The lights on the Ferris wheel turn on. "Can we go?" she asks, pointing and I look over at her.
“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” I say the words, and I don’t add the rest of the sentence, not sure either of us is ready for it.
Chapter 28
Erika
“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” he says as he pushes the hair away from my face when a breeze comes through. My whole heart is about to explode in my chest, yet all I can do is tilt my head back and wait for him to kiss me. “Just say the word.” He bends his head and kisses me.
“I’ve never been on a Ferris wheel before,” I finally admit when we get to the front of the line. The man takes the stuffed frog and places it on the side.
“You can get that when you get off,” he says as he holds the bar open, and I step in.
“You better make sure no one steals it,” I joke, smiling. “He had to work pretty hard to win it.” I motion with my head, making the guy laugh.
"I got it on the first try," Cooper boasts, sitting on the bench next to me, and the whole thing starts rocking. I put my hand on his leg to stop the moving, and he wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Don’t worry. I’ve got you," he confirms, and all I can do is put my head on his shoulder. "Sorry, excuse me," Cooper says to the man who is making sure the bar is sealed. "Do you mind taking a picture of us?" He hands him the phone, and I turn to smile with him. He hands us back the phone and steps away while he presses the button to start moving the Ferris wheel.
"This is so pretty," I say when we move a bit, and we can see the whole boardwalk. "Are those where the houses are?" I point at the houses on the beach that are lit up. I turn to look at him, and all he is doing is looking at me.
"You’re beautiful," he compliments, leaning and kissing me. I get lost in his kiss as the Ferris wheel goes around. The wind makes my hair go crazy. I laugh as I try to push it to one side but then finally give up and just look away from him. His thumb rubs up and down on my arm.
He holds my hand when I step off, and I grab my frog, his fingers linking with mine as we walk down the boardwalk and laugh at things that we each point out. "Can we bring the girls tomorrow?" I ask him when we make our way back to the SUV.
"Probably," he replies, and I look at him. "We have the boats tomorrow."
"Of course we do." I shake my head. "There has not been one day of no activity."
"My father wants to make sure he entices us to come back," he shares, opening the SUV door for me. Grabbing the frog, he tosses him in the back seat and then turns to me, wrapping one hand around my waist and another coming up and holding my cheek. "This has been the best vacation." He kisses me, and my heart skips.
"I’ve had an okay time," I joke with him, and I try to hide my smile, finally giving in and laughing. "It’s been the best vacation for me also," I finally agree softly.
"Thank you for coming with me," he says, rubbing his nose on mine and turning his head. "And for asking me to kiss you."
My hands come up to touch his chest. "I think we need to thank Don Julio for that one." I laugh, and he crushes my lips, and then I throw my head back and can’t help the laugh that comes out.
He kisses my neck. "Let’s go home," he says, and I get into the SUV and wait for him to get in. His hand comes over the middle console so he can put his hand on my lap. He grabs my hand in his and brings it to his lips as I look out the window. He parks the SUV, letting go of my hand, and I want him to grab it back.
He opens the door, and my stomach flips as I watch him walk around, my hands shaking in my lap. He opens the door and holds out his hand. I slip my hand in his as we walk up the dark pathway to the door. He takes the keys out, unlocking the door but turning, and his hand lets go of mine as he runs his fingers up my arm all the way to the top of my shoulder. My whole body fills with goose bumps. "Tonight," he says in almost a whisper. "Was the best first date I’ve ever been on." His fingertips touch my neck one at a time until he runs his hand to the back of my head. "Everything with you is always better." He bends his head and slides his tongue into my mouth. I step closer to him, my hands going to his hips. He lets go of my lips, softly kissing the corner of my mouth. "For as long as I can remember," he says, his nose trailing his kisses. "You’ve always been at my side." I swallow down the way my heart flips and ignore the heat coming up my neck. "Good times." He kisses my chin. "Bad times. Every single time, the only thing I can remember is you being there."