Page 203 of Banter & Blushes

I laugh as he runs to grab it before it flies away, missing several times before finally snagging it near the edge of the cliff. “Lunch and a show,” Reid says, shaking his head as he sits back down at the table, tucking the napkin under his plate.

I duck my head, grinning, and take a bite of my taco. The flavors are so fresh and delicious it’s like a dance party in my mouth. I take my time, savoring each bite.

For a few minutes, we eat in comfortable silence, just watching the waves roll in and crash against the black sand below.

“This is the kind of place you dream about when life gets too loud,” I say quietly, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I used to see pictures of places like this and think,maybe someday.”

Reid looks over at me, his eyes soft. “Now that we’ve been here, I kind of want to come back every year.”

“Yeah?”

He nods. “You know. Anniversaries. Honeymoons. Whatever we want to call it.”

The words settle between us. It would be amazing to come back here. To the place where it all started. I glance back toward the horizon, where the sun’s beginning to shift toward that late afternoon glow. “I’m sad it’s our last day.”

“Me too,” he says. “Especially now that we made it official. I feel like we’re just getting started.”

My heart does that fluttery thing it’s been doing ever since he kissed me on my cheek last night before bed.

“Then we make this last day count,” I say, lifting my drink.

He clinks his soda can gently against mine. “To the best almost-over vacation of my life.”

“To what comes next,” I add.

And the way he looks at me tells me he’s already dreaming of it too.

Later that evening,Reid tells me to go change into something special for dinner. “Is this another one of your romantic surprises?” I ask.

“Maybe,” he says, grinning widely. “Trust me?”

“Of course,” I say, snagging another sundress from the closet where I’d hung them all up several days ago. Thank goodness for over packing. It doesn’t take long before we’re both ready. Me in my sundress and sandals, and Reid in a pair of khaki pants, and the Hawaiian shirt with little surfing flamingos on it.

“Ready?” he asks, grabbing the car keys from the top of the dresser and leading me out of the room to the car. We don’t drive for long before we turn off the main road onto a secluded little path, barely wide enough for our vehicle, lined with Hibiscus plants and torches flickering to life. When the trees clear, my breath catches.

Just beyond the lava rocks is a private cove—and in the center of it, a table for two.

White linen. Glowing lanterns. A vase filled with red anthurium blooms sits at the center of a low table. Waves roll in with a soft hush, and the sun has just begun its descent, casting everything in amber and rose.

I press a hand to my chest. “Reid . . .”

“Surprise.”

I turn to him, heart full. “How did you even?—?”

“Magic,” he says. “Or the resort concierge. Take your pick.”

He helps me out of the car and holds his arm out for me to take like I’m a princess from a movie. Carefully, we pick our way down to the beach, and the romantic dinner he planned for us.

We kick off our shoes and sit barefoot in the sand, our toes buried beneath the surface as we eat and talk and laugh like it’s always been this way. Like we’ve never been afraid. Like we haven’t spent the last eight years skirting around a truth we’ve finally let come to light.

After dessert—some kind of chocolate lava cake that actually makes me moan—Reid leans back, looking more content than I’ve ever seen him.

And then I spot it.

Near the shoreline is what looks to be something half-buried in the sand.

“Is that a bottle?” I ask, pointing to the mysterious object.

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