She pursed her lips but then nodded. “What day? I’ll have to check my schedule at the bar.”
“I was hoping for Friday night. But I know that’s one of your busiest nights and this relationship isn’t all about me. So you tell me which day works for you,” he said.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand and checked her work schedule. Harry was going to transition her to the daytime shift starting next week since her pregnancy had really started showing.
She texted Beau, the other bartender, to see if he’d fill in for her on Friday and Saturday. He was always looking for more money and immediately responded that he could.
“Friday is fine,” she said.
“Great. Now what should we do today?” he asked.
“I have a few ideas,” she said. “But you’re going to need swim trunks.”
“I packed for a couple of days. I’m good.”
* * *
The beach that Emily took him to later that afternoon was deserted and well off the beaten path. They had to carry the paddleboard from her car through a stand of mangroves to the water’s edge. There were cicadas chirping and the smell of salt water mixed with ripe vegetation. It was so Florida.
The heat beat down on his back and he wore a baseball cap and large sunglasses to protect his face from the sun. Emily had surprised him by giving him a lecture about the dangers of skin cancer even to someone with his olive complexion. So he’d donned her SPF 50 sun cream and the hat even though he never burned.
Her mothering had charmed him. And it was mothering. She’d kind of ensured he had the cream on and taken her time rubbing it on his back, which had led them back to the bedroom. Hence the late start at the beach.
She’d also packed a cooler of fruit juice, sandwiches and veggies. He’d seldom—okay, never —taken a day like this. It was a Monday. He should be in Miami getting ready for the weekly management meeting where he should be discussing the new shipping deal and getting all the routes worked out for their customers, but truth be told he wouldn’t trade this for anything.
The way his family had reacted when they’d landed had worried Rafe. He had the sinking feeling in his gut that they were going to make him choose between Emily and their baby and the throne. And as usual when he got his back up that meant he got stubborn. He wasn’t too sure he wanted the throne, but he wasn’t about to let his family force him out of it.
He had the Coleman cooler in one hand and the paddleboard under his other arm. She’d said she could help carry stuff but he’d said no. He found that he liked making gallant gestures. This morning when she’d turned down his proposal, he’d realized she hadn’t had a lot of men doing that for her. And he was determined to convince her that he was the right guy for her.
On that front, he wasn’t backing down.
“This spot looks good. We can leave the cooler here. Actually,” she said with a blush, “we could have left it in the car. It’s not that far to walk back for a snack.”
“Then why did I carry it down here?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a chagrined look. “Because you were so stubborn about me helping carry the board. I hate being bossed.”
“You mentioned that. But this isn’t bossing, it’s pampering. Like when you insisted I wear sunscreen.”
She started to argue but then stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re right. But don’t make a habit of it.”
He threw his head back and laughed. She kept him on his toes no matter how much he didn’t want to admit it. He liked the challenge of being with her.
“So you’ve never been on a paddleboard before?” she asked.
“Nope. Never even surfed. I am scuba certified though. Want to do that instead?”
“Yes but the water around here isn’t that deep. Snorkeling would be better. We could do that tonight. I know a gorgeous place where we can go at sunset. In fact, if my mom doesn’t mind, we can take her boat,” she said.
“I’d like to meet your mom,” he said.
She got really still. “Why?”
“Because she’s your mom,” Rafe said. “Why else?”
“Don’t try to get her on your side with this engagement thing, okay?”
He put the board on the sand and walked over to her, putting his finger under her chin and tipping her head back so he could see her eyes under the bill of her baseball cap. “When you say yes—and I’m betting you eventually do—it will be because you’ve decided you want to marry me. Not because I pressured you into saying yes. Got it?”
She punched him playfully in the shoulder and ran down toward the waterline. “I’ve got it. Get that board and come on, Your Majesty. It’s time for your first lesson.”