Page 110 of Ethan

Daniel nudged me.

"He's lucky," he said. "I was afraid of my feelings at that age."

I laughed. "I was a huge flirt with the boys. Noah and Liam might have officially come out first, but I don't think any of the guys thought I was straight."

"You were free to express yourself," Sarah said. "You were fortunate."

"I took that and ran with it."

Damian laughed. "And you're still running with it."

I snorted and shoved him playfully. Daniel was right. I had an adventurous mind. And my lover had never turned me down. Those strands of our souls that had been seeking to mesh earlier in our relationship now held strong, creating what amounted to a Kevlar vest.

"I'm going to bow out of this conversation," Sarah said and rose, her glass of wine in hand. Meeting her again had worked out better than I imagined.

"We're close to Dallas Road here," Daniel said. "We can't be in James Bay without taking a walk along the seawall." He gripped my hand tightly. "There's something I want to ask you."

My heart thumped around.

"Any clues?"

"I want to be able to take you home."

I furrowed my brow. "You've lost me."

Daniel stood and hauled me to my feet. "Let's go for that walk."

We shared our plan with Derek and Michael and promised to return. Daniel was right. We were only five blocks from the sea. The air coming off the water was cool, and the waves were lapping softly against the rocks three feet down from the walkway. The tide was in.

Ahead, two massive cruise ships were docked in port, their engines running. One of them appeared to be having a party on the main deck. The music was loud, and the hooting and hollering was disruptive to the serenity of the scenery of snow-capped mountains across the water.

"I'd hate to live down here." Daniel read my thoughts.

"Too noisy." I looked toward the end of the seawall. "Let's head out to the lighthouse."

We followed a path past a sundial and a restaurant until we were on more pavement, a walkway that extended into the water one mile out and back in a park called Ogden Point.

When we arrived at the lighthouse at the far end, Daniel stopped and leaned against the railing, looking out at the picturesque one-eighty-degree view of dark water and American mountain range. I joined him and pressed my shoulder against his.

"What is it you want to ask me?"

"I love you … and I adore making breakfast with you and holding you while you sleep."

I hummed and kissed his shoulder. "I love that too."

"I want to do that with you every day."

"What are you asking me?" I knew exactly where he was going with this, but I wanted to hear him say it. I didn't want any misunderstanding. In my mind I was already packing.

Daniel sighed. "Maybe it's too soon."

I pushed a little. "I can't imagine another night without you."

"Me neither." Daniel turned to me and held my face in one hand. He brushed his fingers across my cheeks and into my hair. I tipped my head toward his gentle hand and whimpered.

"God, I love that sound you make."

"What are you going to do about it?"

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