As if I couldn’t tell by the fact that Mae bounced out of bed and began to immediately dress.
“You coming?”
“Eventually. Just admiring the view at the moment.”
She pulled up her jeans and stood at the foot of the bed, watching me. And then looked down at her hand. “This is so surreal.”
“In a good way?”
“In the best way imaginable.”
I wholeheartedly agreed.
“Glad to hear it, because I have another surprise for you.”
Mae loved surprises. “What is it?”
I got out of bed, reluctantly, reveling in the way Mae’s appreciative glance scanned me from head to toe.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
Ignoring her “harumph”, I dressed, pulled a sheet of paper from my duffle, folded it and put it in my back pocket.
In some ways, I was as nervous to show it to her as I was to ask Mae to marry me. I’d convinced myself if Mae had committed to staying in Cedar Falls, I shouldn’t question it. Or sabotage us by second-guessing her decision.
On the other hand…
Old habits died hard. Despite myself, there was a small part of me that wondered if the next surprise was one Mae would welcome.
* * *
Most wineries didn’t serve hearty lunches, just charcuterie. But thanks to a conversation with Ellie, after she congratulated us and talked shop with Mae about the rehearsal dinner, we found a perfect spot.
Right on the lake, serving drier wines than most Finger Lakes wineries, our late-lunch spot also had a decent-sized menu.
“I think I’ll do a tasting since I’ve never been here.”
“Sounds good,” I said as Mae chose her wines. “Let’s get some food in too.”
We ordered, a perfect view of the lake reminding me of our last lunch. As much as I didn’t want to bring it up, it felt necessary to get out of the way.
“We’ve never had a hard time communicating,” I said. “But obviously it’s a different dynamic than we’re used to.”
“Just a little,” Mae said with a secret smile tugging at her lips.
“The last thing I want to do is spoil the mood, but it’s important for me to apologize for our last lunch.”
“Beck—”
“Just let me get it out there,” I said, having thought a lot about it. “You know there’s not a lot of things I’m insecure about. But being good enough for you is one of them. Pia told me it’s important to talk to you about that. To make sure we communicate rather than shutting down, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
She paused as her wine, and my beer, were served.
“I agree.” Mae tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I shouldn’t have left like that.”
“This is about me?—”
“No,” she said. “It’s about us. Neither of us are perfect, and we’re bound to make mistakes. But I agree with Pia. Communication is so important. We just need to keep talking.”
