FORTY-TWO
PRESENT
Iwas eager to explore the mountains and Grant’s happy place, so I woke up early to get ready. Grant and I fell asleep naked in each other’s arms last night. I woke up at some point during the night to use the restroom and slipped into pajamas.
I was showered and ready before Grant even opened his eyes. “Good morning, sunshine,” I said when I noticed him wiping the sleep from his eyes.
“Look at you all cute in your purple hiking wear.” I wore purple yoga pants, a purple tank top, and hiking boots with purple laces to match the ensemble. “I’m ready to go; get out of bed,” I reached over and threw a pillow at him.
He laughed and reluctantly rose from bed. He quickly gathered his clothes from his bag and headed to the bathroom. As he was getting ready, I researched breakfast places with good coffee because I knew Grant would need his fix. I found a place calledIron Door, which was the only breakfast place in the small town.
“I found us a breakfast spot,” I exclaimed when Grant came out of the bathroom.
“Oh, yeah. Where?” He started slipping into his own hiking boots.
“It’s called Iron Door.Have you been there?”
“I haven’t, let’s go. But first…” He trailed off, heading toward me. He tipped my chin up and brought his lips to mine. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“I have a new rule,” I said. “Good morning kisses every morning. Even if you’re sleeping over and need to leave before I wake up, okay?”
“Deal,” he said with a wink.
We left the en-suite hand in hand to drive to the restaurant. The restaurant was quaint with a few tables in an open dining room, but we decided to sit outside on the patio to enjoy the cool fall weather. We reviewed the menu and ordered in completely opposite directions. He went savory with a ham, cheese, and veggie omelet, and I went sweet with a Belgian waffle with bananas and strawberries on top.
We ate our breakfast in silence, taking in the scenery. “So, what’s next?” I asked once the waitress had taken our plates and brought us the check.
“We can go walk around the lake, then I have a favorite trail I’d love to take you on.” My eyes went wide. I knew we were going to hike, but his idea of hiking and mine were probably vastly different. “Don’t worry, it’s more of a stroll rather than an actual hike.”
I let out a relieved breath. “Thank goodness. I know my attire gives the impression that I’m an avid hiker, but that is very much not the case.”
He smirked. “You almost had me fooled.”
“Ha-ha, very funny,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Let’s get the show on the road, then.”
We walked back to the truck to head to the lake. As we drove along, I was amazed by how many trees there were. I never would have guessed we were just forty minutes from our desert home.
“Have you been out here a lot?” I asked as he opened my door to let me out.
We walked toward the lake where a few people were fishing. “I was in a bad place when I first started working with Darla. I knew her as my sister’s therapist when my Gram died. We were discussing a happy place I could picture after our EMDR sessions, but everywhere I pictured was filled with memories. I decided to seek out a new place I hadn’t been to before.”
“That’s when you came across this place?” I questioned. The view was magnificent with the trees surrounding the lake and the sun glimmering off the water.
“I spent a lot of time out here when I first moved to Tucson. I was mostly looking for a getaway when the silence would get so loud from being alone for the first time in my life. A local in town asked if I had been to the lake, and I hadn’t at the time. You know what he said?” He slanted his head to the side.
“What?” I asked, intrigued.
“He said, go sit by the lake if you’re looking forserenity.Who knew that’s exactly what I was looking for?” He winked, and I couldn’t help but paste a cheesy grin on my face.
“How long have you been waiting to say that?” I giggled.
“Maybe since the day I found out your name was Serenity,” he said, taking my hand in his. “I’d been searching forserenityfor a long time, and when you found me in a place of healing, I had to believe it was something like fate.” My nose stung, and my eyes misted over at his confession.
“You felt like fate to me, too. Everyone before you taught me what not to accept in a relationship. When I met you, I knew I had found someone special. Someone made especiallyfor me. Someone who understands me more than anyone has ever even attempted to before.” He squeezed my hand in silent reassurance.
We walked hand in hand around the lake, mesmerized by the quiet, the only sounds coming from the moving water and leaves rustling. “There’s a spot just up ahead that’s tucked into some trees where I love to sit and think or journal.”
We reached the spot, and I had to stop to truly take in the view. The sun was high, shining bright in the cloudless sky. The water gleamed under the sun’s shine. We were surrounded by trees with various colored leaves. As I continued to take in the view, Grant was setting up something under a tree behind me.
