across his. “You do amazing work. It must be so satisfying.”
“It has its moments.”
He didn’t want to stand around talking about his job. He wanted to ensure everything went smoothly tonight, starting now. “Ready to go?”
“Sure.” She must’ve heard something in his tone because she continued to study his face as she closed the door. “I’m intrigued by this surprise you have planned.”
“It’s going to blow your mind.”
He was still trying to get his head around it.
As he opened the passenger door and she slid inside, she glanced up at him. “There’s something different about you today, and I can’t put my finger on it.”
“In a good way, I hope.”
Her expression softened, and she got that look in her eyes, the one that made him feel like a superhero. “Everything about you is good.”
“You’ll give me a big head.”
“Too late. I don’t know how you fit through most doorways as it is.”
He laughed and ducked down to kiss her before straightening, closing her door, and moving around to the driver’s side. This is exactly what he needed, for her to make him laugh and take his mind off the momentous move he was about to make.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“I like this man of mystery thing you’ve got going on. It’s very sexy.”
“Speaking of sexy . . .”
Grateful they’d stopped at a traffic signal, he glanced across at her. “You look gorgeous and I’m sorry it took me this long to say it, but having you in my arms earlier made me lose my mind as usual.”
“Thanks,” she said, her gaze warm, her smile wide. “You say the nicest things.”
“All true.”
The lights changed and he refocused on the road, glad they didn’t have to go far. Because with every passing second, he started to doubt his grand plan.
Was he seriously going to do this?
“Hey, I’ve got some good news,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“My parents reunited.”
“That’s great. How long were they apart again?”
“Almost fifteen months.”
“That’s really good news. You must be thrilled.”
“I am. It’s restored my faith in love again. I always thought they were the perfect couple, and if they couldn’t make it . . .” She trailed off, sounding pensive. “It shook me up when they separated, then Colin dumped me two months later, hence my man ban. I didn’t want to believe in love anymore.”
“And now?”
He held his breath, waiting for her answer, hoping it would be the right one.
“Now a fast-talking charmer who’s easy on the eyes has swept me off my feet and I couldn’t be happier.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“What about you?”
“You’re about to discover exactly how you’ve captivated me.”
“Tease,” she said, resting her hand on his thigh, sending a surge about five inches higher. “You’re definitely up to something. You’ve had this funny expression ever since you picked me up.”
“From charming to looking funny. Nice.”
She squeezed his thigh. “Are we there yet?”
He laughed, the first time he’d felt like it in the last forty-eight hours. Not every patient had survived that multicar pileup, and closely followed by Izzy’s devastating news, he’d felt like crap since.
“We’re about two minutes away.”
It was the longest one hundred and twenty seconds of his life as her hand started to move along his thigh, lightly stroking, driving him wild.
When he finally pulled into the golf course, he wanted to drag her behind the nearest tree and bury himself inside her.
“We’re playing night golf?”
He shook his head and killed the engine. “No. But one of my old patients owns this course, and there’s something I want to show you down by the lake.”
“Let me guess. It’s balls.”
He laughed again, reinforcing he was doing the right thing. If she could make him feel like this when sadness clouded him, she was definitely a keeper.
“You’ll get to see mine, along with my number one driver, later if you’re lucky.”
She groaned and punched him in the arm. “Lame. Very, very lame.”
“You’re the one who mentioned balls.”
“But you had to take it that one step further.” Smiling, she shook her head. “Come on, let’s see this surprise.”
As they strolled toward the lake, hand in hand, Manny hoped Harper couldn’t feel his palm slick with sweat. Nerves made his heart pound, and a strange buzzing filled his ears.
He was about to do this.
About to change his life in a way he’d never thought possible.
She caught sight of the table first. “Wow. Did you do that?”
“Yeah. Once the place closed for the day, I ducked down here. Turns out the guy who owns this place is a