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I considered fighting him on it. Then decided I didn’t mind in the least.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I tell German. “And I’m glad you were there. Even if youdiddestroy my phone.”
He shrugs. “Be glad for the rogue pelican. All my years in this business, I’ve never seen anything like that.”
I’m not able to hold back my smile. “You’ve probably never been anywhere like Oakley.”
“That’s the truth,” he says. German, unlike me, sounds like he can’t wait to get out of here.
Daniels eyes Bard the Bird on his perch. And then, lo and behold, the man speaks.
“I used to hate birds,” he says thoughtfully.
I wait for more. But that’s it. I’m laughing as the two agents walk away, taking a seat with Leandra, John, Danny, and Tao. More people I need to speak to. When I’m not so overwhelmed. And maybe once I finally find Ben.
Finally, the only man I want to see appears in the doorway of the bar, a loud cheer erupting as he does. He waves, but his smile only widens as his eyes scan the bar until they land on me.
I hurry toward him, weaving my way through the tables, then pull him down for a very long, very intentional kiss. The cheers get louder, shifting to include some catcalls and whoops of encouragement.
I’m not exactly sure what came over me. But I’m safe, I’m loved, my baby sister is pregnant, my older sister is happy enough to cry over it, and I have to dosomethingwith all these emotions.
When I finally pull away, Ben’s eyes gleam with warmth and appreciation. “What was that for?” he asks, his hand slipping around my waist.
I shrug. “Nothing. I just love you.”
He kisses me again. “I’ll never get tired of you saying that. I have something for you.” He tilts his head toward the door. “Come outside with me?”
When we reach the door, he shifts so he’s behind me, and covers my eyes with his hands. “All right,” he says, his breath close to my ear. “Now take a few steps forward.”
I hear the door open, then let Ben help usher me over the threshold into the muggy Georgia air.
“Okay. Stop right here. Annnnd … open your eyes.”
Ben’s hands fall away and I blink, my eyes adjusting to the bright afternoon light. At first, I can’t figure out what I’m looking for. Cars line the street outside the bar. A few golf carts too. Seagulls swoop and glide through the air. The palm trees in the square across the road sway in the breeze.
“Sadie, lookrightin front of you,” Ben says through a chuckle.
Right in front of me … there’s a car. A very pretty, very shiny, verynewcar. More like a small SUV painted a bright blue.
“Is that …” I look at Ben. “Wait—what?”
“Do you like it?” he asks.
I just keep staring. “You bought me a … car?”
He bites his lip like he’s nervous, and a surge of emotion for this man makes my chest tighten. “The thing is, I couldn’t stand the thought of you driving around Atlanta in a clunker without working air conditioning. Or having to fly every time you come because you can’t trust your vehicle. And I know you well enough to know riding in the SUV with a security detail is the last thing you would want. So … yeah. I bought you a car.”
The man bought me a car. I know for someone with a whole island and a megayacht this is chump change. But for me, it’s huge. It’s also so very thoughtful.
Ben runs a hand through his hair. “Do you like it?”
So many thoughts are running through my brain. One: Ben is giving me the resources I need tostayin Atlanta. He isn’t asking me to move. He isn’t demanding that I uproot my life for his. He’s giving me the means to go back and forth safely. If I want.
The reality is I probablywilleventually move to Oakley. I don’t like to be away from Ben for an afternoon. I don’t see that changing. And I can’t imagine spending entire weeks away from him.
But I love that he’s giving me the room to make that decision on my own time. Whenever I feel ready to do it.
Two: this is acar.An entire freaking CAR. I’m going to have to wrap my head around what it means to have a boyfriend who makes as much money as Ben does. My instinct is to think this is too much. But for him? It really isn’t.
