Page 56 of The Jellybean Dilemma

“Why not? I saw everything last night.” He stalked to the foot of the bed, toying with the edge of the blanket. His fingers crept under the edge, stroking my calf and I squealed, rolling away. He pounced on top of me, pinning me down with his weight plus the covers. “I just wanted to say good morning.”

Our faces were inches from each other. I tried not to breathe on him since I hadn’t brushed my teeth, but he leaned down and kissed my cheek.

He hovered there. “No good-morning kiss?”

I bit my lip, not saying no.

Greg trailed kisses closer to my mouth until his lips pressed to mine. He sighed happily. “That’s better.” The smile made his dimple appear. “Get dressed, and I’ll take you out for breakfast.”

Once the door was shut, I stayed in bed for a few long moments, almost expecting him to come popping back in, yelling, “Gotcha!” This playful, flirtatious side of Greg was unexpected, but I loved it. It seemed he finally felt comfortable enough to be himself.

Maybe those invisible barriers between us had truly crumbled.

Convinced I had the room to myself, I hurried to get dressed. I pulled on my one pair of jeans and a worn sweatshirt along with thick socks, planning on wearing the boots Greg had bought me. When I opened my door, I almost tripped over a beautiful mixed bouquet of flowers in a vase. The card simply read ‘Thanks for letting it be me’.

If I took longer to get ready than he expected, I wasn’t going to tell him that his note had blindsided me, and I’d needed a minute to compose myself. I trotted downstairs where he waited for me, lighting up as he took in my casual outfit. He was dressed similarly. His smile widened when I reached for my boots.

Since we were already going out, the frozen shoreline appealed to me, and I suggested. “I thought maybe we could go out to Presque Isle again if we have time. Take a walk.”

A frown crossed his face. “We’ll have to see how bad the weather gets. A blizzard up here really means something.” When my face fell, he touched my chin. “But we’ll see, okay? Right now, it’s just a little bit of snow for us yoopers.”

The wedding wasn’t until four p.m., so we didn’t have to be back till one. We were caught in that happy bubble of pre-wedding anticipation, feeling like we had all the time in the world together. A day of endless possibility stretched before us. And I was happy to take advantage of every delicious moment.

Breakfast was a comfortable affair. Greg took me to a nearby cafe with hearty breakfast sandwiches. They had great service, a homey atmosphere and the conversation never lagged between us.

When our stomachs were full and we had coffee to go, Greg declared it safe enough to venture to Presque Isle. The drive was snowy, and he took it slow, but it must not have been too dangerous because he held my hand the whole time. After we’d parked, he produced a red hat with a pompom on top for me as well as a pair of thick gloves.

The sharp wind blew off the coastline when I stepped out, for once not waiting for Greg to open my door. I met him in front of the car with a grin, blinking away the snowflakes that flew into my face. It was an entirely different world. The trees were coated in white, snow clinging to their branches. There was a quiet beauty in the monochrome scene of white, no hint of green or blue that came with spring. It was peaceful, almost reverent. I felt odd even speaking.

Then he went to his trunk and got out two pairs of what appeared to be tennis rackets with leather straps on them.

I frowned. “What are those?”

“Only way to access the shore this time of year. Snowshoes.” He grinned.

They weren’t hard to put on, but walking in them took some getting used to. The surface area was much different, so it felt like I was waddling.

But we did it. The snowshoes allowed us to stay on top of the snow, instead of sinking into it. As we trekked, I admired the drifts and the frozen waves. A cardinal zipped past, a bright flash of red against the pristine wall of white. When I needed to catch my breath, I tugged Greg to a stop, and we stood for a few minutes just staring into the frozen expanse of Lake Superior.

My family’s livelihood came from that and the other Great Lakes surrounding our state. I’d grown up knowing them, hearing about them. But they still took my breath away. The wind picked up even more, slicing through me with cold as sharp as a razor.

“Ready?”

I nodded, my breath coming out in foggy puffs before me as we trekked back to the car. I was grateful to take off the snowshoes, happy to walk normally once again. When Greg started the engine, I reached over, cranking the heat up to full blast. “Do you miss it?” I asked. “Living up here?”

“Sometimes.” Greg turned on the wipers to push away the snow that had built up while we’d been walking. “It has a certain beauty, an untamed quality that begs to be conquered.”

Once we were on the road, I waited anxiously for the heat to kick out. It was nice to be away from the wind, but my hands were still freezing. Greg started talking again, surprising me when Carrie’s name left his lips.

“After Carrie dumped me, I was in a bad place.” His gloved hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I flunked out of Northern. My dad and I fought constantly. He wanted me to take over the family business, said I was wasting my potential.” His lips twisted into a wry smile. “That’s why it’s been so long since I’ve been back.”

I forgot about the cold. I just wanted to wrap Greg in my arms and hold him until the obvious pain of his father’s words disappeared. It amazed me, the power of words, the hurt they could cause.

“It was my mom who thought of her brother. Uncle Harry took me in, found me a job, and I got to meet you.” His dimple appeared, although the grin was tinged with a hint of sadness. “There’s a lot of things I miss about this place, but if I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

His hand left the steering wheel to rest palm up between us. I didn’t hesitate to grab it.

Maybe the heat had kicked on. Or maybe the sweetness of his words warmed me. Either way, when I thought about it, I couldn’t bring myself to want anything to change either.

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