Came Back Haunted (Experiment in Terror #10) - Karina Halle Page 0,44

hand over his. “And even if we were, I think we deserve a bit of domestic normalcy considering all we’ve overcome in the past.”

“Absolutely,” he says, flipping my hand over and holding it as he stares deeply into my eyes. “We do. And part of that normalcy is just…letting our hair down. Let’s do something crazy.”

Oh, this could go so many different ways with him.

“Like what?” I ask uneasily.

“Go on a trip,” he says. “A real one. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?”

I mull that over as the waiter comes by with our wine and takes our orders, scallop risotto for me, cedar-planked salmon for him. Even with the extra money, I’m trying not to panic at the prices.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” I say as the waiter pours the wine and then leaves. “Paris, maybe? I’ve never been to Europe.”

His face falls.

“What did I say?” I ask. “Oh, is it because you’re French?” His mother was super French, spoke with a really thick accent. I know this because I met her, as a ghost, of course.

He shakes his head. “No. I would love to take you to Paris. Maybe in the summer.” He raises his glass of wine. I do the same. “Here’s to your birthday, baby. To future adventures.”

I clink my glass against his, beaming at him. “Thank you. Here’s to us.”

While I’m taking a sip (the wine tastes expensive) he reaches down into his pants pocket and pulls out an envelope, sliding it toward me. “And this is your birthday present.”

“For me?” I ask, swallowing the wine. “I thought this was my birthday present,” I say, gesturing to the restaurant and hotel.

“No, that was your anniversary present,” he says. “This is your birthday present.”

I have no idea what it could be. I take it from him and eagerly tear the envelope open, glancing up at him as he watches me intently.

There’s a couple of folded pieces of printer paper inside.

I give Dex a curious glance and pull them out, unfolding them.

It’s a plane ticket. First class. To Kauai. In January.

“Oh my god,” I say quietly, completely shocked. “Hawaii?”

He’s staring at me expectantly. “Is this…good?”

“Yes. My god. Really? Are you sure?” I’m beyond shocked. This is totally out of left-field, even from him.

“Why not? We deserve to go somewhere nice and hot during the armpit of winter here.”

I giggle, feeling positively elated. “I can’t even imagine you on a beach. Like a warm one, with white sand and sunshine and blue sky. Not a jacket in sight. It doesn’t fit.”

He grins at me. “Hey, I tan easily. You’re the one who’s going to look out of place. You’re so pale, you’ll end up blinding everyone in sight.”

“Hey,” I cry out, kicking him under the table, but I’m laughing. I end up getting up and going around to him, hugging him from behind as he sits, kissing him on the cheek. “Thank you,” I whisper to him. “Really. This means a lot to me.”

I sit back down, feeling like I’m floating. I know going on a trip isn’t a big deal, but it is for us. We need to just throw all our responsibilities away for a bit and just relax and discover some place new together. Sure, a tropical island in the Pacific doesn’t exactly scream Dex and Perry, but that’s all the more reason to go.

“Besides,” he adds. “It rains there for most of the winter, so we’ll feel right at home.”

“I don’t care if it rains the whole time. It will be warm rain.” Then I clap my hands together. “Ooooh, we can go see all the places where they filmed Jurassic Park!”

“That’s why I picked it.”

Our food arrives, and we finish it—and the wine—in record time. The portions were small, so I’m not stuffed, which only leaves room for dessert. I made Dex promise to not let them sing me happy birthday, so thankfully when the crème brulee comes, there’s no embarrassing fanfare.

Then, as we wait for our after-dinner drinks, Dex puts out his hand and asks me to dance. I noticed that he’d stopped by the DJ on the way to the restroom earlier, so when he exchanges a nod with him while leading me to the dance floor, I’m not at all surprised when the familiar beat of “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode starts up.

While the other people dancing aren’t sure what to do with the song, Dex does. He pulls me right up to him, one arm tight around