"Okay, okay. Let's get dressed and we can go to Turner Falls. Except, when I bring you, we're doing it right," I tell her.
"Oh, because we did it wrong yesterday?" she asks, raising a brow.
I nod. "You definitely did it wrong because you didn't tell me about a single stop you made along the way and if you'd made the correct stops, you wouldn't have been able to not tell me about the delicacies you encountered."
Lilly is up and on her way to get dressed no sooner than the words come out of my mouth. I trail behind her and we're out the door in five minutes flat. It's cold outside and gloomy. I open her passenger for her and she climbs in, shivering on the way down. I crank the car and get the heater going, but it's still cold as fuck.
The drive to the falls is nice. I haven't driven the streets in years. We come up here for a run every now and then, once a year or so, but I don't spend much time outside of the clubhouse.Lilly has been staring out the window with a grin on her face since we left the clubhouse. I love how much love she has for life. Her fire is something to be admired.
We exit the interstate and I pull into the gas station at the exit. It's notreallya gas station. It's more of a restaurant that has a few gas pumps out front. And they only serve one thing. Fried pies.
I park at the front of the tanned building with stone on the face of it and a green rooftop. It looks like it belongs on a reservation somewhere. Inside, the right side of the building is the kitchen area and the left side has a few tables, restrooms, and a staircase that leads upstairs to some extra seating.
I grab Lilly's hand and lead her to the counter. The menu is vast and she eyes it for a few minutes before she's ready.
"Know what you want?" I ask.
She nods enthusiastically. "I want three different ones and some chocolate milk."
The lady behind the counter takes our order and we end up with six different pies. I grab them when they're ready and we sit at one of the tables and go through them, trying bites of each. Lilly got a coconut cream pie, chocolate, and a blueberry. I got the pineapple, the breakfast one, and a blackberry.
Lilly loved the coconut one so much she ate the whole damn thing in one sitting. I fell in love with the blackberry and we both split the pineapple.
"I told you, you didn't do Turner Falls right if you didn't stop for fried pies," I tell her, wiping a glob of blueberry pie filling from the corner of her mouth.
"These are so fucking good. We have to come here every time we come to Oklahoma City," she beams, shoving another bite of the blueberry pie into her mouth.
When we're done stuffing our pie holes,literally, I remote start the car so it'll start to warm up before we climb inside for the short drive down to Turner Falls from here.
I drive up to one of my favorite spots first, a more hidden gem of the place. We weave in and out of tent-camping spaces and I park in an open gravel parking lot. Lilly's curiosity is piqued and she's opening the car door as soon as we stop. She's out on her feet walking around and looking at the stream just a few feet away.
"I didn't see this yesterday," she says, roaming away from the car while staring at the water.
At the far left is a concrete bridge-like structure that allows for walking over the stream. The air is brisk and it's even colder near the water. I trail behind Lilly, watching her take in the sights.
"This used to be my favorite swimming spot in the summer. Most everyone stays near the entrance and swims at the falls, but I'd always sneak away up here," I say, slipping my fingers between hers.
"I bet it’s even more beautiful in the summertime," she says, awestruck. It's as if she's picturing what it looks like in the summer.
"We'll come in the summer, too, so you can get the full experience. And so I can toss you in the water," I grin.
She laughs hard, and stares at me with wild eyes for a moment. "You could toss me in now," she challenges.
Lilly takes a step away from me and pulls her sweater over her head, setting it on a large rock nearby.
"Lilly, what are you doing?" I ask as she shimmies out of her blue jeans, lying them on top of her sweater.
She's shivering already.
"Going for a swim," she smirks at me. Challenging me.
"Not without me," I protest, tugging my shirt over my head. She takes that moment to close the distance between us. When my head pops out of my shirt, she leans in and kisses me.
"I hate to break it to you, butheisn't going to be coming out to play in this cold ass weather, no matter how ready and willing I may be and no matter how fuckingsexyyou are getting half-naked in public."
She giggles as I step out of my jeans and shoes, setting them with her clothes. I'm left standing here in nothing but my boxer briefs, staring at my fiancée in nothing but a bra and a pair of her signature lace underwear. God, the things we do for love.
I grab her hand and we stand on the edge of the bridge.
