by Eva Luxe
My anger had faded, making way for my curiosity.
Caden waited for me by the door and handed me a bunch of red roses. He kissed me, sliding his hands over my body.
“You look fantastic,” he said. “Every time I see you in this dress you take my breath away.”
I blushed, not even trying to hide it this time. Caden smiled. I knew he liked it when he managed to make me blush.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Let me put these in water,” I said, and walked with the roses to the kitchen where I filled a vase with water. I would arrange them properly, later.
“Ready,” I said, when I joined Caden and we left the apartment together.
We drove out of town and I had no idea where we were going. When I asked, Caden told me to wait and see. He didn’t tell me anything and I was so curious I could barely stand it. The night was starting to creep in and we drove on, the headlights cutting into the darkness.
Finally, we arrived at a property and Caden pulled into the driveway like he owned the place. He opened the car door like a real gentleman and offered me his arm. He led me down a flagstone path that wound through the sweetest garden, lit by torches with flames that chased away the darkness as we walked along.
Violin music started as we rounded a stunning rose bush. A beautiful barn stood before us with torches on either side of the tall barn doors. When we stepped into the barn, I gasped.
“This is amazing,” I said to Caden as I looked around. A string quartet was set up in the corner playing romantic music. The entire barn had been decorated with flowers and photos of us. Fairy lights were strung across the entire area in a way that made it look like a thousand stars.
In the far corner, a caterer was set up, complete with a waiter that would serve us for the evening.
Caden led me to a table that was set for two, with candles and more roses.
I didn’t know how to react. I had prepared myself for a fight all day long, stewing about what Caden had done wrong, getting more and more upset that he had forgotten about our anniversary. Everything I saw now showed me that he hadn’t forgotten at all. This wasn’t the kind of thing he could have put together last minute after he had suddenly remembered what day it was, or after putting two and two together after my bad mood this morning. This had taken days, maybe weeks, of careful planning.
Caden pulled out my chair for me and I sat down. The waiter brought us champagne and the hors-d'oeuvres. There were tiny bits of salmon and sour cream on a toasted piece of bread of some kind with an amazing spice over it. It tasted fantastic.
While we enjoyed the teasers, Caden reached across the table and took my hand.
“I want to apologize for letting you believe I forgot,” he said.
I shook my head. “Don’t. This is amazing. I understand, now.”
“You know I could never forget the best day of my life, right?”
I smiled, unable to hide how perfectly happy I was. Caden really was the perfect husband. He cared about me, and loved me like no one ever had and went out of his way to show me. Not only on days like this—which I was starting to realize was something he loved to do—but in the way he treated me every day.
We were an amazing team. Even at work, when I was managing and he was running around ordering and checking up on everyone, we worked side by side as one. I loved how in sync we were. When I had first taken the job as his hostess when the restaurant opened, I would never have imagined that Caden and I would end up getting married, that our finances would be secure for the rest of our lives, or that the restaurant would become our joint project. I had never believed that I could love and be loved this completely, or that I could be a part of something so much bigger. When Caden had found me, I had no direction in life, lacking the willingness to commit to anything. Not only had he taught me how to make something of myself, but he had shown me that there was so much worth loving and so much worth living for.
I had become the person I was always meant to be, thanks to him.
The appetizer course was cold cucumber and avocado soup, with cream and parsley and honestly, it tasted like heaven. I’d never tried cold soup before, but this was amazing.
“Maybe we should think about something like this for the restaurant,” I said.
Caden chuckled. “Look who’s thinking about work, now.”
I smiled, shaking my head. He was right, of course. But I couldn’t help it. I loved what I was eating and I could only imagine what a hit it would be if we offered our own version of this.
Once the appetizers were done, we moved onto the entrees. We had lamb on a bed of wild rice with mint peas and roasted vegetables. It was out of this world.
“This food is fantastic,” I said to Caden, halfway through our main course. “This is easily the biggest treat of all.”
Caden smiled and nodded. “When we work with food every day it has to stand out. You never used to be this interested in food.”
“You turned me into a foodie,” I agreed. I looked at food differently now. It wasn’t just a matter of survival. Food was an art. The combination of flavors needed attention and food evoked emotion. I was starting to see that.
Finally, dessert was a mango sorbet with dark chocolate and spun sugar. It was simple and elegant, and absolutely perfect.
“Thank you, for this,” I said to Caden when we finished the last of our champagne. “This is more than what I could have dreamed for our first anniversary.
Caden stood so he could lean over the table and kiss me. “I’m glad you’re happy, Princess. I wanted to show you how much you mean to me, but no matter how much I arrange or how much I pay for, nothing will ever come close to showing you.”
I smiled, fighting a blush.
“When you walked into my life I knew you were special, but I would never have guessed we would have ended up here. But I couldn’t be happier. Going to California with you to try and cheat our way into the inheritance money was the best mistake I ever made. The money is great, but what I really got out of it is priceless.”
Caden took my hand and lifted it to his mouth, kissing my knuckles.
“I love you more than you can ever know. You complete me in ways I didn’t think I needed, and you have given me a life full of things I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.” Caden lifted his champagne glass and I did the same.
“This is to us, to our future together, and to many more amazing anniversaries.”
We clinked our glasses together. After we took a sip, I looked around again and sighed.
“I have to say,” I said. “I don’t know how you’ll top this next year.”
Caden grinned at me, that devilish look in his eye that I loved so much.
“Watch me,” he said. He stood again to kiss me and I closed my eyes, getting lost in the feel of his lips against mine. Nothing would ever compare. Caden was my little slice of heaven and when he kissed me, I was home.
Our journey had started like any other, but we were on a wonderful adventure, and now that we were together, the adventure was continuing. I was with the man I loved, settled and happy the way Tina had always said I deserved. I had to agree, my best friend had been right.
We finished our meal. Caden stood and held out his hand, asking me to dance. I put my hand into his and he pulled me up. We walked to an open area that had been set up for dancing and Caden pulled me against him.
“I don’t know how to dance, not like this,” I said.
“Don’t worry, I got you.”
And he did.
The End
Thank you for reading and for your support. If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. If you would like to join my ARC team and receive free advance reading copies of books, please send a link or screenshot of your review to [email protected]. Love, Eva.
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Chapter 1 – Grace
“Wait. We have coed dorms? And bathrooms?” I sound panicked, and that’s because I am as I turn to my mom, eyes wide as dinner plates. It’s my first day at the University of Connecticut, and I’ve just reached the third floor of Northwest, my new dorm.
A big, bro-looking guy came out of the first room on the right, and I noticed he was moving in with another guy. Strange, but maybe they were some girl’s brothers? But then I went to check out the bathroom, and there was another guy peeing in one of the stalls!
I ran out of there faster than a cat being sprayed by a water gun and came straight back to my mom, my heart jumping around like an Irish step dancer.
“Oh, it’s not that bad, sweetie,” my mom says in her usual nothing-bothers-me voice. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet a cute boy!”
My mom loves to tease me about my experience with the opposite sex…mostly because I haven’t had any. I’m a bit of an introvert. A nerd. I’ve always gotten along better with nice cup of tea and my homework than I did with a boy. I’d always end up saying something stupid, or not knowing what to say at all.
I never had a boyfriend through high school – not really. I had a short thing with a boy named Carter. We went out for a couple of months but like all high school boys, the only thing on his mind was getting between my legs, and when that didn’t happen, he broke up with me and found himself someone who was more to his liking – Amanda McManus, the blonde with the reputation.
It’s not like I don’t have my own urges. But Carter was rushing me, and if there’s one thing I don’t like, it’s people pressuring me to do something I don’t want to do. Maybe if he’d given me time things would have been different. But things didn’t go that way, and so here I am at my first day of college, a virgin.
“So, where is my room?” I say, ignoring my mom’s little quip as I drag my bag down the hall. The light blue rug is ugly and stained and the walls need a paint job. I pass a small corkboard with a large photo of a smiling blonde with disturbingly white teeth. Beneath it, in big pink letters reads: Meet your RA Hilary! She looks like an outgoing sorority girl, complete type-A personality. I can tell instantly we won’t get along.
As I pass the bathroom an odd mint smell with hints of orange fills my nostrils. Everything here is unfamiliar, and I feel myself retreating away from it all, back into myself, wishing I was still at home. Once I get to my classes I’ll be all right. Once I have a goal, something to do and something to work on. But right now I just feel lost.
“Here it is, honey,” my mom says from behind me. I realize I’ve been walking forward in a daze. I turn and see my room. 312. “And, look! Your roommate’s here!”
“Hi!” I hear a girl’s jovial voice from within, and as I step into the doorway I see a friendly-looking girl with brown hair, wearing a worn flannel shirt and jeans, sitting on a wooden chair in front of her desk. “I’m Shannon,” she says to both of us.
“Hello,” I say simply. I’m shy in front of new people.
“Nice to meet you, Shannon!” My mom smiles. “I see you’ve already moved in.”
Shannon’s already claimed the desk on the right side of the room, which is much smaller than I was anticipating. My room at home is at least twice as big. And to my dismay…bunk beds.
“Yeah. I grabbed the top bunk, if you don’t mind,” she says with a smile, getting to her feet. “Most people don’t want the top, but I wanted to try it out. I always wanted a hammock in my room but my dad wouldn’t let me. I figure somehow having the top bunk is the same? I dunno why. Maybe it’s just…being high off the ground or something that excites me!”
My heart lifts for a moment as I realize Shannon and I are totally going to get along. She’s open, honest and obviously a little bit weird. And I love that. I’m a little weird myself. I couldn’t tell you who’s hot on the radio, I don’t go to concerts, I don’t drink and I like old animated TV shows from the eighties.
“No, that’s fine,” I blurt out, smiling as we shake hands. “It will be like living in a tree fort!”
Oh, God what did I just say?
I want to slap myself in the forehead. I probably sound like an eight-year-old, but to my surprise, Shannon’s eyes light up and she looks at me enthusiastically.
“Hah! I love it! I’m going to go to the co-op today and buy some Christmas lights! Some white ones? I thought we could hang them around our beds.”
“That sounds great!” I say instantly. Maybe this isn’t going to be so bad after all. My worst fear was going to be being stuck with a roommate I couldn’t stand. I’m an only child and have always had my own space, and sharing my privacy like that with a stranger was one of my biggest trepidations about college. But meeting Shannon has put me at ease. “I think we’re going to be friends.”
“Me too!” She says and gives me a hug. Her hair smells amazing.
“Oh my God, what is your shampoo?” I ask her.
“Do you like it?” She smiles, twirling a strand of her hair with her finger. “It’s coconut and basil.”
“Really?”
“Right?” She laughs. Sounded weird, but I smelled it and just knew I had to have it.
“Well, isn’t this great?” my mom says behind me. “I’m going to let you two get to know each other and grab some of your things from the car.”
“I’ll be right there, mom!” I tell her as she heads out. I don’t want her going into ultra-mom mode where she does everything for me and ends up bringing up all my stuff by herself. She would if I let her, but I can’t do that. She does enough for me already. “Okay” I say, turning back to Shannon. “Coed bathrooms?”
Shannon raises her eyebrows and nods.
“But – how!?” I exclaim.
“Well, I have two brothers,” Shannon says with a shrug. “I’ve already decided that’s how I’m going to think about the guys on this floor. Just more brothers.”
“Ugh,” I grumble. “I’m an only child.”
“Well,” Shannon laughs. “Let’s hope there are some hotties then!”
Moving in takes forever. I have too many boxes, I realize, and getting everything situated is like some kind of cruel real life puzzle. We end up putting our desks together, facing each other on one side of the room and the bunk beds on the other side. Our closets are built-ins, one on either side of the door, and like most girls, are completely overflowing with clothes.
Even with the window open, I’m sweating. It’s not easy lugging everything you own up three flights of stairs! That’s right – no elevator. Supposedly there’s going to be a huge renovation, but not for the next two years, and I’m sure I won’t be living here then.
“Well, honey,” my mom says. “Is there anything else you need?”
“I don’t think so,” I say, suddenly feeling down. It’s time to say goodbye, and even though she’s only going back to Redding, less than an hour away, it feels like I’m never going to see her again. I feel my eyes starting to well up with moisture.
“Oh, honey,” my mom says, hugging me tight. “You’ll be fine. Shannon here will take care of you, and if you ever need to come home, you just call me and let me know. Okay?”
I look up at her and nod, wiping my eyes. “I know, mom. I’m just…I’m being silly.”
“You’ll be fine, honey,” she repeats before giving me a kiss on the forehead. “Enjoy yourself! It’s college! Have fun!”
I smile as my mom turns away and I listen to her footsteps and the door as it opens. It shuts behind her and for the first time in my life, I feel alone.
“Ugh,” I say, feeling my shirt sticking to my body. “I need a shower.”
“I know, right? I h
ad one after I brought all my stuff up too.”
“So, like…” I mumble. “How do I do this?”
“Well, personally,” Shannon tells me. “I just wrap myself up in a towel and leave my clothes here. I don’t want them falling on the floor in there. And you brought shower sandals right?”
“Shower sandals?” I ask her.
“Yeah,” she laughs. “You don’t want to go barefoot in the showers. Who knows what’s on that floor! You can borrow mine for now.”
“Thank you,” I say, realizing just how much I have to learn. “So I just…can change in here?”
“Grace,” Shannon says with a smile. “We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other. Better to just get used to it now.”
She’s right, of course. We’re going to be living in very close quarters for the rest of the academic year, and I might as well just dive in the deep end. I pull my t-shirt off and toss it aside.
“Okay!” I blurt out, acting like I’m completely okay with this. “Here I go!”
I unclasp my bra and toss it in the closet, unbutton my jeans and kick them off. But when it comes time to take off my underwear, I just can’t do it. I know Shannon’s not staring at me like some weirdo stalker or anything, but it just feels too soon. I grab my towel and wrap it around me. I slide my feet into her shower sandals and step into the hall.
“Have fun!” Shannon laughs as I head toward the bathroom. A boy steps out of his room wearing a UCONN tank top and pretends he’s not checking me out. Boys think we don’t notice, but we do. Girls always know when someone’s giving them the eye. I step quickly past him and push the door open to the bathroom.