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His responding smile is wicked and knowing, but he drops his caressing back to my knee. “How did you handle moving around Uruguay without an interpreter?”
“Don’t ask,” I sign.
Thankfully, the flighttoSouth America was pretty uneventful since I was able to ‘borrow’ Sazuki’s private jet—with an internal promise to plant as many trees as I humanly could for the next year.
But while most US airports have accessibility systems in place, the rest of the world isn’t that accommodating. The process of clearing immigration, catching a taxi, translating my notepad texts into Spanish—ugh. Overwhelming is an understatement.
My hand unconsciously fiddles with the button on the watch and I’m a little startled when I see both watches lighting up.
Dare glances at me with an amused smile. “How long have you had Talia’s watch?”
“About a week.”
He nods as if that corresponds with his suspicions. “I noticed it flashing often in the past few days.”
“I told myself I’d be patient and wait for you to show up at the fashion show, but I broke and eventually asked Talia if I could be there when you did a video chat.” As I sign, his eyes widen. I’m sure he hadn’t been aware that I was nearby on that call last Saturday. “She must have seen how emotional I got. She gave me the watch and told me I needed it more than her.”
“I’ll buy her a jet,” Dare signs, looking like the world’s proudest uncle.
“How about we stick to making her flower girl at the wedding?”
Joy springs to life in his face. “Speaking of, how soon should we have the wedding?”
“As soon as you propose.” I notice him gearing up to sign a ‘marry me’ and grab his hand. “No need to rush. We just got back together.”
“And I already have a signed contract saying we’ll never be apart again. All we need now is the reception.”
I laugh. “Don’t even think about it. I want a big wedding in a giant Cinderella dress with all my friends and family there.”
“You would look stunning in a Cinderella dress.” He rubs his chin. “Would that make me the Prince?”
“That would make you the fairy god-father since I already know you’ll insist on paying for it.”
“I’m happy to be both.”
“I’m happy you’re happy,” I sign.
Eyes going soft, Dare leans forward and kisses me. I kiss him back for all I’m worth, content to pretend we’re in our own little world.
But we’re not.
I feel a shadow across our table, sense something blocking the air conditioning and realize we have a guest.
Dare breaks off too and I applaud myself for getting it right this time. Now that I know how lost I can get in his kisses, my spatial awareness will need a few adjustments.
The waitress rushes to put the food on the table, but before she can hustle away, Dare voices to her. I wait for him to interpret what he said, but he doesn’t. Instead, he stands and the waitress takes the food away.
“Where are we going?” I sign, utterly confused. “You haven’t eaten yet.”
Dare points a finger up.
I frown, but he doesn’t allow me to argue. He leads me to the elevator and tries to back me into a corner and kiss me. Pushing him away, I frown.
“You promised you’d eat first.”
“And I will,” he signs back, unbothered.
His calmness sets me off. “Food.” I punctuate the sign with an eyebrow raise and jerky movements. “You’re supposed to eat food.”