Intrigued, he turned toward her. “You got me something?”

“Kind of.”

“Really? What is it?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

Slipping his hand back under the table, he caressed her knee. “Not even a hint.”

She took another bite of her hot dog before she put his hand back on the table. “No. It won’t be fun if I spoil it.” She stood up. “I’m going to get relish to put on this hot dog.”

He didn’t usually cringe when she blended foods, but thinking of a hot dog with chocolate and relish made him shudder. And not only did she come back with relish, but she had two more hot dogs, cottage cheese and a slice of pizza. She added chocolate a little at a time, always checking the other people before she did.

When she was done eating, she whispered, “I’ve had enough of everyone. Let’s slip out of here.”

Since the only person he was comfortable talking to was Mark, who happened to be busy talking to Lexie, he figured there was no need to stick around anymore, so when Caitlyn took his hand to sneak out of the room, he didn’t protest. Once they were out of the restaurant, he said, “Your mom did a good job of staying away from us. Maybe she won’t try to bother you about doing things you don’t want.”

“One can only hope,” she replied as she unlocked the doors with the remote on her keychain.

He opened his door and slipped into the passenger seat. After she got behind the wheel, he said, “I think it’ll be fine. Your mom got the message.”

“Like I said, ‘One can only hope’,” she mused. “I don’t think she’s done intervening into people’s lives.”

“She did well today.”

“Yeah, but we’re dealing with a lifetime of behavior for her.” She started the car and smiled. “But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re on my side.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “As long as it’s you and me, we can handle anything she throws at us.”

He squeezed her hand in return. “I’ll always be on your side.”

While she drove out of the parking lot, he turned his attention to the scenery and sighed in contentment. In a week, they would be moving into their new home. He was looking forward to it. They would not only be closer to the base, but they’d be closer to the beach, and he liked the beach a lot.

To his surprise, she didn’t take him back to the apartment. Instead, she pulled over to a deserted place with trees sheltering them from view of anyone else. He frowned and looked at her. “Why did you stop here?”

“I figured since we’re renewing our vows today, it might be fun to renew our bond.” With a wink, she jumped out of the car and went to his side. Opening his door, she placed a hand on her hip and offered him a seductive smile. “Care to join me in the backseat?”