Page 110 of Tide and Seek

“Oh, I get it.We’re just there to worship you?”

“Yes.You’d also get to eat and drink all you want.That’s all included in the price of the cruise.”

I shuddered at the thought of shared buffets with filthy sneeze guards, and using “community” tongs.“Will you hate me if I admit it kind of sounds like a nightmare?”

He looked disappointed.“Does it?”

“It doesn’t to you?”

He shrugged.“I think with the right attitude it could be fun.”

“Fun?”I repeated with a grimace.“The stress of meeting your mother is already enough to give me a stroke.Throw in crowds of drunken strangers, the threat of norovirus, bingo, line dancing, and karaoke, and I’d be lucky if I didn’t jump overboard before our first docking.”

His lips twitched.“Aww, come on, Max, I’d give my left arm to see you sing karaoke or line dance.”

“Your arm is safe because neither one of those things will ever happen.”

He studied me then he gave a resigned smile.“Okay.I understand.It was just a thought.You can just meet her next time she comes to Rainy Dale.”

He was trying to be a good sport about it all, which only made me feel even guiltier.“How long would we be trapped… I mean, how long would we be allowed the splendor of being on this cruise?”

A glimmer of hope sparked in his brown eyes.“The one she was talking about to the Caribbean was ten days.”

I gave a reflexive gulp.Ten days at sea with his mother.Did I have that sort of stamina?I could maybe manage to be charming for a few days in a row, but ten days of being on my best behavior?I wasn’t sure I could pull that off.

“And this would make you happy?”I asked softly.

He smiled.“Yeah, but I don’t want to force you, Max.It’s okay.There will be other opportunities to bond with Mom.”

I looked down at his hand clasped with mine.The band I’d given him gleamed against his tanned skin, and something in my chest loosened at the sight of it.Against all odds, Royce actually wanted to marry me.And marriage wasn’t just about the romantic gestures and the grand declarations, it was about the small, everyday compromises.It was about the give and take, about sometimes doing things you didn’t particularly want to do because the person wearing your ring wanted them.

Maybe a cruise wouldn’t be so bad.It was just a week on a boat.Okay, that was an oversimplification.It was going to be hell.I’d be uncomfortable and stressed the entire time.But if it made Royce happy, if it was something he wanted to experience with me, then wasn’t that what mattered?

My mouth went dry as I tried to force the words out.It took a few tries, but I finally managed a hoarse, “Let’s do it.”

“Really?”The happy smile that lit his face took away some of my terror.“You’ll do it, Max?”

“I will for you.”I gave a weak smile.“Marriage is about for better or worse, right?What could be worse than me on a cruise with your mother?If we can get through that, our eventual marriage will be able to withstand anything.”

He stood and came around the table.I rose to meet him and he slipped his arms around me, tugging me close.“Thank you.I know you’re only doing this for me.”

“Yes.That’s true.”I laughed sheepishly.

“You’re awfully good to me, Max.”

I sighed.“It’s not that big of a sacrifice.It’s just a harmless little Caribbean cruise with my future mother-in-law.At worst, it might be a little bit boring.”

“That’s right.”He smiled indulgently.

“Is it my idea of a dream vacation?No.But it’s not like anyone is going to die or anything.”

He bugged his eyes, making shushing gestures.“Shhh, be careful saying things like that, Max.With our track record, we don’t want to tempt fate.”

“Oh, Royce.”I rolled my eyes.“I’m a man of science.I don’t believe in fate.”But even as the words left my lips, I had the oddest feeling that perhaps I’d be eating those words somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.