After hanging out around the kitchen for over an hour, catching up with my parents, my dad had to get back to work at the marina. He invited us to go along with him so that we could have a late lunch at the restaurant on the beach. Even though I still wanted to get Eric alone, I knew we had time, so we agreed to go, but insisted we take separate cars. Just in case.

Before we left, Eric finally changed into much more suitable attire. He wore a pair of bourbon colored cargo shorts, with a blue and white striped polo, and tan flip flops that matched mine. He always knew how to dress well, even when he dressed down. It was one of the traits I loved most about him. Though I had wished he chose to wear a shirt that would be easier to remove, I knew it wouldn't be hard to pull it off, if needed.

My mom drove with me in the convertible, while Eric rode with my dad in the truck. My dad was hell-on-wheels when it came to driving, and it freaked Eric out every time. But he never wanted to be rude and say no to him.

My mom was doing her best to hold her waving hair with her hand, but the wind speed kept releasing most of it out of her grasp. "Could you please raise the top? You know how much I hate convertibles."

"Come on, Mom! Live a little! I've been trapped in the cold of New York City for too long. I need to soak up as much Florida heat as I can so I can survive up there another six months." I laughed at my own joke. "Here, does this help?" I rolled up the windows so that the air now mostly blew over the top of our heads.

"A little," she huffed. "Give me your hair-tie, will you?" She held out her hand to me.

"But I'm wearing it, and I don't have an extra one."

"Is this how you treat your own mother?" She gave me her best, disappointed look. Even though I knew she was just faking it to get her way, I still caved. I pulled off my hair tie and handed it to her. She grinned victoriously and proceeded to put her own hair up. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention! Aunt Gloria and Aunt Sharon both got their invitations the other week, and they kept going on and on about how darling they looked."

"Aren't they? Sasha helped pick the borders and font."

My dad was far ahead of us now, and I sped up some to try to keep up but got stopped by a red light. I had to slam on the breaks, which I knew my mom hated. She braced her hands against the dashboard and looked at me with a more authentic look of disappointment. I apologized and promised to not rush anymore as the light turned green again.

"How is Sasha? And Becca?" My mom asked casually.

"They're doing great! They're enjoying their married life to the fullest."

"You'll get there soon enough." My mom reached over and patted me lightly on my shoulder. "The next four months may seem like an eternity right now, but before you know it, you'll be hearing those wedding bells loud and clear."

I gave my mom a tight grin. Four months? Was I going to be ready to decide my fate in the next four months? Was I going to be prepared to walk down the aisle in that beautiful Gothic-style church, wearing that perfect wedding dress I bought? "I can't wait."

I pulled into the parking space next to my dad's truck. He and Eric were already out by the entrance of the marina, chatting and waiting for our arrival. Eric came to my mother's door and opened it for her.

"Why, thank you, Eric!" She cupped her hand on his face. "Your mother has raised you right."

"Thank you, Betty." Eric was never allowed to call my parents by their last name.

Eric then proceeded to come over to my side, though I had already gotten out of the car on my own, he reached out his hand for me to take. He laced his fingers with mine and followed my parents down the boardwalk to the restaurant's entrance. My father made sure we were seated at the table with the best view, before excusing himself to go back to his office.

We placed our orders, and sat there for a moment in silence, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of the beach. I hadn't felt so relaxed in so long that it was nice feeling grounded again. Eric reached for my hand under the table and gave it a light squeeze, bringing me back to the moment.

"So," My mom sipped at her tall glass of soda. "Have you thought about where you two want to go for your Honeymoon?"

"Not really." I shrugged, realizing I hadn't really been as focused on all the wedding planning details since I started working for Adam, and since I started fooling around with Ryan.

"Well, actually." Eric smiled, leaning forward a bit. "I was going to save this for our Valentine's date tomorrow night, but I can tell you now." My mom and I looked at each other, then back at Eric. "I've already booked our Honeymoon."

"Really?" I asked at the same time my mom asked, "Where?"

"Yes, really. You've been doing so much to help make our day one for the books, that I figured that the least I could do is arrange our Honeymoon." The server swung by and dropped off a basket of tortilla chips and salsa. Eric didn't hesitate to grab one and dipped it in. He crunched at the corner of it before continuing. "I booked us a trip to Rome. I remember how much you said you'd love to go to Italy and see the sights there. So I couldn't think of a better place to celebrate you becoming Victoria Walton."

My mom sighed with a smile, as my heart swelled at hearing that our Honeymoon was planned. It was also lovely to hear my soon-to-be new name. I know I had heard it countless times before, but hearing it then made it seem extra special. "That is so sweet! Thank you so much, babe." I leaned over and kissed him lightly.

"It's my pleasure." Eric grinned and ate the rest of his chip.

"Will you be going right after the wedding?" My mom asked while crunching away at a chip too.

The sight and sound of both of them crunching away encouraged me to join in. I savored the familiar taste of my dad's homemade salsa recipe. It included a mixture of mangoes and sweet, yet hot peppers.

"That's the plan. The travel agent said that May is the best time to go, as it won't be too hot or crowded."

Our main dishes arrived, and we devoured the beach-themed food and continued talking about more wedding stuff. We informed my mom that the guest list had gone up due to us inviting the Upton's. She said she didn't mind, but mentioned that we shouldn't tell my dad until we had a final headcount. She was sure some of my cousins would probably not be able to come. Eric and I both agreed with her.

Even though my family was pretty comfortable, my dad still had a "poor man" mentality when it came to money. All my life, he was always pretty frugal. He even hated it when he took us to Disney World once and had to pay eight dollars for a soft pretzel. So paying for a New York wedding stressed him out. He kept trying to convince us to move the wedding down to Naples and have a beach wedding at his lodge. Thankfully, my mother convinced him that it was my dream to have a New York wedding. As great as a beach wedding is, nothing beats the city's beautiful architecture for my backdrop.

************

After lunch, Eric wanted to go with me for a walk along the beach, alone. My mother was fine with it, as she wanted to help my dad with some bookkeeping stuff.

We slipped off our flip flops and let our feet sink into the welcoming hot sand. We walked hand in hand, passing families with young kids running from the water to their towels, and groups of college kids who were enjoying their spring break. Seeing them made me miss our college years, that seemed so far away, even though it was just a year ago that we were on our last spring break.

Eric wanted to walk to the water. I loved watching his expression as he stepped in. His firm, yet handsome face, softened as he expressed pure joy as the first crash of the waves barreled over his feet. The sun made his hair almost glow, and his eyes shine. Being in this space with him felt so comfortable and pleasant. He looked at me, staring at him with an admiring smile and pulled me into him.

I looked into his eyes and saw the reason why I said yes to him when he proposed. It was the same hopelessly devoted look he gave me at Sasha's wedding. It was the same look that made me not want to break up with him when I could have. I hadn't seen that look for so long that I had thought I made it up in my mind. But there he was, gazing down at me, making me feel like I was the only person in the world with him.

"What is it?" He nuzzled his face in my neck, kissing it just the way he knew I liked.

"You look so relaxed. It suits you." I giggled as his kiss made my brain tingle.

"I'm sorry it's been so stressful. I didn't mean to neglect you over the last few weeks. The trial is finally over and done with. Which means now I can just enjoy being focused on you and me and our future." He trailed his lips up to kiss me.

This kiss wasn't one of his usual loving kisses. It also wasn't full of lust. This kiss was one that made me feel a spark for him that I had thought faded. With his lips on mine and the waves brushing against my feet, I felt fireworks going off throughout my body. When he separated from me, I instantly pulled him back in, as I didn't want to let that feeling go.

He kissed me, of course, but started becoming aware of our surroundings. "Babe, maybe we should take this somewhere more private." His lips were still on mine when he spoke with a grin.

"I have an idea." I pulled back and grabbed his hand.

Without saying anything more, I led the way down the docks of the marina. I knew some of the yachts weren't in use as their owners were still back up north in other parts of the country. There was one that was always there since I could remember, that was only ever used late in the summer. I smiled at passerby's as they looked at Eric and me stopping in front of one the mid-sized yachts.

I nodded my head to indicate Eric needed to board.

He gave me a devilish look. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble?"

"Not even a little. Get on already," I commanded. Eric obeyed and pulled himself aboard. Then he turned and reached his hand down to me. I grabbed it and climbed aboard next to him. "Follow me."

I led him into the interior of the yacht. There was an extra-long extended white leather couch along one wall, with a wooden coffee table secured to the floor in the middle. The walls and kitchenette area were also wooden molded, which complimented the white furniture and carpet that ran throughout the space.

"Wow, this is a nice yacht. We should consider getting one like this." Eric trailed his fingers across the coffee table as he sat down on the couch.

"I don't think I could ever afford it."

Eric gave me a sideways look. "When are you going to accept that by marrying me, you are going to be marrying into money? You will be with someone who will be able to provide you with anything you could want in this world"

I blushed. "I know, but I've been brought up not to take money for granted. Especially other people's money. My dad always said that money comes and goes, which is why you must always store enough away for a long rainy day."

"Babe." Eric pulled me to sit with him. "I love your dad, I really do. But my money isn't going anywhere. And neither is my love for you."

I knew that wouldn't be true if he knew what I was doing behind his back. I played it cool though, and gave a slight nod and wrapped my arms around his neck. "My love for you isn't going anywhere, either."

With that, we returned to what we initially started doing on the beach, which quickly escalated to something more. Let's just say it was a good thing we found someplace more private.