“Yes. No. I mean I want to but...”
He walks over and pulls me into his rock hard body and captures my face in his hands. “How about we do one now and the other when we come back before our shower? That way we both get what we want.”
I nod and kiss him quickly. He lets me go to finish dressing, and I pack a small bag with some sunscreen, our phones, and room keys. He takes it from me and puts the key in his pocket. Throws the phones on the bed and rubs my shoulders with the sunscreen.
“We don’t need anything but you and me. No fucking phones.”
I don’t argue and head to the beach.
*****
“So let me get this straight, in less than twenty-four hours, Jay and Mike have gotten half a dozen calls regarding Sayge’s summer plans?”
“That’s what Coop said. There are other calls too. Interview requests, magazine spreads, local charity shows, etc. But that’s not all. People are still after our story. Charlie told Coop last night that the phones are still going crazy trying to get information on our wedding.”
“Thank God, we changed our plans. Hopefully, we can keep it quiet for the next five weeks.”
“Yep, then no more secrets.”
We walk hand in hand listening to the wave’s crash and the seagull’s squawk above us. There are a few women who stare at Declan as we pass, but he doesn’t pay any attention. I wonder if I should have made him wear his shirt. We’ve walked quite a ways when I gasp at a house behind the sea dunes. It’s one of the largest mansions I have ever seen, and I’m from Nashville. Nashville hosts some of the biggest homes due to the rich and famous world of country music. But this is amazing. I pull Declan beside me and stare admiring the architecture and style.
“Like that?”
“Yeah. It’s beautiful.”
“You want something like that one day?” He pulls me to him and wraps his arms around my waist.
“Not that big, but maybe we could have a beach condo or something. I would love to spend summers and vacations at the beach.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Let’s get back.” We turn and walk the way we came.
“Dec, there’s something I want to tell you. I don’t want to register for wedding gifts.”
He looks at me and stops walking. “Why not?”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate. You’re a rock star in a famous band. It’s tacky to ask people for gifts. For our big reception, I think we should do an ‘in lieu of gifts’ and donate to a charity.”
“Are you sure? What about that china shit you’ve been looking at? And the kitchen stuff?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I’m sure I’ll get it eventually but I think it’s inappropriate for us to register.”
“What charity are you thinking?”
“Not sure, we have time to look into them. Maybe we can pick two.”
“Whatever you want babe. But you want that china now, you tell me. I’ll buy it tomorrow.”
“I love you, you know that right?”
“Once again, that makes me a lucky man.”
*****
Dinner is delicious and during our meal the owner comes over and goes over the brochure so we can decide on our menu for the rehearsal. We choose a surf and turf buffet. When we finish our dinner, we head back to the hotel bar to listen to live music.
When we finally get into bed, Declan holds me close singing to me softly until I fall asleep. Right before I doze off I hear him say ‘thank you Sparkle’.
Chapter 42