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“Now you’re talking—”
I felt her hot breath on my skin at the exact moment my lips took charge of hers. She moaned in response before my tongue tangled with hers and I deepened the kiss. Daisy whimpered as she shifted in her seat, and I found myself shifting in mine. I had thoughts of unbuckling her seatbelt and pulling her onto my lap. Somehow, I resisted in the interests of safety in the snowy bends on the mountain roads of Vermont.
It was many minutes before we came up for air and I held Daisy’s face in my hands. “God, I love you,” I mumbled, wholeheartedly as I stared into the eyes of the woman I felt sure I’d never get enough of.
“Nice to know you’re religious, but is there any of that love in there for me as well?”
“Smart ass,” I quipped, and chuckled.
Daisy settled with her head against my shoulder and entwined her fingers with mine. Her simple gesture made my heart swell in satisfaction. “Isn’t it perfect getting to spend time together with no work?” she asked.
“We need a lot more of this,” I agreed. “This past year has been difficult with all the pre-arranged gigs, and the other promotional stuff going on.”
“It’s been hectic in my world as well, but that should improve now that Poppy’s coming on board at the pub,” she informed me.
“Two more months,” I stated, letting Daisy know I was counting the days until we had more freedom to be together.
“Yeah, but it’ll be the end of the year before I can fully work from elsewhere,” she reminded me.
She lifted her head and caught my gaze. “Is this restaurant far?” She glanced out the window and I guessed she had seen the huge moon in the sky. “Wow,” she remarked, and I figured I’d guessed that right.
“An hour from the resort but I promise you, it’ll be worth the journey,” I replied and stared at her profile.
For a short time, she stared out of the window at the winter wonderland whizzing by, then she turned to look at me again. “I believe you. You’re great at picking places to eat. You were right about that café earlier. I can still taste that hot chocolate, it was divine. I wonder what their hidden ingredient is. It’s like caramel but not, like Nutella but not,” she shrugged and wrinkled her nose. My dick twitched because I couldn’t resist how cute she was when she did that. “Whatever it is, it takes that drink to a whole different level of yumminess.”
“Yumminess?” I queried and laughed.
“What’s the restaurant called—wait, have you taken another girl there before?”
I frowned. How could she think that I’d do that to her? “Fuck, Daisy, do you really think I’d do that to you? No, it’s called Starry Night Café, and it was recommended to me by Paddy. It was a favorite haunt of his when he came up here before.”
When I heard a sigh of relief it reminded me there were still some insecurities that persisted between us. I hoped after what I was taking her there to do, it would dispel any doubts about what she meant to me.
Our conversation took a more general turn until we arrived at the Starry Night Café in Ferrisburgh. The place looked exactly as it had when I’d Googled it after Paddy shared his love of it with me.
The cream, wooden washboard front set against the gray, aluminium roof and the quirky little restaurant signage made the place instantly inviting when it was set against the cute snow-covered frontage on either side of the entrance. There was little doubt in my mind that Daisy would find the place picturesque.
“Wow, this looks so quaint … and lovely,” she mused as she took my hand and stepped out onto the cleared pathway that led to the door. It looked pretty quiet as well, with only five or six other cars in the parking lot.
I nodded. “As do you,” I replied, piling on the charm. I hadn’t told her I’d booked the place out so that we could have privacy for our special meal. Daisy tolerated my wealth and fame, but she wasn’t impressed by money.
Felix walked ahead of us and opened the door, and as we entered, a blast of warm air hit us as we stepped inside.
“Mr. Fontaine, welcome,” a relaxed looking server greeted us. “If you’d like to follow me, I’ve set up the table in the Fireplace Room like you requested.”
Daisy looked up at me puzzled. “The Fireplace Room?” she mumbled with a raised brow.
The Fireplace Room was a dining room in an octagonal structure with a large fireplace at one end and it was perfect for an intimate dinner by candlelight. The rest of the room had been set up for diners, but in the low candlelight and the roaring fire it felt exactly right.
“My colleague will prepare a selection of cocktails for your pleasure. If you’d like to peruse the menu, we’ll take care of everything else.”
“I’m just heading to the restroom to wash my hands. Would you like to do the same?” I asked Daisy. She nodded, stood and as her restroom was on the opposite side from mine, I watched her until she went inside, then I headed toward the front door again where the men’s room was situated.
Once in the restroom, I washed my hands but that wasn’t my real reason for making some space. It was more about needing to catch my breath and tell myself there was no reason to be nervous. Daisy loved me and we ultimately wanted to be together.
“Here you go, boss,” Felix informed me as he handed me the blue velvet ring box. I’d bought the ring in Paris before Daisy had arrived for Valentine’s Day, although I’d had no intention of proposing to her then. My clear vision for doing this was to bring her to Vermont and the snow.
I cracked open the box and checked the diamond again, snapped it shut and squeezed it into my back jeans pocket.
