The commuter rail chugged along, the fake leather seats peeling and smelling faintly of smoke. Cassie had spread out her jacket across the seat before sitting down, and now her legs were crossed tight as a corkscrew. She looked around through narrowed eyes, careful to keep her hands firmly on her legs.

Logan couldn’t help teasing her just a little.

“I don’t think the smell is contagious if you touch something.” He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

She rolled her eyes but kept her body as far away from the seats as possible.

“We could have rented a car,” she said for the tenth time that morning.

“But it’s my first time on a train! Isn’t that the surprise?” He grinned. She’d been building up to this surprise for weeks, giving him hints. Six months in New York and this was the first time they’d been to New Jersey. “Or are we going to the Jersey Shore?”

His heart leapt. She’d taken him out to Coney Island one of their first weekends at school, so he’d already seen the ocean. But he couldn’t get enough of it.

Cassie giggled.

“You’re adorable when you’re excited.” She leaned over to give him a quick kiss. He grabbed the back of her head and held her to him, deepening the kiss. He still couldn’t get used to being able to do that in public.

“And you’re adorable when you’re attempting to be thrifty,” he said when he finally pulled away.

She flushed.

It turned out the conversation Logan had overheard in the bar that summer hadn’t been about his mom’s lawsuit, but about Cassie’s parents’ divorce. It was going to be long and messy, no matter what they’d told her right before she had left for school.

Then, the day after school had started, Logan’s mom had called with the news. Hart & Preston had paid out an undisclosed amount to five different women who used to work for them, Logan’s mother included. He told Cassie the money had all gone to paying for school, but he hadn’t been able to resist getting her a few things for her. It was a nice change to be able to afford more than the basics, but he knew how fast it could all go away. Columbia would last four long years; he wanted to be sure they could enjoy all of them.

Now Cassie found herself on the other side, trying to pay attention to what she spent. No matter what happened with her parents, her trust fund was intact, but she wouldn’t have full access until she turned 25. Columbia was turning out a lot differently than she’d pictured. Finding a job had been hard, despite Logan’s help, and she always seemed to be short a few dollars at the end of the month.

It had taken her weeks to be able to save enough to get tickets for his surprise.

As they pulled into the station, Logan stood and reached out a hand to help her from her seat. Sneaking in a final kiss, they got off the train and made their way through the crowds and out into the chilly February air.

“This is nothing compared to winter in Montana,” he boasted, but he wrapped an arm around her anyway to keep her warm.

“I’m sorry it’s not Costa Rica,” she said, as she steered them down the street. Her hand found the tickets in her pocket. She shivered a little in the wind.

His brow furrowed.

“Why would I want to be there, when what I love is right here?” He kissed the top of her head as they waited for a crosswalk sign to change.

“I’m not the only thing you love that’s here.”

She held out the tickets, her hand shaking from a heady mix of cold and excitement.

“The Camden Aquarium, home to the only great hammerhead shark in the US.”

His face lit up in a gigantic smile, dimple on full display, making her knees go weak. Thank goodness his arm was already around her.

“I know it’s not the same as seeing them in the wild and—”

“Thank you,” he said, cutting her off with a soft kiss on her shivering lips. “One day I’ll take you to Costa Rica to see them for real.”

And she knew he would.

Everything with Logan was for real.