Page 27 of Forever Focused

“Maybe…” he said evasively – and winked at her.

“Guess we should make this legitimate then…”

“I do like the idea of being yours.”

“I kinda like the idea of being yours too…”

They shared a tender smile and stepped forward to exchange their vows in the tiny chapel in the middle of nowhere.

* * *

Not thirty minutes later, Poppy was following Michael as they climbed and walked along an extremely long ‘boardwalk’ of sorts that was two feet wide. The wooden walkway was flanked by ‘walls’ made of brambles and branches to give it a hidden look from the forest floor below. Michael had made arrangements for them to stay at a plush treehouse hidden on the outskirts of Austin – and it was like something from a fairy tale.

Large curling branches hid the small wooden cabin and deck from view, cradling them in the trees about fifty feet off the ground. Luckily she wasn’t afraid of heights, or this might have put quite the damper on their impromptu honeymoon. Instead, she was invigorated as a bird flew almost directly past her forehead, causing her to start and laugh nervously.

“Wait until sunset,” Michael chuckled. “We’re supposed to see the bats come up from their roosting spots in some of the caves to feed on the mosquitos. It’s supposed to be quite a sight…”

“No rabies?”

“I’ll be the only one biting at you, Mrs. Petersen,” he chuckled, grinning at her. “Nothing is going to be attacking you, and we’ll watch the scenery unfold together. I promise.”

“This is incredible,” she whispered, getting to the top and taking in the expansive views. “I can’t believe all of this…”

“I wanted us to focus on making memories together,” he smiled, setting down their bags on the landing… and picked her up. Poppy was so surprised she clung to his shoulders, afraid that with one wrong move, they would both go careening downward, plunging to their deaths.

“There’s a net, sweetheart,” he whispered knowingly. “But I don’t plan on testing it either.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, I assure you. I have no wish to ruin things before I get to spend hours holding you close.”

“Yeah, that would kinda ruin the moment, wouldn’t it?”

“No ‘kinda’ about it,” he grinned, carrying her over the threshold and into the tiny cabin before setting her down. The small, rounded door was painted a bright red and hid behind it a very simple room. There was a full-size bed that took up most of the space and sliding doors opposite of it that revealed an outdoor shower along with a composting toilet. It was rough, but you didn’t stay in a treetop cabin for the amenities.

You were here for the moment, the adventure, the memories, and they were going to do just that. She turned and looked at him, treasuring the way his eyes would melt as he looked at her – and always had. Michael’s eyes had always pulled at something in her soul, and she was free to give into that sensation now as his wife.

“No television…”

“Nope.”

“No… hot tub or…”

“Nope and nope,” he interrupted, stepping forward, making his presence known. The back of his fingers caressed her cheek as they stared at each other. There was no one to pull him away, no one to interrupt them, and no one to tell them to grow up, be careful, or do things a certain way.

“I love you,” she breathed, not holding back.

“I love you too,” he murmured, putting his hands on her waist as he moved to pull her close. There was no reason to fight this, no excuses to hold back or delay, but still, she didn’t want to rush into things, and this was probably the most romantic thing that he’d ever done for her.

There were yards and yards of white mosquito netting gathered at each of the four corners of the bedposts. A bottle of bubbly sat on a small nightstand with two flutes beside it – and a cupcake. It was sweet, tender, and obviously meant a lot to him to go to these lengths to impress her.

She threaded her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, letting herself drown in those parts of his soul that she had glimpsed for so long and couldn’t enjoy. His gaze held hers, almost like he was savoring the same thing, before he finally leaned toward her. His breath mingled with hers. She laid her hand on his chest over his heart, as he spoke, his words beckoning straight to her soul.

“I’ve loved you for so long please, let’s just take our time on our greatest adventure yet,” he breathed.

“For the first time in my life, I’m in no rush to figure anything else out in my world…”

“Me neither.”

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