She stopped, taking in the sight in front of her. It had been dark the night before and she was fairly certain Remy had carried in her passed-out body. She certainly hadn’t seen this.

“You go up to our bedroom again when she’s sleeping and you’ll find out how mean I can be, brother,” Remy was saying but she was too busy studying her new surroundings.

The bar was neat and clean, looking a lot like an Irish pub, but the lovely dark-wood bar and tables and chairs weren’t what caught her attention.

She walked down the stairs, unable to take her eyes off the massive windows that showed her the bay. There was a big patio area where patrons could sit and watch the boats in the distance. Morning made the world gauzy and soft. Beyond the patio there were several piers with boat slips. Most of the large ones were empty, likely the big shrimpers, but the smaller personal boats were still docked in their places. Beyond the pier was endless ocean and gentle waves.

Her breath caught when she saw several fins break the surface. Dolphins. They had dolphins. And gulls flew in the sky.

There was nothing like it in the city, nothing that made her feel both awesomely small and entirely connected to the larger world. That view literally took her breath away.

“Yeah, it’s something, isn’t it?” Remy joined her, standing beside her. “I’m sorry about my brother. I’ve made it plain our room is off limits.”

“It’s okay. I think I made myself plain to him, too. Do you wake up to this every day?”

“I tend to see the sunrise and the sunset right here,” he admitted. “I’ve missed this view but I know another one I’ll miss even more.”

She turned and he was staring down at her. She couldn’t help but ask the question. Zep seemed to have disappeared and they were alone. “You don’t have to keep this up. You have the money and Will doesn’t expect it back. I promise I’m not going to be rebellious or sullen. I’ll follow the protocols. I want to live through this. I won’t make it hard on you.”

His face turned solemn. “I love you and that’s not about money. If you leave me, I’ll be lonely for the rest of my life because I know I’ll never meet another woman like you.”

He knew exactly what to say to get to her. There was only one problem. “I don’t know how to believe you anymore.”