Exactly one hour later, we were landing somewhere and I still had no idea where. The plane taxied to a stop and there was a large SUV waiting for us. We deplaned and we were somewhere tropical.
“So, when are you going to tell me?”
“When we get there.”
The driver hopped out and took our bags, welcoming us to Turks and Caicos.
“Aha!” I exclaimed.
Justin laughed.
Our driver, John, looked at us in confusion. Justin explained.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to have spoiled your surprise.”
Justin replied, “No worries John. She still doesn’t know where we’re staying.”
John gave Justin a knowing look so I knew it was some place special.
And it was...very special. This place, Amanyara, was stunning. Very private, very exclusive and no doubt, very expensive. It didn’t offer rooms, it offered pavilions. They were suites that had their own pools. Ours was the best, or that’s what they said when we checked in, and it was right on the ocean. It was fabulous. I’d never seen anything like it. Very private, you could walk around naked for the entire time and no one would be the wiser...which is pretty much what we did. We sunbathed nude, we did everything nude. The only time we wore any clothing at all was when we went to dinner because we had all our other meals delivered to the room.
Valentine’s Day was Saturday. Early that morning, right before dawn, my alarm on my cell phone went off. I was disoriented because I didn’t set it and the room was so dimly lit, I couldn’t make anything out. I sat up in bed and turned on the bedside light. I was alone in the room. Propped on Justin’s pillow was a dozen long stemmed red roses and a thick embossed note card with his name, “Justin Daniel Middleton.”
I opened the card and written inside was:
My Dearest Terri,
Happy Valentine’s Day! Come and meet me outside
to watch the glorious sun rise on this
very special day.
Always yours,
Justin
I clambered out of bed and put on a robe. Making my way to the outside, I saw tiny lanterns lighting my way to where he waited. He sat on a blanket on the beach and in the distance you could see the horizon lightening up.
“Hey! This is lovely Justin.”
“Not nearly as lovely as you.” He kissed me. “Happy Valentine’s Day gorgeous.”
“Thank you for the roses. They’re beautiful. Justin?”
“Yeah babe.”
“I feel terrible.
“Why?” he sounded so concerned.
“I didn’t get you anything. Well, I did, but it’s at home. I didn’t know when we left...” my voice trailed. I had gotten him a ring. It was a really cool puzzle ring that actually looked like puzzle pieces. I wanted it to be a representation of how we had come together like that of a puzzle.
“Oh honey, that’s okay. You can give it to me when we get back. I don’t want that to spoil your day, okay?”
“Okay. Well, it is your fault after all.”
We laughed.
“Look at the glow on the horizon,” he said. It was a blend of pinks, oranges and reds, chasing away the darkness of the night.
“It’s awesome, isn’t it?”
“Uh huh. It reminds me of something.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“How each day with you brings something new into my life. And how just when I think I’ve gotten you pegged, you do or say something, that opens my eyes even wider and lets me know there are some really magical things about you Terrington Mitchell, that will take the rest of my life to figure out. So, that’s what I’d like to do. Terri, will you marry me? Will you be my wife? Will you share my life because I can’t stand the thought of going through mine without you right there with me. I’ve thought about what it was like before us, and baby, I don’t want to be in that place ever again. You make my life full. You make me into the man I want to be. You put the beat into my heart and the spirit into my soul. I love you Terri with my body, mind and spirit and I will for the rest of my life. I’ll always be true and faithful to you. Marry me please.”
Then he opened up his hand and in it sat a small black velvet box.
I sat and looked at him, and then smiled. “Justin, I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you...that night we went to dinner with Pearce and Lexi. Yes, I’ll marry you. I couldn’t stand the thought of going through life without you either. And I think this is the most romantic and sexy proposal I’ve ever heard of in my entire life.” Then I kissed him with everything I had. I jumped on him so hard, I knocked him backwards on the blanket and we just made out for a while. The sky lightened up all around us and finally we broke apart to breathe.