“I love you”, she whispered.
Jacob opened his eyes and smiled. He reached for her hands on either side of his face and slowly removed them before standing up. He ambled toward the door, turning the rod to close the blinds and then turned the lock. He turned around to face her and then offered his hand. “Show me…”
EPILOGUE
It was an unseasonably mild April day in Chicago. Cassie awoke earlier in her two bedroom condo she shared with Jacob alone. He’d planned on leaving early to head to his new office downtown to catch up on some miscellaneous paperwork.
Several weeks after her spur-of-the-moment trip to New York City, Jacob resigned from the Anderson James Architect Firm and moved to Chicago. He started his own firm, Nelson Architecture & Associates, which had quickly gained traction due to his hard work and rapport with developers and investors alike.
Just before noon, he called with instructions to dress warm and comfortably and to meet him in the parking garage promptly at twelve-thirty.
Cassie slipped into a stretchy pair of skinny jeans, a Chicago Cubs sweatshirt, and a pair of Ugg boots. She grabbed her purse and the small gift she’d wrapped earlier and headed downstairs to the parking garage.
“Hello, Mrs. Nelson!” he called out as she approached his black Audi Sedan.
“Hello, Mr. Nelson!” she shouted back.
Jacob embraced his new wife and pressed his lips against hers. “I missed you like crazy.”
“You were only gone a couple of hours”, she reminded him.
“I know—but I just can’t help it.”
“So, where are you taking me for lunch today?” she asked, curiously.
“It’s a surprise”. He reached into the back pocket of his dark, denim jeans and retrieved a black, satin blindfold. “Here—put this on”, he said as he handed it to her.
Cassie stared at the blindfold for a few long beats before meeting his gaze, an expression of bewilderment lurking beneath the surface of her beautiful face. “Is this really necessary?” She asked.
“Yes, it is. You won’t have to wear it for long, I promise.” Cassie opened the back door and placed the small, wrapped present on the back seat. “What’s that you have there?”
“You’ll find out soon enough”, she responded playfully. “Two can play this game…”
Jacob shook his head, smiling as he assisted her with her blindfold. Once she was seated in the passenger seat, he shut her door and then made his way to the driver’s seat.
Jacob was right, it didn’t take long to reach their destination and when their car came to a halt, he quickly rushed to open her door and assisted her out of the vehicle. He pointed her body in the correct direction and stood behind her with his hands enveloping her body from behind.
“Okay, you can remove the blindfold now…”
Cassie slowly raised the satin mask and gasped at the arrangement in front of her. He’d driven her to an empty lot of vacant land, scattered randomly with large Sycamore trees. An enormous, turquoise blanket was spread over the cold ground and two large, burgundy pillows were piled in the center next to a wooden picnic basket.
She covered her mouth with both hands as she spoke. “Oh my goodness! You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”
Jacob buried his face in the side of her neck and kissed the sweet spot directly below her ear. “This is just the first of several. Happy one month anniversary”, he uttered softly.
Cassie turned around to face him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “Thank you”, she whispered.
After leading her to her seat, he unloaded the contents inside of the basket. He’d stopped at one of their favorite local deli’s and picked up some gourmet sandwiches, fresh fruit, and a bottle of champagne.
“So, I take it that you didn’t make it to the office this morning?” Cassie asked.
“No—I hope you won’t hold my little white lie against me. It was for a good cause.”
“I guess I could let it slide—just this once…” Cassie began eating while Jacob opened the bottle and filled their plastic flutes with the bubbly concoction.
“I ran into Landon the other day…”
“Oh yeah?” She asked. “How did that go?”
Jacob leaned his elbow on one of the pillows and shifted his body a bit to lie on his side. “A little awkward at first, but he did give us his blessing.”
Cassie’s brows raised and her eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope—in fact, he asked me to work with him on a new project in Colorado Springs.” Cassie’s mouth fell open and Jacob gently nudged it closed with his fingertips. “You see? I told you there was nothing to be afraid of. I’m sure he was pretty upset when he first found out, but Landon’s a considerate and honest guy. I knew he’d come around eventually.”
“I hate to admit it, but… I guess you were right. I’m sorry I ever doubted you.” She said as she scooted closer to him.
Jacob reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. “I’m just glad you finally came to your senses and married me.”
“So am I.”
After devouring their delicious gourmet sandwiches, Jacob reached into the picnic basket and retrieved a white paper that had been rolled into a scroll and fastened with a red satin bow. “Happy one month anniversary”, he announced as he offered it to her.
Cassie tugged on the red satin ribbon and placed it on her lap before unrolling the scroll. She studied it for a moment and turned to meet his gaze. “Is this Nelson Architecture & Associates’ first official project?” she asked.
“Uh-huh.”
She glanced at the blueprints again. “I thought you were going to stick with commercial projects…”
“Oh—I am, but this particular project is personal to me—to us.” Cassie tilted her head and furrowed her brow in confusion. “This is our future house and if I calculated everything correctly, we’re picnicking in our family room right now…”
Cassie turned her attention back to the blueprints and elevation drawings she held in her hands. They sat in silence for several moments before she was finally able to articulate a cohesive sentence. “Jake, are you… are you serious? This is beautiful!”
“You’re beautiful.” Cassie leaned forward and pressed her voluptuous, pink lips against his. “It’s a traditional Cape Cod. It reminds me of the time we spent together in Maine last fall…”
“I have something for you, too. I’ll be right back.” Cassie stood up and retrieved the gift from the backseat of their car. She handed him the present and then sat down beside him.
Jacob stared at the gift for a moment. It was wrapped in royal blue paper and embellished with a large, fuschia bow. He sat the gift on the ground in front of him and hooked his fingers under the seam, gently prying the tape away from the paper with his free hand. He unfolded the paper, revealing the back of a shiny silver picture frame and picked it up, rotating it to unveil the picture. He studied the photograph for a few moments before glancing up at Cassie in disbelief.
“I hope this house of ours will be ready by Thanksgiving—”, she uttered as she lowered her body next to his, “—because we have a lot to be thankful for…”
Jacob glanced at the framed sonogram and then gently placed it on the ground. He reached his hand toward her belly and caressed it with his thumb. “Really?” He asked; his expression unmistakably hopeful.
Cassie covered his hand with hers and gazed into his mesmerizing, green eyes. “Really.”
He kissed her slowly and attentively before pulling away. “So that’s why you haven’t touched your glass of champagne.” He lowered his head and kissed her stomach.
“Are you happy?” She asked.
“I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am…”
Cassie cupped the back of his neck and drew him closer. “I love you, Jake.”
“I never get tired of hearing you say that… I love you, too!”.
Nikki Rittenberry, Chasing Destiny
Chasing Destiny Page 19