Page 89 of The Clover Chapel (Jamison Valley 2)
He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, which elicited a chorus of “Ohhs” and “Ewws” from my class. “Everything’s great. Mr. Garcia is taking over for the rest of the day. You’re coming with me.”
“What? Why? Is this about the break-ins?”
“Nope.”
“Ms. Austin, would you mind running through your lesson plan with me? I’ll try to keep on track until you get back Monday.”
“Oh, sure, Mr. Garcia,” I said and outlined the rest of my Friday afternoon lesson plan.
“I think I can manage. You two have a nice weekend,” he said before Nick dragged me from the room and to his truck.
“What’s going on, Nick?” I asked after fastening my seatbelt.
“Patience,” he said.
His cavalier attitude was annoying and I hated secrets, but nothing was wrong. He wouldn’t be so smug if there were a problem. “Is this why you insisted on driving me to work this morning? So you could kidnap me?”
“Yep.”
“Another one-word answer. Do you think you could string a few more of them together and actually respond in a full sentence? Preferably one where you tell me what’s going on?” I asked.
“Enjoy the suspense, Emmy.”
I frowned as butterflies started flying in my belly. This had to be about our anniversary, right? Why else would he be trying to surprise me?
I despised surprises and the angst that came with them. Nervous energy made me queasy, not excited. I was the type of person who read the last chapter of a book before the first, just to make sure it had a happy ending.
My stomach swirled as Nick drove out of town. After a few miles of highway, he pulled off and onto a dirt road that cut through an open field. The snow on the ground had started to melt but there were still large patches of it in the dips and curves of the plains.
“Nick.” I gasped when he turned past a grove of trees and I realized our destination.
In the middle of a large clearing was a hot-air balloon tethered to the ground. The balloon was made of red fabric with large orange and yellow suns patterned into the center row. The pilot was standing in the basket, monitoring the burner.
Nick parked the truck and leaned over the center console, kissing me lightly on the lips. “Happy anniversary, Wife.”
“You remembered?” I asked. “I wasn’t sure if—” I started but couldn’t continue. My nose started to burn and I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t cry.
This was so romantic. Nick hadn’t just remembered our anniversary, he’d gone all out to surprise me with something special.
“Worth the wait?” he whispered.
“Yes.” I nodded before pressing my lips against his.
The kiss I laid on him was rough and desperate. My hands were threaded into his beard as my tongue took over his mouth. When we were both breathless, I leaned away and whispered, “Happy anniversary, Nick.”
“Now I need a minute before we can leave.” He grinned. “I doubt the pilot wants to fly me around with a hard-on.”
“It would probably be best if you saved that just for me.”
“Only you, my sweet Emmy.”
We sat with our foreheads pressed together for a few moments until he pulled away. “We need to get bundled up. It’s going to be cold as fuck up there,” Nick said. “Clothes are in the backpack.”
Fifteen minutes later, we were floating.
It was magic.
Nick had been right, the air was sharp and cold. But it didn’t matter. The happiness in my heart kept me warm.
