Page 129 of The Marriage Mistake

She leans in again, this time directing her lips to my own. Her kiss is soft. They often are now, full of meaning in a way that they never were before.

I kiss her back, my own meaning clear as well. The sun continues to set behind us, bathing the world in gold. The ocean sloshes against the boat, its splashes soothing in the otherworldly silence of open sea.

“Lock,” she mumbles, breaking the kiss.

“Yes, darl?”

“Tell me you love me. For real.”

“I fucking love you, Sammi Williams.”

“Better,” she says, leaning back towards me.

Of course, it’s this moment when her phone begins to ring.

“Ignore it.” I say, redoubling my grip on her.

“Lock!” she laughs.

“Oh, come on!”

“It could be important” she says, wiggling out of my arms. “Two minutes. Tops.”

I growl at her, sulking a bit, but make no further argument. The way we live now, it very well could be important. She crosses the deck to grab her phone, and I hear her indistinct answer.

I reach again for my margarita, downing half of it in one long drink. If I have to sit here waiting, I might as well get a little off my head. The sunset is breathtaking, and I direct my attention to it.

I could never feel this calm in the city. There’s always something going on there, always so much noise. I love how quiet it is here.

“AHHHHH!” Sammi squeals, startling me out of my thoughts.

“Oh my god, when?!” she shouts.

What the fuck?

“Of course we will be,” she goes on. “We wouldn’t fucking miss it.”

Her words grow indistinct again, and I’m about to go over and find out what all the fuss is when she turns around, setting her phone back on the chair.

She walks over to me, grinning from ear to ear.

“Guess what?” she says

“What?”

“Percy’s getting married!”

“What? When?”

“In three months!”

She’s practically giddy as she settles herself back on my lap.

“Okay…” I say. “Where are we going?”

“Amsterdam! Isn’t that wild?”

“Oh, man.”

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