Page 168 of The Best Thing He Never Wanted

Bea laughed out loud. “Considering you’re not likely to talk to him until either we get you out here or I bring him over to meet you, I’m not too worried.”

Meg laughed. “Don’t sound so smug. You think you’ve won, don’t you?”

“I do, yes.” Bea grinned. “But however it works out, I’d love for you to meet him.”

Meg didn’t say anything.

Bea frowned. “You’ve gone rather quiet on me. Not for any particular reason, I hope?”

“Oh—no,” Meg said quickly. “Only that I can’t wait to see you, my love. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to dash. We’ll talk again very soon, all right?”

“All right. I’ll call you. Give my love to everyone.” A thought struck her. “Oh, and David—how is he?”

Meg laughed. “Oh, David’s a very happy chap right now. But I really must go. Bye, love.”

Bea ended the call and set her phone down with a smile, wondering what on earth Meg had roped poor David into now.

~ ~ ~

Blane couldn’t help smiling when Meg stepped back in through the patio doors with a huge grin on her face.

“She okay?”

“She’s fine. She has absolutely no idea what’s going on.” Her grin disappeared. “Although I have to say, Blane, you’re going to have to make your intentions very clear, because that woman is still bracing herself for the day you leave. She’s still dreading it.”

His smile faded.

Cash stepped forward with a laugh. “I don’t think we need to worry too much about that, Meg, honey. Pretty sure after today she won’t be in any doubt about his intentions.”

Meg’s cheeks flushed, as they seemed to every time Cash spoke to her. She gave a little laugh and nodded. “Yes. I suppose you’re right.”

Brooke came back inside from where she’d been out looking at the pool with Emmett’s girls. When she reached him, Blane slung an arm around her shoulders.

“I can totally see why you don’t want to come home.”

He tightened his arm around her. “That’s not what I said, Brookie.”

She tipped her head back and smiled up at him. “I know. And it’s not what I meant either. You know what I mean. This place is amazing.” She turned to look back through the patio doors. “I’ve fallen in love with it myself—the whole island. And that pool? Damn, Blane.”

He gave Cash a rueful smile. “Yeah. Figured you guys would enjoy staying here.”

When he’d told Cash what he wanted to do, Cash had gone to work in his usual fashion. And that was how they'd all ended up at this particular villa. It was the one Cash had rented for him the first time, when he first came out to Crete with Bea after London, back when he hadn’t wanted to assume he’d be staying at her house. This place still wasn’t his taste, and the big fancy infinity pool had never been the point anyway. Bea had been the point.

This time, though, the villa was perfect for everyone who’d come over, and Cash had rented another villa just down the lane so that there was room for everyone.

Brooke smiled at Meg. “Was Bea okay when you talked to her? I can’t wait to meet her.”

“She’s fine. She has no idea.” Meg looked around at all of them, then out toward the terrace where her husband, David, stood talking to Emmett while Harper and the girls dipped their feet in the pool. Mav stood a little apart at the edge of the terrace, staring over the olive groves toward the sea. “I think she’s going to be rather shocked that you’re all here. Shocked, but very pleased to meet you all.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Cash asked. “I’ve done what I can with logistics, but what happens from here is all on you, bud.”

Blane nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Cash.”

Thanks seemed like a pretty small word for everything his friend had done to make this possible. He’d made sure Brooke could get the time away from work, got everyone onto the jet, then organized transport and the villas once they landed. He’d gone way above and beyond, the way he always did.

The one piece Blane had handled himself was calling Meg. He'd needed her to know he wasn't going behind Bea's back setting all this up—well, he was, but he'd wanted her to understand why. He'd liked her the moment he got her on the phone, and standing here now he could see exactly why she and Bea were such friends. He figured he'd never get a word in edgewise once the two of them were in a room together; Meg talked nearly as much as Bea did.

Mav came in off the terrace and gave him a chin lift. “What’s going on?”