CHAPTER 36 Miller Banks
Definitely Paradise
This really is the goddamn life.
I’m sitting on the balcony of our room as I stare out over the ocean.
We just boarded and found our stateroom, a suite that’s luxurious for two, and for the record, the bathroom is big enough and far enough away from the bed that even if one of us does get food poisoning, the healthy person won’t have to listen to every detail of the sick person’s bathroom shenanigans.
Sophie wanted a pina colada, citing it as her official cruise drink , so I got one for myself as well.
The straws aren’t paper like we’ve become accustomed to in California, but instead happen to be made of some sort of edible substance.
I take a bite, and I take a sip, the sunshine warm on my face as I sit back and relax.
In two weeks, all hell will break loose as training camp kicks off a new season, but right now, that’s the last thing on my mind.
At the forefront is definitely sex with Sophie, and somewhere just behind that is figuring out where to order my next drink from .
We thought about exploring the ship, but we have an entire week to make that happen. Right now, my only interest is sitting on this balcony with my girl and our pina coladas.
Everyone else in the family is boarding, too.
It’s too big a group for us to have planned boarding the ship together, but we have a standing dinner reservation for thirty-two, and I assume we’ll have an entire section of the restaurant where we can meet and sit with various groups within our party.
I called the guest service desk and asked if they could do something to spoil the newlyweds, too, and it sounds like Tanner and Cassie ended up with a pretty kickass suite.
Not that we have anything to complain about. We’re up toward the top of the boat, and the views are incredible from up here. Endless ocean in front of us, and I hear my girl let out a soft sigh as she slips into the chair beside me.
“This is amazing,” she says, and she leans her head back as she sucks down some of her pina colada.
“A whole week of this? It’s paradise.”
“A whole week with Miller Banks? Definitely paradise.”
My lips lift into a smile. “Now that’s something I thought I’d never hear.”
“Should we test out the bed?”
I laugh. “Fuck yes, we should.” We abandon our pina coladas, and it sounds like whoever is next to us is breaking in their own bed, too.
As we find out about an hour later when we exit our suite to start exploring, it’s Grayson and Ava, who are exiting their suite at the same time.
They tell us Grace and Spencer are on our floor, too.
Tanner and Cassie have the presidential suite two floors up from us, Lincoln and Jolene have a family suite with their three kids near the kids’ club a few decks below us, and parents are scattered everywhere on the ship—including mine, Sophie’s, Cassie’s, and most of the clan of Nashes and Nash-in-laws.
At least Sophie’s parents didn’t end up in Grayson’s room. That would’ve been awkward.
We’re up on the top deck playing a game of mini golf with our stateroom neighbors when the ship’s horn blasts a few feet away from us. Sophie jumps at the sound, and I can’t help but laugh...until it blows again, and this time I’m the one who jumps.
I guess that’s the signal that the ship is about to start sailing, so we head over with everyone else toward the railing to watch as we start to move away from the dock.
My arm is around Sophie, who’s leaning into my side, and I breathe in the slightly humid, warm, sea-salty air as I memorize everything about this moment. The scent of her summer garden shampoo wraps around me, mixing with the sea air as the wind starts to lightly kiss our faces.
I lean down and press a soft kiss to her temple, and she glances up at me with a smile playing at her lips.
I can’t see her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses, but I can still read her like a book.
I lean down and find her lips with mine.
It’s just a quick, tender kiss, but it’s the kind of kiss that tells me she’s as content as I feel.
Maybe this really will work out for us.
A moment later, Grayson is recognized, and then me.
Word is already out that the Nash and Banks families are on board, and it’s fine.
Let’s get this over with because once people have their pictures, they’ll leave us alone.
I guess that’s the advantage of being on a cruise ship—eventually everyone will get a turn since there’s a limit to the number of people on board.
I take a few photos and do my best to be polite. I know I work in an interesting profession, and people are either fans or they’re not .
Everyone here seems to be cordial, which is really all I could ask for.
The four of us head to the bar, where we grab another round of drinks, and we explore the various pools the ship offers before we head back to our staterooms to get ready for dinner.
Sophie changes into a flowery dress that’s perfect cruise attire, and I throw on a pair of khaki shorts and a white shirt with sailboats on it—crazy for me, but downright demure compared to Asher’s tropical shirt with neon flamingos plastered all over it.
Our group of thirty-two is divided into three tables of ten with a few high chairs, and tonight we’re sitting with Tanner and Cassie, Cassie’s parents, Sophie’s parents, and our parents—after we take some more photos with strangers who seem to know us, of course.
We’re all quiet as we peruse our dinner options, and once we order, Tanner carries the conversation as we all chat about how wonderful their wedding was.
Sophie’s parents weren’t in attendance, so they’re filled in on all the details as Mom shows off photos from her phone.
I glance at Sophie’s dad, and I can’t help but notice how quiet he is.
It’s not a conversation he has much to contribute to, I guess.
My dad is sitting to my left, and he nudges me a little. “So you two are next, huh?”
I press my lips together and nod. “February twentieth at the Venetian in Vegas.”
Sophie’s mom glances up, and she looks surprised. “You set a date?”
Sophie clears her throat. “Oh, uh. Didn’t I tell you?”
Her mom purses her lips and shakes her head, the look of disapproval evident in her eyes.
I know that look, and I know it’s exactly why Sophie doesn’t want to tell her the truth. She quit her stable job teaching to pursue a career in publishing. Her mother would never understand.
Sophie drops a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I’m sorry. We chose February twentieth. I hope you can all make it.”
The drinks are served along with a couple baskets of dinner rolls, thankfully diverting both the conversation and the attention.
But now Sophie is quiet, too, and I can’t help but wonder whether her mom shut her dad down like she just did to her daughter.
It’s only the first night, but I already feel a little stuck on this boat with so many family members. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
And maybe that’s because of the ominous feeling Sophie passed onto me. Maybe it’s not paradise after all.