Chapter 22
The road we travelled along was smooth and never ending. The car was quiet but it didn't stop the arguments in my head. Scott may have convinced me to travel with him to some secret destination but it didn't mean I was ready to forgive him or that he had gained my trust. That wasn't why I argued with myself though. The biggest thought running through my mind was why I cared so much.
I couldn't understand it. Scott listened as I told him my biggest secret and then he disappeared for nearly two weeks. Why it bothered me so much and why I was so overjoyed to see him again, I didn't know why? No one had ever consumed my thoughts as much as Scott had. No one has had me feeling every possible emotion all at once as much as Scott has. No one has made me feel so cherished, cared for and unwanted as much as Scott.
No one has made me trust as much as Scott has.
I couldn't understand it. Scott made me want to kiss him and choke him all at the same time. He had my head spinning, my heart pounding and my stomach flipping. He made me want to cry during a rain storm and laugh at cheesy commercials.
He made me feel and after years of feeling numb to life; I finally felt like I had something worth living for.
I just couldn't understand how one man had managed to worm his way so deep in to my life.
"We're here," Scott's voice interrupted my inner debate and I looked at him in confusion. He pointed ahead of him at a small wooden cabin that stood hidden amongst a forest of trees and bushes. "This is my family's cabin that my parents bought five years ago. I wanted to be alone with you so I thought this would be the perfect place."
He seemed nervous. He constantly rubbed at his tense neck muscles and unclenched and clenched his fists against the steering wheel. He wouldn't look at me and I found the entire show utterly adorable. I gave him a quick smile when his eyes met mine and he gave a sweet short breath of relief. I reached for the car door but his arm quickly shot across and stopped my movements. "Don't move."
I stared at him and watched as he jumped out of the car and ran around towards my side. He stood grinning outside my door and with a chivalrous bow, he opened my door. I giggled like an adolescent girl on her first date and gave him a small curtsy. He stretched his arm out for me to slip my own through and once my skin touched his, he led us towards the small cabin.
Darkness was falling bringing along with it a humid and stuffy atmosphere. The setting of the sun cast a gorgeous orange haze to float around us. It was a picturesque setting that had my heart pounding fast against my rib cage like the steady beat of a rave song.
"What are we doing here Scott?" I asked once we reached the front door.
He grinned and reached for the door handle. "While I was away, I realised something." He slid the door open slowly and my eyes followed his movements with confusion. When they settled on the open house, I gasped and covered my mouth with shaky fingers. The cabin doorway was decorated with tealight candles that were neatly lined up on both sides to create a dim aisle that lead to an even more magical sight. The further I walked down the aisle, the closer I got to the living room. In the centre of the room laid a pale green blanket and on top it sat one large weaved picnic basket. The blanket sat in the centre of a large circle created by more candles and rose petals.
It was cliché' but absolutely beautiful all the same.
I released a shaky breath and continued to stare at the scene in front of me. I had no words. I felt Scott's presence behind me before I heard him speak; his voice a low whisper against my neck. "You see, I realised that I hadn't had a chance to give you the kind of date you deserve." He walked ahead of me until he stood directly in front of me; his eyes piercing my own. "That last date, it was too much; even for me. I was so nervous for our date that I asked my family for advice. I wanted it to be the most romantic date you had ever been on. All I wanted to do was show you how special you were to me and I screwed up. It was far too extravagant for you and I knew it but, my mother suggested the restaurant and I thought she would know better than I about the perfect date. Anyway, this," he pointed towards the picnic, "This is the date I originally had in mind for us. I know it's a bit late now but I was hoping this could be my way of asking for your forgiveness."
A small tear slid down my cheek and I let it fall. I couldn't take my eyes off Scott. His green eyes pleaded with my darker ones and for the first time since he showed up earlier at my store, I didn't feel torn between what to do. I knew exactly what to do and I did exactly that.
I threw myself into his arms and let him wrap his own around my waist. "Thank you. Thank you. This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me." He chuckled and swung me around making us both laugh.
He put me back down on my feet and reached for my hand. "Let's start this date shall we?" I nodded enthusiastically and followed him to the soft blanket. Once I was comfortable, Scott reached inside the basket. He pulled out an array of tasty food and a bottle of champagne.
He had gone all out and yet the date was still private and understated. It was perfect.
He poured us both a glass of the bubbly drink and passed me my own. He held his glass up high and I joined him. "To starting over with no more secrets, no more lies and hopefully years ahead filed with contented happiness."
I sighed; that sounded amazing. "To starting over," I repeated and we clinked glasses.
He cleared his throat and placed his and my glass down next to him. He sat quietly staring at me. "I need to tell you why I disappeared."
I shook my head, "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you're here and we're starting over."
"No Piper, if we're going to start over then we need to start with no secrets. You need to know." I gulped and nodded my head for him to continue. I ignored the shudder of my breath and the fear swimming in my veins. He took a deep breath and then shocked me.
He reached for the hem of his jeans pants and pulled it up over his knee. My breath left my lungs in one swell swoop as I stared at the metal contraption. I looked at him with panicked eyes and he gave me a small smile. "I lost my leg four years ago while I was on assignment in Afghanistan. Our camp had been ambushed over night. I don't want to scare you with too many details but I will tell you that it was one of the hardest things I have ever had go through. I joined the army straight after high school; it was that or join my fathers' company. I was a temperamental teenager who wanted nothing to do with my rich family and the restraints that it bought so I wanted to rebel in the best way possible. I know joining the army doesn't sound like the best plan to show my parents what a delinquent they raised but there was something about the whole thing that drew to me. I loved it. Every bit of it. Years passed and three tours later, I found myself in a hospital room and with only one leg. I don't remember much of the incident; therapists say it's a defence mechanism. I honestly don't care because I don't want to remember.
He turned away from me and stared out the cabin window. "Seven months after I lost my leg, my parents told me they were paying for me to get a prosthetic one. I wanted to walk so badly that I didn't care if it were my parents paying for it and that it meant I was in debt to them. I didn't care that my parents; who had ignored me since I left for the army, were suddenly back in my life and acting as though everything were alright; because it wasn't. I hadn't just lost my leg that day, I lost my best friend. They told me a week after we were ambushed that he had stepped on a landmine."
A choked sob tore through my lips and Scott's head shot back around to stare at me in shock. He gave me a shaky smile through wet eyes and he held my face in his hands. He leaned forward and kissed away the few tears that had escaped. "Don't cry my love. I didn't want to hurt you."
"I can't believe you had to go through all of that." I cried more and my voice broke out in a strangled cry.
He chuckled lightly and pulled me closer to him until I sat in his lap. I didn't pull away or stiffen in his hold. Instead, I curled into his arms and clutched his shirt. He covered me with his strong arms and held me until my sobs slowed to little whimpers. "To cut the long story short," he continued. "I got the prosthetic fitted and for nearly a year, I endured physical therapy. I did it though. Some days are more difficult than others. I don't always realise I even have the leg but some days, with the heat and too much walking, it starts to hurt and irritate me."
It made sense now. I finally understood why he walked more on his left leg than his right. I turned my head from his chest and looked in to his eyes as I asked the one question that had been bothering me for little more than two weeks. "Where did you disappear too?"
He kissed my head and pulled me closer to him. "After our walk to my spot where you told me about Thomas, my leg started hurting a lot. Once I had got home I realised that I had blisters and sores over the area where the socket connects to my thigh. I had just got a replacement a few months back but it hadn't fit very well. Since moving here, I had changed doctors'. I left because I went to go see my old doctor for help on getting a more fitted and comfortable leg. That's why I took so long to come back. I didn't want to have to tell you about my leg over the phone so I waited until I came back. I'm so sorry my leaving hurt you Piper. It was never my intention. My leaving had nothing to do with the story of you and Thomas and I'm so sorry I made you think that."
I laughed and hugged him close, "I forgive you. I'm so sorry I overreacted; I don't even understand why I did. It's just that with you, everything is so different. What I feel is what I've never experienced before and I don't know how to handle it. I don't even think I know what it is."
He laughed and kissed my nose lightly. "You are too cute. Piper I want to ask you something."
I nodded and turned to face him. "Anything."
"I know you don't believe in love or the forever of relationships but I do. I believe that in life you find someone who makes you happier than you ever imagined you could be; someone who takes your breath away and causes your legs to tremble when they smile at you. I believe that in life you find that one person who makes your days so much better just by looking at you. Most importantly, I believe that there is one person out there who you're meant to spend your life with. Piper, I believe I finally found my person."
I gulped and asked hesitantly, "Who is she?"
He placed a hand over my cheek and I leaned in to his touch. "You," he whispered. "I found you. Piper Baker, I am crazy, stupidly, madly and obsessively in love you and I would love nothing more than to finally call you mine. Will you be mine Piper? Will you be my girlfriend?"
I froze and stared at him in disbelieve. He loved me. Scott Daniels loved me and wanted to date me.
"You love me," I stuttered.
He grinned, "More than life itself. I want to see you every day, I want to hold you for every second of the day and kiss you until neither of us can breathe. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms and wake up to your eyes smiling at mine. I want you for myself for the rest of my life."
"No man has ever said that to me before."
"What? That they want to be with you for the rest of their life."
I shook my head, "No, no man has ever told me that he loves me."
His smile dropped and then the biggest, toothiest smile glowed on his face. "Thank all the stars in the sky that I'm the first." He bent down and kissed my cheek, then the other. I laughed as he continued to kiss my face with such gusto and care; everywhere but my lips. "I'm so happy I'm your first but baby, I want to be your last and only."
My eyes burned and I found myself doing the most unnatural thing. I squealed. I squealed and threw my arms around his neck and smashed my lips to his. He grinned against my lips and kissed me back with so much force that my head got dizzy. The kiss started off fast but it quickly slowed down as Scott gently laid me down on the blanket. He placed his body between my legs and held his own up on his elbows. He stared down into my eyes with love. "I love you so much. Please say your all mine."
I smiled and pulled him down until my lips brushed his. "I'm all yours," I whispered right before my lips hit his. He kissed me long and slow; his tongue and hands stroking and loving my body. He continued to whisper his love for me and I continued to fall further and further into his promises.
I didn't know what I felt for him just yet but what I did know is that I never wanted to stop kissing Scott; being with Scott. I never wanted to be without him and I was going to soak up his love for as long as he was giving it.