Page 55 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

She didn’t miss the teasing tone in his voice.

“Seems to me you might have enjoyed your little exile more than expected.”

There was no point hiding it. The whole world might find out about it in the morning. An idea that both thrilled her and terrified her at the same time.What if the magic they’d had at Lynx Creek faded? What if the connection they’d made went away? And the walls they’d broken down went back up?

She shook it off. There was no point dwelling on it. After all, maybe Travis was right. The dark moment was fiction. It didn’t happen in real life, and it wouldn’t happen for them.

“I did,” she admitted to her friend. “I enjoyed it very much. And let’s just say…if those reporters thought they were getting aStephanie Starz trapped by riverstory, they might get a little bit more.”

Nick laughed, understanding exactly what she meant. “Well, I think that’s awesome, Steph. I’m happy for you. And really happy that you and Travis were able to finally get over it and get together.” He laughed heartily. “But you know you don’t need to share that with the world, right?”

“I don’t have to…” Steph moved and looked out the window. She hadn’t considered keeping her relationship—if that was the label they were putting on it—a secret. Surely the media would pick it up eventually anyway; why not just be upfront about it? At least that had been the way she’d approached it before. But then again, she’d only ever dated other famous people. Not only had they not minded their relationship in the public eye, they’d almost encouraged it.

Travis was different. In every way.

She glanced toward the still shut bedroom door. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about how Travis would react to some of the more public aspects of her life. He’d only known her like this. In Glacier Falls. But there was a whole other side of her, a side she loved.But what if he didn’t? What if he couldn’t handle the press knowing everything there was to know about them? Even if it wasn’t true. Would it change things?

“That’s not a bad idea,” she said to Nick after a moment. Maybe it wouldn’t prevent the reality of her life, but it might slow things down and give them a chance to adjust. “Thanks for the heads-up, Nick. Let me know if you hear anything more about the bridge, okay?”

She disconnected the call as Travis opened the bedroom door, dressed now in jeans, his shirt in his hand. He shook his head in wonder as he looked at her. “I think I completely underestimated your celebrity.” He smiled. “They’re going to have us out of here in the morning. Last time this happened, it took weeks and there were at least four fishermen stuck over here. But for you…they make it happen.”

She flashed him a dazzling smile. “I am pretty important, you know?”

He pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss that shot thrills all the way through her. “Oh, I know it.” He kissed her again. “I also know that if we only have one more night, we’re going to make the best of it.”

It wasn’t as if his feelings for Stephanie were going to change the moment they were on the other side of the river; Travis knew that with absolute certainty. A feeling as strong as he had for Stephanie didn’t go away just because they were back in the real world. But it was still a good excuse to create a romantic night that they would both remember long after the bridge was repaired. And that’s exactly what he did.

There wasn’t much to work with in the fridge, but Travis found a few eggs and some green peppers and onions. He whipped up a delicious omelet and, paired with some buttered toast, it made for a decent meal that went well enough with the bottle of red wine Stephanie had.

“This has been perfect.” Steph reclined on a stack of pillows in front of the fireplace. They’d decided that just because they hadn’t actually lost power, they couldn’t at least pretend for one evening that they had. While Travis was cooking, Steph had built them a nest in front of the fireplace and lit the fire so they could eat picnic style.

She was right—it was absolutely perfect.

“Tell me about your wedding,” Travis asked when they were finished eating. It wasn’t a question he’d planned to ask, and judging by the surprised look on her face, Steph hadn’t been expecting it either.

“The wedding that never was?”

He nodded.

“Why?”

“It’s part of you,” he said simply. “I know you’ve had other relationships. And you almost married that one, so…I’d say it was pretty important, wouldn’t you?”

“I guess you’re right. What do you want to know?”

He thought for a moment. “You’re going to laugh, but I want to know what kind of wedding you planned.”

“Really?”

And just as he guessed, shedidlaugh. But when he nodded, she gave him a look, and told him what he wanted to know.

“It was going to be big. All the bells and whistles.”

“That surprises me.”

She tipped her head in question.

“It does,” Travis elaborated. “You strike me as the type of woman who’d want something smaller, more intimate.”

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