Not exactly conventional, but on the calendar, the newlywed phase began a week ago when we said I do. No honeymoon for us, but I’ll give her the closest thing possible.
The sound of wheels on gravel brightens my smile as I lean against the car and wait for Hailey. Ideally, I would have picked her up, but I needed to be here to set up a few things.
When she parks her car next to mine, I open her door for her, and she slides out of her seat in good spirits, giving me a quick peck on the lips as I close the door. I told her to come casual, and she nailed it with jeans and a black tee, with her dark red sneakers.
“Sorry I’m late. We had a staff meeting and it went overtime due to the science teacher from hell, but apparently, he is moving next month, so that’s a win for us all.”
“It’s fine. I was occupied with your brother on the phone.”
Her face drops, color even slightly washing away. “What? I spoke to him earlier, but it was quick, and I didn’t even have time to process that I’m keeping a big secret from him. Maybe he found out. He was grilling you or tricking you or I don’t know…” She’s about to have a meltdown.
“Relax. As much as I had a few moments of internally cursingoh shit,we’re fine. Just wanted to check about the key and ensure that you don’t go overboard with decorating his house.”
She theatrically wipes a hand across her forehead. “Thank goodness. We’re really going to need to rehearse this until the time is right. But I don’t want to think about that now. They can enjoy their honeymoon, and I’m here.” She steps forward and her arms circle around my middle.
“You know…” I cock my head to the side and cluck my tongue. “Technically, we’re in the newlywed phase, and I know we are going backwards on the timeline with now actually having a date, but I think I have us in the middle.” I step back and hold my hand out to her. “This way, please.”
The moment her palm greets mine, I feel a sting near my heart. She almost appears shy with anticipation in her delicate smile. In truth, I’m the one who’s a little nervous. It’s been a long time since I’ve been romantic in this way. Okay, maybe I’ve never gone this far off the scale, but it’s for someone well deserving.
“We are walking toward the river,” she notes.
“Someone is observant.” We walk through the woods with no path. It’s only a three-minute walk from the car, but still, it feels like we may get lost.
“Mosquitos might be a pain. The sun will set soon, and those little pesky things come out in full swing,” she notes.
The corner of my mouth lifts because she isn’t complaining, she’s joking around with me. “Don’t worry, I’ll rub aloe vera on every little bite when I take you back to my place.”
“What an offer.”
In the corner of my eye, she searches around us for clues of what our date entails. It’s only a minute more and our steps slow until she completely freezes, and her mouth hangs so far open that those mosquitos may just fly in.
I patiently wait for her to say something, and when she side-eyes me, her slack mouth flows into an angelic smile.
“Oliver, I-I,” she stammers. “What the hell?” She shoves me playfully. “This is beyond expectations. This is beyond, well… you might be doing all the talking because I’ll be too quiet from shock.” She continues to soak in the setting.
In front of us along the river, in a private spot, there’s a small table and chairs, with a jar of flowers and a candle. Plates and wine glasses are already set, too. I bought the whole shelf of solar lights at the store, which are now hanging between the trees, along with a few tiny wind chimes and those plastic pinwheels that move in the wind. I also threw pillows on the chairs and ground to give us options. Quickly, I pull out my phone and swipe my thumb to turn on the Bluetooth with my mix of soft indie and country music.
“Don’t worry, the candle is citronella. As much as I would love to kiss every tiny mosquito bite, I’m not a monster and don’t want to end up spreading ointment because you itch.”
She sputters out a laugh. “You really have thought of everything.”
I extend my arm to indicate for her to go to the table. She looks up at me as I tuck her chair under the table, and I grab a bottle of wine from the cooler.
“We needed a private spot.” The pop of the cork on cue makes me feel like a magician, and it causes her smile to grow.
“The walk back might scare the hell out of me when it’s dark.”
I pour the white wine into her goblet. “I’m smart, remember? I have flashlights.”
“And all of this stuff?” She looks at her surroundings.
I chuckle because again, I think I might have nailed this. “There is actually a chef who has the night off from the River Bell who delivered the food, and he will take care of the cleanup later.”
Her jaw drops again. “What?” she nearly shrieks.
I set the bottle on the table and pick up a covered plate by the cooler and deliver it to the table and sit down across from her.
“Relax. Everything is thought out,” I promise her and lift the cover at the same time.
