Six Months Later
Bea
I tossed my towel over my shoulder and walked into the kitchen, laughing as Lily sat up and giggled at the cartoon on the screen. I turned back to the sink and finished rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher. I had finally found a rhythm between work, keeping up with the house, and taking care of Lily all day. Of course, I never had to do it alone. Cameron was on point every time he came home from work. He knew that I worked hard, too, and instead of treating me like a housewife, like Grant had done a lifetime ago, Cameron split everything with me, making sure we were partners and equals in our relationship. Truth be told, I loved having my little family. It was exactly I’d always wanted and more. The love I had for Cameron just kept growing, even when I thought I couldn’t love him any more than I already did.
Work was amazing, and they found that I had a real knack for writing romance. Not only was I still ghostwriting, but I had put out my own series of chick-lit with the publishing company. It was doing amazing, and this last book had hit the top ten within hours of going on sale. I never actually thought I would enjoy writing romance, but now that I wasn’t bitter and unhappy with my life, I had a lot to pull from. The first story I wrote was actually about my journey with Cameron, only I changed the names and added a few extra romantic gestures for the readers that liked the overload of love and mush. Cameron thought it was funny, and he read every book that I put out.
I
looked over at Lily as I reached up to put away the coffee mugs. She was sitting quietly, playing with her new blocks with drool just dripping all down her chin. The poor girl was teething, and it was keeping her, and us, up at nights. I loved watching her grow, being so amused and enchanted by the smallest things in life. Lily reminded me to slow down, to take in the moment to moments, and to really stop and be thankful for everything that was around me. She made me see the world with a new light and a new curiosity, just like she did every day. I was almost jealous at how new everything was for her, and she wasn’t tainted by the Grants of the world quite yet. My hopes were that she would grow up to be strong and independent enough to never fall for the Grants of the world.
The house phone rang just as I was thinking about that, and I walked over and picked it up. The caller ID was from the resort, and I figured Cameron was calling to check in on his lunch break. Sometimes, he would call ahead, and I would fix lunch so that we could sit down together and eat. It was a nice treat, especially right now when the resort was getting ready for the normal end of October winter weather. The jump off to ski season was right around the corner, and I was happy for Cameron because that meant he could start teaching again.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey Bea, it’s Brian,” he said.
“Oh, hey, Brian. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, yes,” he replied, calming my nerves. “I was calling to ask you if you would pack up Lily and come up to the resort? Cameron needs you up here.”
“Um, okay,” I said, looking over at Lily. “What’s this all about?”
“Honestly, I really don’t know,” he said, sounding suspicious. “I was just asked to give you a call and have you come up. Do you want me to send a car?”
“Um, no, I can drive,” I replied. “Give me about fifteen minutes, and we’ll be over.”
“Great, see you soon,” he said, hanging up before I could ask any more questions.
I clicked off the phone and looked down at it with curiosity. Why in the world would Cameron need Lily and me to come to the resort in the middle of the day on a Tuesday? I shrugged my shoulders and walked into the living room, scooping up Lily and taking her upstairs to get ready. I brushed my hair and threw on a t-shirt and jeans with a light jacket. I changed Lily’s diaper and packed a diaper bag full, just in case we ended up being there all day. Before I left her room, I checked my phone to see if Cameron had texted me. It was so strange and so very vague, but I had agreed to come, so I figured why not?
I slung the diaper bag over my shoulder and picked Lily up, carrying the car seat out and snapping it into its base. I fastened Lily in, realizing she may be getting ready to move up a size in car seats, and I shook my head and sighed, wishing she would slow down already. I went around the car and climbed in, starting it and pulling down the driveway. We only lived about ten minutes from the resort, but in the opposite direction of the town, so the view was beautiful, and the drive was always pleasant.
As I made my way there, my mind skipped all over the place, from worrying that something was wrong, to wondering what in the world Cameron was up to. It wasn’t often that we surprised each other with anything, except maybe an extra hour of sleep on the weekends. Nonetheless, I needed to turn off my brain. I didn’t want to ruin whatever it was that he had in store. When I got to the resort, I parked the car and lifted Lily out of her seat, putting her on my side and grabbing the diaper bag. As I walked forward, I saw some bright neon yellow signs stuck in the ground, which was not at all like the resort. They were very neat and orderly all the time. As I got closer though, I realized that the message written on the sign was for me.
“Bea, turn right here,” the sign read.
I turned right, looking around to see if I could see anyone, but I was all alone. I followed the stone steps down the side of the building and stopped at the next sign. Cameron had planned something, but I couldn’t possibly imagine what for. It wasn’t our anniversary or my birthday.
“Keep going until you reach ‘our spot,’” the next sign read.
I took a deep breath and smiled, thinking about the courtyard where we had made all the most important decisions in our lives. Even when we decided to buy the house, we brought the papers to the bench and sat there reading them, enjoying the warmer spring temperatures. When I rounded the corner, I stopped, frozen in my tracks. I looked around the courtyard in awe at the paper flowers that had been strung through all the branches of the trees. The iron bench that we normally sat on was covered in a red cloth, and there was a sign that read, “Stop here.” I turned and looked at Brian, standing at attention in his tux.
“This way, madam,” he said, offering his arm and walking us over to the bench.
He nodded his head and walked back to his position, staring off at the mountain. I scrunched my eyebrows and giggled, looking down at Lily who was laughing as the paper flowers flowed with the still warm breeze. I looked up at the sound of footsteps and smiled, watching Cameron walk in front of us, dressed up in his New Year’s Eve tuxedo.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, smiling and walking over to me. “I remember exactly what you looked like when you were standing here in the snow, wrapped in your white bubble jacket, your tight jeans, and your fur-topped snow boots, looking around with Hailey. I remember what you looked like when you laid in my arms as the fireworks shot off over our heads and our lips touched for our very first kiss. I remember what you looked like dressed in that black velvet gown, coming to tell me the most important announcement of my life. I remember sitting here, going over the paperwork for our first house together, and now, I will never forget what you and Lily look like, sitting here now.”
Cameron sat down next to me and looked up at the slopes across the way, still filled with green grass and life. He took a deep breath and looked down at his hands, obviously nervous about something. I reached over and touched his hand, smiling and nodding my head.
“Everything in my life had been a whirlwind of events, starting from the first time I picked up a pair of skis,” he said. “When you came into my life, it immediately calmed, leaving a man with dreams, aspirations, and a whole lot of love to give. Just in the short time we have been together, you have given me so much. You have shown me what it means to love someone. You have given me the courage to push myself to the next level. You have shown me patience and caring, even in the moments I might not necessarily deserve them. And most importantly, you gave me our little girl. The two of you light up my life like nothing I have ever experienced before.”
He stood up. “Do you see that mountain up there?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, watching as people moved across it.
One by one, they each held up a sign with big, bold letters on them. I stood up and took a few steps forward, tilting my head. The message read, “I Have a Question.” I scrunched my eyebrows together and stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what that was supposed to mean. I turned back to where Cameron was standing, lowering my eyes down and finding him kneeling in front of me. In his hands, he was holding a black velvet box.