“The whole drive to the city, I kept hoping I could catch you in time. I’m so glad my prayer was heard,” I say as my truck glides over the smooth asphalt of the highway.

“I kept wishing I’d come earlier this morning,” I say. “I told myself, if only I had more time, maybe I could’ve convinced you to stay. But I had to take Nicole to the doctor, and I was lucky to reach the bus stop in time.”

“How did you even know I’d be there?” Sophia asks.

I glance toward the passenger seat. Sophia is looking right at me, tilting her head in confusion.

She looks adorable when she’s like that. But then again, she always does.

“I just knew.” I’m aware this vague, evasive answer won’t satisfy her, but I can’t think of a better one.

“Liar. You’re not telling me something,” she says.

I grin. Sometimes I forget how well Sophia can read me. “I can’t.”

Not unless I want to risk the wrath of my future father-in-law.

“Come on.” Sophia lightly slaps my arm.

It feels like nothing, but I yelp like a wounded dog. “Hey, violence is never the answer.”

“Says the guy who pointed a rifle at a helpless, naked woman who was just looking for a warm place to take shelter in the storm,” Sophia says.

“Okay, for starters, it wasn’t storming yet. Also, I didn’t know it was you. It could’ve been some bum. I couldn’t see anything but your hair. A guy bum could have long hair, too. A violent, guy bum,”

“Come on!” Sophia exclaims. “I wash my hair, condition it, and even put some special oil in it to make it shiny. You really thought this hair belonged to some bum?”

“I couldn’t see how shiny it was from where I was standing. I was just taking a peek through the window, remember?” I laugh as I take the exit off of the highway.

“So . . .?”

“So, what? So, I couldn’t tell it was shiny, beautiful, glorious hair.”

“Not that,” Sophia says. “How did you know I was going to be at the bus stop?”

Damn it. I thought my little distraction trick had worked. But, of course, Sophia is smarter than that.

“I can’t tell you.”

Sophia sighs dramatically. “And I thought today was going to mark a new era for both of us. An era of honesty, when we’d always tell the truth, no matter what.”

Again, I laugh. Nobody makes me laugh like she does.

“Okay, okay,” I say in defeat. “I’ll tell you.”

Even without turning my head, I can tell Sophia is grinning. I can see her perfect rows of white teeth just fine. I’ll bet she takes great care of those, too.

“But, not now,” I add.

Sophia groans.

“I wish I could tell you, princess. But I really can’t. My hands are tied.” At the very least, I’d have to ask Mr. York if he’d be okay with me telling her before actually doing it.

“Excuses, excuses.” Sophia sighs. “So, when are you going to tell me?”

I glance at her and give her a smile as I squeeze her hand with mine. “On the day of our wedding.”

Sophia’s fake frown disappears, replaced with a sweet, radiant smile. A smile I wish to see on her lovely face when she walks down the aisle in her white dress.

“Deal,” she says.

“Deal.”

* * *

“Hey, this isn’t the way to Ashbourne,” Sophia says as she looks around us at the thick woods and the winding road.

“Took you long enough to realize,” I say. “I’m worried how you’d fare in a kidnapping situation.”

“Is that what this is?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Come on. I don’t need to kidnap you. You’d come with me anyway.”

Sophia shrugs. “Eh. That’s true, I guess.”

“That said, if you had refused to come with me, I would’ve kidnapped you.”

Sophia nods. “That’s acceptable.”

I laugh. “You were wrong, by the way.”

“What?” she asks.

“This is the way to Ashbourne. The long way.”

“Oh. Why are we taking the long way?”

“There’s something I want to show you,” I say.

“Is it a creepy shrine you built to me?”

I chuckle. “Yeah. That’s exactly it. But I assure you, it’s not creepy. It’s very tasteful.”

“Ooh, now I’m interested. Do you have a statue or just photos?” she asks.

“Just photos—framed,” I say.

“Fancy.”

“And some candles, of course.”

“Of course. I’d be offended if there weren’t any candles,” she says in a serious voice.

I smile as I turn onto a small, unpaved path into the woods.

“I like how even the road leading to the shrine sets the mood,” Sophia says.

“Okay, I hope you’re not disappointed . . . but there’s no shrine.”

“Damn it. I knew it sounded too good to be true.”

The smile on my face stretches wider across my face. “But, I hope you’ll like what I’m about to show you anyway.”