Blackout After Dark (Gansett Island #21) - Marie Force Page 0,74
time.”
“What is going on, Evan?”
“Good things.” He kissed her as he put the blindfold in place. “Only good things.”
“Can I blindfold you later?” she asked.
He went immediately hard at the thought of her taking that kind of initiative. “Any time you want, baby.” Grasping her hand, he placed it on his hard cock so she could feel what her innocent question had done to him.
She snorted with laughter. “You’re so easy.”
“Only with you.”
The plane made a smooth landing on the island right on schedule at one o’clock. His dad’s best friend, Ned Saunders, was picking them up and under strict orders not to say a word until they’d reached their destination. Grace would know Ned’s voice anywhere, and he wanted to at least try to keep the fact that they were home a secret until they got to where they were going.
He helped her off the plane and into the broiling heat that had gripped the island for days now and had most likely caused the island-wide power failure. They’d lived through a few power outages growing up here, usually when it was hot like this.
Evan had donned a ball cap that he pulled down over his face, hoping he wouldn’t be recognized in the terminal. They got lucky. The place was nearly deserted. As they walked out the main door, Ned’s woody station wagon was parked at the curb. He greeted Evan with a big grin and a thumbs-up that their plan was coming to fruition.
“When will I know where we are?” Grace asked as Ned drove them to their destination with the AC on full blast. “It’s obviously somewhere hot.”
“You’ll know in a few minutes.” He felt like a little boy on Christmas. In addition to the surprise he’d arranged for Grace, the hit song had also allowed him to buy Ned out of the Island Breeze recording studio that Ned had graciously funded at a time when Evan was convinced his career in music was never going to happen.
Ned hadn’t wanted him to return the money, but he’d accepted it when he realized it was important to Evan. He would never forget the lifeline his beloved extra uncle had extended to him at a time when he’d badly needed a purpose. The studio had been a surprise success and was now being run by Evan’s good friend Josh.
Everything had changed in the last couple of years, but the best change was the woman who was now at the center of his life. She owned his heart and soul, and he couldn’t wait to show her what she meant to him.
One more minute, and they’d be there. They’d be home.
Ned took a left turn onto a dirt road that ended in front of a huge contemporary home that sat on the coast, overlooking Long Island Sound. At night, they’d be able to see the Newport Bridge lit up in the distance. About a year ago, they’d attended an open house at what Grace had deemed her “dream house.”
She’d laughed about the sheer impossibility of it as she oohed and aahed over the custom cabinetry, the teak accents, the inground pool and spacious yard. It had five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, a media room, a wine cellar and a dining room big enough to host their entire family. It’d sold shortly after they’d toured it, and when it came back on the market a few months later, Ned had called him to let him know. He’d been instrumental in helping Evan pull this off by acting as his local representative during the purchase.
Evan was elated as he got out of the car, hugged his beloved friend and then went around to help Grace out.
She wobbled a bit before getting her bearings.
He kept his hands on her arms until she was steady. “Are you ready for your surprise, love?”
“Very ready. Is that the ocean I smell?”
“Maybe.”
“Can I look now, Evan?”
“You can look.”
She removed the mask, blinked a couple of times as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight and then gasped. “We’re home? On Gansett?”
“We are, and we’re home in more ways than one. Remember this house?”
Her eyes widened. “What about it?”
“You loved it so much. We both did.”
“Evan… What’ve you done?”
“It’s ours.”
She screamed and launched herself into his arms. “You’re not serious!”
“I’m as serious as a heart attack. It’s ours. The baby needs a bedroom.” The loft above the pharmacy where they’d been living until now didn’t have room for a baby.