Ian had surprised her with this getaway for Memorial Day weekend. He hadn’t told her where they were going, simply to pack enough for a three night stay, and nothing that could be considered the least bit dressy. They had left San Francisco on Friday morning, and driven up the Sonoma County coast in his vintage Jaguar. Tessa had never been to this part of the Bay Area before, and had been spellbound by the magnificent scenery they’d viewed en route.

They’d arrived at their destination in the early afternoon - a community of gorgeous homes built along a ten mile stretch of the coast that Ian had referred to as The Sea Ranch. The house he had rented for the long weekend was situated right on the bluff top, and was nearly as lavishly appointed as his own home in the city. Tessa, however, had more or less bypassed the gourmet kitchen, sunken living room, and huge loft space once she had glimpsed the jaw dropping view from the back deck. She had spent the majority of their stay thus far curled up on a deck chair or chaise lounge, and letting the sound of crashing waves hypnotize her.

She supposed a large part of her fascination with the ocean stemmed from having lived most of her life in either desert or mountain communities. Since moving to San Francisco, she’d certainly spent some time by the Pacific Ocean, but nothing remotely like this - sitting so close to the bluffs that she could feel the spray of the water when the surf was high enough.

The fabulous home was fully furnished and equipped with everything they might need - dishes, glasses, linens. There were books to read, movies to watch, music to listen to. Ian had made arrangements with the rental agency to have a local caterer stock the refrigerator with a variety of readymade meals, snacks, and drinks. He refused to let her cook this weekend, ensuring that they would not have to do much more than relax and enjoy a blissfully quiet getaway.

Since their arrival two days ago, they hadn’t really discussed the imminent arrival of his parents within the coming week. The Gregsons would be staying at the house, of course, though Ian had told her that they had offered to use the owner’s suite at the hotel instead. Tessa had insisted they stick with the original plan of staying at Ian’s home, knowing that he didn’t get to see his family all that often. And if she was still a nervous wreck about meeting them - and hoping they didn’t hate her on sight - it wasn’t for lack of constant reassurances on Ian’s part.

At least she felt a bit less gauche after having spent these past two and a half months living and traveling with Ian. With the help of both Julia and Marlene Brennan, she knew how to dress and accessorize, and had become fairly adept at doing her hair and makeup.

The series of one-day and weekend cooking courses she’d taken thus far had given her the confidence she needed to get more creative in the kitchen, and Ian had praised her efforts. Her Italian classes were also coming along nicely, though of course she had a long way to go before she could be considered even moderately fluent in the language.

And Ian had been teaching her a little here and there about things like art, classical music, and fine wines, mostly so that she would feel more at ease among the people she’d be meeting at several upcoming functions. Like the San Francisco Symphony benefit ball they would be attending with Ian’s parents during their visit. She would have already been in a mild panic about going to the ball, but coupled with the fact that the Gregsons would be accompanying them, she was almost beside herself with anxiety by now.

Ian had done his utmost to calm her down, assuring her that not only would his parents adore her but that she would create quite a stir when she arrived at the ball with him. But Tessa knew that she would continue to fret and worry until she’d gotten both dreaded events over with.

“Penny for your thoughts, love?”

Smiling, Tessa set her empty mug down and turned to face Ian where he stood framed in the doorway leading from the living room out to the deck. Her heart gave a little thump-thump when she saw how mouthwateringly handsome he looked this morning - unshaven, his two day stubble the sexiest thing she’d ever seen, and wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a black T-shirt that bared his chiseled biceps. Like her, he was barefoot.

“Right now I’m thinking how much I love you,” she told him softly. “And how much I’d really like a good morning hug.”

Ian smiled and was by her side in an instant, sitting next to her on the wicker settee and scooping her into his lap. “Good morning, birthday girl. And I love you, too.” He gave her a long, lingering kiss. “But I missed waking up next to you this morning. You should have woken me. “

Tessa shook her head, snuggling happily against him. “You were sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t bear to disturb you. Besides, I know you’ve been, um, missing out on some sleep lately because of me.”

He chuckled, wrapping his arms even more tightly around her. “You haven’t heard me complaining, have you? I happen to like your, er, wake-up calls. Very, very much.”

She pressed a kiss to his cheek, running her nose over his dark stubble. “And I love the way you make sure I sleep very, very soundly at night. Ah, but I’m not being a very good girlfriend this morning, am I? Let me go and fix you a cup of tea.”

But his arms only tightened about her, not permitting her to move from his lap. “Not a chance. It’s your birthday, after all, and you are not lifting one finger today. I’ll make us some tea in a bit. Let’s just sit here for a few minutes and enjoy the view, hmm?”

“Okay.” Tessa gave a sigh of happy contentment. “I love it here, Ian. This is the absolute best birthday present ever.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Perhaps I should buy the house for you. Then we could come up here whenever we like.”

She laughed, convinced he was joking. “Don’t be silly. You already own a home.”

Ian smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair from her forehead. “Darling, many people own more than one home. My parents, for example, have a townhome in London, an estate out in Kent, an apartment in Paris, and a condo in Spain. Plus a share in the villa in Tuscany, of course.”

Tessa was wide-eyed in disbelief. “You’re really serious? That’s just - wow. How much money do they have anyway?”

He laughed in delight at her shock. “A lot. So do I, by the way. I could very easily afford to buy a house like this if that’s something you’d like, darling.”

She stared out at the water again. “Better not. If I knew I could wake up to this view every morning, I’d never want to leave here. And I think this would be just a little too over the top as a birthday gift. You’ve already given me way too many gifts, Ian.”