“It’s not like my current apartment has surveillance cameras and security,” Sabine said.
“It doesn’t matter. If you continue to refuse living with me, I want you in someplace secure. I don’t want just anyone strolling up to your door. This can be a dangerous town sometimes, and I want you and Jared protected when I can’t be there.”
“Yes, that viciously dangerous Upper West Side,” Sabine said with a smile. “I actually read that the Village has one of the higher crime rates, but you seemed okay with that.”
“Hence the doorman.”
“Okay, fine, no brownstones.” The two women exchanged knowing looks and shrugged.
They placed their orders and continued chatting easily during the meal. Given they actually got as far as having food on the table, this was their most successful dinner yet. At this point, Gavin was thinking of opening a door to a line of conversation he was extremely interested in. He hadn’t brought it up to Sabine—she would likely shoot him down—but with Will and Adrienne as backup, he might be successful.
“So, are you guys planning to take any romantic prebaby vacations sometime soon?”
The couple looked at each other. “That’s not a bad idea,” Will said. “We honestly haven’t given it much thought. It really will be a challenge to travel with little ones. Honey,” he said, turning to Adrienne, “we should definitely do something. Let’s go somewhere glamorous and decidedly un-kid-friendly to celebrate. We’re going to be making pilgrimages to the Mouse from now on, so we need to enjoy an adult vacation while we can.”
“You really should,” Sabine echoed. “That escape to your place in the Hamptons this summer was the only vacation I’ve taken since Jared was born. You should take the time to pamper yourself now. The spring lines are almost finished for Fashion Week. You should definitely go somewhere after the show.”
Gavin perked up at her words. That was exactly what he was hoping to hear. “You’ve only had one vacation in two years?”
“More than that, really,” she admitted. “Since I had Jared, I haven’t had the time. Before I had Jared, I didn’t have the money. Adrienne twisted my arm into going this summer. Prior to that, the last real vacation I took was my senior trip to Disney World in high school.”
“That hardly counts,” Will pointed out.
“Yes,” Adrienne agreed. “You need a vacation as badly as I do. Maybe more. Thank goodness I got you to come to the beach house. I had no idea you were so vacation-deprived.”
“I save all my hours in case Jared gets sick. And I don’t have anyone to watch him while I’m gone. Tina had him over the Fourth of July trip, but I think that was too much for her. I couldn’t ask her to do it again.”
“You wouldn’t have to,” Gavin said.
“Are you offering to watch him while I go on vacation?” she challenged with a smile.
“Not exactly.”
Nine
“This one is nice.”
Sabine was gripping the handles of Jared’s stroller as she shot him a glance that told him he was incorrect. She wasn’t impolite enough to say that in front of the Realtor, though.
They were in the seventh apartment of the day. They had crisscrossed Manhattan, looking at places uptown, downtown, east and west. This last apartment, in midtown, had three spacious bedrooms, a large kitchen, a balcony and a spa tub in the master bath. And of course, it did not impress her nearly as much as some of the others. Unfortunately, it was the closest of all the apartments to his own place.
She favored the West Village, and there was no convincing her otherwise.
“This is probably a no,” he said. “And I think we’re done for the day. The kid is getting tired.” That was an understatement. He’d been conked out in his stroller since they arrived at this building.
“I really do like the one in the Village. I just want to know what all my options are before we spend that much. It’s more than we need, really.”
The woman sighed and closed her leather portfolio. “I’ll keep looking and contact you next week with a list of other options. I worry you might lose out on that place if you don’t put an offer in soon.”
The Realtor was eyeing him from the other room. She was far too eager to push him into an expensive sale, and he wouldn’t be rushed. Sabine would have what she wanted, and for the price he was willing to pay, this lady needed to find it for them.
“There are two million apartments in Manhattan,” Gavin said. “We’ll find another one if we have to.”
They were escorted out of the apartment and downstairs. After they parted ways with the Realtor, they started strolling down the block. The street sounds roused Jared from his nap just as they neared Bryant Park.
“Could we take Jared over to the carousel? He loves that.”
“Absolutely.”
They took Jared for a spin on the carousel and then settled onto a bench to enjoy the nice afternoon. Gavin went to buy them both a drink, and when he returned, Jared was playing with another child who’d brought bubbles to the park.
“I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Gavin had to smile at the mix of concern and intrigue on Sabine’s face. He was excited about the prospect of what he had planned, but he also enjoyed watching her twist herself into knots trying to figure out what he was doing. She hated not knowing what was going on, which made him all the more determined to surprise her.
“Really?” Sabine turned away, feigning disinterest and watching Jared play with the bubbles.
It had been a couple days since she’d met his family. Things seemed to be going well on all fronts. Edmund said the custody and other legal paperwork should be finalized any day now. Gavin and his legal team were signing off on the merger agreement with Exclusivity Jetliners next week. Roger Simpson’s son had finally stopped his loud protests about the acquisition, and things were moving forward.
Everything was going to plan, and Gavin wanted to celebrate the best way he knew how—an exhilarating flight and a luxurious weekend on the beach. For the first time in his life, he wanted to share that experience with someone else. He wanted Sabine beside him as he soared through the clouds and buried his toes in the sand. He just had to talk her into going along with it, which would be harder than securing an Exclusivity Jetliners jet and reserving a private beachfront bungalow in Bermuda on short notice.
“When you go home tonight, I want you to pack for a long weekend away.”
Her head snapped back to look at him, a frown pulling down the corners of her pink lips. “I have to work this weekend, Gavin. I’ve already taken off too much time from the store. I can’t go anywhere.”
“Yes, you can,” he said with a wide smile. Did she really think he would make a suggestion like this without having every detail handled? He ran an international shipping empire; he could manage taking her away for the weekend. “The lovely Adrienne and I spoke about my plans at dinner while you were in the ladies’ room. She seemed very enthusiastic about it. You have the next three days off. She told me to tell you to have a good time and not to worry about anything.”
Red rushed to Sabine’s pale cheeks as her brow furrowed and she started to sputter. “What? You—y-you just went to my boss and made arrangements without asking me? Seriously? Gavin, you can’t just make decisions like this and leave me out of them.”
“Relax,” he said, running a soothing hand over her bare shoulder. She was wearing a sleeveless blouse in a bright kelly green that made her eyes darken to the color of the oak leaves overhead. It was almost the same shade as when she looked at him with desire blazing in her eyes. “I’m not trying to take over your life. I’m just trying to take you on a little surprise getaway. You wouldn’t do it if I didn’t twist your arm.”
His fingertips tingled as they grazed over her skin, rousing a need inside him that was inappropriate for the park. He hadn’t made love to Sabine since they went to his apartment. She might have her concerns, but he was determined to take her to a tropical location
where he could make love to her for hours, uninterrupted.
He wasn’t sure whether it was his words or his touch, but the lines between her brows eased up. With a heavy sigh, she turned her attention back to the playground. “What will we do about Jared? You haven’t mentioned him coming with us.”
It was all handled. “My parents have volunteered to keep him for the weekend. They’re quite excited about the prospect, actually.”
Sabine’s lips twisted as she tried, and failed, to hold in her concerns. “Your parents? The ones who left you with nannies, refused to let you get dirty or be loud or do anything remotely childlike? I don’t see that going very well, to be perfectly honest.”
Gavin shrugged. What was the worst that could happen? His parents had all the resources in the world at their fingertips. They could manage any contingency, even if it meant breaking down and hiring in someone to help them for the weekend. “I think it will be fine. This is completely different. From what I hear, being a grandparent has a different set of rules. They were distracted by work and responsibilities when I was a kid. Now, they’ve got nothing but time, cash and two years of indulging to catch up on. Worst-case scenario, we come home to a spoiled-rotten brat.”
A soft chuckle escaped Sabine’s lips as she turned back to the playground again. He followed her line of sight to the patch of grass where Jared and another little boy were chasing bubbles and giggling hysterically.
She was a great mother. She worried about their son and his welfare every second of the day and had done so for two straight years all on her own. A mother’s protective nature never really went away, but Sabine needed a break. A weekend trip wouldn’t hurt anything. In fact, she might come home refreshed and be a better parent for it.
“If it helps,” Gavin added, “Nora, the housekeeper, used to work as a nanny. She’s great with kids. If my parents need reinforcements, she’ll be there to help. Nothing will go wrong. You deserve some time to relax.”
“I don’t know, Gavin. When you took him to the circus, I was nearly panicked the whole time. That was the first time he’d gone somewhere without me aside from day care. And now you want to take me on a trip? How far are we going?”
“Only a short plane ride away.”
“Plane?” she cried, turning on the bench to face him full-on. “I really don’t want to be that far from him, Gavin.”
“It’s only about a two-hour flight. If we drove to the Hamptons it would take just as long to get back home with summer traffic.” He reached out and took her hand, relishing the cool glide of her skin against his. She had such delicate, feminine hands, more so than he remembered. He was used to them being rough with calluses from her wooden brushes, with paint embedded under her nails and along her cuticles. He hadn’t managed to get her back to painting yet, but this trip was a sure start.
“Please let me do this for you. Not only will you have a great time, but it’s my chance to share my passion with you the way you once shared your painting with me.”
Her green eyes met his, and he felt some of her resistance fading away. She knew how important this was to him. “You’re flying us there?”
Gavin smiled and nodded. It hadn’t been an original part of his plan, but when he asked Roger about chartering one of his jets, he’d laughed and told him they were practically his already. If he wanted to take one, he was welcome to it, and he could fly it himself.
“Roger is loaning me one of his jets for the trip. I’ve been dying to fly one, and I really want you to be up there with me when I do. That would make the experience that much more special.”
He loved to fly. Soaring through the air was the greatest high he’d ever experienced. It wasn’t the same when you weren’t sitting at the controls. The only thing that could make it better would be sharing it with her. Somehow, the idea of having Sabine beside him in the cockpit made his chest tight. He wanted to share this with her. He wanted to spoil her. She just had to let him.
She finally let the slightest smile curl her lips. He’d won, he could tell. The tiny smirk made him want to lean in and kiss her until she was blushing again, but this time with passion instead of irritation. But he’d have time soon enough. He wanted her in a swimsuit, her skin glistening with suntan oil. He couldn’t wait to feel the press of her bikini bottom against him as he held her in the ocean. They both needed this trip away for a million different reasons.
“I suppose you’re not going to tell me where we’re flying to.”
“Nope.” He grinned.
“Then how do I know what to pack?”
“Dress for sizzling-hot days lounging on the beach and cool nights overlooking the ocean. Throw a couple things in a bag and leave the rest up to me.”
* * *
Sabine wasn’t a big fan of flying, but she wasn’t about to tell Gavin that. It was his big love, like painting was for her, so she took her Dramamine, packed her bag and hoped for the best.
“You look nervous,” Gavin said after locking the door and sliding into the cockpit beside her.
“Me?” she asked with a nervous twitter of laughter. “Never.” She was thankful she’d worn large sunglasses today. Maybe he wouldn’t notice her eyes were closed the whole time.
The taxi down the runway wasn’t so bad. Gavin seemed very at ease with his headset on and vast display of controls in front of him. He had given her a headset of her own to wear so she could hear the air traffic controllers talking. She heard the tower give them clearance to take off.
“Here we go,” Gavin said with an impish smile that reminded her of Jared when he thought he was getting away with something naughty.
Gavin eased the accelerator forward and the jet started down the runway. At that point, Sabine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt the lift as the plane surged into the sky, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Gavin asked after a few minutes.
“Oh, yeah,” she said, seeing nothing but the dark inside of her eyelids.
“Sabine, open your eyes. Are you afraid to fly?”
She turned to him with a sheepish smile. “No, I’m afraid to crash. You know my boss survived a plane crash a few years ago, right? When you know someone it happened to, it makes it more real in your mind.” It was then that she looked through the glass and noticed nothing but ocean around them. He hadn’t mentioned flying over the ocean. She swallowed hard. She could do this. She didn’t really have a choice.
“We’re not going to crash.”
“No one plans to.”
“Just breathe and enjoy the freedom of zooming through the sky like a bird. Soaring above everyone and everything.”
She pried her gaze away from the vast stretch of ocean that surrounded them and decided to focus on Gavin instead. His eyes were alight with excitement. Her serious businessman was grinning from ear to ear like a child with his first bicycle. He adjusted the controls like a pro, setting the cruising altitude and putting them on a course to...somewhere.
It was an amazing transformation. Sabine had seen Gavin happy. Angry. Sad. She’d watched his face contort in the pinnacle of passion and go blank with deep thought. But not once had she ever seen him truly joyful. It suited him. He should’ve joined the Air Force. He might not have a thirty-million-dollar apartment on Central Park South, but he would’ve been happier. Sometimes you have to make the hard choices to chase your dream. She’d left her entire family behind to follow hers and had rarely regretted the decision.
Two hours later, Gavin started talking into the headset again, and they were granted permission to land although she didn’t see anything but miles of blue sea. The plane slowly dropped in altitude. The ocean lightened to a bright turquoise blue, and mossy-green islands appeared through the clouds. She closed her eyes when they landed, but Gavin did a great job at that.
They taxied around the small island airport, finally passing a sign to help her figure out where she was. Welcome to Bermuda.
Bermuda!
At the hangar, they were directed to a location to leave the jet. Gavin shut all the equipment down and they opened the door, extending steps to the ground. Sabine was excited about the trip but grateful to finally have her sandals touching the earth again.
Gavin directed a couple men to unload luggage from the cargo hold and move it to a black town car waiting outside. The driver then whisked them through the narrow, winding streets. After a while, they turned off the main road to a sand-and-gravel drive that disappeared through the thick cover of trees. The world seemed to slip farther away with every turn until at last they came upon a secluded two-story home right on the beach. The house was bright yellow with a white roof and white shutters around each window.
The driver carried their bags inside, leaving them on the tile floor of the master bedroom suite. Sabine followed behind him, taking in every detail of their home away from home. It was decorated in a casual beach style with bright colors and lots of light. There were large French doors off the living room that opened onto a deck. She walked outside, stepping onto it and realizing that it actually extended out over the water.
Sabine leaned against the railing and looked all around her. She didn’t see another house or boat anywhere. There was nothing but palm trees, black volcanic rock, clear blue water and pink sand. It was unexpected, but peachy-pink sand stretched out on either side of them.
“The sand is pink,” she said, when she heard Gavin step out onto the patio behind her.
“I thought you’d like that.” He pressed against her back and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Sabine sighed and eased against him. She could feel the tension start to drift away just being here in his arms. He was right. As much as she’d protested, she needed this vacation.
“I didn’t even know such a thing existed. It’s beautiful.” Her gaze fell on some multicolored glittering stones in the sand. “What is that?” She pointed to the beach. “Shells?”
“Sea glass. They have some beaches here that are just covered in it.”
His Lover's Little Secret Page 11
