CHAPTER 24

It was still early afternoon on the West Coast when Ares plane landed in San Diego.

They all stood out on the tarmac saying their thank-you and good-byes. Ares had hired a car to take Tyler, Kathy, and their mother

back to Modesto. The twins intended to stay for the evening and return to San Diego later that night.

“It was so good getting to know you better.” Kelsey gave Tessa a heartfelt hug. Then the twins.

Ares hug for his siblings was easy. He clapped Tyler on the back and actually placed a little kiss on the top of Kathy head. It was so

darn adorable, Kelsey’s heart felt a huge tug. But Tessa? Kelsey had witnessed their conversation in the dining room, and though she

hadn’t been able to hear it, she’d known instinctively that it was a start. And now Ares hugged Tessa, though their arms were wide,

as if to keep contact to the bare minimum. But Kelsey wasn’t about to get picky on the kind of hug, because at least there was one.

Shoulder to shoulder, they waved as the car carrying his siblings and mother pulled away.

So what now?

Her heart was screaming to know.

They’d made beautiful love over and over at the hotel. But she’d promised herself she wouldn’t be a pushy female who kept asking,

When will you call? And most of all, When will you finally realize you love me too? She hadn’t clung to him, hadn’t tried to lay

claim to him in front of his family, hadn’t pressured. In fact, she’d tried almost too hard, to the point of practically ignoring him from

the moment they’d arrived at Sally and George’s until now. But she also hadn’t missed a single one of the looks he sent her, looks

that told her he wanted to touch her, kiss her too.

But was that enough?

She’d laid her heart on the line last night. She hadn’t expected him to say he loved her back. In fact, she would have been shocked if

he had. But there was a part of her deep inside that had hoped. And that was terrified of having her heart trampled if Ares never came

around. If he couldn’t let go of his fears or his past enough to actually figure out that they were meant to be together for more than a

night. For more than lovemaking. She wanted a lifetime.

“Well,” he said in the deep voice that always made her feel hot all over. “That went just fine.” He smiled when she shot him a look.

“I know. You hate that word.” And finally, he laced his fingers through hers. “I was wondering if you’ve got the next few hours free.”

Her heart soared off into the sky. “I do.”

“Then let’s take another flight.” He turned, leading her back onto the plane.

“Another flight? Where are we going?”

He helped her into the seat she’d occupied on the way back from Chicago. “It’s a surprise.” He put a finger to her lips as she opened

her mouth to ask more questions. Taking the seat beside her, he said, “I want to do something special for you after all you’ve done to

help me.”

“You don’t need to do anything for me.”

“I do.” He poured more champagne. “Last night was beautiful. But I need to do something just for you. I want to do something for

you. Take you to a very special place.”

She wanted to cry. She wanted to throw herself at him. She wanted to forget every single one of the worries that had been running

through her mind all morning. He wasn’t saying he loved her. But he was giving her something wonderful—a few more precious

hours with him.

They landed in Mishka, only half an hour’s flight time from San Diego. She smiled, laughter lacing her words. “What are we doing

here?”

“Hush,” he said, his finger on her lips again, as if he needed an excuse to touch her. “Let me surprise you. Let me give you

something for all you’ve done.”

Then he ushered her into a waiting limousine, sitting close, her hand clasped in his.

Her heart was fluttery with emotion, with need. She wanted to cup his cheek, turn his face to hers, and kiss him until he couldn’t

deny that what he felt for her was as momentous as her own feelings. And yet she wanted simply this, her hand in his, a surprise

awaiting her.

After leaving the airport, they headed south on Highway 1. The weather was gorgeous, the sun bright, the sky clear, and the

temperature in the low sixties. January could be a rainy month, broken up by gloriously sunny, relatively warm days. Vastly different

than Chicago, though that certainly had its own appeal too. South of Carmel, their driver took a private road out to the coastline.

“What are you planning?” Her smile bubbled through.

“Something you’ve always said you wanted to do.”

The limo stopped at the end of the road, and Ares took her hand as she climbed out. The driver came around the hood and handed

him a small package. “Per your instructions, sir.”

Ares smiled his thanks, then said, “Down here,” pulling her through a couple of fence posts and out onto a dirt path they followed to

the cliff edge.

“What is this place?”

Hand in hand, they descended a few steps cut into the rock until they reached a bench on a small plateau to the left of the path. “A

friend of mine owns the land.” He waved south. “There’s a cottage over there.” Then he pointed down to the ocean below. “And

these stairs lead down to a private beach.”

It had been windy up on the cliff, but the bench they sat on was sheltered in the cleft of the rocks, and the heat of the sun warmed her

through her jacket. Ares warmed her hands. And her heart.

“It’s beautiful. And peaceful.” The sun sparkled on the ocean, and the sound of the waves drifted up to them. Seagulls squawked

overhead, diving down to the beachhead below.

“I knew you’d like it.”

“It’s perfect, Ares. Thank you.”

He unwrapped the package the driver had handed him. She was stunned to see a pair of binoculars.

“You always said you wanted to go whale watching. But you never have. And this is the perfect time of year. The gray whales are

heading down to Mexico to calve.”

“Oh my God, Ares.” Without the aid of the binoculars, she stared out to sea. Then she saw it, a spout of water high into the air. Then another and another, like the bursts of a string of steam engines cruising by. “Look! They’re out there.” She could make out their dark shapes in the ocean, beyond the waves.

“Try the glasses.”

She could barely suppress her eagerness as she grabbed the binoculars from his hand. The ocean was the deepest blue-green, the

whales like a cavalcade through the waves. “Oh Ares, this is so amazing. They’re gorgeous. And so mighty. So powerful and

perfect.” They seemed close enough to touch through the lenses.

“We’ll come again toward the end of February, when they’re heading north again with their calves. They swim much closer to shore

then to protect their young from the sharks, and they’re slower too, because of the babies.”

“Yes, oh yes. We have to.” She hugged the binoculars to her chest, watching the procession with the naked eye, overcome by the

beauty of nature right before her. “This is so much better than being on a boat with a bunch of strangers. We’ve got our own private

overlook.”

Then she looked at him and felt the immensity of what he’d done for her, the tenderness in his gaze, the joy of having his body so

close to hers, sharing this moment with her. “Thank you so much. You didn’t need to do this for me, but I’m so glad you did.”

“I needed to do something for you, just you. Remember that special we watched on PBS? You said you’d never made it down here to

watch the migration, but that it was just as good to watch it on TV.”

“I was wrong. It is so much more magnificent out here.” When had they watched that show? It had to have been years ago. Maybe

three or four. Yet again he’d been listening to her, storing up her likes and preferences. “You couldn’t have given me anything

better.” In a way, it was like telling her he loved her. Just without the words. And it renewed all her hope that he could eventually say

them.

“Here.” She shoved the glasses at him. “You have to look too.”

They sat there for an hour, maybe more, exclaiming every time there was a huge spout, pointing out new sights to each other. “Oh

look,” she cried out. “There’s a school of dolphins too.” She had never felt so special. Or so appreciated.

“Are you hungry?”

“Not if I have to miss a moment of this.” A moment of sitting here beside him, sharing this special event he’d planned just for her.

He laughed. “You can have both.” Fishing his cell phone out, he made a call.

Minutes later, their driver, carrying a big basket, passed their little nook in the rocks. He disappeared down toward the beach below

them.

“What have you arranged now?” Her heart raced just contemplating his next revelation.

“Another surprise.”

She adored his surprises.

He’d gone to so much trouble. And when had he organized it all? Yes, she’d seen him on the phone during the flight, but she’d

thought that was work. She didn’t ask, though. It was somehow more special to simply accept that he’d been thinking of her all day.

On the way back up, the limo driver saluted them.

“It’s all ready.” Taking her hand, Ares helped her down the rock steps cut into the cliff face.

Down on the beach, it was cooler and slightly windier. She was glad she’d worn jeans and her jacket. A blanket was spread out on

the sand, its corners anchored. A bottle of champagne chilled in a bucket, and the basket sat in the middle along with two extra

blankets. The waves crashed on the shore, the sun heated the sand, birds flew overhead, and the whales frolicked with dolphins out in

the ocean. It was perfection.

“You’re amazing.”

“I thought the whales were the most amazing thing.”