The GPS on my phone told me to take a right onto Vista Drive. I pulled over and looked at it again, just to make sure that I had typed in the address correctly. There was no way that this was the right Vista Drive.This is weird, I thought. There has to be something wrong.I had been driving for twenty minutes, following the directions to the address that Gabe had given me to come visit him at his home. My GPS had led me to the bridge that connected to one of the islands just outside of Miami, but there was no way this was the right bridge.“This can’t be right,” I said, as I checked the address for the second time.I looked out across the water to a small body of land called Virginia Key. Massive mansions decorated the top of the hills. It was by far the most prestigious area in all of Miami. This wasn’t just a well-to-do part of town. The people who lived on the Virginia Key were a different kind of rich. They weren’t millionaires. They were billionaires.The thought crossed my mind
I stepped up to the railing overlooking the view and Gabe came up next to me, placing a hand on my lower back. A small thrill went through me and my heart fluttered at his touch.“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked. “This view is the biggest reason I wanted this place.”“I love the ocean,” I said, taking in a deep breath of salty air.“Me too. I love it, because it’s a constant reminder of just how small we are in comparison to the world,” he said softly. “It’s humbling. It's honest and real.”I turned to face him. The setting sun fell across his face, lighting up his eyes and accentuating his gorgeous features. Not only was Gabe absolutely beautiful but it was becoming clear that he was also extremely deep and intelligent.“That was poetic,” I responded. “Did you write that yourself?”“No, but I have more.” He laughed and then put on his best serious expression again. “I’m small compared to the world. It’s just a fact. I just like to remind myself of it so that I can stay humble. Ev
“I'm sorry if he came across as a little...” Gabe paused to think of the word. “Protective? Intimidating?”“Protective is a good word,” I agreed. “I think he really cares about you. But I think he warmed up to me.”“I do too,” Gabe said with a nod. “I'm glad he didn't scare you away. He can be a bit much.”I looked out from one of the big windows overlooking the water. The sun was finally setting and from where we sat, I could see the sky outside as it began to turn orange. It looked to be a breathtaking sunset.“Can we watch the sunset?” I asked, already standing up.“Of course!” Gabe said, nearly knocking over his chair and taking my hand.I followed him out to the patio and we stepped up to the railing. The ocean sprawled out in front of us, all the way to the horizon, where the sun sat lonely on the water. The sky was on fire, making the incredible view from the island even more breathtaking. A warm breeze blew off of the sea, causing my hair to fall across my forehead. Gabe reach
I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this happy. It felt like I had been walking on a cloud and even two days after Gabe and I hooked up, there was still a smile on my face. Everything with him was going so well. He was exactly the type of gentleman I had always imagined, though never actually believed I could end up with.It wasn’t just Gabe that had me smiling, though. It was also my website and blog. My latest post about the amazing dates with Gabe had had a really good response, much better than I imagined they would. In fact, I was getting emails daily from readers, asking me if Gabe was real or just a made up person.The next Tuesday afternoon, I was sitting in my computer chair just casually looking at the comments on my blog, when I got a phone call from Cora. I hadn’t talked to her in a couple of days, so I jumped at the opportunity and answered the call.“Cora! How are you?” I asked, closing my browser to give her my full attention.“Fantastic,” she replied. “Althoug
“Here, Harper, use this brush to cut in the paint next to the ceiling,” Mom told me, holding out a brush. “It’s angled so that you can get it perfect.”“Nobody is going to ever look up here,” I said, as I took the brush from her.“Your nephew will be looking up there every day from the crib,” Mom said. “So we have to make it look as good as possible.”“Because everybody knows that all newborn babies critique the paint jobs of their nurseries,” I joked.“Harper, please,” Rosie piped in, as she stepped into the room with us. “Just do what Mom says. She wants the room to be perfect, just like her new grandbaby will be.”“I was just joking around,” I murmured, before dipping the little brush into the green paint.“Why did you go with the color green, anyway, Rosie?” I asked.“Because green is considered a calming color,” Rosie explained. “I thought it would be good since he's going to have to put up with the two of you.”“That’s actually pretty smart,” I said, carefully pressing the paint
Dinner had been amazing. Spectacular. Delicious. I'd never tasted sushi as fresh or well prepared as I had tonight. Gabe certainly knew how to pick a restaurant, that was for sure.As soon as we stepped into his house, Gabe kissed me. Our hands had been all over each other at dinner, but we had done our best to keep it appropriate. Now we were back at home, though, and we had total freedom again.With our lips locked, I reached up and began to undo the buttons of his dress shirt. With just the top part open, I placed my hands onto his bare chest, getting turned on instantly. His muscular pecks did it to me every time.Gabe stepped forward and gently pressed me against the wall near the living room. He then broke our kiss and looked down my body.“You have no idea how hard it was to be a gentleman at dinner with you wearing that.”I smiled flirtatiously and gently pushed my chest out to accentuate my cleavage. The tiny black dress made me feel so sexy and clearly Gabe noticed. He hadn’
At what point can I stop counting these rendezvous with Gabe as just casual dates? I wondered. Seems like we’ve had at least five so far. Are we actually dating yet?Gabe was still asleep in his bed, but I had been awake for a while, just relaxing and enjoying the quiet morning in his beautiful house. I had made myself some coffee and a bagel, which I ate out in the living room while casually surfing the Internet and checking on my blog. I was surprised to see how much traffic my website had been getting ever since I started posting about my relationship with Gabe. It seemed that there were plenty of people out there who liked reading about good dates and not just nightmarish ones.After finishing my coffee, I set my laptop down onto the end table and walked over to open the patio door at the back of his house. From where I stood, I could see the ocean stretched out in front of me. Seagulls flew near the beach, their sounds filling me with nostalgia from a life of growing up near the
Gabe and I had just finished our last bite of breakfast when his cell phone on the nightstand began to ring. He looked over at it and then toward me. “I really don’t want to answer that.”“Well, do you have to?” I asked.With a sigh, he reached over and pulled the phone off of the charger before looking at the screen.“I probably should,” he said. “It’s one of the guys I work with and he doesn’t usually call unless there’s a legitimate reason, especially on a Sunday.”“Go ahead and answer it,” I replied. “I’ll just go hang out in the living room. Maybe I can get a little work done while you’re on your call.”Gabe leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the lips before getting out of bed. “Okay, I’ll try to make it fast. I don’t want to waste this perfect Sunday morning taking care of business stuff.”“Take your time, Gabe. It’s no big deal. The Internet is a very big place and there’s plenty there to keep me occupied.”“You’re the best,” he said, as he lifted the phone to his ear and st