Page 26 of A Winter's Wedding

“Like this morning. Your not-so-subtle ‘meet me downstairs in fifteen’ wake up call to get me moving quickly.”

“What?” he said with his hands extended out as though he had no idea to what she was referring.

He looked completely adorable, and America had to wipe the innocent grin off his face with a kiss. She took one last swig of water from the straw and dabbed her lunch’s remnants from her face. “Let’s get going if we’re going to beat the weather.”

Chapter15

Coming into Buffalo late Tuesday evening, the lake effect snow machine had cranked up ahead of schedule. America had traveled through Buffalo once, only waiting out a layover at the airport for a few hours, while Leo had spent time on the lake nearby as a child. Neither of them had visited in the winter. What had begun as a wintry wonderland with little puffs of snow gripping onto tree branches and flocking fence lines had turned into slick pavements and dangerous overpasses. America was just happy they had made it all the way through town before things turned even worse.

Leaving Ohio, they had a choice to take a more southerly route; a path that would have brought them very near New York but would have been hours out of the way. With her overactive optimism playing tricks on her, they had turned north towards home, by way of Buffalo, and hoped for the best.

Checking in at the motel, the clerk informed them that they were lucky because the highways were closing all around the metroplex. This part of the country was known for experiencing sudden and extreme snowfall totals, and America was surprised at seeing it pile up as quickly as it had overnight.

In the soft blue glow of morning, she sat by the window in their hotel room while Leo was off somewhere procuring breakfast—something sweet, she hoped. Her mouth watered at the thought of Leo’s sugary lips pressing against hers, the way they had last night. America’s hands crossed her chest, and she rubbed warmth into her arms, wishing she had grabbed a blanket from the bed to wrap around her body. As it was, her pajama shorts and button-down weren’t enough to keep the cold, emanating from the window, from pricking at her skin.

She retrieved the white down covers and sat where she had been at the sill. Leo’s scent filled her nose, and she closed her eyes as she let it fill her. She could almost hear the remnants of his soft moan as his hands had roamed her body under the covers last night. His soft skin ignited desire in her fingertips and stirred her need to explore all of him. He had enveloped her soul, and her heart threatened to burst from how she and Leo fit together.

After they shared vows under the St. Louis Arch, her reasons for withholding physical intimacy from Leo no longer seemed valid in her mind, nor heart. Her adoration for her husband swelled when she lay beneath him and wrapped in his arms. Although their delayed wedding night didn’t happen the way she imagined—in a villa in the Italian countryside with soft linen drapes blowing softly inside the opening to a stone veranda—she couldn’t have guessed how making love to Leo would leave her brimming with joy.

As though she conjured him with her thoughts, Leo burst through the door with his hands full. He used his elbow to throw the bolt, while a pleased grin left his eyes wide open. “You look cozy over there,” he said and made his way past the outdated art-deco bed-set to the small honey oak table in the corner. As old as the motel was, it was clean… and their only choice last night.

“What did you get?” America asked as the heater unit positioned in the wall below the window kicked on and blew lukewarm air up her pajamas. She switched from sitting at the window to sitting on the end of the bed.

Leo sat beside her. “I got breakfast. It’s not much, but I was able to find a place a block away that was still open.” He handed her a to-go cup with a dark brown lid, and she could smell the earthy scent of black coffee. “I got you a lemon curd pastry and some red velvet donut holes for me. But we can share.”

She would definitely want to share, but first she took a bite of the pastry and it practically melted in her mouth. The lemon was a refreshing addition to her delightful morning. “Thank you for this.”

“Don’t mistake my actions as being nice. It’s self-preservation really,” Leo laughed at what he was about to say, and the joke was already written on his face. “A hungry America is a dangerous America.”

“I object!”

“I bet you do,” Leo said and kissed her nose. “But you know it’s true. Now eat.”

With a mouth full, she asked the lingering question, “What are we going to do about all the snow? Maybe we should have waited in St. Louis for a flight.”

“And miss out on that five-way chili?” Leo teased. “No way.”

“Do you think the roads will open back up this morning?” America sipped her coffee and peered out the window at the curtain of falling snow.

“It’s not good. The lady at the donut place said the weather can last for days like this. The good news is that the local roads are being plowed pretty well.” Leo popped a donut hole and grinned while he chewed. “I even saw one of those road vacuums that sucks in the snow and then spits it into the back of a dump truck.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re such a little boy sometimes.”

“Oh, come on! It was so cool.”

She couldn’t help but love how he saw the world around him. “What do they do with all the snow they collect? Melt it?”

“They probably just dump it somewhere. Who knows?” Obviously, his curiosity had its limits. Leo threw a donut hole into the air and caught it in his gaping mouth, smiling when the sweet glaze hit his tongue. “Speaking of melting water, I think we might be able to go see it.”

“See what?”

“The falls,” Leo said. “I know you’ve never been. So, since we’re doing this wholeadventuringthing, we should at least try and make it across town. And then after lunch, maybe the highway will reopen, and we can get out of here.”

“I guess I should text Carol and let her know I’m not gonna make it to her dress fitting. She’s doing so much for us, and I feel like I’m letting her down.”

“I’m sure she understands, this weather is sort of out of our control,” Leo said and gave a reassuring nod.

“You’re right, and if we’re here, I would love to see the falls. Let’s check the roads before we leave, just in case.” America opened the map app on her phone that showed traffic and road conditions. She nodded her head back and forth while the information loaded. One by one, the street layout materialized on the screen. Some showed up yellow or red, indicating slow or no moving traffic, but the green ones, mainly the local highways, stretched a path across clear through the heart of the city and all the way to Niagara. “Looks like we’ll make it. Should we go ahead and pack up and hope for the best?”

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