It’s the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.

What could have been twenty minutes or two hours later, my stomach rumbles.

“Would you like to have dinner now?” Lincoln asks. “It’s ready and waiting for us anytime we want.”

He hasn’t left my side since we touched down on this incredible place, and since Cricket and Hunter went the other way down the beach, we’ve had complete privacy.

I glance in their direction and see both Cricket and Hunter holding drinks near the white tent as she points down and grabs another piece of glass from the beach.

“I could be talked into dinner.”

He holds out his hand, which I’ve held on and off all evening, and sliding mine into it feels so right. Like this is the hand that was meant to hold mine.

It’s been so long since anything in my life flowed easily without having to maneuver around a million obstacles, but tonight has been effortless. I could get used to this so easily. The thought doesn’t even scare me as much as it did when we landed.

“I hope you like shish kebabs. I decided to keep it simple, but hopefully delicious.”

“That sounds perfect.” As we walk toward the white tent, I confess. “I totally thought you would pick some Michelin-star restaurant where Cricket wouldn’t know which fork to use and feel awkward. And of course, the food would be gorgeous, but we’d all leave starving.”

He glances down at me. “Is that really what you think about me? Because, if you recall, we did meet in a hole-in-the-wall bar where they pretty much sold just beer and tequila.”

“I figured a lot has changed in the last decade.”

“Some things. Not everything.”

The look he gives me speaks volumes, and I want to ask what else hasn’t changed? But I can’t manage to get it out.

“You went to a lot of trouble tonight,” I say instead.

“You’re worth all this and so much more, Whitney. I won’t stop until I prove it to you.”

“If I eat another kebab, I think I’m going to burst,” Cricket says as she stuffs one last piece of grilled shrimp in her mouth.

The food was incredible, and I’m still glowing from Lincoln’s words when we walked on the beach. Everything he’s done tonight has made me feel valued and cherished. It’s not a feeling I’m used to, but it’s one that I’m going to hold on to for as long as I can.

I stab into one more piece of lobster and pop it into my mouth as the sun paints the sky with swaths of orange, red, and pink. There’s truly nothing I would change about this night. Everything about it has been absolutely wonderful.

I finally push my plate away. “I’m done too. Everything was seriously amazing.”

Lincoln smiles at me. “Don’t tell me you didn’t save room for dessert.”

“Give me ten minutes. I can rally,” Cricket says. “I’ve never said no to dessert.”