Page 103 of Forever Fascinating

The door gave and the lights came on automatically with a sensor, revealing a very tidy, warm, and welcoming interior. There was a Keurig, a bottle of bubbly on ice with two flutes… and a vibrant tiny cake on the counter.

“Oh Matthew…” she breathed, realizing that he’d tried to make this as special as he could for her. As he set her down, she saw him press a button opening a large sliding door that opened a quarter of the cottage wide open to the deck.

She looked at the small cake, touched beyond measure. It was white with bright pink flowers made of what looked like white chocolate and had writing around the decorative fluted plate that said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Barlow’.

At a loss for words, she saw Matthew outside unfolding two chairs on the deck, and saw two robes hanging on hooks near a small bathroom. Peering inside, she was stunned to see that the shower was fully enclosed by glass and was really relieved to see there was nothing in the distance – not even a road.

The cottage had absolute privacy.

She could see out of the shower wall a small creek in the distance, as it ran along the ground, carving out a pathway. The sun was lowering in the distance, yet it was a sunset unlike any other. The midnight sun was just that… although it was only eight at night locally.

Turning back to explore the rest of the cottage, she smiled at how quaint it was. There was a tiny table with two contemporary looking seats and a light fixture that reminded her of branches with tiny bulbs at the end of each twig.

The bed had a large fur looking bolster, along with a matching throw across the foot of the mattress that was neatly made, causing her to jump as she heard a cork pop in the distance.

Glancing over her shoulder at Matthew, she saw he wasn’t looking at her, but instead pouring two glasses of something. His jaw flexed slightly, and he looked tense, making her wonder if he was aware of how romantic and isolated a setting this was.

“This is incredible…” she began, unsure what to say. “I mean, it’s just simply overwhelmingly gorgeous in a way I never imagined.”

“You don’t mind how remote it is?”

“Have you seen the bathroom?” she laughed. “I’m really glad it’s remote, because of the shower alone.”

He gave her a devilishly charming smile and raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

“Bubbly?” he offered, holding out a glass. “I think it’s some sort of champagne, but I can’t read the label.”

“Does it smell like Ouzo?”

“Nope,” he grinned, looking a little more relaxed. “What do you want to do first? Do you want to inspect our surroundings? The cottage sits on a private bird sanctuary. We could always sit on the deck, talk, and hopefully we can see something in the sky. I doubt it because it’s the wrong time of the year… or would you like to change and enjoy the hot tub?”

“Can we combine a couple of those things?” she asked, accepting her glass from him. “Hot tub, talking, and hope to see a green ribbon of light in the sky or maybe just the stars?”

“Have I mentioned that I think you are perfect?”

She held up her glass, looking at him.

“To the man who makes me feel like I could tackle anything,” she began softly, smiling at him. “Life is an incredible adventure with you, and I’m so happy to be at your side.”

“To the woman I never anticipated and had been warned to stay away from, repeatedly,” he began, his voice tender. “I’m so glad I couldn’t resist that simple ‘hello’… my life changed for the better in that single moment.”

Jana felt tears sting her eyes as she stared up at him, feeling overwhelmed by so much love and emotion. He was really the best person she’d ever met, and couldn’t believe how far they had come together.

“We can’t get married for three days, huh…” she repeated, just to make sure she was right at what he said – and sincerely wishing in this moment it wasn’t.

“Consider it the world’s worst foreplay imaginable for two people very much in love,” he smiled knowingly, nodding his head. “Yes, three days and then you are mine forever.”

“No one would know,” Jana whispered, feeling her cheeks heat – only to see his look.

“I would know… and I can wait three more days to make you mine, Mrs. Barlow,” he smiled painfully. “It might be three very long days, but this is the one thing I intend to be firm about. I want to do right by you – always.”

“So, until then,” Jana began, realizing that not only was he amazingly loving – but noble too. He would be an incredible, honorable man she would be proud of for years to come. “Until our marriage, it’s bubbly, wedding cake, whatever meals we can scrounge up, and exploring this little corner of the world.”

“I’ve got us set up to takeaplunge… before we taketheplunge,” he admitted. “I thought I would take you back into town, we could do a little shopping, and do our polar plunge, before warming up in the hot tub again.”

“You’re on…” she beamed, laughing at the creative play on words.

Picking up her bag that he’d brought inside while she was looking around at the cottage, she took a sip of her bubbly, before disappearing to change in the restroom.

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