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52
January seemed to drag, as cold, gray Januarys do. It snowed nearly every day, something Will enjoyed immensely, but Elizabeth...not so much. Some of her work still required her to be outdoors, and while she didn't mind the cold, the snow was a nuisance.
His birthday was on the first of February, which fell smack dab in the middle of the week, so they decided to head to Martha's Vineyard the weekend before to celebrate. They arrived in the middle of a snowstorm on Friday night, but Saturday turned out to be beautiful. The sun shone brightly, reflecting with blinding intensity off the fresh layer of snow, and the sky was a vivid blue without a cloud in sight.
After borrowing an old wooden toboggan from the Gardiners and spending some of the afternoon sledding on a hill just down the street from the house, they went home and removed wet clothing, and Elizabeth ran steaming hot water into the claw-foot tub. He smiled at the sight of all that bare skin, tinted pink from the cold.
“Is that a bath for one or two?” he asked, and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“For two, of course.”
They took a long, soothing soak in the tub, chasing the chill out of their bones. She sat between his legs, her back to his chest, and his hands began to wander, as they tended to when he had a naked Elizabeth in front of him.
“We should get out,” she whispered. “We're getting pruned.”
They rose from the tub and dried each other off, and then walked down the hall to tumble into bed. They lingered there for a long while, curled together and doing nothing more than kissing—long, drawn-out, leisurely kisses that made him feel dizzy.
He got up to grab some water for them, then climbed back into bed at the opposite end, facing her, the blankets draped loosely across his waist. He propped his head up on one hand and stared at her intently. Her face was flushed, her hair was a mess, and her lips were swollen and red, a reminder of the way they’d kissed, over and over again. She’d never looked more beautiful.
Her legs sought his under the sheets. “What are you thinking?”
He smiled. “I’m thinking about how idyllic this is. It’s like our little haven, our little escape. I love being here with you.”
What he wasreallythinking about was proposing. Everything felt right aboutright now, but they were in bed, for God’s sake, naked as the day they were born.
“I love being here with you too.” Her expression suddenly brightened. “Oh, I have an idea. Why don’t you open your birthday present?”
“But my birthday isn’t for a few more days.”
She rolled her eyes. “I realize that, but we’re celebrating this weekend. Opening your present is part of the celebration, right?”
“I guess.”
“What do you mean, you guess?”
“Maybe I don’t want you to get out of bed.” He slid one foot up her thigh, making her laugh as she grabbed it to stop its progress.
“You’re awfully frisky, old man,” she said, eyes dancing.
“I amnotold, not even close.” His foot began its wayward journey again. “Would you like a demonstration of my unflagging youth? I’ll be glad to provide one.”
She laughed and grabbed his ankle. “Stop trying to distract me. I want to give you your present.”
He sighed. “All right. Do I have to get up?”
“No. I'll be right back, don't move.”
He watched her go, appreciating the view as she left the room. A moment later she called out from the hallway.
“Close your eyes.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Are they closed?”
“Yes! Get back in bed!”
She padded back into the room, and something heavy was placed next to him as she climbed back into bed. “Brrr, it's chilly. Okay, you can open your eyes.”
