wow. You’re laying it on thick tonight.”
His head falls back as laughter bellows out of his mouth. “Alright, brat. That’s enough out of you. Let’s go.”
I follow him onto the beach and towards the water. He lays the blanket down on the sand, then turns on the lantern and places it in the middle. We sit across from each other and he takes two subs from my favorite deli out of the basket, along with a bottle of my favorite wine and two glasses.
“You really put some thought into all this.”
He looks up from what he was doing and tilts his head to the side. “That surprises you?”
“Honestly? Yeah. I’ve never seen this side of you. Well, at least not when there wasn’t a bed involved.”
“Okay, fair enough.” He finishes pouring a glass of wine and hands it to me before filling his own. “I just wanted to show you how serious about this I am.”
My heart pounds inside my chest as I ask the question I’ve been thinking all day. “And what is this exactly?”
“Dinner?”
“Colton.” I say his name as a warning. “You know what I’m talking about.”
He leans back on his elbows as he finishes chewing the bite of his sub. “It can be anything you want it to be.”
“So, if I wanted you and I to get married tomorrow?”
I expect him to panic as I call his bluff, but he remains indifferent. “I designed a house for a pastor once. I’m sure he’d do it if I asked him to.”
Good god, it’s all too much. The way he’s looking at me, the picture-perfect date he set up, the things he’s saying – it’s everything I’ve always wanted and it’s four years too late.
“Why couldn’t you have been like this before I left?”
My words aren’t meant to ruin the mood, but I watch the playfulness fall from his face. He looks up at the stars and takes a sip of his wine as he figures out how to answer my question. When he finally looks back at me, all I see is sincerity.
