Hadley arched an eyebrow.  “With Brennan, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Where are you guys going?”

Devon shrugged.  “He won’t tell me.  He said he wanted it to be a surprise.”

“A surprise?”  Hadley didn’t even bother to hold in her smile.  “Uh-huh.”

“Stop doing that!” Devon said, laughing.

“Doing what?” Hadley asked innocently.

“Oh, you know what!”

“I mean, Brennan’s good-looking, Devon.  I don’t blame you.”

“Hadley!  Jeez, we’re just hanging out,” Devon said.

They had been hanging out all week—with their lips locked, playful touches at work, eyes staring across the room, and their hands exploring one another.  Devon’s cheeks heated as she thought about it.

“Hanging out,” Hadley said with air quotes.  “I sure hope that involves a bedroom.”

“Oh my god, seriously, you are ridiculous,” Devon said, shaking her head.

“Just look at you!  You’re blushing from head to toe.  Who knew I was actually the matchmaker?” Hadley said exaggeratedly.

“Go back to watching your silly show!  I have to get out of here,” Devon said.

“Wait, wait!” Hadley cried as Devon tried to ease out of the living room.  “Have you made it to the bedroom?”

“Hadley!”

“Alright, alright.  Go have fun!  I would have already told you though!” she called as Devon rushed out of the apartment.

Devon could hear Hadley’s laughter, sweet and melodic, as she pulled the door closed.  At least, Hadley was laughing again.

Devon walked down the hallway and took the elevator to the bottom floor.  It was early, so Devon started walking toward the L station on her way to Brennan’s place.  When she pulled out her phone to text Brennan, she found it was already ringing.  She hadn’t noticed it was set on silent.

“Hey!” Devon said.  She was glad to hear from her brother.  It had been a while since they had talked.

“Hey, Dev.  Can I just tell you how much I hate you right now?”

Devon laughed and shook her head.  “Why is that?”

“Because you’re in St. Louis, and I’m in New York City with Mom and Dad.  How exactly did you get out of this?” he asked.

“I didn’t take the bait like you did!”

“This is supposed to be for your birthday!”

“No,” Devon said, “we both know it’s for Mom.”

“Yeah, speaking of, she wanted me to call and guilt-trip you for not being here.  I mean, she wanted me to tell you how much she misses you and wished you could be here,” Dustin drawled.  He had never given up his Southern accent.

“Well, tell her that I’m so sorry even though I’m not, and good luck at the award ceremony, even though she doesn’t need it,” she said.

“Word for word, Dev.  Word for word.”

Devon laughed.  “Ass.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“No, really, tell Mom and Dad good luck and that I miss them.  I have to go,” she said, wanting to get off the phone before she reached the train station.

Devon couldn’t believe that she had actually gotten this far without anyone growing suspicious.

“SO, WHERE ARE we going?” Devon asked, walking up the stairs to the L station.

“You’ll see when we get there,” Brennan said.

He took her hand and held it in his as they walked.  He looked comfortable today, not wearing his work clothes.  She liked him like this—in khaki shorts, a blue T-shirt with a lighter button-up over it, and his ever-present Wayfarers.

“Am I going to like it?”

“Would I take you somewhere you wouldn’t like?” Brennan asked.

Devon smiled and let him take charge.  She wasn’t a big fan of surprises, but this one felt different.  It was exhilarating.  They hopped on the train and sat next to each other.  She could get used to this.

“I think Hadley’s getting better,” she told him.

“That’s good to hear.”

“I told her I was going out with you, and she turned into a total girl,” Devon said, rolling her eyes.

Brennan smirked.  “I’m sure I can guess what she’s thinking.”

Devon looked down at their hands.  “Probably.  She’s entirely predictable.”

He leaned forward and kissed her lips.  Her eyes fluttered closed as she breathed him in.  This had been happening all week, and every time he pulled back, it made her want more.  His kisses were intoxicating, leaving a heady haze over her mind when he touched her lips.

She pushed herself toward him, trying to close the distance between their bodies.  She snaked her hands up and gripped his collar between her fingers.  As their tongues met, Devon groaned softly.  Her body was on fire.  She couldn’t get enough of him.

Brennan’s hand trailed along the exposed skin on the small of her back, and she shivered.  He chuckled, pulling back to look at her.

“I like when you get all riled up,” he said huskily, pressing and lacing their hands together.

“You do it so easily,” she said, her voice betraying her desire.

“And in public no less.”

Devon flushed all over, glancing around at the people near them.  She was sure some of them had noticed, but she hadn’t even thought about it.  She had never been big on public displays of affection either…but this was Brennan.

“And there’s that blush,” he said with a laugh.  “Damn, do I love that.”

She ducked her head and smacked his shoulder playfully.  “Shush!”

“This is our stop.”  He dragged her to her feet and kissed her full on the mouth again.

She wobbled against him, her mind going blank.

When he released her, he chuckled again and pulled her along.  “Come on, you.”

They walked through the streets until they reached a park in front of the Navy Pier.  She had been up here twice before.  The first time was with Garrett during her first week in the city.  The second time, she had wanted some time to relax.  She had brought her journal and sat by the pier, writing lyrics until she thought her brain would explode.  Then, big fat water droplets had begun falling all over the pages, and the waves had started crashing higher.  She had ducked out of there as soon as she could get away.  She hadn’t been back since.

“Navy Pier?”  She wondered if this was the surprise.

Then, she looked closer.  It was packed with people.  Children were everywhere, attached to their parents or running around like mad.  Boats filled the harbor, stretching out as far as she could see.  Big heavy sails held taut on enormous sailboats.  The lighthouse stood out in the distance like a beacon against the cloudless horizon.

“Why is it so busy?” she asked.

Brennan’s smile was contagious, and she found herself standing on her tiptoes to kiss him again.  He laughed and picked her up, swinging her around in a circle.  Devon giggled, burying her face into his shoulder.

“I think I’m going to love being with you everywhere I go,” he whispered into her hair.

“Me, too,” she confirmed.

After setting her gently back on her feet, he kissed her forehead, her nose, both cheeks, her chin, and finally, he planted a firm kiss on her mouth.  She tried to keep the kiss going, but he pulled back.

“There are too many people here.  We should just go back,” Devon said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“You don’t even know what you’re in for,” he said with a chuckle.

Brennan walked her away from Navy Pier, leading her off to the right toward the park holding her hand once more.  His hand was big and warm.  She had petite hands, and his dwarfed hers in comparison.  She liked it.

She was starting to get really curious about where they were going and what was happening.  She was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.  Brennan kept looking at her from out of the corner of his eye.  His smile grew wider at her enthusiasm.