Savor You (Fusion #5)(57)

“I can’t eat blood,” Steph says, wrinkling her nose. “Chip and I are medium-well people.”

“Everyone is different,” Mia says and takes a seat next to me. “Did she gush over you?”

“Yeah. It was embarrassing.”

“There, there,” Mia says, patting my back. “She loves you.”

I nod and get to work dressing my baked potato. “I know.”

Dinner is delicious, and we end up spending most of the evening out on the patio, enjoying the cool evening and conversation. It’s late by the time we head back to the hotel.

“We could have driven back to Portland tonight,” Mia says once we’re in the hotel room. “It’s not a bad drive.”

“There’s no need to rush,” I reply, and sit next to her on the sofa in the sitting area of our suite. “What did you think?”

“I think your sister and Chip are super-nice people. Dinner was good. I’m glad we came.” She smiles at me. “What did you think?”

“That I shared you for long enough with others tonight,” I reply, and hug her close to me. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. They’re important to me.”

“I get it,” she says with a sigh. “I have a tight family, too. I’m so sleepy.”

“Go ahead and sleep, sweetheart.” I kiss her head and feel her getting heavier against me as she gets more tired. “I’ll carry you to bed.”

“I don’t want to break you.” I frown. I know that she doesn’t mean to talk badly about herself, but I don’t like it when she implies that she’s too big. She’s not. She’s beautiful.

I’ll spend tomorrow morning showing her just how amazing I think she is.



“Are you ready to head home?” I ask her the following morning after checking out of the hotel.

“No.” She smiles over at me and shrugs. “I thought I was last night, but I’m not. I’d like to spend some time with just you. Let’s do something spontaneous.”

“Like, fly to Paris?” I ask and she immediately laughs.

“Not that spontaneous. I haven’t been over to the coast in years.”

“Then the coast is where we will go.” I wiggle my eyebrows and reach for my phone. We’re sitting in my car, but haven’t driven off yet. I Google luxurious hotels on the Oregon coast and call the first listing. Once arrangements are made I grin at Mia. “We have an ocean-view room waiting for us.”

“That was easy.” She settles back against the leather seat and turns on the seat warmer. “I could get used to having you handy to take care of things for me.”

“Good.” I take her hand in mine and kiss her knuckles. “I like doing things for you.”

The drive to Cannon Beach takes a few hours, not including the extra half hour we took to swing by Mia’s to grab fresh clothing on our way through Portland. By the time we arrive, it’s time to check in to the hotel, and we are not disappointed.

“They labeled this correctly,” Mia says. “It’s definitely luxurious.”

It’s a beautiful boutique hotel right on the ocean with steps down to the sand. The big Haystack Rock is just a couple hundred yards down the beach. It’s a nice afternoon. It never gets too hot here, and the sun is tucked behind billowy clouds, making it perfect for beach walking.

“Let’s check in and then head down to the beach,” Mia says, mirroring my thoughts.

The checkin process is quick. I’m pleased to see that they offer milk, coffee, and cookies twenty-four hours a day; and a gourmet breakfast is included in the morning. Our room is spacious, with a balcony that we can sit on and watch the sunset tonight.

“This is swanky,” Mia says from inside the bathroom. “The tub is bigger than my entire bathroom at home.”

“We’ll take a dip in it later,” I reply and step out onto the deck. With lounge chairs built for two, I can see us sitting out here and never wanting to go home.

“I love the sound of the ocean,” Mia says as she joins me. She takes a deep breath and rests her head on my bicep. “It’s just so beautiful.”

“Are you ready to go for a walk?”

“Absolutely. I’m leaving my shoes here.” She kicks out of her sandals, and we walk around the building and onto the vast beach below. The water is grey-blue and frothy white with waves. “It’s not calm today.”

“No. It’s lovely.”

She smiles up at me, takes my hand, and leads me down to the water line, where our feet can get wet as we walk toward Haystack Rock.

“This is a nice surprise. Do you do things like this often?” I ask.

“Not nearly as often as I would like,” she admits. “My family used to own a cabin out here, but we used it less and less so my parents sold it about five years ago. Real estate here is crazy, so they made a nice profit on it.”

“Would you like to have another place here again one day?”

She frowns, considering it. “Maybe. This is my favorite beach on the Oregon coast. I mean, look at this view.”

“It’s stunning.”

She glances up to find me looking at her, and blushes. “I meant the ocean, not me.”

“I know what you meant.”