Life's Unexpected Turn

Chapter 50: Beauty

*Parker's POV*

When Bailey used the restroom during our delicious late lunch, Shay sent me a message. She stated that she finally found a perfect place that had everything I wanted it to have. While at Wal-Mart earlier, when my girl and I went our separate ways searching for a few items, I messaged Shay. While doing that, I made sure to get my items into the car before Bailey noticed. I asked if she could help me find a place with a vast hiking trail, a beautiful area to stargaze, and somewhere where we'd be allowed to camp for the night. I was so utterly happy everything was going as I had hoped it would. Bailey's in for the night of her life; I genuinely hope she loves this surprise.

During our incredible drive to Beavertail State Park, Bailey scooted herself as close to me as possible and remained buckled for safety. My girlfriend told me she wanted to be close to me. I always loved being able to feel her soft skin; her touch would never be unwelcome, and I promised her that. Bailey mentioned a few times how excited she was about the secret place we were heading to. Occasionally, she'd try talking about my plans while randomly kissing my cheek or neck.

Though Bailey tried her best to get me to reveal something that could give away the surprise, I never actually let anything slip. She soon realized that she'd have to wait and see what I had in store for us, and from the look on her face, she was more than happy with doing that. I especially loved when one of her favorite songs would come on the radio, the way my girlfriend would do a little dance while beautifully singing along to it. I absolutely love hearing how joyful she sounds when she's singing like this.

After nearly an hour of driving, I started to notice how sleepy Bailey had become. I held her hand and told her she should close her eyes and rest since we still had some driving left anyway. Before Bailey fell asleep, she waited until we stopped at a red light to kiss me and say how much she loved me. Then, as she got comfortable, still holding my hand, she requested that when we got closer to our destination, she wanted me to wake her.

I nodded with a warm smile.

~

When I noticed my gas was getting low, I pulled into the large pitstop and parked my vehicle at the filling station. After a quick glance at Bailey, I smiled, got out of the car, and turned the engine off. I opened the gas cap, inserted my debit card, and paid for the fuel, ensuring I had a full tank when we departed. While it was filling up, I watched Bailey sleeping soundly from the side-view mirror. Just seeing her there, resting so peacefully, filled me with more happiness than I ever thought possible by merely watching someone.

Once the tank was finally filled, I locked the car while I went inside the convenience store attached to this station. I found plenty of Hershey's Chocolate Bars, a large bag of Marshmallows, and a couple of boxes of Graham Crackers. I also procured a pack of matches and a lighter in case it rained, and the matches wouldn't work correctly. I purchased those items along with a large bag of ice to fill the cooler, some insect-repellent spray, and sunscreen.

I soon exited the store, walked to my vehicle, and instantly smiled upon seeing how comfortable and snug Bailey looked. I carefully opened the trunk, extracted the cooler, and took out all that was within it. I then poured the bags of ice into it and put everything that needed to be cooled inside the container. I threw the ice bags away and put the cooler back into the trunk, placing the rest of the bags I had just bought beside it. I can't wait until she helps me once we get there and realizes everything I got for tonight... Bailey's really going to love her surprise.

I looked at each item, ensuring I had everything we needed for our evening. When I was confident and ready to continue the drive, I got back into the car, buckling myself up. I turned the engine on, re-loaded my phone with the GPS, and drove down the long road to the surprise. I had initially planned to resume some low tunes on the radio while I drove, but... the adorable soft snores from Bailey stopped me from doing so. I was utterly enthralled with her adorableness and was more than okay with merely listening to her sleeping for the duration of the drive.