Page 92 of The Billionaire's Heart

“I did.” He holds out his arms again. “More breathing room.”

I stare at the table overlooking the setting sun. “More breathing room.” I whisper.

He takes my hand. “Let’s eat.”

Chapter 40

Ian

I’ve spent the day in excitement and terror. She said she wanted more breathing room and I’ve been afraid she meant more breathing room from me, but she hasn’t acted like it at all today.

In fact, she’s been the one to reach for my hand and lean into me for kisses. Mostly. Sometimes I just can’t help myself.

Pulling out a chair for her, she sits down facing the Gulf of Mexico and the setting sun. “Ian, thank you for this… for all of today. I don’t know what to say.”

“Tell me you're hungry.”

“Starving.”

“Great. Then dinner is served.” I pull the cloches up in a dramatic flair to reveal our dinner.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I release my breath when Mia busts out laughing. “This is the perfect dinner, Ian!”

“You like it?”

“Nope. I love it!” Her smile beams across her face.

“When we’re done eating, there will be fireworks we can watch over there.” I point across the bay back towards the way we traveled to the Key.

“Cool!”

“And” I draw out the word as I uncover a small surprise hiding under my napkin, “we have a box of sparklers to play with.” I hold them up.

She claps her hands in excitement. “Yay!”

With seriousness in my voice, I ask her the question that’s been plaguing me all day. “Are you happy, Mia?”

She turns to me. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my life than I am right now, Ian. Ever.”

After eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we watched the sun finally fall behind the horizon. I look at my watch and see that the fireworks will start shortly, so I pull out a lighter and the sparklers.

“Now, I read the package, and it says that we shouldn’t have any jewelry on our fingers in case the end gets stuck in it, so take off your ring. Don’t need you to lose a finger or something.”

“I think I can handle a sparkler, Ian.”

“Please? Don’t make me worry about you, okay?”

She sighs, “Fine. Here. It’s yours anyway now that the deal is done with Sutherland.” She hands me the ring and I slip it into my pocket.

“Okay, here’s yours.” I light up her sparklers and the sparks fly around as they burn and drop to the ground.

“M.I.A.” she says as she spells her name in the air with her sparkler.

Watching the joy she’s getting from such a simple thing makes me love her even more.

Her sparkler fizzles out, so she dips the end into the water at our feet. “Don’t need any fires, now, do we?” she laughs. “Okay, your turn.”