Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“That’s perfect. This day is perfect. Thank you so much for everything, Foster. This has already been the most amazing experience.”
“For me, too,” I admit. “I think this is my favorite trip by far.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. We travel to games, but we don’t really get to experience much. It’s all work and very little play. This has been nice.”
“You’ve taken other vacations, right?”
I nod. “With the guys, but this one is still my favorite.”
“You don’t have to say that to make me feel better about letting you pay for all of this.” She waves her arms around.
Reaching across the table, I take her hand in mine. “I’m being honest, Eden. This trip with you is my favorite.” I’m starting to think that this woman might also be my favorite, but I keep that to myself.
She nods, accepting my words, and we go back to our meals. We both decline dessert, but I’m sure we can find something on our ride down the coast to pacify a sweet craving, unless I can find a secluded spot to taste Eden.
“It’s so pretty. I can’t get over it,” she says, twenty minutes later, as we drive along the coast. I feel her hand land on my arm, and I move, lacing our fingers together. “Thank you for this.”
“You can stop thanking me,” I tell her. “I wanted you here with me.”
I see her nod out of the corner of my eye, and I’m tempted to pull this damn car to the side of the road so that I can kiss her. However, before I can, my phone rings. I pick it up from where it rests in the cupholder and smile when I see Reid’s name. “I should probably get this,” I tell her.
She nods, rolls up her window, and closes the sunroof. I tried to get a convertible, but there weren’t any available. Once the noise of the wind is locked behind the windows, I answer the call. “Hey,” I greet Reid.
“He’s alive!” I hear Landry call out, and I laugh.
“I’m alive,” I assure him.
“Where ya been, Vaughn?” a voice I recognize as Baker’s asks.
“Do you need an intervention?” Knox adds.
“I’m actually in Florida.”
“What?” Landry asks. “You went to Florida without us?”
“Alone?” Reid asks incredulously.
Here goes nothing. “I’m not alone,” I confess, and the other end of the call goes silent.
“Sorry, man, I think there’s a bad connection. Did you say that you’re not alone?” Knox asks.
“Yep.” I grin.
“Who are you with?” Baker asks.
“Eden. I’m with Eden.”
“Eden? Do we know an Eden?” Reid asks.
“She’s the reason you’ve been smiling?” Landry asks.
I take a glance at her in the passenger seat before my eyes quickly go back to the road. Her eyes are on the ocean, but I know she’s listening. “Yeah, she’s the reason I’ve been smiling,” I tell them. I hear her small intake of breath, and my smile grows.
“I have so many questions,” Reid says, and I chuckle.
“We’re flying home on Friday,” I tell them.
“Let me guess, we’re not getting answers until then?” Landry asks.
“Probably not,” I tell him.
“What are you doing right now?” Baker asks.
“We’re driving down the coast. We’re in Clearwater. We just had lunch after a dolphin cruise.”
“You took a dolphin cruise?” Landry asks, and I can hear the surprise in his voice.
“We did.”
“So many questions,” Reid repeats, and I laugh.
“I’ll be home Friday.”
“Dinner at our place Friday night,” Landry says.
“We’ll see.”
“Oh, he needs to check with his girl,” Knox teases.
“Like you wouldn’t?” I ask him.
“Shit,” Baker curses. “He pretty much just admitted that she’s his girl.”
“Of course, she is,” Knox tells him. “He took her on vacation.”
They bicker back and forth, and all I can do is grin. I’m not worried about her leaving. There’s no old fear of rejection, just good times and the beautiful woman sitting next to me. “I’ll talk to you all when I get home.”
“We want to meet her!” Landry hollers as I end the call.
I place my phone back into the cupholder, and even though I want to reach for her, I refrain, keeping both hands locked on the steering wheel.
“You told them I make you smile.” It’s not a question. It’s more of her working out in her head what I said about her.
“I did. You do,” I tell her honestly.
“You make me smile, too,” she whispers, before rolling down her window and letting the ocean breeze once again flow through the rental. I do the same, also pressing the sunroof button as we continue along the shore.
About an hour in, we stop for ice cream before heading back to our hotel. We decided to order room service and relax a little, which is an excuse for me to buy some time. I want to sit on the balcony with her and watch the sunset. I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not it’s a better view from the beach, on the sand, or up here, and finally, I chose here, at the top floor of our hotel.