Fathom(17)

“For all of us?”

He nodded.

“Won’t that be a little cramped?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Not where we’re staying.”

“Where are we staying?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Tiesa seemed barely able to control herself any longer. Grinning, she pushed her left hand toward me. On her ring finger was a single, delicate diamond. My mouth dropped open.

“You’re engaged?”

“Yup!” She giggled and Ezen’s face grew red.

“I proposed yesterday.”

“That’s wonderful! Congratulations!” I was truly happy for them both. Thayde put his arm around me and I pulled at the top of the present. Inside was a pair of exquisite diamond studs.

“You guys! They’re beautiful!” I slipped the sparkly earrings on. “Thank you so much.”

Tiesa beamed. “We got them from the same place Ezen got my ring! Oh, let me tell you about the wedding. We want it to be next spring.”

The rest of the limousine ride was spent listening to Tiesa and Ezen happily fill us in on all the details.

We pulled up to a grand hotel that stood behind thick, black gates. The writing on the building read “The New York Castle”.

“This is where we’re staying?” I asked, dumbfounded. I could already tell it was going to be the most expensive hotel I had ever stayed in.

“This is where we’re staying.” Thayde echoed, scooping me into his arms again.

“I can walk, Thayde,” I squirmed to get out of his arms.

“I know.”

My small entourage followed us through the impressive front doors into the hotel lobby. It was from something out of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. Everyone but me easily belonged there.

Thayde gently set me on my feet when we reached the front desk. A man in an elegant suit greeted us warmly.

“Welcome to the Castle. How may I help you?”

“We have a reservation under Dartmoth.” Thayde answered, looking down at me.

“Yes Mr. Dartmoth, we have you staying with us in one of the Triple Suites.” He handed Thayde the key and a piece of paper, which Thayde signed. “Please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can provide you with any of our services. We hope you enjoy your stay.”

A bellboy dressed in an equally impressive suit took the few bags we had, placing them on a cart. We followed him to a private elevator.

When we reached our floor, the elevator doors opened into the most luxurious hotel room I’d ever seen. If you could call it a room – it was more an apartment. The bellboy informed us that there were three floors to our suite. Three separate bedrooms came with their own bathrooms and living areas. The balcony from the main living room had its own fireplace and chairs. Pretty golden lights hung from the ceiling casting a gold glow about the area for night time entertaining. Large black pots held luscious plants and flowers. The spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline took everyone’s breath away.

Each of us decided to spend time with our loves. Mom and Tammer retreated to their room and Tiesa and Ezen decided to have a drink on the balcony. I, being the party pooper that I was, felt exhausted. When I told Thayde, he escorted me to our room.

I sat down on the king-sized bed and ran my hand over the quilt, making a mental note to ask if we could buy the Egyptian cotton sheets and quilt set. They were lovely.

“How are you doing, baby?” Thayde asked, pulling off my shoes.

“I think I’ll be okay if I have a nap.” I said. He chucked my shoes to the side and stared up at me, making me shiver.

“Are you cold?” He reached to the soft blanket that lay draped over the edge of the bed.

“No. It’s you.” I said and his eyes returned to mine. “You make me shiver.”

“I do, huh?” His deep voice sent chills over me again. He leaned forward and lifted me farther onto the bed.

I curled into a ball and lay my head on his arm as he lay behind me. He held me as if he were afraid I’d break under the weight of his arms.

“We’ll stay here until our apartment is fixed. Then we’ll go home and get ready for school.” He breathed the scent of my hair in deep.

School - I’d forgotten about that. I didn’t want to think about everything that needed to be finished before we started.

“Yeah,” I said.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just feeling a bit overwhelmed all of a sudden.”

Thayde caressed my shoulder.

“Thayde?” I asked.

“Mmm?”

“Do you love me?”

He was quiet for a moment and then sat up. I turned onto my back so I could face him.

“Morgan, I love you more than I could ever love anyone else. You’re my soul mate. Leaving you was agony.”