“I wish I knew where you were taking me.” Jace didn’t miss a beat and picked up my bag.
“Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.” I tucked myself under his strong arm. “But we need some alone time after three months apart.”
“We have an entire week before I have any commitments.” Jace stopped and held me tight against him. “I hope you didn’t bring any clothes; you won’t be needing them.”
Laughing, we made our way downstairs to my garage. After we put our bags in the trunk of my new Range Rover, I drove the short distance to the ferry terminal and bought a ticket to Bainbridge Island. Once we were on the ferry, Jace tucked his hair under a skull cap and put on aviator glasses to avoid recognition. Then we made our way upstairs to the upper deck.
“It’s warm for June.” Jace wrapped his arms around me from behind. We stood at the rail and watched the Seattle skyline get smaller and smaller as we headed toward the island.
“Are we really talking about the weather?” I reached up from behind and stroked his cheek.
“I’m a little out of my element, Poppy.” Jace grinned down at me. “We’re actually out on a date.”
“Get used to it.” I leaned up and kissed his soft lips. “We’re dating now.”
“I like it. And, I intend to.” He tightened his arms around me, and we snuggled through the rest of the ferry ride across Puget Sound with the fresh, salty wind caressing our skin.
Once we docked, I drove up through Bainbridge to Allen’s Cove where we parked at my dad’s house. Leave it to Allen LeRoux to buy a house in a neighborhood bearing his name. He loved to joke about how the house was located in “his” cove, and even I had to admit that his sarcastic sense of humor carried it off.
“Wow, this is some house.” Jace looked in wonder at my dad’s magnificent Cape Cod-style estate set on an acre of beautiful, professionally landscaped gardens with sweeping views of Puget Sound.
No one was home, so I used my key to let us in and showed him around. For someone who had been in many a celebrity mansion, he oohed and aahed over the huge pool, wine cellar, movie theater, and the custom finishes throughout the house.
“So, as breathtaking as this house is, did we come all this way to have a date with your dad?” Jace leaned on the kitchen counter, his eyebrow raised.
“No, he picked something up for me, and I need to get it before we can go to our final destination.” I grabbed bottles of water for us out of their Sub-Zero fridge. “But we can say hi, I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
“Ahh, mysterious woman.” Jace crossed the room to the sliding doors and looked out at the gorgeous, sparkling blue water. In the late spring, even though it was early evening the sun was still high in the sky.
“Not that mysterious.” I wrapped my arms around him from behind and cheekily cupped his package, stroking him through his jeans. “Maybe we can find some way to spend some time until he gets home.”
Jace cupped his hand over mine and gently moved me away.
“The last thing I’m going to do is make a shitty impression on your dad by having you in a compromising position.” Jace turned and clasped both my hands in his tightly. “I’ll just make sure you keep your hands where they won’t get me into trouble.”
Not giving up, I touched my lips to his but did nothing more. His tongue traced the seam of my lips and, of course, I allowed him access. It still felt a little naughty making out at your parents’ house. Even when you were a grown woman with a full bank account.
Not ten minutes later, we heard the garage door open and my dad swooped into the kitchen through the attached door. He always was so well put together. He wore a natty red sweater and skinny black slacks, his silver hair cut short, and his handsome face crinkled with happiness when he saw me.
“Alex!” Dad strode to me and enveloped me into a huge hug. “And you have a shaggy-haired friend.”
“I’m Jace Deveraux, sir.” Jace tried to contain his laughter and held out his hand to my dad. “Alex’s boyfriend.”
“Oh, so you have a boyfriend now.” Dad winked at me conspiratorially, even though I’d told him about Jace. “Alex hasn’t mentioned you.”
“Um . . .” Jace looked at me in a panic. “Well . . .”
“Dad’s just initiating you into his unique brand of hazing.” I rolled my eyes.
“I’m Allen LeRoux.” Dad reached for Jace’s hand. “You’re that band guy from the girls’ graduation party.”
“Yes.” Jace looked relieved. “I’m him.”
After making small talk for a few minutes and turning down my dad’s offer for dinner, I retrieved my large Amazon package and big envelope from his home office. Finally, we were driving back toward town toward our final destination. My heart raced with excitement when we turned on Big Valley Road to the driveway leading to the ranch I had just purchased.
Grabbing the keys out of an envelope, I jumped out of the car into the quiet oasis that was going to be my new home. Jace got out of the car and looked around in wonder. Grabbing his strong hand, I led him up across the sprawling porch to the front door.
“This is all mine!” I clapped my hands and squealed. “It closed yesterday. My dad picked up the keys for me today!”
“Wow!” Jace looked awestruck. “Show me around.”
My new home was five minutes from the town and was surrounded by forest, gardens, a big pond, a firepit, and a state-of-the-art horse barn. The house itself had a huge wraparound porch overlooking the grounds, three bedrooms, and a large, newly renovated master suite. A tiny but functional kitchen looked out onto the pasture and connected to a living room with a wood stove. The barn
