30. FIREFLY #2
More flashes popped, the voices closed in as photographers circled around us like a flock of seagulls.
“Shit,” he hissed, his expression darkening.
“What do we do now?” I asked hurriedly.
The pack hurled more questions—about me this time—and Karson sprang to his feet.
“No comment.” He took my hand, pulling me upright. Then, while keeping me close tried to push through the throng. But the wall of cameras was impenetrable.
Karson glared at them.
They glared right back.
He sighed. “Okay, guys, here’s the deal. You know I’m not legally allowed to discuss the investigation, but if you agree to leave us alone for the rest of the night, I’ll let you take some decent pictures. You might even get a smile. Sound fair?”
Murmurs passed among them as heads nodded agreeably.
“Is it over between you and Bella?” one demanded.
“Who’s the girl?” another shouted, camera raised.
Karson turned toward me. “Sorry,” he mouthed.
I turned toward the throng, meeting their stare squarely. “I’m Ivy,” I replied with a smile. “And yes, sure, we can.”
There was a renewed frenzy of camera bursts, especially from the guy standing at the back of the pack…“Where did you meet?” he called out. “Are you guys dating?”
“You two are paparazzi perfect. You’re making our job easy,” another photographer called over him. “Can you move over here into the light?”
A surprised laugh slipped out, but it vanished fast as questions fired at us. Sheesh. My eyes widened. I don’t know how Karson does this.
“Guys! Guys! ” Karson raised his voice over the noise. “Tone it down. An interrogation was not part of the deal, remember?”
“Yes,” I said, kissing him softly on the lips as an explosion of flashes lit up the night. “We’re dating. And,” I continued, “he’s the most wonderful guy I’ve ever met.”
Everyone laughed, and the mood lightening instantly.
We posed for their pictures until Karson held up his hand. “Okay, we’re done here, guys. You’ve got enough. Now let us enjoy our night.”
After thanking us they stepped aside and let us pass through the tunnel they’d created. Once we cleared the crowd, our walk turned into a run.
We kept running until Karson stopped suddenly. At the marina gates.
I looked around, confused. “What are we doing here? Wait… you’re not going to drop another bombshell on me, are you?” I smirked. “This is giving serious”—I lifted my fingers into air quotes—“‘sorry I didn’t tell you I’m a kazillionaire’ vibes.”
“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see. Now that we’ve thrown off the pack, I’ve got a surprise for you.” He keyed in the gate code and guided me up the dock while I took in the array of luxury superyachts.
“All I see is a bunch of fancy-ass boats. Wait. You did not buy me a boat!” I stared in disbelief. “Did you? What? The dress wasn’t enough?”
“No.” A glint flashed in his eyes. “I bought us a boat.”
“No way,” I whispered, my jaw dropping.
“Look.” He pointed toward a huge white catamaran nearby. “Check out the side.”
I moved back a few paces to get a better view. And there it was. In big gold letters.
F I R E F L Y
My hands flew to my cheeks. “Karson! I love it!”
I was so happy for Karson. Selling The Canoe had hurt him.
With tears in my eyes I took in the elegant lines of the luxurious boat as the last year flashed before my eyes. But we’d made it.
He was my rock. My summer sky. My calm in the storm.
And even through all the uncertainty, he’d never really stopped loving me.
I stepped toward him and rose onto my toes. My lips grazed his, his warm breath brushing my skin as he pulled me closer. “But you’re crazy! You know that, right?” I laughed, tipping my head back. “Crazy amazing. Crazy beautiful. You’re—”
“Perfect for you?” He pressed his forehead against mine.
“Absolutely perfect. And I’m so glad you have a boat again. I know how much The Canoe meant to you. All those memories we made when we first met… now we get to make even more.”
“So… when exactly can we get started making these new memories?” he chuckled, his eyes darkening.
“Firefly.” I giggled. “I love it. But you do realize that makes me the skipper, right?”
He straightened and snapped off a salute. “At your service, Skipper.”
“Right, sailor, I’m ordering you to carry out your duties—”
His lips crushed against mine as his hand slid down my back.
Breathless, I pressed a hand to his chest, reluctantly pushing him back a fraction. “At ease, sailor.”
He groaned mournfully.
“Take me aboard right now so I can get my hands all over that gorgeous body of yours. Unless, of course, you’d prefer the paparazzi to capture the whole thing right here? In which case, we can laugh about it over coffee tomorrow morning.”
“Tempting,” Karson drawled. “Very tempting. But you’re right, we should probably get out of the firing zone.” He took my hand before we stepped onto the deck.
He opened the door and stood aside as I sucked in a breath at the familiar surroundings before stepping inside.
Right above the desk sat a small photo of us standing in front of the waterfall we’d visited when we first met.
“I’ve been living in hope that you’d show up tonight. There’s something else I want to tell you.”
Concealing my delight, I crossed my arms over my chest. “It had better not be another boat!”
He grinned. “I’ve organized a crew to sail us to Sydney. So if you want to, we can have a do-over. Only this time there’ll be no unpleasant surprises at the other end. If you’re in, we leave at dawn.”
“Hmm, let me think. YES!” I ran toward him and jumped, wrapping my legs around his waist as his arms closed around me our lips met in an urgent kiss.
Without another word, we made our way to the cabin.