“What they’re saying is not important.” She laughs. “Let’s just get drunk. Tomorrow, you get laid.”
So despite everything, she isn’t giving up her pursuit of happiness for Louise.
“CATE, I HAVE A SURPRISE planned for you this weekend. Are you game?” The excitement in Drew’s voice is contagious.
Laughing, I say, “As long as it’s legal, yeah.”
“Oh, it’s legal, sweetheart. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous. Highs in the high seventies and lows in the mid-fifties. It will be perfect for what I have in mind. I’ll come up tomorrow night and we’ll leave on Saturday morning. You’re not squeamish are you?”
Squeamish? What does he mean?
“You mean like seeing blood and stuff? You’re not going to make me look at icky medical stuff, are you?”
I have to hold the phone away from my ear because his laugh is ear-splitting. “No medical stuff. This is all fun.”
That’s a relief. “Okay, then no, I’m not squeamish.”
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow. Can’t wait.”
It leaves me puzzled over what he has in store.
The next night, Drew pulls up, his car packed with all sorts of things. I peek in the back asking, “Whatcha got in there?”
“Stuff for our little trip tomorrow.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out.” We walk inside arm and arm. Jenna is on the couch so we’re stuck chatting with her. We end up ordering pizza and eating dinner together. Finally … finally we head to bed.
“I didn’t think I’d ever get you to myself,” I say, as I pretty much attack him when my bedroom door closes. His arms wrap around me and he’s a willing partner.
“I’ve missed you, Cate. You are a sight for my greedy eyes. But we need some sleep because we’re getting up to catch the sunrise in the morning.”
“Huh?”
“The sunrise. Tomorrow is a nature day for us.”
Nature day? What the hell does that mean? I had plans to wallow in the bed with my sexy boyfriend and he wants to what—watch the birds and bees in the sunrise. What the hell?
“Don’t look like that. You’re going to love it. Just wait. Lift your arms.” When I do, he strips me of my shirt. Then he helps me remove my jeans. When I’m down to my unders, he tells me to get in the bathroom and brush my teeth. As I’m brushing, I keep trying to guess where he’s taking me. I come up with one huge blank.
When I come out of the bathroom, I fully intend to interrogate him, but he stands here, shirtless in his boxers and wearing the cutest smile. All my questions evaporate.
“My turn.” He disappears and I ogle him as he goes. I climb into bed and wait. When the door reopens, he’s smacking his lips and he reminds me of a cute little kid.
When he slides under the covers, my eager hands reach for him but he grabs them and kisses them.
“Cate, honey, you know if we start we’ll never wake up before dawn.”
“What in the world is so blooming important that we have to get up so early?”
“I can’t tell you.” He stills my roaming hands. “Showing you will be so much better.”
Damn, this better be worth putting off sex for the night.
“Okay. Then kiss me goodnight, oh secretive one.”
“You’ll love it, I promise,” he says as he presses his lips to mine.
“I won’t love it nearly as much as I love having you inside of me.”
“Damn, woman, you drive a hard bargain.”
“Um, I think you have that backward. You’re the one driving the hard bargain.”
He pinches my butt and says, “Smart ass.”
Curling up along side of him, I lay my head on his chest and the next thing I know, he’s shaking me awake.
“Cate, come on. Get up and shower.”
“Huh?”
“Up. Shower. It’s time.”
“What the hell time is it?”
“Five.”
“Shit.”
He drags me out of bed behind him, and we hit the shower. While I’m drying my hair, he tells me he’s going to pack for me since he refuses to tell me where we’re going. I find that unusual, but he’s seen me pull clothes out before so he knows where I keep everything. Since it’s only one night, I don’t worry too much. In record time, we’re out the door.
We drive to a local diner and grab breakfast to go—bacon and egg sandwiches and coffee. Then we hit the road. It’s still dark out and I pester Drew about our final destination.
“You’ll see. You don’t have much longer to wait.”
About twenty minutes later, we pull into a state park and drive through the entrance.
“A state park?”
“Yep.” It’s all he says.