Page 10 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“Good,” I responded shyly because I didn’t want to answer in a way that would freak him out, given that I’d slept way more thangood. Lying next to Blake, I’d felt safe, warm, and cared about. He made me feel like I was the whole thought and not just the afterthought.

“I slept better than I have in forever. Now that I know what it’s like to fall asleep next to you and wake up in your arms, I think I might require your assistance in this matter for the rest of my trip. I mean, should you be amendable to that suggestion.”

“I might be able to be talked into it if you ask nicely.”

“Have I told you how happy I am that we met?”

Shaking my head, I answered, “Not in so many words.”

“Where do you want to head after the festival?”

“Well, before we make our way south again, I’d love to see reindeer out in the wild.”

“Done,” he replied. “I’ll make it happen.”

And that was exactly what he did. Once the festival ended, we exchanged contact info with our new friends. While they had to head back to Cornwall to work, Blake hired a guide to help us navigate the northern territories of Norway to see the reindeer.

They were smaller than I thought they’d be, smaller than the regular deer we had back in Michigan. White tails maybe? I was no deer expert. As we took in all the abundant beauty of the range with the snowcapped mountains in the background, the herds of reindeer eating the lush grass, I felt…peaceful. The mothers with their babies were my favorite part.

Our guide, a burly lumberjack-looking northerner with hair so blond that in the bright sun I had to squint to confirm he had eyebrows because they blended in with his face, offered to take us to a farm where we couldtry reindeer meatand I balked because what? Yes, I was fully aware of where meat came from and I enjoyed a big, juicy burger as much as the next girl, but somehow, the idea of eating one of these majestic creatures sat way wrong with me. Blake saw my face and said, “Thanks, but we’re on a schedule.”

Hilarious. The two people on the continent least likely to keep a schedule. I appreciated his quick thinking.

After our excursion to the north, we made our way back to Copenhagen, Denmark because I wanted to spend a couple of days there. Then we headed west to the Netherlands because Blake wanted to spend a couple of days in Amsterdam.

“Where to next?” he asked, popping a meatball into his mouth. We’d been seated by the window inside the restaurant purposely to watch the people passing by. Blake and I had opted to try a little bit of everything to share. The meatballs, which came smothered in a delicious mustard sauce, fried fish with a mayo-based sauce on the side, a stew made with creamy mashed potatoes and had bacon in it were a few of my favorites.

“Well, as much as I love it here, it’s summer. I’m from Michigan. We spend about seven months of the year chilly or cold. So…” I tapped my finger on my chin. “I think I’d like to go warmer now. I’ll get this when I get home.”

That decided, we hopped a sleeper train after checking out of the hotel, deciding on Portugal for our destination, which was so, so beautiful. Over the two and a half days of travel, we slept in a private car with a comfortable bed. The woman at the ticket counter warned us that we should grab a few groceries for the trip, and that we’d found, was good advice I’m glad we were smart enough to take.

The train stopped in Aveiro, known as “the Venice of Portugal” for its canals. Pure magic. Blake surprised me with a boat tour during our day in paradise. Then from there, we followed the coast until we hit Tavira to do the touristy thing, checking out the Roman bridge and a medieval castle and we got to learn about the Moorish occupation of the region. I’d probably have missed all of this if I hadn’t met Blake because visiting Portugal had never entered my mind. The only places I’d considered were the big spots that Americans usually toured. Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Rome, Athens, etc.

Several sultry days of soaking up the sun later and we continued along the coast into Spain then crossed over into Gibraltar, of all places. Neither of my best friends—formerbest friends? I still couldn’t decide on that one—but neither had ever visited Gibraltar. Thanks to this trip and Blake, I’d traveled to a place thatmypictures would makethemdrool instead of me always living vicariously through them.

Both Pen and Si called a couple of times, but I sent the calls to voicemail, giving myself time to think about what I wanted to say to them once we talked again. My mother tried to contact me several times as well. But after she’d hidden her boyfriend from me for a year, I still wasn’t ready to go there, either. Besides, time talking with them meant less time talking with Blake and I wanted all the time I could get with him.

Eventually, I’d have to wake up from this dream vacation and all I’d have left were these memories.

Chapter Three

“What would you say to spending the night with me?” Blake asked, which—what? I stumbled over my feet. He caught me, keeping me upright.

Evasive maneuvers. Evasive maneuvers. “I spendeverynight with you,” I replied.

He shook his head. “I mean naked.”

Oh—hello. He wasn’t about to let me naive myself out of this one. I mean, I wanted to get all kinds of naked with the man, but my life wasn’t as simple as that.

“Never mind,” he said. “I can see from the look on your face that you aren’t down with that.”

I held his hand as we walked through St. Michael’s Cave. “It’s not that I’m not down with it. Please don’t think that. It’s just…” I sighed. “I have some hang-ups that I really need to work through before we go there.”

“Hang-ups?”

“Yeah…” I sighed again. “And for me to be comfortable enough, I need you toreallylike me.”

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