It took me a few days to find this house, but once I did, I didn’t hesitate to book it. The only problem is, I had to do it for a month, and with school starting its final quarter, there’s no way Ben and I can stay here for that amount of time. However, I wanted to do something special for him when he came back, more so, something special for us.

Keeping this secret from Ben has been hard. We promised to tell each other everything, and I like to think he’ll forgive me once he wakes up and sees the view from the bedroom. While we may not be able to stay all week, we can come back Thursday night and stay until Sunday. I’m excited that neither of us has classes on Friday.

Ben snuggles into my back, and this time when he kisses my bare shoulder, I don’t flinch or recoil. I relish in his touch, the softness of his hands and the tender way he’s spent the night making love to me. I know we were supposed to wait, but I couldn’t. Once I left New York, my heart hurt more than it ever had. There’s no question in my mind that I want to be with Ben, now and forever. Together, he and I are going to be super cheesy, corny and probably argue a lot because we’re both stubborn, but it’s going to be worth it.

“So beautiful,” he says as his lips ghost along the top of my shoulder, peppering me with his kisses.

“I know it is.” To think we’re going to give this up… it’s the right thing to do for Ben’s career. My job’s going to be mobile. I can do it from anywhere as long as there’s a band playing.

“I’m talking about you.” He stops, allowing me to turn over. My hand immediately goes to his chest so I can feel his heart beating.

“You haven’t even seen the view,” I tell him.

“I don’t need to, not when I have you to look at.”

I bury my face in his chest, feeling embarrassed. He laughs, the reverberations shaking the bed. “Get used to it, Elle. I’m going to compliment you all the time.” It’s not that I’ve never been complimented, it’s that when most guys did it, it’s because they wanted something I wasn’t willing to give. However, when Ben does it, it’s different. There’s so much sincerity behind his words, love in his eyes and tenderness in his touch, I know he means it every time he says something kind.

“What do you want to do today? We can go surfing,” I tell him.

“I have a better idea,” Ben says as he starts kissing me. His hand slides under my leg, lifting it over his hip. I can feel him at my entrance, poised and ready, all I have to do is push my hips into him. I do, not caring whether he’s using a condom or not. He’s my Ben, and he’ll never do anything to hurt me.

By lunchtime, my stomach is growling. We haven’t left the bed, other than to drink some water and use the restroom. Oh, and shower because Ben said we needed to take advantage of the dual showerheads.

“You’re right,” Ben says while standing in front of the window.

“About what?” I walk over to him with a sandwich. The view is stunning. It astounds me.

“This view. It’s hard to give it up.”

I place my hand on his shoulder and kiss him there. “I’m sure the east coast is pretty in its own way.”

He shakes his head. “I’ve been thinking, maybe Omni isn’t the right fit for me.”

“Why do you say that?” I ask.

“Because I love it here. I love the sun, the weather. I love to surf. I’m not sure New York offers us the life we want.”

“And what do you want, Ben?”

Ben sets his plate down and pulls me into his arms. “I want us, Elle. And I know you’ve said you’ll move. Hell, you did that before I even could ask you, which meant the world to me, but look at our lives. We spend so much of our free time at the beach. We love it here. Why should we give it up?”

“Because we’re adults now,” I tell him. “Or at least we will be in a few short months.”

“I know, but…” He shakes his head.

I place my hands on each side of his face so he’ll look directly at me and not be caught off guard by the ocean. “What’s going on? I thought Omni was your dream.”

“It still is.”

“So what gives?”

He points toward the beach. “What if this is my dream too and I didn’t realize it until now. What if I’m making a mistake? What if we get there and we hate it, or you start to hate me?”

“Moving comes with risks.”

“Not when you don’t need to take them,” he says. “There are plenty of firms here I could work for, plus Brad’s here. I could go out on my own and start my own company, or you and I could band together, and create an agency that offers everything.”

As soon as Ben says that, my eyes light up. “Are you serious about the last part?”

He nods. “I am. I’ve thought about it before, but never thought to bring it up. Think about it, baby. If you manage the talent side and I do their marketing, they wouldn’t need multiple people working for them.”

“That could be an enticing offer to someone starting out. I think you’re onto something, Mr. Miller.”

“The only thing I want to be on right now is you Miss Powell-James.” Ben picks me and runs down the hall to the bedroom, where he sets me down on the bed.

“Can I ask you a serious question, which will probably freak you out?”

“Sure,” I say, as I start to take off my robe. Ben closes his eyes for reasons unknown, but if I had to guess, it’s so he can concentrate on his question and not my nakedness.

“When we’re married because let’s face it, it’s going to happen, are you going to hyphenate your name?”

I laugh, and while the thought of marriage weeks into a relationship should scare me, it doesn’t. “You mean so I can be Elle Powell-James-Miller?”

“Such a mouthful.”

“I know. Professionally, Elle James.” I beckon Ben with my finger as I shimmy my way up the mattress. He follows, crawling toward me like a cat does its prey. “However, when we’re not working, I’d really like to be Mrs. Miller.”

“Yeah, I like that.”

“I thought you would, Mr. Miller.”

“I’m going to love you forever.”

“Yeah, I like that,” I tell him, using the same words he just said.

This is how Ben and I spend our first weekend together, tangled in the sheets while life moves on around us. We’re not naïve to think everything’s going to be easy. Two people just out of college and starting their own business is going to be hard, but we’re both confident in our abilities to make sure we succeed and that the talent who entrusts us are successful.

Now that our future is somewhat planned out, we have to move onto bigger, more important things, like… Peyton’s wedding and finding Quinn a date! And given the wedding will be on us sooner than we think, Quinn’s love life definitely takes priority.