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Once I set her back down, she swayed a little, her eyes soft when she looked at me. “What was that for?”
“Because I wanted to,” I replied, pausing to give her another kiss. “Let’s get out of here.”
Martha’s eyebrows drew together. “We can’t leave our own wedding reception.”
“We can.” I stopped dancing and took her hand in mine. Then I made a beeline for her parents, sitting behind a table, plates of food in front of them. “How’s everything going? Enjoying the food?”
“This is all so beautiful,” Martha’s mother told me with a bright smile. “I’m so happy we were here for this.”
Martha fell quiet and glanced between the three of us. “What’s going on?”
“I got a suite for the next few days,” I told Martha’s father, my gaze lingering on his. “And I packed Jimmy’s bag. He wasn’t thrilled about it, but I wanted to make sure he packed clothes and not just his toys.”
Michael chuckled. “Of course. Thank you for your generosity.”
I shook my head. “We’re family now. I’m the one who should be thanking you for agreeing to do this.”
“What’s going on?”
I spun around to face Martha and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I planned a honeymoon for us.”
Martha blinked and tripped after me as we wove in and out of the crowd of well-wishers. “What? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You really should know the answer to that by now.” When we stopped in front of Jimmy, he left his new friends and went straight to Martha. He threw his arms around her, and she used her free hand to run a finger through his hair. Then I scooped him up into my arms, momentarily releasing Martha’s hand. When I set him back down on his feet, his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were bright.
“Be good for grandma and grandpa, okay?”
Jimmy nodded and clasped his hands behind his back. “I will. Thanks, dad.”
I cleared my throat and ruffled his hair. “See you soon, Jim-Bo.”
Martha gave Jimmy one more hug before I led her away and around the back of the hotel. A warm breeze rustled past, and her heels clicked steadily against the asphalt. When we rounded the corner and Martha saw the car parked out front with aJust marriedsign pinned to the back, she burst into laughter.
“Too much?” I helped Martha into the car, adjusting the folds of her dress around her. “I wanted everything to be perfect.”
Martha tilted her head back and smiled up at me. “It already is.”
I hurried to the driver’s side and wrenched the door open. “I know you’re worried, but I know you’re going to love this, and I already packed a bag for us. It’s in the trunk.”
Martha sighed as we peeled away from the curb. “You really have thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“I want to give you a honeymoon to remember,” I replied, pausing to take her hand in mind. Using the pad of my thumb, I stroked her skin and settled back against my chair. The road ahead was empty, trees and street lamps whipping past us in either direction. When we left the city, Martha twisted in her seat and looked over her shoulders, a confused look on her face.
Soft jazz music filled the silence between us.
She brought her head to rest against my shoulders and exhaled. “This is the first night I’m spending away from Jimmy.”
“I know, and I know you’re nervous, but he’s going to be fine. Your parents are there, and so is Anne.”
Martha nodded and lapsed into silence.
I gripped the steering wheel with my other hand and stared straight ahead. When we finally pulled up to a side road, Martha sat up straighter and pressed her face to the glass. Up ahead, there was thick foliage on either side of us, and the path underneath was bumpy and uneven as we shuddered along. Finally, I brought the car to a halt in front of a lumberjack hut.
Martha twisted her head to look at me, and her entire expression changed. “Is this what I think it is?”
I nodded and pushed the car door open. “It took me a while to find it, but once I did, I knew I wanted to make a few repairs.”
Martha pushed her own door and stumbled out, her breathing coming out in short puffs. “I can’t believe we’re back here.”
