Page 130 of A Chance for Us
~One Year Wedding Anniversary~
She’s been blindfolded for the last thirty minutes and pissed off the entire time. Maren hates surprises, and I can only imagine how crazy her overactive imagination has been as we drove here. However, today matters more than she can ever know, and I want things to be perfect.
“This is ridiculous,” she complains as we approach the farmhouse.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t because unless you’re blindfolded, which I really hope you’re not since you’re driving, you can see where we are.”
“It’s called a surprise.”
Her head whips toward mine. “I loathe them.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell. You’ve been such a ray of sunshine this whole trip.”
If she could glare at me, I’m pretty sure she would be. “How much longer?” Her voice isn’t full of vinegar.
“Just a few more minutes. I promise that this is a good surprise.” I lean over, taking her hand in mine. “Trust me.”
“I do trust you, I just want to know.”
“Hence, the trust.”
Maren sighs heavily and leans her head back. I allowed Stella to tie the blindfold on me so I could make sure I couldn’t see anything through it. I couldn’t, which means Maren can’t either, so that has probably been the biggest point of frustration for my wife.
We take the twists in the road and arrive at the farmhouse. It’s a beautiful property with green hills, a little bridge that goes over the small creek that cuts across the fields, and a modest house that overlooks it all.
Anyone can understand why this farm was worth keeping. Maren and I came here for a week after my second round of chemo. It was exactly what we both needed—peace and quiet. I love my family, but they’ve been a pain in the ass. At least once a day, someone from my bloodline came to the cabin.
One of those days was one Stella regretted very much as Maren and I weren’t dressed when she walked in without knocking.
The last few months of our lives have been focused on making it work and finding the balance between working and spending time together. I am tired of it. We both are. It’s been hard, but in the end, Maren is worth all the hardship. Before her, I never knew love like this, and I am going to hold on to it with both hands.
Today is the start of that. It’s a celebration of where we are and what we’ve overcome. I’ve been cancer free the last six months, and we got through it stronger than ever before. Maren has been at my side the whole time, never wavering. She has shown me what true love is, and I never want her to wonder how I feel about her.
I park the car, and she smirks.
“What?”
“I know where we are.”
“And you couldn’t let me think I surprised you?”
She bites her lower lip. “I could, but then that wouldn’t be fun.”
“You may know one thing, but I promise, you have no idea about the rest.”
At least, I hope she doesn’t.
Her arms cross, and she harrumphs, which is confirmation that she doesn’t.
I help her out of the car and lead her up to the porch. “It smells like the farm.”
“Nothing says romance like manure.”
She laughs. “I love it here.”
“And I love you.”
