Page 94 of Speak of the Devil

I agree with him. I don’t want the outside world to invade this little piece of heaven-on-earth perfection we’ve found. “The beauty of this weekend is that we can do whatever we want—stay up late or sleep in, avoid certain topics and talk all night about others.” Spinning in his arms, I fist his shirt and lift on my toes, but I can’t reach his mouth unless I jump. I pull him to me. “It’s glorious really. Now kiss me, you giant.”

He does not disappoint, but I knew he wouldn’t here in Deer Lake or back in Los Angeles. He’s rid his life of a lot of the demons he had, bad habits that were dragging him down, and flipped his mood like a light switch. Open and honest. I love seeing him this free, this happy. I love seeing him in love. And I’m the lucky one who gets to love him.

“This is a good transition to talk about the itinerary.”

Releasing me, which makes me feel cold and desolate without him wrapped around me, he opens the container of berries and plops a raspberry in his mouth. “What about it?”

“It’s the sweetest that you went to so much trouble for me,buuuuutI was thinking we could go into town today. What do you say?”

He feeds me a blueberry, then kisses the tip of my nose. “I thought we decided to keep the real world at bay for a few days?”

“We did, but I need to pick up something in town.”

“Cryptic.”

I reach over and grab a berry from the container. “A prescription.” I don’t know why I suddenly feel weird talkingabout this. I also don’t like that it feels like I’m keeping secrets from him. “I had the prescription transferred up here.”

“Should I be worried?”

“No. It’s all taken care of.”

Running his hand at the curve of my waist, he smiles as if he’s been given a secret. Nodding, he replies, “We can go after breakfast.”

“Thanks.”

We eat breakfast down by the lake. Finding the wineglass and beer bottle left as evidence from last night’s prelude to sex makes my typically prudish side smile regarding the spontaneity.

Sitting in the same chairs as last night, I can imagine they’d be the ones we always chose until we’re old and gray. I smile just thinking about it.

“What’s got you smiling like that?”

I roll my neck to face him. “Nothing. I’m happy to be here.”

Bridging the divide, he reaches over to hold my hand. “Me too.”

I return my gaze to the lake, soaking in the beautiful scenery and fresh air. My head feels clearer because of this trip, so I need to take advantage of all it has to offer. But there is still a mystery to be solved. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the marriage.”

“Our marriage?”

“No. The cheating scandal rocking the Danish royal family.” I laugh because I think I’m pretty funny. “Yes, our marriage.”

“Are you going to divorce me when we return?” He chuckles, but no humor is found in its sound.

The question hits me sideways. I’ve never had the intention of staying married. Dating shouldn’t change the plan. But then I look at how far we’ve come—from our attorney’s office to falling in love. We’re proof that anything is possible. “I’m not looking to rush and change the status quo. It’s something we’ll talk about another time. Lay everything out on the table and figure it outfrom there. But that’s not the aspect of marriage I was talking about. I want to solve the mystery of how we got married in the first place.”

“It would be good to know.” He sits forward, resting his arms on the tops of his legs. “Where do we start?”

“I have a yearbook somewhere in my apartment. I didn’t keep much over the years, but I kept that. Maybe it will lead us in the right direction.”

“Who said we were going in the wrong one?”

I’m not sure if I detect a hint of annoyance or if it’s a genuine question. “You know what I mean.”

His gaze redirects to the lake and distances off the choppy waters. “Yeah. I know.” Standing, he offers his hand. “You ready to head into town?”

I slip my hand into his, and he pulls me to my feet. “Ready as I’ll ever be—No. Scratch that. I need to change first.”

“Get ready for an adventure.”

---