“That will work out fine. Please be sure to pack the slacks and shirt which I especially like on you, which you had with you before at my place.”
“I most certainly will, for they are my favorites as well. I take them on just about every trip. I want you to wear one of the pretty dresses tomorrow that you made before coming here.”
He looked at his watch and saw that it was time to retire.
“Where has the time gone?” he remarked in amazement. He had better let her get to bed and get his packing done so they could be ready to leave early tomorrow. He got up and helped her up, then showed her where she would sleep and said goodnight. After a gentle kiss and hug, he left and went to his room downstairs and did some more packing. It was a regular thing because of his travels so he quickly got it done and took along some things to do when she might be busy.
She showered and put on a nightie that he gave her which belonged to his sister. She left things behind for her visits. She went to bed and quickly fell asleep. It had been a tiring though thoroughly wonderful day.
The next day they got up and met in the dining room where breakfast was already started. A coffee urn was on the buffet with two cups and saucers. He poured one and held it out to her. She took it, poured in some cream and took a gentle sip. She closed her eyes and sighed as was her habit with delightful tastes. They had a Danish with their coffee and sat at the table waiting for Marjolaine to bring the course for the meal. She served delightful Cheese Crepes with a French flair and heavenly syrup oozing down around them, making them look like tiny islands.
Breakfast over, they felt they should be under way so he loaded his things in the car and drove to her hotel. He went in with her to offer any assistance he could and they soon got it all together. They still had two hours before the plane left, so they decided to drive to the airport, get the luggage checked in, carry her portfolios with them, and have a lunch there while they waited. They had just enough time to eat and get back to the boarding area so they could be ready to board. They were ushered through the gate to board the plane, found their seats and he offered her the inside seat. She entered and sat down, he followed sitting next to her and they fastened their seat belts. At last the plane was filled and began to taxi onto the runway and line up for take-off. The ascent was smooth and when the turn began, he pointed out the window as they got mid-turn to look below. She saw his estate spread out and it looked so large and elegant.
“How awesome,” she exclaimed with great astonishment.
Then they leaned back and began the flight that would get their future launched together. They just sat in silence for a time, so pleased to be together, here, near each other, still finding things a little difficult to believe. They flew through some puffy clouds, it was so amazing and always excited her. They discussed the wonder of it all, such a tremendous thing. One could never anticipate this if they had not flown through them, to see the white puffs float by, and come out into a patch of blue sky, then back into clouds again. They were scheduled to arrive at nine-thirty in the evening and would be at her place by ten o‘clock.
They would have to get busy the following day to begin making plans.
CHAPTER 7
They arrived and went to the parking area where her car had been kept so they could pick up the luggage and drive to her place. It now seemed to be his home as well as was his own place. They arrived and he dropped her off, carried her luggage inside and went to the guest house and unloaded his own luggage so he could get settled. He went back to say goodnight and they planned to get together tomorrow to make some plans.
“I will stay here with you a short time, for it is so hard to leave.” He talked a while as they had a drink, then he said goodnight, gave her a hug and kiss and went back to the guest house to prepare for bed. He turned in and planned to unpack tomorrow. So did Triessa. It had been a long, exhausting day even though it had been spectacular. All the excitement had worn her out. They both fell asleep right away and slept in because they had no special plans to do anything unusual or go anywhere tomorrow.
She awoke, stretched and yawned, and thought about facing the days together making plans for their future. She looked at her watch which read nine o'clock. She could hardly believe it, jumped out of bed, and got into the shower, then dressed to dash downstairs and check on breakfast. Nancy was out until the weekend. She would have to count on her own ability to prepare breakfast.
Meanwhile, Todd was up and showered, checked his luggage for the outfit she liked, and dressed so he could hurry up to the house and look for her. He went inside and heard noises from the kitchen. He entered and saw her in an apron, such a domestic and pleasant sight. He could not resist going up to her and holding her close to him for a moment. He offered to help and made the coffee.
She cooked some scrambled eggs along with bacon. He made toast and soon they had it all ready. They set the table at the end of the kitchen and ate their breakfast together. It was so wonderful. Because of time, they made a quick breakfast.
“We are getting like old married folk,” he marveled. “Aren’t you supposed to have a smudge of flour on your nose?” They laughed and held each other. They planned to stay around the place and begin making plans for the future.
After they finished breakfast, they went for a stroll in the garden. As they walked along, holding hands, they began talking about the big day.
At the same time they both exclaimed, “We must contact our families first of all.” They laughed and stopped and hugged each other.
He gently kissed her and held her and told her, “I love you more than anything.”
She looked up at him, for he was a bit taller, which she liked, and said, “I, too, love you with all my heart and being.”
They walked to the Rose Garden and sat on the bench to look around. She stood and walked around the area to examine the clear space.
He came and held her and like another proposal, exclaimed to her, “Triessa, will you marry me here in your Rose Garden?”
She nodded in astonishment, “Do you really mean it? Don’t you think it would be a beautiful spot? On a clear, sunny day it could look so elegant and beautiful. Floral arrangements would be taken care of except for a few arrangements on tables and special spots. It will be easier for my family to come here. Listen to me going on, but what about your family? And, yes, I most assuredly will marry you in my Rose Garden.”
“That does sound like a good idea,” he remarked thoughtfully. “We will check with my folks soon. We must discuss our guest list and consider the space. We will need tables and some netting overhead for shade and weather protection, should it be necessary.”
“Oh, do you think it would work?” she asked eagerly. “Really? I’d love that. But maybe you have another area which might be special to you at your home. Is there a spot which is special to you?”
“I cannot think of a spot to rival this. It seems to have been created for just such a splendid purpose,” he assured her. “Just try to imagine what we can do with this place. We can do other things at my home later. There are so many places and we must choose one.” Then he asked her, “What about Monaco? Do you have a special place there? Do you prefer this over Monaco?”
“I am not sure,” she pondered a moment. “But this truly does seem to be a great spot and can solve so many situations for setup. We can include all the other areas through the full circle of our wedding and honeymoon and tie them together to hold as special places in our hearts.”
“Oh, darling, you are so sweet and insightful. How wonderful life is going to be as we plan, share, and live our life together.”
She tried to visualize the beautiful scene of their wedding here in the garden. They could have natural flowers, green grass as a carpet, butterflies, birds and lovely, cool breezes. All the wonderful natural delights added for free. It did definitely sound like an ideal spot, though they would discuss others in the few days to follow. She smiled and he knew this idea plucked at her heart strings ver
y strongly.
They held hands and walked around the rest of the garden.
“The guests can walk around the garden and be able to chat and have the grandest of circumstances. Tables can be put up around the garden with food and drinks. Any spills will be quickly absorbed with no clean-up problems. A special treat for the ground. The reception can follow in this same area and all can enjoy the elegant surroundings,” she sighed as she stood and surveyed the area with pictures whizzing through her mind. It was amazing how the idea just happened so easily and fit so nicely.
“Rather than having to plan on a lot of flowers, we will have them surrounding us naturally. What an overwhelming feeling it could be. I doubt if it could be done better even in the movies.”
With joy in their hearts and glowing faces, they walked back toward the house, still holding hands. They were excited at having the idea come to mind while they were there and glad it did rather than some other place. They knew about it but it did not register in their minds until they got here. It just seemed so right this way. They went inside the house and began to plan lunch. Nancy would be back tomorrow but now they were on their own.
He walked up to her and put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, “Is there some place where I could take you out for dinner this evening? I think that would be wonderful to top off our new excitement, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she replied, “I know of a grand place.”
They prepared and ate lunch in the kitchen and afterward went into the living room to sit and chat some more.
He started to talk about their future, “We must decide on getting in touch with our parents and families and decide who else will be included. We really don’t want a large group, do we? Just special family, and close personal friends will be all we need. The garden will not handle a really large crowd. With too many guests it would be difficult to get to talk with them all.”
She thought for a moment, “That sounds good to me. We have not yet planned anything specific for our honeymoon, but what do you think of staying here for the first night and then leaving to go on our honeymoon the following morning? After the events of the day it might be nice to just stay here and not have to worry about ending it in time to get ready for a trip. We could have a pleasant and relaxing day. It will seem appropriate to spend our wedding night here at home.”
“That sounds very practical, otherwise we would be flying for most of the night and be terribly worn out and unable to get out to see the sights the next day. We will not have to rush on that anyway. We can use our whole time to do things in a totally relaxed manner and follow our feelings. The date will need to be considered in regard to the family and their availability. Can they all gather here? Will it be convenient for them?”
“Oh, I hope so. for the more I think about it, the more I would like to have our wedding here in the garden,” she smiled up at him. “It does not seem unlikely that they can come here. I’m sure my family can.”
“Let’s call and talk to our families now so we can plan further,” suggested Todd. “It will be easier once we learn what they can do.”
She agreed, “This is a good idea. Whom should we call first? What is the time where your folks are?”
“Let’s plan to meet with your parents and family tomorrow since they live near here. Let’s call to see if they can come.”
“Yes, we can surprise them with an announcement at lunch. I will ask them to come over for lunch. Nancy will be here to plan a great meal. Then we can take them to the garden and tell them of our desire to wed there.” Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were very rosy as if she had just had a drink of champagne.
They called her folks and invited them over for tomorrow.
“I have someone special I want you to meet,” Triessa told them. “Can you spend the whole afternoon with us? We’d like to spend some time with both of you. Can you contact Reese and Deanna to see if they can come also?”
“We will be delighted to do so and are so excited with the idea. With your recent trips, we haven’t been together for some time. I will bring along some champagne,” suggested her dad.
“Oh, Dad, that will be ideal. And please call me to let me know if the others can come also. I certainly hope they can. It is rather short notice, but we can hardly wait to get together with you.” She said goodbye and hung up the phone, then planned to call his folks. They would not be able to attend tomorrow, but they may be able to come soon and they could invite her family over to meet them. How nice this would be.
“I don’t know your folks and get a little nervous about it all.”
“Oh, please don’t, it will be a wonderful experience for all of you.”
He dialed his parents, “I am in New England and would like to know when you can come here to be with me and meet someone very special. Can you spend some time with us?” They would wait to tell them of their wedding plans and they could discuss the site and their plans to marry here. Certainly everyone would be desirous to be in attendance.
His parents were very surprised but rather pleased, “We cannot leave for a couple of days and are very excited for a trip. We will have to make plans for travel and get back to you once we learn when we can leave.”
“I will call to arrange your flight plans and get back to you,” said Todd. He hung up, called the airlines, got an early reservation for them the day after tomorrow, called them back and told them. They felt they could do that. They all were delighted. They will arrive in the middle of the afternoon so they could plan on having dinner together and then break the news to them. It would give Todd and Triessa time alone with them, as with her parents, and they could get them all together the following day. Things seemed to be going very well.
Triessa’s mother called back and told her that Reese and Deanna would be able to arrive in the afternoon tomorrow, but not for lunch. This was good because they could celebrate first with her parents, then they could all celebrate together later in the afternoon and sit around and talk and make plans. Wonderful, they would tell Nancy so she could make plans for the meals. Triessa would talk to them after she made plans with Nancy, to see that they all agreed. Nancy remembered the food her family liked but knew nothing of his family, so they would discuss that.
“Wonderful, shall we have some champagne and drink to all these plans?” asked Todd excitedly, already on his way to the cabinet.
“Yes, I would love to,” replied Triessa. “We can relax a while, then we must get ready to go to town for dinner. Reservations will not be necessary.” He opened the champagne while she got some glasses and they sat in the living room to drink and chat for a while.
They knew there were still a lot more plans to be made yet. Once they talked with the families, they could plan on a date. Oh, it will be soon! It must be soon!
“Where do you think will be a good place to spend our honeymoon?” queried Todd.
“Oh, that is going to be a difficult decision,” she replied as she moved closer to him. “I think of Monaco where we met, yet wonder about going someplace we have not been. What do you think?”
“You are right. This is going to be a hard one to call. I, too, thought of
Monaco. We can go to more than one place. I would like to plan on being on our honeymoon for a month. Does that sound pleasing to you?”
“Glorious,” she smiled with a squeal of delight. “I must put together quite a sizable trousseau. Of course, I can buy some things on the trip and have them as souvenirs. It will cut down on the luggage, at least one way.”
“That is a great idea, Precious. I would love to buy some beautiful clothes for you. I want to dress you like a queen, no, better than a queen. You can wear most anything so beautifully. That will be a joy. You can also buy some fabric for future plans. Are there any places you’d like to go for some special new materials?”
“Yes, there are a couple places I would like to go. We can plan that toward the end of our trip and spend most of it just loving each other, playi
ng and building beautiful memories for the future. I want to keep a scrapbook as we go so we can relive the trip anytime we want to. We must take along a good video camera so we can show our children and grandchildren. Just imagine it, we have never discussed what we want to do about a family, but we have plenty of time. First, we must work on getting married.”
“The more we talk and plan, the harder it gets to wait,” he remarked.
"Oh, Yes, so much so, she replied. Let us not wait any longer than necessary to plan the date. We can make a tentative plan and talk to the families to see if it will work out for them.”
They had time for a second glass of champagne and he asked her about her parents. He was so eager to meet them. Surely they were wonderful people because of all the great things they had done for her.
“You will love them, I am so anxious for them to meet you and love you as I know they will. My dad is a tall man, about 6 feet 4 inches tall and is dark and handsome, in his mid-fifties. He is quite slender. My mother is about my size and has dark hair and blue eyes. We look very much alike; I think you will agree to that.”
She looked at the clock. It was time to get ready to leave for dinner. He kissed her before leaving to go to the guest house to change. She watched him walk away and shook her head in utter amazement at the chance of meeting someone so perfectly wonderful. Oh, how she adored him. She turned to go up to her bedroom to shower and dress. She wore the necklace he got her with one of the dresses she made for her last trip. She wore her new perfume.
She went downstairs to wait but not for long, for shortly he arrived wearing her favorite outfit and exclaimed how beautiful she looked.
“I can just imagine how gorgeous you’ll look in your wedding dress. Oh, what a lucky man am I to have met and won you. We are going to be deliriously happy together. How are we going to wait to start our life together, my darling Triessa?”
Once Within A Lifetime Page 10