Page 78 of Passion and Promises
The anxiety is evident in his choppy words and tense voice. I’ve only ever heard him this worked up once before when he called me for help after almost fucking things up with Summer.
“What are you guys talking about?”
Ethan’s sister Mila pops up beside him, surprising us all.
“Shit, Mills. Why you gotta sneak up on me like that?” Ethan says gruffly.
“Because you look like you’re having some top secret meeting and I want in.”
“Ethan forgot Summer’s ring at home,” Ashley says as Ethan drops his chin to his chest.
“Fuck, big brother, you are an idiot sometimes.”
“Thanks, Mills. Now can you just help?” he says, his voice sounding pained.
Mila claps her hands together. “I got this. Ash, let’s get Serena and Paige to take Summer for a beach walk. I need to get into the kitchen to figure out the cake, and Abby wants to lay down for a bit. But between all of us, we can keep her distracted while my dumbass brother goes ring shopping.”
It’s truly amazing what a force of nature Mila Monroe is when she needs to organize something. And judging by the grateful look on Ethan’s face, I’m not the only one thinking that.
The others disperse, and Ashley turns to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Well, there goes our quiet afternoon together.”
I pull her in close and drop a kiss to her lips. “That’s okay. I need to make sure the wine shipment arrived okay. I’ll grab a bottle of Viognier and we can do a private tasting tonight.”
Her eyes darken. “By tasting, you mean…”
I bite gently on her lower lip. “I mean we’ll see what tastes sweeter. You or the wine. I’m betting it’ll be you.”
Chapter six
Paige
The terrain of the beach we are currently walking on is fascinating. While there are certainly some sandy parts, the vast majority of the beach is covered in shells. Small ones and larger ones. I’ve never seen queen or king conch shells in person, and they are magnificent. The fact that they are just lying around on the beach is astounding.
“Definitely different from Canadian beaches, isn’t it,” Summer marvels, stopping to pick up a sun-bleached sea urchin shell. “I can’t believe we’re here.”
She seems happy and unaware that this walk is a distraction tactic meant to keep her occupied while Ethan goes to find a stand-in wedding ring.
“You did choose a remarkable location for your nuptials. I am looking forward to exploring the native flora on the bluff in the middle of the island later this week.”
Summer wraps her arm around my shoulder and drops her head down. “Thanks, Paige. I’m happy you’re here, too.”
“Ladies!” Serena shouts from up ahead. “You need to see this, quick!”
We pick up the pace to join her on a rocky outcrop.
“Look!” She points out to the water, just in time for the head of a large green sea turtle to crest the surface, followed quickly by another. “Turtles. Oh my God, I want to swim with the turtles.”
“We should go back to the resort and grab some snorkel gear,” Summer says excitedly.
“No!” both Serena and I answer, perhaps too quickly, given the look Summer gives us.
“We’ll have plenty of opportunities for snorkeling,” I supply. “Let’s simply enjoy the sight and continue our walk.”
Summer’s brow creases and I know she’s questioning why we wouldn’t go back now. The resort we have rented is close by and we could be back here in mere moments.
“Are you sure? What if they swim away?” she asks, starting to turn back.
Serena grabs her arm and tugs her off the rocks, moving farther down the beach. “There’s plenty of turtles in the sea. C’mon, lets see if we can find a giant conch.”
