CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ace followed Lisa along the cliffs and knew that whatever made her get out of bed at five in the morning had to be pretty spectacular because she was in no way a morning person. He adjusted the daypack she had given him before they left the house and wondered what he was in for.
Not that he was concerned it wasn’t going to be incredible since everything they did together pretty much was. And, yeah, he wasn’t even concerned how fucking sappy he’d become since moving in with her a month ago.
It made Wayne gag on a regular basis, so he knew he’d far surpassed anything resembling normalcy.
Which was damn near perfect as far as he was concerned since he never would’ve guessed his capacity for love was as bottomless as it was.
The more he showed Lisa how he felt, the more he got in return, and he planned on making sure it never changed. Even if everyone in the world thought he was an idiot for putting it all out there.
Lucky for him, he didn’t have anything to prove, and if people were not comfortable, then they could stay the hell away because he planned on loving on his woman as much as he could. “Are you going to tell me where we’re headed, honey?”
Looking up, she gave him a big smile. “I know you’ve been all over the world and have seen a lot of cool places, but I want you to know that there is something right here in your new adopted home that’s kind of awesome.”
“You mean other than you?” When she pressed their clasped hands to her chest, he laughed. “Too much?”
“No, I love it.”
“Okay, so give me the deets on where you’re taking me.”
“There is an open-ceiling sea cave right over there.” She lifted her hand and pointed to an area that had a fence surrounding a circle. “It’s only accessible during negative tide, and I’ve been watching the tide predictions, and this morning is the perfect time. I think we’ll have just enough time to see the sunrise before it changes.”
“No shit, that’s so cool.”
“I packed breakfast, so I’m hoping we can have our coffee and muffins and see the sun come up.”
“Damn, woman, you are bringing on the romance.”
“Got to keep my man interested and give him enough memories to keep him warm when he’s downrange.”
“I have about a hundred already, so don’t you worry.”
“Then this will just be insurance.”
Laughing, he followed her to the end of Luscomb’s Point and then took her hand as they picked their way down the path. “Assuming this is where you come down to surf.”
“You’re correct. My Dad wouldn’t let me come down until he felt confident that I could handle the waves. I think I was a freshman in high school the first time he brought me out here and it’s a day I’ll never forget.”
“Well, then I feel pretty damn lucky you’re sharing it with me.”
She stopped on the roughly hewn steps and looked up. “I want to share everything with you.”
Swallowing, he nodded and told himself he wasn’t going to choke up. “You have to warn me when you’re going to say things like that, so I can get my man-armor on.”
Snickering, she shook her head. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
Holding her hand more firmly, he let out a groan and followed her over the slippery rocks. They went about a hundred yards and crossed a couple of tidal pools and stood at the entrance to the cave. There was no one else around, and all he heard was the ocean moving in the distance. “Damn.”
“I know,” Lisa responded as she took his hand and walked inside. Picking a semi-flat rock, she sat down and pulled him down beside her. “I’m ready for coffee.”
Sliding the pack off, he opened it and sat next to Lisa and looked through the U-shaped opening they had just walked through. “Been all over the world and have never seen anything prettier.”
“I know,” Lisa responded as she poured two cups of coffee. Handing him one, she grinned. “Welcome to Ocean Beach, Ace.”
Looking down at the bright blue eyes that captivated him in Yemen, he nodded. “You are my home.”
She lifted her cup and pointed to the lightening sky. “Not a bad view, though.”
Cupping her face, he bent down and let his mouth rest against hers. “The best view in the world.”
“You’re getting extra lucky when we get home.”
“I can’t argue with that, woman.” He took her hand and looked up through the wide hole of the cave and felt like the world was open to them and all they had to do was make the most of it.”
“So, what do you think?”
“Amazing, honey. Absolutely freaking amazing.”
“I knew you’d like the view.”
“I’m talking about you and what we’ve made so far, but yeah…the view isn’t bad either.”
“Did you ever think that this was a possibility when you were yelling your head off in Yemen?”
“Not really.” He kissed her head and studied the ocean. “You were too big of a dream for my brain to manage and I don’t even want to think about what I would’ve missed out on if you hadn’t made the first move.”
Slapping her thigh, she let out a whoop. “Thank you for finally admitting it was me who got this thing started.”
Smirking, he shrugged. “Yes, you made the first move, but…” he held up her hand with the ring on it and grinned, “it was me who made the final move.”
Holding up her hand, she moved it around and smiled. “Fair point.”
“What did you think about Frisco and Brooke’s wedding at North Island?”
“My sister and James did an amazing job, and it was beautiful.”
“But?”
“I guess I don’t see myself having something so formal.”
“Do you want to get married on the beach in bare feet?”
“Kind of.”
Putting his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close. “Then pick the beach, honey, and that’s what we’ll do.”
“All right, Ace. Then I’ll hand it over to my sister and have her put something together.”
“As long as it happens soon, then I’m good.” The sky was completely light, and Ace watched several birds fly close to the waves in the distance. “I know we started this thing out being infatuated with one another, but I’m confident that we’ve made something that’s going to last a lifetime.” Lifting Lisa’s chin, he cupped her cheek and grinned. “Thank you for making me happier than I ever thought possible.”
“I’ve only gotten started.”
He pressed their mouths together and knew the life they had ahead of them was going to be filled with a passion that lasted a lifetime.
THE END