Chapter 121 Just Us
CAITLYN'S POV
We pulled up to the cabin Friday afternoon and I could not believe how beautiful it was. The pictures online had not done it justice. It was surrounded by tall trees with a perfect view of the lake. The water was calm and blue. Everything was peaceful and quiet.
"This is amazing," I said as Jason helped me out of the car. "Way better than I expected."
"I know," Jason said. He looked proud. Like he had picked the perfect place. "Wait until you see inside."
He grabbed our bags and we walked up to the cabin. Jason unlocked the door and we stepped inside. It was cozy. Wood floors. A stone fireplace. Big windows overlooking the lake. A kitchen with everything we needed. And a bedroom with the biggest bed I had ever seen.
"Jason this is perfect," I said. "Absolutely perfect."
"You really like it?" Jason asked. "You are not just saying that?"
"I really like it," I said. "I love it. This is exactly what I needed. What we needed."
Jason set the bags down and pulled me close. Kissed me. "Welcome to our honeymoon Mrs. Cross."
"Thank you Mr. Cross," I said. "For planning this. For bringing me here. For making me feel special."
"You are special," Jason said. "The most special person in the world to me."
We unpacked and then Jason made lunch. Sandwiches and chips. Simple but good. We ate on the deck overlooking the lake. The sun was warm. The breeze was cool. Everything was perfect.
"What do you want to do this afternoon?" Jason asked. "We can take a walk. We can just relax here. We can go into town. Whatever you want."
"Can we just stay here?" I asked. "I do not want to go anywhere. I just want to be with you. Enjoy the peace and quiet."
"That sounds perfect," Jason said. "Let me clean up and then we can sit on the deck. Watch the lake. Talk."
He cleaned up the dishes and then we went back outside. Sat on the porch swing. Jason put his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder. We just sat there. Swinging gently. Watching the water. Listening to the birds.
"This is nice," I said. "Really nice. I feel so relaxed already."
"Good," Jason said. "That is the whole point. To relax. To not think about anything stressful. To just be."
"Just be," I repeated. "I like that."
The baby kicked and Jason put his hand on my stomach. Felt the movement.
"Baby likes it here too," he said.
"Baby likes being close to you," I said. "Always kicks when you are near."
"That is because baby knows I am daddy," Jason said. He leaned down and talked to my stomach. "Right, Emma? You know Daddy is here. You know Daddy loves you."
"You think it is a girl?" I asked. "You keep calling the baby Emma."
"I do not know," Jason said. "Just a feeling I have. But I will be happy either way. Boy or girl does not matter. As long as the baby is healthy."
"Me too," I said. "Healthy is all that matters."
We sat there for hours. Talking. Laughing. Making plans for when the baby comes. Talking about names and nursery colors and all the things we needed to buy. It was easy. Comfortable. Like we had been doing this forever.
When the sun started setting Jason went inside and made dinner. Pasta with vodka sauce. My favorite. He brought it out to the deck with candles and wine for him and sparkling cider for me.
"This is beautiful," I said. "You did not have to go to all this trouble."
"It is not trouble," Jason said. "I wanted to make this special. This is our honeymoon. It should be special."
"It is special," I said. "Being here with you is special. The food is just a bonus."
We ate and watched the sun go down. The sky turned orange and pink and purple. It was the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen.
"I wish we could stay here forever," I said. "Never go back to real life."
"Me too," Jason said. "But we have a baby coming. We have a life waiting for us. But we can come back. Whenever we want. This can be our place. Where do we come to escape? To reconnect."
"I would like that," I said. "Coming back here. Making this our tradition."
"Our tradition," Jason said. "I like the sound of that."
After dinner, we went inside. Jason built a fire in the fireplace even though it was not that cold. But it made the cabin feel cozy. Romantic. We sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket. Watching the fire. Holding each other.
"Thank you," I said. "For this weekend. For planning everything. For being so thoughtful."
"You do not have to thank me," Jason said. "I wanted to do this. Wanted to give you a real honeymoon. Wanted to make memories with you before the baby comes and everything changes."
"Everything is going to change isn't it?" I asked. "Once the baby is here."
"It is," Jason said. "But in a good way. We will not have as much alone time. We will be tired. We will be busy. But we will also have this amazing little person. This baby we made together. And that will make it all worth it."
"You are right," I said. "It will all be worth it."
Afterwards, we lay in bed holding each other. The windows were open and we could hear the lake. The water lapped against the shore. The crickets are chirping. It was peaceful.
"I could get used to this," I said. "Waking up to the sound of the lake. Being away from everything. Just us."
"Me too," Jason said. "This is what life should be like. Peaceful. Simple. Full of love."
"Full of love," I repeated. "That is what our life is now. Full of love."
"It is," Jason said. "And I am so grateful for it. For you. For the baby. For this life we are building."
"Me too," I said. "I am so grateful."
We fell asleep like that. Wrapped in each other's arms. The sound of the lake in the background. Completely at peace.
The next morning I woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon. I got out of bed and went to the kitchen. Jason was cooking breakfast. Wearing just his sweatpants. Looking perfect.
"Morning," he said when he saw me. "I made breakfast. Hope you are hungry."
"Starving," I said. "What did you make?"
"Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Orange juice. The works."
We ate breakfast on the deck again. The morning was cool but beautiful. The lake was calm. Everything was perfect.
"What do you want to do today?" Jason asked. "We can explore the area. We can take a boat ride on the lake. We can just stay here."
"Can we take a walk?" I asked. "Just a short one. Along the lake. I want to see more of this place."
"We can do that," Jason said. "Let me clean up and then we will go."
We took a walk along the lake. It was beautiful. Trees everywhere. The water is sparkling in the sun. We walked slowly. Stopped to look at things. To take pictures. To just enjoy being together.
"This is the best honeymoon I could have asked for," I said. "Simple. Peaceful. Beautiful. With you."
"With you," Jason repeated. "That is all I need. Just you. Everything else is just extra."
"Just you is all I need to," I said.
We walked back to the cabin and spent the rest of the
day relaxing. Reading. Napping. Making love. Eating. Talking. Just being together. No phones. No work. No stress. Just us.