Page 51 of Finding Love in the Clouds

“I do. It took me a little while; he isn’t as easy as the clown was, but I can see what you are looking at and can imagine a bunny. Let me try.” Fernando took a moment to scan the sky. “I found one. If you look at the clouds blowing in from the left, I see a horse rearing up on his back legs. The sun is reflecting through him, painting him gold. Can you see that one?”

“Oh, I see it. That is a good one. His mane is even blowing in the breeze!” Sophie noticed excitedly. “Look just behind him, further to the left. Do you see the pirate ship? See the round belly of the hull dipping below the waves at the lower level of the clouds and the tall mast sticking up at the top of that cloud formation. Oh, Javi would have loved that one.”

“I see it. The bottom and top were clear, but you kind of have to fill in the middle with your imagination. Okay, if you saw that, how about a dragon? All the way to the right.” Fernando lifted his right arm and pointed to the cloud in the distance, directing her line of sight. “Start at the very end at the wisp of clouds curling up. That is his tail. Then, follow it left, and you see his back foot hanging down, followed by thetip of a wing. Follow it up, and you can see his head tilted back in a mighty roar.”

“Found it! That one is good too. You got the hang of this game quickly. Sophie cupped his face and turned it so he was looking down at her. “Am I forgiven for keeping my laughter to myself? Now that I know your sensitivity, I will try very hard not to keep it from you in the future.”

“I don’t hold grudges, Soph. You were forgiven as soon as I got past my momentary upset. Thank you for being understanding and not thinking I’m being petty. These small things creep up on me sometimes. As we spend more time together, I’m sure we will discover more of them.”

“Just promise you will talk to me about them. This wasn’t the first time you got upset with me over my secret laughter, but it was the first time you explained it. I know you are coming into this relationship with baggage; I am, too. We can unpack it together and move on as long as we don’t try to hide it in our mental closets. Promise to do that for me?”

The love reflected in her eyes nearly made him weep. He didn’t deserve a love like this, but he was going to thank God every day for blessing him with it.

“I will promise to try. Sometimes I feel like one of those old fashion mines with all the triggers poking out of it like spikes. If you bump any of them, I go off. Sometimes, I don’t even know what it is that triggered it. Other times, I just try to ignore it because I know it is something stupid from my childhood, and I just need to get over it. Telling someone not to laugh around me without explaining it is ridiculous. That is why I didn’t say anything the first time or the second. But I don’t want to get upset every time you chuckle, and apparently, you do it often when not in the work environment,so I needed to say something so it didn’t become a bigger deal—saying that out loud just helped me process what you are saying, though. I will do my best to talk to you when I am triggered. But, I need you to promise that you won’t take whatever nonsense I’m upset about hurt your feelings. This feels like a slippery slope to me, and my instincts are to keep this all to myself, but I see now that won’t be healthy for our relationship.”

Fernando toyed with their tangled fingers where they lay on his stomach, a clear indication to Sophie that he was uncomfortable. She removed her fingers from his and pulled him down for a sweet kiss. Feeling him relax a little, she pulled away but kept a firm hold on his face.

“We are in this together. You have trusted me with your business affairs for the last four years, and you can trust me with your heart for the rest of your life. I will not do anything to break it. I know the man you are. Not taking things personally happens to be a strength of mine and one of the reasons why I am still here with you today. I have been with you at your most exhausted, grumpy, distracted, absentminded, disheveled, and euphoric times. The ups and downs. Sitting at number one and number two. I have loved all your faces in all your phases, and I will love you when you celebrate the good memories and cry over the bad.”

Sophie sat up and leaned over him where he lay reclined on the deck of the old wooden boat, her right hand cupping his face while his left came to rest on her hip, their eyes gazing into each other’s souls. “Andy, I need you to understand something right here, right now. You mentioned it days ago, but I don’t think you have processed the depth of what it means... You found me, that is true. But sweetheart, I chose you. I called the number on the card and applied for the job. I bought new clothes and scheduled the interview. I took a job in anindustry I knew nothing about and worked for a wonderful man who was so overworked and had so many different irons in the fire I never knew which boss I was going to see on any given day. And when the job seemed impossible, and I rarely saw my family and my baby boy, I stayed. I stayed because I chose you. The man. Not the billionaire media mogul. The handsome, brilliant, compassionate, stressed out, and overworked man. The man I knew I could trust. The man who treated me like an intelligent, capable woman. The man who paid me well above industry standards because he valued my skills and single-handedly provided for my entire family whether he knew it or not. I fell in love with that man, and now that I have his heart, I am never giving it back. If it’s a little battered and bruised, we’ll make the perfect pair because, as you know, I come with my scars. Never for one instant doubt my love for you. Promise to always talk to me, like we have on this trip. I want it all. Honesty and trust are what we will build this marriage on. You know all my secrets, even the ones that could get my little boy taken or killed. I need you to give me all of yours even when it makes you feel like less of a man because, in my eyes, you will never change. You will always be my hero. You may be smaller than your big brothers, but stature means nothing; actions do. The smallest of them all brought them together and made them a family. You are always looking for someone to give a helping hand to. You are the father I never imagined I could have for my son and future children. You are the lover I never expected to want again. You are the friend I look forward to growing old with. You are the husband I can’t wait to marry. If you believe me, kiss me because I have run out of things to say.”

It took Fernando a moment to comprehend the last few words because his mind and heart were a tumultuous mess over all that came before, but when it finally registered, he chuckled and turned themover, cushioning her head with his arm as he loomed over her this time his hand cupping her face. “I love you, Sophie; I can’t wait for our future to begin.” With that, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with all the love in his heart. January 1stcouldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter Fifty

The next morning, they woke early to catch their train to Switzerland. Their Italian tour had ended, but they still had a week of exploration ahead of them as they toured Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and France. It was going to be a whirlwind tour, but after yesterday’s relaxation, they felt ready for their adventures.

The hotel concierge promised the walk to the train station would be an easy one, so they decided to huff it instead of hiring a car. The day once again dawned beautifully, and a short fifteen-minute walk sounded like just the thing to get their blood pumping before they spent hours on the train.

They tipped their large suitcases on edge and pulled them behind them as they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, chatting about nothing in particular, simply enjoying their time together.

About seven minutes into their walk, Sophie’s luggage jerked her abruptly to the left, causing her to collide roughly with Fernando. He promptly fell off the sidewalk, tripping over his luggage, which didn’t respond as quickly to the unexpected change of direction. Before theyknew it, they were both in a heap on the ground, surrounded by scattered luggage.

They looked at each other, startled, not sure exactly what had happened, and then broke out into uproarious laughter at the scene they had made.

Trying to catch her breath, Sophie looked at her luggage, “I don’t know what happened! One minute, we were walking along, and the next, my arm was being ripped off, and I was thrown into your side. I’m so sorry. I had no control over what was happening. I guess I should thank you for breaking my fall.”

More laughter filled the air; Fernando was sprawled on his rear on the edge of the road while Sophie dangled off the edge, her upper body on top of his legs while hers were laid out on the sidewalk.

“I should probably get up before we add roadkill to this equation,” Fernando jested, giving a hand to Sophie as she peeled herself off him and then hoisting himself up. They both took a moment to dust themselves off and then collected their strewn bags.

When Sophie stood her largest piece of luggage up, it became apparent what the problem was. “Oh no; my wheel broke off! Mine only has two, so there aren’t any extras to hold the weight. Maybe we should have hired a car to drive us. I think perhaps luggage isn’t meant to be dragged down the sidewalk for long distances. I wonder if they have Uber here,” Sophie said, pulling her cell phone from her back pocket.

Fernando started rearranging the luggage. “I don’t think so. We might have better luck hailing a cab as it drives by, but we are so close that we might as well keep walking. Here, I’ll take your bag and rest it on top of mine. Do you think you can pull both of our carry-ons if I stack them? You’ll have to carry your vanity bag over your shoulder.”

Luggage reorganized, they started off once more. They hadn’t gone fifty yards when Fernando’s luggage wheel caught on something andtipped, sending Sophie’s luggage crashing to the ground. He quickly cleared the wheel, restacked the luggage, and they were off again. Twice more, the luggage tipped and crashed, causing Fernando to readjust things and hold more of the weight himself as he practically carried it down the sidewalk.

Things were going well; the train station was in sight when a pebble once more brought the pile of luggage to an abrupt halt. This time, though, Fernando’s weight was off-center, and his momentum sent him tumbling over the stationary luggage.

Sophie’s hands were full, so she had no way of stopping the fiasco playing out in front of her. She pulled her pile of belongings to a stop beside Fernando, who was spread eagle on the sidewalk, eyes closed, not moving.

Bending down next to him, she placed a gentle hand on his chest. “Andy, are you alright? I know you’re not dead because your heart is still beating.”

“Fine,” he said, not opening his eyes or moving.

“Can I do something to help? Are you hurt?” Sophie asked, trying very hard not to laugh but worried he could hear it in her voice.

“Nothing’s hurt but my pride,” he answered, still not showing her his eyes. “I’m done being a stunt double for Goofy. We’re leaving your luggage right here, and I’ll buy you new clothes when we get to Switzerland. Go ahead and laugh, Sophie; you won’t hurt my feelings.”

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