As Justin clarified, he and Dad return home thirty minutes before nine which gave Justin enough time to rinse away the layer of dirt staining his skin and look over the overnight bag I packed for him. By nine o'clock, I'm saying goodbye to my parents on the way out the door, as they cuddle on the couch.
I can't help but notice Pattie's car in the driveway and the illumination of light behind the curtains in the living room. I know Justin hadn't been to see his mother since their conversation but I knew it wasn't my place to intervene. That didn't mean I couldn't send her a text letting her know that Justin and I were actively working to save our marriage.
The car ride ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated and I don't realize I've slept the remainder of the drive until I'm woken up by Justin with a kiss on the forehead. Justin grabs our bags from the car and then leads the way toward a large historic mansion. It had two stories—both with a porch wrapped around its entirety. On the way to the front door, I notice the sign pinned out front. Bed & Breakfast.
We enter inside where we're given a brief tour of the residence, and then handed the keys to our room. The place was beautiful—designed with mahogany wood that lined each railing and staircase. Our hosts take us to the common areas: a place to use a phone or computer if you didn't have one, the dining room which housed an enormous table that was set for a seven-course meal, and the table tennis board and jacuzzi on the back patio.
Justin and I discuss plans to make our way to the patio after settling into our room. Once we make it to the door, Justin insists I be the one to unlock it. He claimed the reason was because of our bags, but I know the bags aren't what prevents him from unlocking the door. Either way, I don't waste time arguing my point when he pretends to struggle to pass me the keys.
When I open the door, I notice tee lights and rose petals lining the floor like a map to a special destination. The room is set up like a miniature house, with a living room, bedroom, and bathroom. On the way through the living room led by the trail on the floor, it breaks at an envelope placed on the coffee table with a vase filled with a mixture of sunflowers and roses.
Without turning to look at Justin, I know it's his doing. If there was anything Justin was amazing at, it was coming up with the most romantic ways to pamper me. I smile at him then pick the envelope from the table to open it. Inside is an index card with words written in big black bold letters.
GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD
He doesn't allow a second to pass and manages to explain the purpose of the card before confusion could ruin the moment. He grabs ahold of my hand and pulls our bodies closer to each other.
"Your Dad made me realize something during our conversation today. He made me realize that I don't want to lose you. I know we've both made our fair share of mistakes, but I didn't quite understand the problem with what I did because it's reversible. Now I know that it's not only about that. It's the principle of what I did. It wasn't okay."
He continues to explain the purpose of the get-out-of-jail-free card. Summing it up to an opportunity to get out of any situation—excluding the obvious—without any resistance from him. He said it was because he thought it was a gesture that made him look serious about our future together. I loved the gesture but I didn't see a purpose for it because technically, he'd already given me one before when he chose to forgive me for cheating. I don't tell him my thoughts on the card. Instead, I place it back inside the envelope and give him a quick peck on the lips before continuing to follow the trail of lights and petals.
The trail ends in the bedroom with a heart that lays at the foot of the queen-sized bed. In the middle of the heart is a small blue velvet box that no doubt housed a piece of jewelry. Justin reaches for it before I have a chance, and encourages me to open it. Inside the box is a silver bracelet with a cursive script in the middle.
Samaria's.
"I know how important coming up with the name for your new business venture meant to you and I thought what better way to show you that other than to have it made into something you can have close to you."
Before I can respond, he removes the bracelet from the box and fastens it around my wrist. Even after the bracelet is fastened, I can't fathom the words to express my gratitude. My happiness erupts with me in tears. How did I get so lucky to be loved by someone like Justin? Someone willing to own up to mistakes no matter how ego bruising it might have been. Someone willing to give me another chance even when I knew that I didn't deserve it.
My hands find themselves pressed against his cheeks as we magnetize against each other for a kiss. I don't pull away from him once his hands slip underneath my dress to caress my curves. Instead, it just brings us even closer together. Luckily we both pull away at the same time and part to separate sides of the bed to set our belongings up for the night.
After settling in, Justin and I shower—together, though it remained as PG as it gets—change into our swimsuits, and head for the jacuzzi. Another couple occupies the space, but they politely nod and make room for Justin and me.
With everything that had been going on between Justin and me, I realize that this is the longest we've been together since before he decided to tour for a year and a half. The feeling of only being woken up in the middle of the night when he had to leave never got easier. I suppose that should've made me feel at ease—him being home now. Yet all I could think about is how long this period of bliss would last for us. It's not like it took the paparazzi a lot of time to find out where Justin would be, what he would be doing, and who he'd be with.
It was only a matter of time until we'd have to go back to sneaking in and out of places, wearing disguises to do mundane things, and having our space and time constantly invaded with no way to avoid it without looking like monsters to anyone who didn't agree, let alone understand. Another part of life I had no interest in being involved in anymore. So much shit came from being under the microscope and I hated it. If someone could see us now, there'd probably be an article whipped up by morning claiming how he and I were involved in a foursome or something just for being near two other people in a jacuzzi.
Justin manages to pull me back to the present when he pushes a few loose curls from my face and behind my ear. Immediately I hate myself for using this sweet gesture Justin put so much thought into just for me to find some way to only see the negatives.
"I love you, Justin. Seriously. I don't think I tell you enough." He wraps an arm around my waist underwater and pulls me into his side before planting a kiss on my forehead. We stay cuddled up into each other long after the couple decides to leave the jacuzzi to us. Hours go by and so many words are exchanged, yet there is no shortage of topics to discuss.
By the time we've made it back to our bedroom, it is already well past midnight, so after another shower, we make ourselves comfortable in bed. For what felt like hours, we just lay there without a word. He holds me in a secure hug with his torso to my back and his chin in the crook of my neck. There's no other place that I can imagine being other than here with him right now. Without my mind clouded by doomsday—I'm able to enjoy the presence of my husband without the fear of him being gone in the morning looming over me. I snuggle myself further into him though it wasn't any use considering we were already skin to skin.
"I wanted to tell you earlier today but it slipped my mind until now," Justin whispers into my ear. "Don't ask me why he knew this guy or how he did it, but your Dad got me an appointment for the vasectomy reversal. It's tomorrow. I should be up and walking in three days, and able to function regularly a week or two after."
With the way things were turning around for Justin and me, I didn't know if I could wait two more weeks to touch him. But I knew it was important for the sake of our relationship to stick with our word. I toss in the bed, bringing our faces together instead. Looking into his beautiful eyes would never grow old. Somehow my love for him had no measure of depth because here I was, falling deeper and deeper into him.
I'd swear if anyone asked that the three-minute lip lock we found ourselves in didn't spark a flame because it had. Every nerve in me felt like it was vibrating at a frequency out of this world every time our lips mirrored each other's. We fall asleep wrapped around one another.
When morning rolls around, Justin and I freshen up and then make ourselves down to the dining room where three other couples—all middle-aged—converse while putting together their plate from the several options displayed along the length of the table. Our conversations though brief were very appreciated tips on how he and I couple keep our relationship strong and constantly evolving. After breakfast, we pack our things to head home.
Justin's surgery was scheduled in another hour and because my Dad agreed to take him, we knew he'd want Justin ready to go when he was ready to go which ends up being a mere minute after we arrive back home. I kiss Justin goodbye and wish him a successful surgery after clueing him in on my plan to work on Samaria's today.
My Dad drops me off at the coffee shop on his way to take Justin to his appointment. The place is open, with a new interior designer Jacob managed to book. Apart from greetings, we dive right into work.
Through endless back and forth between Jacob and me for the final layout of the shop, we finally settle on the perfect interior setup. We keep the entrance and the front counter simplistic though completely different. Instead of wood, we opt for glass and use the space to display our selection of pastries.
Instead of the mural of Canada's flag and an enormous wall clock on the wall behind the register, we traded it in for an accent wall made of bricks and agreed to hang a neon sign in the center with the name of our brewery. To bring more light into the space, we opt for windows that line the entire building and decide to trade the booth for nooks and a retractable table top that is adjusted to the preferences of our customers.
We decide to open the ceiling up with wood panels instead of plaster and line them with bulbs that drape from the ceiling. To modernize the space but also maintain the homey atmosphere, we drape the ceiling in ferns that hang from pots. On our largest wall near the lounging area, we decide to transform the entire wall into one large bookshelf.
The vision was already painted perfectly in my mind and I couldn't wait to see it all come together. By the time my father arrived to pick me up, we managed to tear out the back wall and prepare it for the bricks to be installed—though I'd be at home when the project started.
Justin is groggy when I join the two of them in the car and can barely utter a greeting, so I don't dare question him on how he feels post-operation because it's pretty obvious without any explanation. Dad greets me but his attention remains on Justin's disposition for the remainder of the car ride and despite my diversion of questions about whether or not he is okay, Dad doesn't refrain from fishing responses out of Justin. He is too out of it to reply, but the nod he gives holds Dad off from asking again for a solid two minutes. Nothing changes when we arrive home. Dad helps me get Justin into the guest room where he remains passed out for the remainder of the day. Instead of twiddling my thumbs, I head downstairs for a late-night swim.
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two updates in two days??? Who am I!?! No, seriously I miss the days when my goal was uploading every day. I miss that girl and her dedication. Hopefully, she's deciding to stick around for a little longer. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. the drama is stirring. don't worry. ♡