Page 84 of The Best Thing He Never Wanted

He shook his head with a smile. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I’m not gonna lie, it’d never have occurred to me to take my shoes off and walk in the water, but if that’s what you want to do, that’s what we’re gonna do.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to just because I—”

“Bea.”

She swallowed as she looked up at him. “Honestly.”

His hand came down on her shoulder. “I know I don’t have to. I’m saying I want to.”

“But you don’t… I…”

“I said it wouldn’t have occurred to me as something I wanted to do. Now that you want to do it, I want to do it. Okay?”

She smiled. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Not doing it for you.”

She laughed. “Yes, you are.”

He chuckled as he took her hand and started walking them back toward the steps that led down to the beach. “Told you before. Seeing you happy makes me happy, so I’m doing it for me. Okay?”

“Okay. Whatever you say.”

They sat at the bottom of the steps to take off their shoes. Bea was wearing capri pants, but Blane muttered to himself as he started turning up the legs of his jeans.

She batted at his shoulder. “I told you, you don’t have to do this.”

“We already settled that one, Bea. I just feel like a damn fool rolling my pants up like this.”

She laughed. “You could take them off.”

He stood and towered over her. “You want me to?”

Her eyes widened. “I’d love you to, but not necessarily—”

He was already reaching for his belt buckle.

“Blane!”

“What?”

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because…”

He laughed out loud, and that was a sight to behold. “Don’t look so worried. I’m only teasing.”

“Oh, you.”

He shrugged and reached for her hand again. Her first step into the water made her shiver, but she waded in a little farther and soon got used to it. Blane didn’t even seem to notice the cold.

“You want the water side or the sand side?”

It took her only a moment to understand what he meant as he held his hand out to her. “Oh, water side, please.”

And then they were walking hand in hand along the water’s edge. Bea had to close her eyes for a moment against the emotion that welled in her throat and behind her eyes.