Page 41 of Honeymoon for Seven

“We’d actually forgotten that we stopped for ice cream after the hunt.” Nick took hold of Ginnie’s hand.

“The staff said they’d left it in plain sight in case anyone came looking for it, but made sure no one else took it.” Ginnie would have preferred they’d just turned it into Lost and Found, but if they had, Bill might have successfully jumped.

“Okay if I go back to the movie now?” Jake asked his dad.

“Sure, kiddo.” Alan nodded.

Jake turned on his heel and paused to face his uncle. “Thanks for finding Bunny, Uncle Nick. Monica is really happy now.” Jake pivoted enough to face Ginnie. “Thank you too, Aunt Ginnie.” And just like a shot, he was running around tables and out the door.

Staring in the direction Jake had run off, she realized her jaw was hanging slightly open and snapped it shut. Until now, the kids had been calling her Miss Ginnie. Where did aunt come from?

Squeezing her hand, Nick pushed to his feet and faced his family. “If you’ll excuse us.” He turned to Ginnie. “We need to talk.”

Never in his life, had Nick been as nervous as he was right this minute. When the kids had asked him if he was going to marry Ginnie, he’d turned the question and asked them if they’d like to have Ginnie for an aunt. Apparently, Jake had just given their answer.

“I hope Jake didn’t upset you by calling you Aunt Ginnie?”

Ginnie shook her head.

“Good.” He led them up a flight of stairs and out on deck. “I’m going to miss this.”

“The stars at sea are amazing.” Ginnie stared up at the sky.

He tugged on her arm and curled her into his personal space, letting his hands fall gently on her hips. “I don’t mean the sky or the sea or the stars.”

Her cheeks tinted pink and he tugged her a little closer. “I’ve been talking with the front desk, and the manager, and even the captain.”

“You talked to the captain? What about?”

“A lot happened on this cruise. It wasn’t just the passengers like my sister and Alan and their families who were inconvenienced. Though to hear them tell it, this was the best thing to happen to them. We just won’t share that tidbit with the cruise line.”

Ginnie chuckled. “Probably not a good idea.”

“Mom wouldn’t have hurt her ankle if not for the rough seas, and I would have had to deal with the kids all on my own if not for you.”

A soft gleam reached her eyes as her smile widened. “You would have managed.”

“I would have survived, but no one would have had as much fun.”

“Itwasfun. Thanks for letting me be a part of it all. Things might have been pretty boring for me without all of you.”

“We can debate that another time.” Swallowing hard, he pushed forward. “For now, what’s important is that the cruise line agrees you were equally inconvenienced, and they appreciate the risks you took to prevent a man from going overboard. Though I suspect the bad publicity, they avoided didn’t hurt any. They are giving you a free cruise, the same as they are for the families that were inconvenienced by pulling anchor.”

“What?” Her mouth dropped open again and Nick had to resist kissing the surprise off her face.

“You’re getting a free cruise out of this mess.”

“Wow.” She blinked and frowned. “A cabin all to myself?”

“Up to you.”

Her expression remained serious. “Can I bring someone?”

“Again,” he shrugged, “up to you.”

A smile replaced the frown. “Gee, I wonder who I could invite?”

He pulled her in closer, placing a finger under her chin, lifted her face and stepped in for a kiss. Nothing hurried, not a quickhappy to see youpeck on the lips, but a slow, sensitive, gentle touch in an effort to convey everything he felt for Ginnie, and more.

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