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“I can’t tell you yet, but we’re almost there.”
“I don’t think I can take any reasonable guesses at this point,” she started. “We aren’t anywhere near where I’d imagine a typical day date being.”
“You should know by now that I don’t do things in a typical fashion, so this actually shouldn’t be that strange to you,” I noted.
There was a brief pause before she replied, “I guess you’re right. It’s just that with the holiday coming, I can’t help but let my mind wander to all sorts of things.”
Christmas.
It was fast approaching.
It had been roughly two months since I’d left Hawaii early and came home to be with Indy. Two months of not living in agony every day without her.
In fact, it had been quite the opposite.
For the last two months, I’d been staying with her. Of course, it had been at Indy’s request that I stay, and since we’d spent so many months apart, I wasn’t going to deny her what she wanted. I was quickly learning there wasn’t much of anything she could ask that I wouldn’t do for her.
Over the last two months, I’d started taking steps to make the move back here a more permanent one. For starters, I’d purchased a vehicle to get around in that wasn’t a camper. I also began enjoying Blue Spruce in a different way than I was accustomed to.
For so many years, I’d only spent enough time in Blue Spruce to visit with my parents and to take advantage of any major snowstorms at the ski resort. I had always been traveling around the West Coast looking for the next best spot to ride.
In the weeks since I’d been back here, I hadn’t done that at all. In fact, I enjoyed spending my time with Indy when she wasn’t working. Sometimes, we went out and found ways to have some fun in town either with each other or with some of our friends, and other times, it involved the two of us staying in and enjoying a quiet night alone with one another.
Suffice it to say, my life had changed tremendously, but there was no doubt I loved everything about it now.
Or, well, I loved everything about it, save for a few things. Two of them being very specific things I intended to rectify today.
We were just two minutes away from our destination, so I reached out for Indy’s hand, gave it a squeeze, and said, “I just want to be clear that what we’re doing today is not related to any sort of Christmas gift or anything, but I’m convinced it’ll make this Christmas one of the best of your life.”
I chanced a glance in her direction. Indy’s eyes were dancing. “I can’t wait to see where you’re taking me.”
“I promise it’s going to be worth all the anticipation.”
A minute later, we arrived.
I turned into the driveway and pulled up to park at the top of it beside the house.
“What is this? Whose house are we at?” she questioned me.
Not wanting to give her that information just yet, but feeling rather excited, I grinned at her and exited the vehicle.
Indy remained in her seat, a look of confusion written all over her face.
I walked around the front of the car, opened her door, and reached my hand in for hers. She placed her hand in mine and got out.
“Griffin?”
There was no mistaking the questioning tone in her voice. She was looking for an explanation, and I had every intention of giving it to her as soon as we were inside.
Though I could see the hesitancy in her expression and feel the tension in her body, Indy pushed past all that she was thinking and feeling and trusted me by falling into step beside me as I led us to the front door.
We came to a stop at the front door, where I turned to face her. Curiosity littered her features as her eyes roamed over my face. I smiled at her and said, “I had two things I wanted to do today, and I don’t want you to freak out about them. I left Hawaii two months ago, so I could come back here to be with you. I want to start building that life together, and I think this is the first step.”
Indy’s chest was rising and falling noticeably with the deep breaths she was taking. The last thing I wanted to do was cause her any stress, so I prayed she wasn’t on the verge of bolting.
Offering a reassuring smile, I said, “Welcome home, Indy.”
“What?”
