“Okay, so, I hate to be the complainer on this marvelous date,” I said, pulling him to a stop on the sidewalk. “But as much fun as these bags are to carry, is there a reason we have them?”
“Sure,” he said. “Just there, across the street.” Still grinning, he took my hand and tugged me right across the little road and towards a charming little Bed and Breakfast.
“Oh, my hell,” I said. “Are you kidding me, Jayce?”
“Naw, girl.” Jayce pulled me to a stop before he leaned in and kissed me, hard, passionately, and I kissed him back, neither of us paying any attention to the onlookers around us. When we pulled back, breathless and grinning, he turned to open the door and we stepped inside.
“Welcome to the cottage!” a friendly man behind the desk said, beckoning us in. “Let me guess, Jayce and Macey?”
“That’s us,” Jayce said, stepping up to the counter to sign into our room.
“Breakfast is at eight, my friends, and brunch is at eleven. We have a complimentary kitchen for our guests that holds snacks, drinks, and baked pastries.” The man behind the counter, Steve, grinned and handed over our key. “If you need anything at all, please do ask. And enjoy your stay.”
Still looking around in shocked silence, I took Jayce’s offered hand and we walked through the lobby, past an indoor pool, and out the back door of the main building where multiple cottages lined up on the property out back, right on the water.
“Oh my God,” I said, pulling him to a stop so I could linger there and take in the view. “It’s beautiful, Jayce.”
“It is,” he agreed.
The entire place was both cozy and absolutely stunning. Jayce pulled out my cell phone and turned to look at me, holding the phone up to snap my photo as the sun set almost completely over the mountains.
“Now one together,” I said, beckoning him over for another selfie. If it hadn’t been getting too chilly, I would have stayed out there with him forever.
“Alright, let’s find our cabin.” Taking my hand, Jayce led the way across the enormous lawn until we hit concrete, a small path that led to the cottage he’d booked for us. The key, an old fashioned one and nothing like the new electronic ones, settled into the lock and he turned it, pushing open the door to reveal the room for the first time to both of us.
The cabin was marvelous. It looked like a honeymoon suit, and it had a jacuzzi tub I definitely was going to enjoy. A king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room, the frame made from stunning oak wood, matching the walls and floor of the cabin. A waterfall poured down from the furthest wall into a small rock basin, where a sitting area was laid out. The bathroom cut off to the right, and the jacuzzi tub was near the little waterfall, large and made of marble, inviting us in.
Rose petals created a pathway from the front door to the bed, and on the bed, sitting on top of the mattress, was an envelope surrounded by even more rose petals.
I looked around for a moment, amazed, dropping my bag on the ground next to my feet. It took me a moment to notice the letter on the bed, and when I saw it, I glanced over at Jayce.
“For me?”
Jayce shrugged. “You’ll have to read it and see.”
With a small, almost hesitant smile, I crossed the room and picked up the envelope, reading my name on the front. I opened it, taking out a single sheet of paper with a single sentence on it.
I have to ask you a question...
By the time I looked up from the paper, he had the jewelry box in his hand, and he was down on one knee. My hand fluttered over my mouth in shock.
“Macey Britton,” he said, opening the box to reveal an emerald necklace that glistened under the light of the cottage. “Will you go to spring formal with me?”
My hands slapped over my face, and my eyes went wider than they’d ever been. I took a step towards him, and then another, and it was then he noticed I was crying again.
“Jayce,” I said, reaching for his hand to pull him to his feet. “I thought you’d never ask.”
~~
THE WEEKEND I SPENTwith Jayce was magical. We stayed two nights at the cottage on Sloan’s Lake, two nights in bed, cuddling with each other and soaking and fucking in the jacuzzi tub in our room. In the day, we’d go out and explore the lake, finding delicious breweries and bakeries, lying on the beach in the sand, star-gazing when the sun fell and the stars lit up the sky like a million tiny dots of fire.
Neither of us wanted to go back to reality once the weekend was over, but we did, because it was still easier as long as we were together. The bracelet Jayce had gifted me hadn’t been removed even once from my arm. It was a steady reminder of how lucky I was to have everything I’d ever wanted...school, a career I loved, and a person who seemed to love me as unconditionally as I loved him. It was bliss, and only deep down in the back of my skull did I ever worry that this was a cruel prank. That one day I’d just wake up and this would all be a dream.
“Look at it!” Candace gasped on Monday at school. We were studying together in the Rendezvous with mugs of coffee and a pastry from the shop. Candace, of course, had already known Jayce’s plan to wine me and dine me on Sloan’s lake, and she’d barely been able to keep in a secret before we’d gone. Now, she turned my arm over to admire the emerald bracelet, her eyes lighting up with glee. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is,” I agreed, touching the stones with my other hand. “Was that your idea?”
“Oh, no. The jewelry was Jayce’s idea. I figured the boat ride would be enough, Dalton figured dinner on the beach was more than enough, but Jayce just didn’t quit. I gotta say, I’m jealous.”
