Page 159 of Banter & Blushes

I regarded him curiously. “Of course.”

He swallowed. “Will you marry me? Right here, on this beach, in Crane’s Cove? Sunday morning?”

I blinked up at him. “Hmm? Here? What about our church wedding in Montreal?”

Zaki bent forward, pressing his forehead to mine. He spoke earnestly. “We can still do it. Have a marriage blessing ceremony when we get to Montreal. We won’t have to change any plans, just the priest’s words. I don’t want to wait any longer, Wynnie. When we get married in Quebec, I’ll only have two weeks before the season starts. The girls will be with their mom. If we get married here, the remainder of the summer can be our honeymoon.”

“And you wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor of the RV for the rest of the trip,” I teased.

“Yeah, I definitely feel like I haven’t gotten my money’s worth out of that king bed.” He waggled his eyebrows roguishly. “But there’s something else. A bigger reason.”

“There is?”

He nodded. “Turn around.”

I pivoted slowly and squinted at the figure walking toward me. My heart raced, and I took off in a run, arms out and ready to hug.

“Mom!”

CHAPTER 3

ZAKI

Ilet out a long breath and waved to Arwyn’s mother, who was now jogging toward us. It had been over a year since they’d seen each other.

As I watched their reunion, I couldn’t have been happier. When Mrs. Baughn had called me for a video chat after Arwyn emailed her about my proposal, I’d never been more nervous in my life. This woman was most likely a CIA operative or something similar, and I knew I was about to get grilled. She introduced herself as “Baughn. Alyce Baughn.” I laughed so hard, and she didn’t crack a smile. After over a half hour of questioning, she’d finally smiled but insisted on meeting me before the wedding.

Not because she didn’t approve—I’d emailed her before I proposed to ask permission to marry her daughter. She’d done a full background check before she gave her blessing. She wanted to see her girl and meet me and the twins. It had been my idea to move the wedding up so that she could be there for it.

But I still worried how Arwyn would take it. Was I being too presumptuous? Too eager? Too—Zaki?The last thing I wanted to do was add to any wedding nerves or doubts that she had. I sure had enough of those for both of us. Not about our love or commitment to each other. I worried that I’d mess it up, like I had my first marriage. I’d grown up and learned a lot since then, but at the core, I couldn’t change who I was. Wanting the best for those I love and for them to experience life to the fullest was both my strength and my weakness.

They walked arm-in-arm back to me, and I held out my hand. “Great to finally meet you, Mrs. Baughn.”

“Call me Alyce.” Her grip was firm, just what I’d expect from a military professional. “We have a lot of work to do. Where are you with the planning?”

“Mom, I haven’t even said ‘yes’ yet!” Arwyn smiled.

“Well, tell the man ‘yes’!”

“I…” She looked from me to her mother. “I haven’t finished my dress. There’s so much to do! Where? How? The girls?”

I held up my palms. “Here, on Sunday. Late morning ceremony, then brunch on the beach. The team will still be here. Montgomery Biddington booked a private jet to fly in our friends from Colorado that aren’t already here for Flynn’s wedding. I’ve already booked accommodations for them all. My parents will drive down from Quebec City on Friday. They’ll stay in our cabin overnight with the girls on Sunday so we can staythere.”I pointed to the lighthouse.

“What? Oh my gosh! How?” Her eyes were wide. “I don’t understand. And what about your sisters?”

“Sofi will be driving down with Mom and Dad. Mirette and her family can’t get away, but they’ve extended their stay in Montreal so the girls can have more cousin time.” My older sister lived in England with her husband and kids. “Flynn and Meggie are leaving Sunday afternoon, so they don’t need their second night. And …” I pulled out the ring box that had been burning a hole in my shorts’ cargo pocket. “Our rings were ready early, so I had them shipped here.”

“Wow, I … yes! Yes, let’s do it!” She jumped into my arms, knocking off her hat.

I blinked back tears, I was so happy. Hugging her close, I whispered, “I thought you might want your mom here, so…”

“This is the best gift, Zaki. Thank you.” She pressed her lips to mine, and I didn’t care that her mom was a yard away. I kissed her like she should be kissed. Long, deep, and tenderly.

She pulled away all too soon. “I need to know everything you’ve planned so far. Names, places, contacts, everything. Then I need to make lists. Separate them by day. When do you want to tell the girls? And who is going to marry us?”

I shrugged. “The pastor from the church up the road. Or the assistant pastor. They said they’d get back to me.”

She blinked at me, then turned to her mom.

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