Late March
Year 3 of Us
Friday
I opened my eyes to find that the curtains were drawn back, letting in the morning light. Blinking my eyes rapidly a few times I realized that Lacey wasn't in bed. I could hear voices in the other room, but I couldn't make out the words. Do we have company? I yawned as I got out of bed, putting my glasses on and making sure that I had clothes on -- I did, so I used the toilet before opening the bedroom door.
The entry door was closing as I went into the rest of the suite. There was a small table in the kitchenette with a white cloth on it, as well as dishes and silverware, while five warming dishes were lined up on the counter. Lacey was wearing her favorite fluffy robe and her smile lit up the room as she turned to me. All I could do was return her smile.
"Good morning, love!" She walked to me and gave me a big hug as I kissed the top of her head.
"Good morning to you, too." She smelled good, and so did the aromas coming from the counter. "I see you've discovered that we can get room service whenever we want it."
"Yes! We have two different kinds of eggs, bacon, ham, biscuits and gravy, and toast."
"Nice. What are you going to have for breakfast?"
Lacey snickered and led me to a chair. "What do you want?" She turned and looked at me. "To eat!"
"A little of everything, I guess. Is there tea?" I smiled at her from the chair.
"Yes, she put a pitcher of iced tea in the refrigerator and there's the basket from last night."
"You know me. Iced tea it is!" When I started to get up, she gave me a glare before she smiled.
"I'll get it for you." Lacey placed the loaded plate in front of me and it looked wonderful. She poured me a glass and set it in front of me. Once she put a plate in front of her chair, she grabbed a cup with coffee in it.
"You look like you're feeling very domestic this morning, my princess."
"I'm feeling well-loved, my cowboy." She gave me a little smile before we started to eat. After we finished, she reached across the table, and I placed my hand in hers. "Feeling up for a walk this morning?"
"How far?"
"Three miles in the snow, round trip. I want to go into the village and look around."
"Sure. I'm glad we packed for the weather."
"You warned me about it, so I had no problem agreeing." She pushed back from the table and took a final sip of coffee. "Stack everything on this table and push it out into the hall. The bacon is gone, and so is the ham."
I faked a sad expression, and she stepped around the table to give me a kiss. Lacey patted my cheek and headed back into the bedroom. I took care of the eating dishes and the now empty warming dishes, putting them on the table, placing her cup and my glass on it, too. I pushed the table into the hall, then went into the bedroom to get dressed.
Lacey was almost ready, so I hurried to catch up. After I got my boots tied, she looked at me. "Don't forget to brush and take your morning pills."
"Oh, thanks! I almost forgot!" I stepped into the bathroom and from the condition of the counter, she'd already her morning rituals.
Lacey handed me my hat, I picked up our small packs, and then got our coats from the chair where we had laid them last night. She looked at me, "Ready? Oh, let's put out the 'No Service' card on the door this morning as we leave."
"Okay." I took the card from the table and then stuck the keycard into my front pocket. We closed the door, placed the card on the handle, then took the elevator down to the lobby. As we crossed toward the entry, Lacey stopped at the desk.
"Town is that way, right?" She pointed to the left of the entry.
"Yes, miss. About a mile and a half." The desk clerk answered with a friendly nod.
"Is there a trail?"
"Oh, yes. Most of our guests prefer to walk. It's marked, and since the snow has stopped, you should be able to follow the markers easily."
"Thank you!" Lacey gave him one of her wonderful smiles and he smiled in return. Like many people, he just couldn't help himself once he got one of her smiles.
"I'm just glad you gave him the friendly smile." I said quietly.
"What?" Lacey turned her head and looked at me as we pushed our way through the doors.
"If you had given him one of your big smiles, we would have had to call 9-1-1." I grinned.
Lacey stopped and grabbed my arm. "What are you talking about?"
"My princess, you have various degrees of smiles. The lowest key one is the friendly one you gave to the desk clerk in there. Others are more intense and pleasurable. Kind of like Erica's smiles -- they offer many things, from thank you so much to let's get to bed, now!"
She started to laugh, then Lacey took her pack and slung it over her shoulders. I did the same with my pack as she took my hand. We go out into the snow-covered parking lot, and she looked to the left. "There's the trail!"
Lacey led me to it and we both looked along it. "Ah, there's the first markers." She nodded and we headed down the trail. Stopping at the first markers, we looked at them. They were red with the inn's logo in the center, and we both could see that they were about fifty feet apart.
It was a nice walk in the snow, even though it was cold despite the sun shining down. Over the time we'd been together, Lacey had gotten me to join her on her morning walks and those walks had gotten up to four miles in length, so this one would be easy to handle.
Holding hands, we went down the trail, looking at the beauty of the area as we walked. Every tree's branches were covered with snow, and there were shadows on the ground as far as we could see into the woods. "It's so beautiful here."
"Yes, my princess, it is. Present company makes it more so."
Again, Lacey flashed me a smile and my heart fluttered, as it always did. We continued walking down the trail, enjoying the time together. I loved watching her, no matter where we were, so I did so out of the corner of my eye. As we reached the town, she stopped short, catching me by surprise. "Are you watching me?"
"Every chance I can, Lacey. No matter where we are. No matter who we're with."
"You enjoy what you see?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"No." Her face showed her shock. "I *love* what I see. With the babies. With our friends. Just alone. I love watching you, and I always will."
"Oh." I could see tears starting to form in her eyes. "Have you been thinking about this for a long time?"
I pulled my glove off and wiped a tear from her cheek. "My love, I don't think about it -- I just know it, deep down in my heart."
Lacey smiled and turned her cheek into my hand. I smiled at her. "I don't want to make you cry, my love."
"You're not making me cry. You reveal so much every time we talk like this, and when you reveal things, you surprise me."
"You surprise and please me every day, my princess, and it makes living so much better."
With a little cry, Lacey lunged against me and put her arms around me. "Kiss me, Wyatt. Please kiss me hard!" I did just that, and after a few moments, I thought I heard someone clapping. We broke from each other and turned towards the town square. There were two couples standing there, clapping and smiling. I did the only thing; I bowed deeply to them as she curtsied. We both smiled at them, and at each other. I took her arm in mine, and we walked into the snow-covered square.
One of the women asks, "Was that a make-up kiss?"
