Page 57 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret

Tessa bit into her burger. She had sunglasses perched on her head. “This is fantastic. How did you hear about this place?”

“I looked it up online. It’s supposed to be the best on the island.”

“Smart man.”

“I need the best for my woman.”

Tessa set her burger down. “I’m your woman?”

“You are now. I certainly don’t have any other women hanging around.”

“I know, but it feels different when you say it like that.”

“Like what?” Benson asked.

“Like you care about me,” Tessa said.

“I do care about you.”

“Like you have feelings for me,” Tessa emphasized.

“You’re an amazing woman. How could I not have feelings for you? I feel very deeply about you, Tessa.”

“I feel the same way about you.”

They finished off their food and headed back to the car. “I’m stuffed,” Tessa said. “I’m glad we’re going hiking because I’m going to need to work off some of these calories.”

“Didn’t you hear?” Benson teased. “Your body doesn’t absorb calories when you’re on vacation. You’re allowed to eat as much as you want with no weight gain.”

Tessa laughed. “If only that were true.”

They drove out to the trailhead, and Benson parked the car.

“It’s so beautiful here,” Tessa said, looking around at the jungle. “I’ve only seen stuff like this in the movies.”

“It is pretty fantastic.” He handed her a bottle of insect repellant. “You should probably spray yourself down. I have a feeling they have monster-sized mosquitos here.”

“Monster-sized?” Tessa asked.

“I don’t know. I just made that up. But I’m sure it has mosquitos just like any other place.”

Tessa sprayed herself down and then handed the can back to Benson so he could make sure he was covered.

They threw a couple of towels and the can of spray into Benson’s backpack along with some bottles of water. “Ready to go?” Benson asked.

“What about sunscreen?” Tessa asked.

Benson unzipped his backpack and handed her the spray can. They sprayed themselves down and then put the sunscreen away. He put on his favorite New York Giants hat.

They headed down the trail. It was a bit rugged, and large rocks jutted out along the path that they had to step over.

“Do you hike much?” he asked.

“Not as much as I’d like to, but as you know, the hiking around Maple Creek is fantastic.”

“It’s some of the best in the country,” Benson agreed.

“Living near the Appalachian Trail has its benefits.”

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