(Amaryllis's POV)

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

I groaned and he laughed.

"I promise you that you'll enjoy it. Don't worry."

Lincoln called at eight in the morning telling me to get up and get ready. On one of my rare days off, I was looking forward to spending it on the couch in my pajamas with junk food.

It's been a few days since he read the letter his dad left him. He didn't tell me what it said and I didn't ask. In the few days since he's read it, he's been acting a bit differently. I can't quite but my finger on it though.

When I asked where we were going and why all he said was that we needed to carpe diem, seize the day.

"We're almost there." He smiled, turning down a dirt road.

"Are you bringing me out here to kill me?"

He sighed. "You've guessed it. What am I gonna do now?"

I shook my head and lightly punched his shoulder.

We drove down the dirt road for several miles before we came to the end of it. One second we were surrounded by trees and the next we were surrounded by water.

"You're going to kill me, chop me up, and throw me in the water to be fish food?"

"Maybe."

I spotted a small building and a dock on the water and a boat anchored to the dock.

"You don't get sick do you?" He asked, parking the car.

"On boats? I don't know. I've never been on one before."

"Never?"

"Never."

"This is going to be fun." He smiled.

He grabbed my hand in his once we got out and started walking towards the building. An older gentleman suddenly emerged from the building.

"Lincoln, she's all ready to go." He smiled.

"She?"

"The boat." Lincoln said.

"Ahh."

"Thank you for getting her ready."

"Anything for you. I've missed seeing you out here. I'll be up at the house, so just come get me when you get back and I'll handle the rest."

The man gave me a smile and Lincoln a pat on the shoulder as he walked past us.

Lincoln had to help me get on the boat and that was after I tried by myself and almost ended up in the water. He thought it was funny.

"Who's going to drive it?"

"I shall be your captain for the day." He smiled.

"You?"

"I'm a man of many talents." He winked.

We sailed for about twenty minutes before we stopped and he let the anchor down. That's when he joined me on the little seats at the very front.

"You used to sail with your dad, didn't you?" I asked softly as we stared out at the water.

"Yeah. It was...one of our favorite things to do together." He said, putting his arm around me.

"He taught you to sail it by yourself?"

"Him and the guy at the dock. They taught me everything about sailing and boats. My mother doesn't know about this place. It was our secret. My brothers don't know either. My dad always said that it is important to have a place to escape to. A place where no one can find you and no one hardly knows you. This is my place."

I placed my hand on his cheek and leaned up to kiss him.

"Thank you for bringing me here." I spoke softly with a smile.

He nodded and gently kissed me.

When he pulled back, I saw something in his eyes. Something that didn't sit right with me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"In the coming days or weeks, things.....might change."

"Change how?"

"I....I don't know."

"Does have to do with the letter?"

He nodded. "There's something I have to do, something I have to see about. He said that things may get bad real quick. I don't know what it is so I don't know how to prepare for it, but I wanted us....I wanted us to have today."

I grabbed his hand in mine.

"No matter what it is or what happens, I'm with you. I'm on your side. You won't lose me." I promised him.

"I'm worried about my mother and the others."

"Worried about them pertaining to me?"

"Yeah. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Lincoln, I'm a big girl and I'm not easily shaken or scared. I can fight my own battles and I can help you fight yours."

"You don't know my family though. They're not nice people. They're....driven by money, status, and power. That's all they've ever cared about."

"You know what though? That's their weakness. It's not yours and it's not mine."

He chuckled. "You get all your wisdom from the flowers or are you just born with it?"

"Best believe I was born this way." I smiled.

We stayed on the boat for hours. We talked, laughed, swam, kissed, and ate until the sun was about to go down. Lincoln had packed a picnic basket full of food for lunch and it was delicious, much better than take-out.

Once we got back to the car, he drove up a hidden pathway to a house and told the man that we were back. After that, he took me home.

We pulled up in front of the shop and got a surprise when we saw the lights on inside. I didn't leave any lights on.

Lincoln held my hand and used his body to shield mine as we walked inside. I looked around and instantly spotted a familiar purse on the counter.

"It's okay." I told him, stepping around his body. "Mom?"

My mom suddenly popped around the corner.

"I was wondering where you were. Your father and I stopped by to surprise you, but you were gone. Your father is upstairs with Percy." She said, messing with a bouquet in her hands. She failed to notice Lincoln until she looked up.

"Hello, ma'am." He smiled.

"Hello. Who are you?"

"Mom, this is Lincoln. He's...Lachlan's son."

She smiled and rushed over to hug him. "It is so nice to meet you. You must be the one he talked about all the time."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Mom, he's also....my boyfriend." I said, holding his hand in mine.

"Were you on a date? Did we interrupt by coming here?" She asked, causing us to laugh.

"I was just bringing her back from a date." Lincoln said.

"Honey?! Who are you talking to? Is that Amaryllis?" My dad yelled, coming down the stairs.

"Don't worry. He's harmless." Mom whispered to Lincoln.

I told dad the same thing I told mom and he too rushed to give him a hug.

"Your dad was such a nice man. A saint really since he spent hours listening Amaryllis talk and didn't once complain." Dad said, making mom smack his arm.

"How about we go upstairs and talk some more? Unless you're in a hurry to get home and then we can talk another time." Mom said.

"I'm in no rush." Lincoln smiled.

We followed my parents upstairs and spent the next three hours talking. I felt bad, but Lincoln didn't seem to mind all the questions and stories.

"We should get going. It was nice to meet you. You're more than welcome to come to our house anytime. Make this daughter of mine bring you home for dinner sometime. Okay?"

"Will do. Thank you."

They hugged and kissed me goodbye and hugged Lincoln goodbye before we were left alone.

"Sorry about them." I said, sitting beside him on the couch.

"Don't be. They're very nice. Do you think they like me?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I think they like you."

"Not just because of my dad?"

"No, not just because of your dad. My parents are very honest people and aren't afraid to tell you that they don't like you."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

"Do you have to go home now?"

"Do you want me to go home now?"

"You can....stay if you want."

"Do I have to sleep on the couch?"

"Only if you want to."

He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for a kiss. It was the kind of kiss that left you breathless and aching for more.

"Ain't no f*cking way either of us is sleeping on the couch." He breathlessly rasped against my lips.

Yeah, no way in hell was either of us sleeping on the couch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Lincoln's POV)

I carefully slipped out the bed and made my way to the bathroom, being careful not to wake Amaryllis.

I was washing my hands when I caught sight of myself in the mirror and grinned. Those hickeys were going to be hard to hide.

We didn't....go all the way. Believe me, we contemplated it, but we stopped. With the exception of my shirt, our clothes stayed on, but hands may have wandered underneath.

I dried my hands, made my way back to the bed, and tried my best not to wake up. I managed to get under the covers before she ever moved and when she did it was only to her closer and latch onto me. I brushed her hair out of the way and couldn't help but smirk when I saw similar hickeys on her skin.

I'm happy she had fun on the boat. I wanted to give us one full carefree day of happiness before I took the key to the lawyer and opened whatever box he had. In my head, it was starting to look a lot more like Pandora's box to me.

I wasn't sure what kind of surprises or horrors were inside, but I did know one thing.

I  wouldn't let anyone in my family harm Amaryllis in any way. If I had to stoop to their level and play dirty to keep her safe then so be it.

She said she could fight her own battles and help me fight mine, but my dad was right. She's not from our world of ruthless business tycoons. Whether she wanted my protection or not, she was going to get it.