Page 23 of With Love

Marshall

I changed the subject after we talked about Owen on our walk. I wanted to get back to a lighter topic. We ended up talking about fall and the beautiful scenery surrounding us. We walked down the northwest side of the mountain. There is a large flat boulder, big enough for both of us to sit on, overlooking the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. There is a gorgeous spot set between the hills where you can see Little Blue Run Lake to the west and the Ohio River to the north.

“Do you have anything else to do today?” Adrienne asks me when we get back to the house.

“No, not really. Why?”

“I don’t know,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “I kind of want to have a lazy day in front of the fire. Maybe watch a movie or something?”

There’s no way I am able to hide the giddy smile displayed, ear-to-ear, across my face. She smiles her sweet smile that I love so much, in return.

“That sounds wonderful.”

We gather some water and a snack and make our way to the great room to watch a movie. I let Adrienne pick. She spends some time looking through our collection, pulling several out, reading the summary on the back of each.

“Oh, this sounds amazing,” she says after a while.

When she turns around and shows me the cover of the Blu-ray, that same wide-eyed, goofy, little kid grin spreads over my face once more. A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“Have you seen this one before?” she asks.

“I’ve watched it a thousand times. It’s one of my favorites.”

Suddenly, I am transported back to our wedding day. My gorgeous bride. The forest scenery paled in comparison to her beauty. I close my eyes and try to stay in that moment for as long as I can.

“Are you okay?” My thoughts are interrupted by an angel’s voice. I open my eyes and gaze at her with a smile on my face and a hint of moisture in my eyes.

“I’m perfect.”

* * *

Adrienne

When the movie is over, I begin to move around and stretch my sore body out a bit. I twist this way and that, as far as I can go without hurting myself. When I turn toward Marshall, I notice he’s staring at me.

Beginning to feel self-conscious, I look away from him. I can feel the burn in my cheeks.

“Did you enjoy the movie? He asks me.

“Yes, very much. Thank you for asking,” I smile.

“Adrienne?”

“Yes?”

“There is something that I’d really like to show you. I’ve been waiting for the right moment. Now that you can walk better and can make it up the steps, I was wondering if you would be interested in seeing it?”

“Oh, sure. What is it?”

He gets the most amazing smile on his face. It reaches all the way up to his gorgeous emerald green eyes, which appear to be glowing as much as his face is.

“It’s a surprise.”

At this my smile drops. I don’t like surprises. They never end well for me. His smile fades immediately.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I don’t really have a good history of surprises. That’s all.” I give him a small smile. This is different Adrienne. This is not the same as before.

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