Then There Was You(113)

“You weren’t kidding, were you?” The feeling of dread overwhelmed me, thinking I’d soon be forced to endure a Bears game.

“I told you I wasn’t,” he laughed. “You’ll love it.”

I chuckled. “I guess there’s no use for a bikini here. It’s not nearly warm enough.”

“I’m sure there’ll be a hot tub,” he said waggling his eyebrows.

“Ha ha,” I retorted, grabbing my suitcase as it rolled past me on the conveyor. But, to be quite honest, Chicago or somewhere tropical, it didn’t really matter to me. I just wanted to spend time with Chris. This getaway would be perfect.





Once we were checked into the hotel room, Chris told me to get ready quickly. He had reservations for us at eight.

By seven fifteen he was pacing the floors. I was just starting my makeup when Chris came up behind me and slipped his hands around my waist.

He watched me impatiently in the mirror. “No amount of makeup could make you more beautiful than you are right now.”

“Oh stop.” I nudged him with my shoulder. “You’re just trying to push me out the door faster.”

“I’m doing no such thing,” he defended himself in mock horror. Leaning in, he kissed my temple. “This weekend is going to be amazing. I’m just happy to be here with you.”

I smiled at his reflection in the mirror. “You must be reading my mind. Oh, by the way, I grabbed some brochures at check-in. There are some pretty cool places here. Maybe we can decide what to do over dinner.”

“Sounds great. Now let’s get a move on,” he teased, smacking me on the butt.

I squealed then shooed him away as I applied the smoky eyeliner around my eyes. “You can’t rush art,” I joked.





Before long, we were heading down the highway on our way to dinner. Chris had rented a luxury town car for the weekend. It felt like we were driving a yacht compared to my little Elantra, but the soft leather seats were so comfortable I could almost camp out there.

Twenty minutes into the trip and I’d almost dozed off. “Where are we going?” I said sleepily from the passenger seat.

“You’ll see,” he said, sounding way too pleased with himself.

I huffed, teasing him. “You like to tease people, huh?” You’ll see. He’d said the same thing when he’d surprised me with his new recording studio back home.

Chris just smiled. “Let’s make it even more fun. Here, put this on.” He handed me a bandana.

“A blindfold?” My eyes widened, looking at the gray fabric, reminded of that sexy trilogy I’d recently read. I shivered at the thought.

Chris smiled, clueless. “Yeah, it will be fun. You know how much I love surprises.”

“Okay,” I said, skeptical. I tied the bandana around my head and covered my eyes. “I just hope I don’t get carsick.”

“You won’t,” he assured me, rubbing his finger against my thigh. “We’re almost there.”

It felt like we were driving around in circles with the blindfold on my head. I had zero sense of direction, and it certainly didn’t help that Chris’s hand found its way to my inner thigh, softly caressing the exposed skin below the hem of my skirt. I found myself losing my concentration more than once during the trip. Finally, we made the last turn, and Chris stopped the car. As long as we’d been on the road, I knew we couldn’t be in downtown Chicago anymore, unless he’d just been driving around aimlessly.

“Sit here. I’ll come get you,” he whispered. “Don’t take off the blindfold.”

“Okay,” I told him, trying to get my bearings, to no avail. I resisted the urge to cheat and peek out from under the bandana.

Within seconds, he opened the car door and pulled me from the vehicle.

Slipping his arm around my waist, he guided me toward my surprise. “Just a few more steps,” he assured me. His deep, throaty hushed tones sent shivers down my spine.

Excitedly, he held onto my shoulders and directed my feet for their exact placement. Standing behind me, he grasped the blindfold.

“You ready?” he whispered.

“As I’ll ever be,” I said, trembling with excitement.

Removing my blindfold, I opened my eyes. There, standing before me, was the most magnificent sight. A replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa stood majestically in the middle of a downtown square.

“Chris!” I exclaimed. “Oh my god, it’s… it’s…” I couldn’t find the words.

“It’s where your dad brought you when you were five,” he said softly.

Tears immediately sprang to my eyes. I couldn’t believe it. “Oh, Chris, you remembered… This… Oh my god, this is the most amazing gift ever. Thank you!” I threw my arms around him, kissing him like there was no tomorrow.