Chapter 11

Faye

I wake up in a sweaty tangle of limbs, my face and other parts of my body slightly tender from Grady's stubble rasping all over me. Everything once again sore in the best possible way. I lay in my big bed listening to him breathe, still not quite able to believe my sad vacation to try to get over him turned into a romantic getaway.

But there are still things I need to get across to him, and as soon as he wakes and moves to kiss me, I lean back.

"I really can't let you quit your job," I say. "We can keep sneaking around, or I can transfer somewhere else."

His smile makes me catch my breath, and he reaches to tuck my hair behind my ear. "I already resigned. I know how much you love going there, so there's no way I'd let you transfer." When I try to argue he silences me with the kisses I crave. "I have plenty of money from my book royalties and I can easily find another job when and if I want. I told you last night that you're the most important thing in my life, Faye."

Before I get sappy and start crying again, I wriggle out of his embrace and find the list I made of all the things I want to do on the island. He agrees to whatever I want to do, and pulls me back onto the bed with him, holding me tight.

"I'm so sorry I ever caused you pain," he tells me.

"I don't remember any of it," I tell him honestly. "You're here now, that's all that matters."

He shakes his head. "And I'm not going anywhere. Neither are you."

"Yes, Professor," I say, running to take a shower and get dressed.

I can't wait to share my dream trips with him. These experiences will be so much better with him than they would have been alone. We rent bikes and pedal through the narrow streets, stopping to sample the local delicacies. After we return the bikes, we wander hand in hand through the shops. Since he raced to find me without packing, the least I can do is help him pick out clothes.

When I laugh at seeing him decked out like a tourist and not the staid professor I spent a year lusting after, he pulls me behind a rack of clothes and gives me a little love tap on the bottom.

"Keep being naughty, little girl," he warns, a big grin breaking through his fake gruff demeanor.

"I will," I taunt, skipping away with a shimmy that makes his eyes go dark with desire.

Instead of eating dinner in one of the resort's fancy restaurants, we buy some deli food from a corner market and take it out to the beach with us. I set up the picnic on the big blanket he insisted on buying when I admired it. However, when I said it would be perfect for my new place when I found one, he scowled.

His mood now is back to being carefree and we can't stop laughing as we snuggle close together and peruse all the pictures I took on my phone. After we eat our fill of fresh fruit and cold grilled chicken, we lie in each other's arms and watch the sun go down.

As soon as it's fully dark and the bay turns into a glowing blue wonderland, we run to the edge to soak our feet. It's like being in a dream, but it's real, and I never want it to end. Just as I begin to worry about what the future holds, Grady calls my name.

I turn and get a giant splash, with water covering the entire front of my sundress. "Oh, no, you didn't," I shout, kicking water back at him.

He's too fast but I keep chasing him, only getting myself more soaked while he remains almost completely dry.

"Enough," he says, going low like he's going to tackle me into the waves. Instead, he grabs me around the waist and carries me back to the blanket. "Look at you," he says.

"A mess?" I ask, shaking out my hair and sending droplets raining over him.

He barely notices and shakes his head. "Stunningly beautiful, as always." He digs in the picnic basket and pulls out a small cardboard box.

Flipping it open, he reveals an intricately carved wooden ring that I admired at one of the shops earlier. I smile at the sweet gesture, reaching for it.

"Marry me," he says.

My hand freezes and I stare at him, slowly closing my mouth when I realize it's hanging open. "What?" is all I can say.

"As soon as we're back home, I'm going to buy you a proper diamond, but I wanted to have this memory. Marry me, Faye. I need you to be mine."

"I already am," I tell him, my eyes flashing between the ring and his face. This isn't a joke. He's completely serious about wanting to marry me.

"I know," he tells me. "But let's make it official. Say yes so I can breathe again."

I fall into his arms, nearly knocking the ring across the sand. "Yes, of course. I love you, and I love this ring. Don't you dare buy me another one," I tell him, knowing he will anyway.

He slips it on my finger and I stare down at the finely crafted wood, shining in the moonlight. Pulling me close, we settle back on the blanket to watch the stars pop out overhead.

"Should we tell our children how we met?" I ask, rolling to see his expression.

His eyebrows shoot up and he turns to me with a stern look. "We met in my classroom, which is already scandalous enough. There's no way we'll tell them how we got together."

"Yeah, I guess it was pretty unconventional," I agree, resting my head against his strong shoulder.

He puts his arm around me, shielding me from the cool breeze fluttering the palm trees all around us.

"Do you regret it?" he asks. "The auction?"

I nestle in closer before answering. "Now that we're together, never."