wanted to be near him.
“We’ve got one night left on the ship,” he said, his eyes on the horizon.
She sighed. “I know.”
“I’d like to do something special. With you. If you want.”
She wanted. “Okay. What?”
He turned to her. “Do you trust me?”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “Wear the other dress.”
“What?”
“You brought two dresses,” he said. “Wear the other dress tonight. I’ll come pick you up.”
“We share the same room,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, I’m gonna get out and come pick you up,” he said. “But wear the other dress.”
“For what?”
“I’ll tell you when I pick you up,” he said, smiling. “But will you wear the dress?”
Her heart pounded inside her chest as she nodded yes.
TWENTY-TWO
Griffin pulled at his bow tie, trying to give himself just a little more room in between his neck and his shirt collar.
He stood in front of the full-length mirror and took stock. He hadn’t thought he’d ever find himself in a tuxedo again. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to wear one for the Captain’s Dinner and he regretted it.
Go big or go home.
So he rented a tux from the men’s shop on the ship and was using their dressing room to dress.
The Captain’s Dinner hadn’t gone the way he’d planned. In any way. And maybe he was still pressing too much. But it was their last night and he was ready to go down swinging. If Claire wasn’t interested, at least he’d know that he’d given it everything he had.
He took a deep breath, took one more look in the mirror, deemed himself passable and headed for their stateroom.
He stood outside the door for a minute, trying to quell the butterflies in his stomach. He took a couple deep breaths, then knocked three times on the door.
The door opened and he tried to keep his jaw from hitting his shiny black shoes.
Claire’s soft curls framed her face perfectly and the dress fit like it had been tailored specifically for her. Just the right amount of makeup to make her lips a hundred times more kissable and her eyes big enough to dive into.
“Hi,” she said, smiling.
“Yeah,” he said. “I mean, hi.”
She stood back so he could enter the room and he commanded his legs to move. She shut the door behind him.
“A tux?” she asked. “Now I’m really curious.”
“I feel like a penguin.”
“You don’t look like a penguin.”
“You don’t either,” he said. “You look incredible.”
She smiled. “So do you.”
They stood there awkwardly for a moment.
“I want to give you the Prom,” he blurted out.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I want to give you the Prom,” he repeated. “That I took away from you.”
She stared at him, disbelieving.
“I took it away from you,” he explained. “From us. And I want to give it to you. I thought we could get dressed up, go have dinner and then find some place to dance.” He stopped for a moment. “I wasn’t kidding, Claire. It’s a huge regret for me.”
She stayed frozen in place, staring at him and he was starting to think he’d been an idiot.
“Or not,” he said. “Maybe it’s a dumb idea.”
She walked over to him and put her hand on his cheek. “It’s not dumb. At all. It’s…I don’t know what. Romantic. Amazing. Sweet. But not dumb.”
He closed his eyes, pressing her hand to his face with his own.
“But I have to ask you something first,” she said.
He opened his eyes. There was something in her voice. A different edge. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew there was something there. “Okay.”
She pulled her hand away from his face and sat down on the edge of the bed. She stared at him for a long time.
“What?” he finally asked. “What?”
He saw her swallow, saw her struggle to form the words.
“Were you engaged?”
He blinked several times, feeling the air leaving his lungs. How the hell had she found out about that?
He sat down next to her on the bed. Her eyes stayed
“We’ve got one night left on the ship,” he said, his eyes on the horizon.
She sighed. “I know.”
“I’d like to do something special. With you. If you want.”
She wanted. “Okay. What?”
He turned to her. “Do you trust me?”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “Wear the other dress.”
“What?”
“You brought two dresses,” he said. “Wear the other dress tonight. I’ll come pick you up.”
“We share the same room,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, I’m gonna get out and come pick you up,” he said. “But wear the other dress.”
“For what?”
“I’ll tell you when I pick you up,” he said, smiling. “But will you wear the dress?”
Her heart pounded inside her chest as she nodded yes.
TWENTY-TWO
Griffin pulled at his bow tie, trying to give himself just a little more room in between his neck and his shirt collar.
He stood in front of the full-length mirror and took stock. He hadn’t thought he’d ever find himself in a tuxedo again. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to wear one for the Captain’s Dinner and he regretted it.
Go big or go home.
So he rented a tux from the men’s shop on the ship and was using their dressing room to dress.
The Captain’s Dinner hadn’t gone the way he’d planned. In any way. And maybe he was still pressing too much. But it was their last night and he was ready to go down swinging. If Claire wasn’t interested, at least he’d know that he’d given it everything he had.
He took a deep breath, took one more look in the mirror, deemed himself passable and headed for their stateroom.
He stood outside the door for a minute, trying to quell the butterflies in his stomach. He took a couple deep breaths, then knocked three times on the door.
The door opened and he tried to keep his jaw from hitting his shiny black shoes.
Claire’s soft curls framed her face perfectly and the dress fit like it had been tailored specifically for her. Just the right amount of makeup to make her lips a hundred times more kissable and her eyes big enough to dive into.
“Hi,” she said, smiling.
“Yeah,” he said. “I mean, hi.”
She stood back so he could enter the room and he commanded his legs to move. She shut the door behind him.
“A tux?” she asked. “Now I’m really curious.”
“I feel like a penguin.”
“You don’t look like a penguin.”
“You don’t either,” he said. “You look incredible.”
She smiled. “So do you.”
They stood there awkwardly for a moment.
“I want to give you the Prom,” he blurted out.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I want to give you the Prom,” he repeated. “That I took away from you.”
She stared at him, disbelieving.
“I took it away from you,” he explained. “From us. And I want to give it to you. I thought we could get dressed up, go have dinner and then find some place to dance.” He stopped for a moment. “I wasn’t kidding, Claire. It’s a huge regret for me.”
She stayed frozen in place, staring at him and he was starting to think he’d been an idiot.
“Or not,” he said. “Maybe it’s a dumb idea.”
She walked over to him and put her hand on his cheek. “It’s not dumb. At all. It’s…I don’t know what. Romantic. Amazing. Sweet. But not dumb.”
He closed his eyes, pressing her hand to his face with his own.
“But I have to ask you something first,” she said.
He opened his eyes. There was something in her voice. A different edge. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew there was something there. “Okay.”
She pulled her hand away from his face and sat down on the edge of the bed. She stared at him for a long time.
“What?” he finally asked. “What?”
He saw her swallow, saw her struggle to form the words.
“Were you engaged?”
He blinked several times, feeling the air leaving his lungs. How the hell had she found out about that?
He sat down next to her on the bed. Her eyes stayed
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