“Oh, Ethan,” Laura said, glancing back down to the tickets just to make sure she had actually read it right. “You're serious.”
“Completely,” he said casually.
Her initial excitement and surprise quickly faded as a realization flashed into her mind. “I want to go. Oh, God, do I want to go. This is such a nice offer, Ethan. But I don't think I can take you up on it.”
She put the tickets back into the envelope and slid it toward him.
Ethan looked confused. “Why not?”
“The kids,” she said, shaking her head. “There's no way I can leave them.”
The expression on Ethan faced softened immediately. “That's why they're coming with us.”
“Wait, what?” Laura said, raising an eyebrow.
“My plan was to have us fly out there two days before they do,” he said. “They'll be in school for those two days, and then after that, they'll fly out to meet us.”
She stared at him in silence for a moment, just allowing herself to soak in what he was saying. She didn't know what to say. She'd never even dreamed this could happen.
“The kids have never seen the ocean,” Ethan continued. “I'm going to change that. I want to show it to you.”
She could feel her heart beating in her chest as excitement flowed through her. This wasn't a dream at all. Ethan was really there, and he was going to take her to the ocean.
“This is crazy,” she said, smiling. “You're taking us all to the Caribbean?”
“I have all of the details planned out,” he said, gently squeezing her hands. “There's nothing you need to worry about. I'll come and pick you up that morning. You just have to have your bags ready.”
“I don't know what to say,” she said. She was still trying to process the idea. It was so big a gesture she was having a hard time believing that it was real.
“Just say, 'yes.'“ Ethan kept his eyes locked on hers as he spoke. He was so genuine and caring. She felt safe with him.
“Okay,” she said, her smile widening. “We will go to the Caribbean with you.”
“Excellent.” His eyes sparkled with excitement. “This is going to be a great trip. There's so much I want to show you. I think Dallas will love snorkeling and Ivy will have so much fun feeding the fish.”
Laura was officially on Cloud Nine. Surprised with both a fantastic meal and a trip to the ocean all in one night had her dazed with excitement. She felt loved and adored by Ethan, a feeling she'd never experienced. It wasn't just the beautiful things he bought for her either. It was something in the way he looked at her. It made it seem like there was nowhere else in the world he'd rather be than with her.
Daryl showed up with dessert a few minutes later. Laura and Ethan had a few spoonfuls of each dish, but it didn't take much until they were so full that they couldn't eat another bite.
“Can I take the rest home?” she asked. “Dallas and Ivy will go crazy over these desserts.”
“Yeah, definitely,” Ethan said. “I'll have Daryl pack it all up for you.”
He turned in his chair and glanced toward the house, giving a nod. Almost immediately, some slow and soft music filled the air. It was a slow swing music song from their night at the museum.
Laura's jaw dropped. “You remembered.”
“Of course I did,” Ethan said. He stood up from his chair and held a hand out toward Laura. “Can I have this dance?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, definitely.”
She took his hand, and they walked to the far side of the deck. Moonlight poured in through the screens and over the two of them. It was almost like a spotlight had clicked on, putting them on center stage. It felt like that, too. For the moment, there was nothing else that mattered.
Ethan took the lead and they slow danced to the son
g. Laura closed her eyes and moved her body to the rhythm. She could feel the heat radiating from Ethan's chest as she leaned in. The smell of his cologne met her nostrils, too. It was intoxicating, and she found herself wanting more than just a dance. She had a feeling that she would feel like this every time they danced to this song.
The song began to slow down, and Ethan leaned in, giving her a kiss. He dipped her backward but kept his lips pressed against, all the way until the song finally ended. Then it was quiet as he carefully lifted her back up and broke the kiss. The only sound on the deck was their breathing and a handful of noisy crickets somewhere out in the grass.