Page 91 of Made For You
“Is something wrong?” my wife asked, and I turned to glance at her. Her concerned gaze melted away as she took in my smile.
“I remember this. I mean, sort of. I’ve been having dreams for weeks about this place. And here it is. This was one of my mom’s favorite places.”
I was overwhelmed by the entire thing. The moment I stepped foot in Ashfield, I felt like I had come home. But now? Knowing it was a place my mom once loved made it all the more special.
We sat together, looking over a few more pictures. I asked Aurora questions when something funny or confusing was in an image. Marisol generously offered to let me keep the photos. They were all I had with me of my mother. And I offered to make Gigi copies, since all her images of my mom were mostly professional, like portraits. My grandfather treated his family like a business. No running around. No playing outside and getting dirty. And certainly no candid photos taken by family and friends, even though there would’ve been no fun to document. It was like living in a jail. It was no wonder my mom was ready to break free.
Sitting at their kitchen table with my newly acquired treasure, I felt antsy. I hadn’t gone running this morning, after not sleeping well, and this revelation now had me filled with energy I needed to expend.
I was dying to show Aurora my surprise. Could it wait a few days? Sure. But with everything that happened this morning, our confessions of love, and the gift her mom had just given me, I was bursting with gratefulness, and I wanted to show my wife how much I worshipped her.
Suddenly, my voice rang out above all the chatter as I invited everyone to the lodge for the afternoon. If they agreed, I’d still have time to set up some course and wine tastings with the chef. At first, they were reluctant, but when Aurora went to the restroom, I explained quietly to them that I had a surprise for her, and their answers changed.
Even Andrew, who had been silently stewing in the corner, looked interested.
I understood he was looking out for his sister and thought he was protecting her, and I couldn’t fault him for that. I didn’t have siblings, so I had no idea how I would’ve reacted in his shoes.
But I had Dean, the closest I had to a brother of my own, and he’d proven time and time again he would have done the same as Andrew, so that was validation enough to convince me Andrew was a good guy. I made a note to text Dean to invite him to Ashfield for an extended stay.
In my rental SUV, Gigi, Marisol, Nash, and Aspen rode with us. Andrew, Colton, and Autumn climbed into Nate’s SUV with Alex and the twins. It was a tighter fit for them, for sure, but Nate’s had more seats than this one did.
It was a pain that the lodge was an hour away from Ashfield, but I’d grown accustomed to the trip at this point. During the drive, Marisol mentioned how she used to drive the kids to Knoxville multiple times a week for dance classes or games.
We chatted about what renovations we took on at the lodge and the things they would see. I glanced over at Aurora halfway through the trip and noticed she was leaning against the door, asleep. The stress of the day must have caught up to her, on top of the fact that we stayed up late last night, even though both of us were early risers.
Thirty minutes later, I pulled the SUV up in front of the log-style lodge. The main entrance had a large triangle-framed window on either side, which looked out onto the valley of Knoxville on one side and the mountains on the other.
“Aurora, baby. We’re here,” I said softly as I gently ran my hand across her face to wake her up. She stirred and stretched out her arms as she roused.
“Hi.” She smiled sweetly, still half asleep.
“Hi. I want to show you something.”
“Okay.” I jumped out of the SUV and jogged around to her side of the vehicle while her family exited through the back doors. Once she was on her feet, Aurora began to move in the direction of the automatic front doors, but I grabbed herhand and tugged her toward the courtyard in the middle of the circular driveway. The temperature was at least ten degrees colder up here, and the wind picked up as we walked to the opposite side of the courtyard. I wanted to make sure she got the full view of the signage.
“What am I looking at?” she asked as she turned around.
“Do you see it?” I wrapped my arms around her body, and she instantly leaned her back against my chest.
“No? I…. Oh my—! The Dawn by Wilder Hotels.”
I’d gone back and forth on what to name the lodge, wanting it to reflect my mother, but when I realized I fell in love with Aurora, my thoughts on the name changed. The Dawn was the perfect name for the lodge that watched the sun rise over the adjacent mountain range, while also paying tribute to my wife.
“You named your hotel after the dawn?”
“I named it afteryou.”
She turned around, wrapped her arms around my neck, and she squeezed tightly. “Oh, Talon. I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you like it? I mean… you’re okay with it?” I was nervous, waiting for her response.
She pressed her lips against mine, and that was all the answer I needed.
“Thank you,” she said as she pulled back.
“You’re welcome. But that’s not all.” I reached up for her hands and guided her to the lodge’s entrance, passing her family on the way. I swore I heard Andrew mumble, “Nice touch,” as we walked by, and I knew then he realized I wouldn’t have named a place that meant so much to me after his sister if what she and I had weren’t real.
Inside the lodge, I knew she wouldn’t notice the items I added for her right away, but I had no doubt she would eventually.
