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“Well, I know your family calls you Bash, and I thought I should have something only I call you, but I didn’t think you’d want me to call you Sea Bass.”
He shook with laughter, and a tear slid down his cheek.
She gave him a sweet smile and gently wiped his tear away. “Bass,” she whispered as she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.
He gathered her closer to him, cementing their relationship with his kisses, wanting her to know that he loved her more than ever and would always be there for her.
“I love you,” he whispered.
She made a sweet little cooing sound, and he deepened the kiss until they were both breathless.
He took her face in his hands and looked her in the eyes as seriously as he could. “I will never lie to you again. I promise you.”
She nodded. “I believe you.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
He smiled and took her hand again, turning around and walking back to the site of their first real date.
She glanced up at the house then smiled at him.
He watched as she started climbing the steps. “Where do you think you’re going, beautiful?”
“To my boyfriend’s beach house.”
“Is that so?” He liked the sound of boyfriend coming off her tongue.
“Yeah, he has a really nice hot tub.” She winked and took the stairs two at a time.
He grinned as he chased after her. This day had definitely turned out much better than how it started.
TWENTY-SEVEN
A month had passed since Genevieve first came back to Michigan from Montana to see Sebastian. He knew she was where she was meant to be, doing what she was meant to do, but he missed her. The distance was getting to him already. Phone calls and text messages helped, as did the trip he’d taken to Montana two weeks ago, but a weekend visit was not long enough. Two days together would never be enough.
At the moment, he stood at the small airport in Hastings waiting for the Schultz private jet to arrive. He’d gotten there extra early and was anxious to see Genevieve’s lovely face and get her back in his arms again. He’d insisted on flying her home for a visit, which she’d happily agreed to.
When the jet finally came into view after what seemed a lifetime of scanning the skies, he had to rein in his excitement or he’d rush right onto the runway to get to her before the plane ever landed. And once that plane had landed and the hatch opened, Genevieve did just that, practically running toward him.
“Bass!” The sound of her voice was more than enough to calm the nervous excitement he felt every time he saw her.
He opened his arms and cracked up laughing as she jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs around him. His arms locked around her back as he held her in place, and they stood like that for a long minute, holding each other, loving the feeling of being together again.
“I missed you,” she whispered, her lips tickling his ear.
He squeezed her tighter. “I missed you more.”
She pulled away to look into his eyes. “Not possible.”
He lowered her to the ground as she unwound from him, and he took her face in his hands and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Then another. And another.
She smiled at his sweet show of affection.
His fingers laced with hers, and he took her bag and led her toward his car. “Are you hungry?”
“Famished.”