"I'm sorry about what happened at the lake. I know you must think the worst of me, but I had an emergency I couldn't avoid," 

She finally lifts her gaze to meet mine, and her eyes soften.

"You could have just said so, unlike leaving as you did," she murmurs. I kiss her cheek. I can hear her heart thumping. 

"Forgive me, baby," I tell her. The endearment startles her a little, and she flushes. I used it last time to tease and see her ...