By the time I got back to the condo that night, the cold had settled deep into my bones, but the second I stepped inside, I was flooded by warmth. Hubert barreled toward Jacque like we’d been gone for a year, making a beeline for where she was curled up on the couch.
She laughed when he climbed half onto her, her hand sliding into his fur even as she lifted her gaze to meet mine. “Hey, you. How’d it go with Will?”
“Hey.” I dropped down beside her without ceremony and pulled her into me like it was the most natural thing in the world, but at this point, it kind of was. “It went as well as it could, I guess. He’s not sure we’re not going to regret it, but neither am I.”
She smiled up at me, her head resting lightly against my shoulder. “Neither am I, but I’m hopeful. It’s going to be an incredible home for our kids to grow up in and the yard is any dog’s dream.”
“Sure, but in the meantime, what are we going to do to keep ourselves busy?” I asked. “Other than work, I mean. I need a break.”
Her lips curved into an amused smile. “Already?”
“Yeah. We got married, bought a haunted mansion, and survived your dog’s judgment for not being invited to the ceremony, so what’s next?”
She hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head. “Well, we could always go hunting for those chinchillas.”
I snorted. “Ah, yes. A classic honeymoon activity.”
“Very romantic,” she agreed.
“I won’t lie. It’s tempting, but I feel like we should aim higher.”
“Higher than chinchillas?”
“Yep.”
She laughed, bringing her hand up to my chest and stroking these absent little circles that threatened to make me forget what we were talking about. “Okay, so if not chinchillas, what do you have in mind?”
I shifted, turning fully toward her and bracing one hand against the back of the couch to cage her in. “Before I tell you, I have a question.”
“Mm?”
“How much do you trust our health insurance?”
She blinked a few too many times. “That sounds dangerous.”
“It can be, but I was thinking I could take you on our yacht.” I leaned closer, my voice dropping as I brought my mouth to her ear. “We could go on our honeymoon for a few weeks.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Ouryacht?”
“Our yacht,” I repeated. “For a few weeks of sailing and exploring. Maybe even go on a few of those adventures we talked about. With Hubert, of course. He’s my stepson now. It would be weird not to include him.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You sure do know the way to a girl’s heart, don’t you?”
I grinned, dragging my lips from her ear to her mouth. “So, what do you think?”
She smiled into the kiss. “I’ll go, but I have one condition.”
“Anything you want. Just name it.”
“I get to pick some of the stops.”
“Done.”
“Make that two conditions,” she said. “The other is that there won’t be any jumping off the yacht.”
I pulled back to look at her. “That seems restrictive.”
“You’re turning thirty-five. Don’t you think it’s time you start acting like it?”