LauraThe main course turned out to be just as amazing as Laura thought it would be. She especially loved the rack of lamb and couldn't believe how tender the meat was. After they'd eaten, Daryl came out and cleared the dishes then went back inside to get dessert ready.“I'm stuffed,” Ethan said. “However, I'm going to eat dessert one way or the other. I can't resist his toffee pudding.”“I'm so full, too,” Laura said. “You're right, though. Dessert is going to happen one way or the other. I have an insatiable sweet tooth.”Ethan's eyes lit up, and he reached for his pocket.“Oh, I nearly forgot,” he said. “Your surprise.”She smiled. “You really didn't have to, Ethan.”“I know I didn't have to. I wanted to.” He slid the white envelope across the table.Laura opened it up and pulled out a blank piece of thick stationery. It was folded in half, and something was inside of it.“What is it?” she asked, carefully opening the stationery.Two plane tickets fell out onto the table. She didn'
LauraLaura and Ethan stepped off of the porch and into the house. She squeezed his hand as they made their way down the hall and into the large living room. When they'd first come in, she hadn't even noticed the little fireplace in the corner. Now, though, there was a warm fire burning inside, and its soft glow illuminated the entire room.“Was this on when we got here?” she asked.Ethan shook his head. “No, I told Craig to get that started after we'd sat out on the deck for dinner.”“Well, aren't you clever?” she said with a smile.Located directly in front of the fireplace was a sheep skin rug. They both kicked off their shoes and then walked over onto the rug. The warmth from the fire radiated outward against Laura's bare calves. It was so nice and cozy there, with her toes digging into the fur beneath her feet.She held both of Ethan's hands as they stood there for a moment, just enjoying the fire and each other's company.“Are you sure Craig is outside?” Laura said, glancing at
LauraLaura woke up to the morning sun shining in through the window of the cabin. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced around the room. It was the first time seeing it in the daylight. The fire had gone out, but it was still smoldering and putting out enough warmth to take the chill out of the air.Well, I'm awake and last night was most definitely not just a dream, she thought. That makes me happier than I've been in a long time.Ethan's arm was wrapped around her. She felt as he pulled her close him so that her back pressed against his chest. Then he kissed the top of her shoulder, sending a tingle through her.“You awake?” he whispered.Laura nodded. “Yeah, just woke up actually.”“What time is it?” he asked.“No clue,” she said. “I guess around eight.”“We should just lay here all day,” he said, chuckling.“God, I wish that I could.” Laura sighed and pressed her back against him, snuggling as close as possible. “I've got to get back to the kids, though. I told Elena that I woul
Ethan“Sir? Do you need anything?” Craig asked, walking into the space Ethan was currently using as an office.He'd rented out an office space in a building next door to his hotel, but it didn't feel like an office. It had a desk and chairs, but no people. It was just Craig and Ethan. He got more done here than in his hotel room, but not by much.Ethan missed the hum of his old office. He missed having coffee with people and not having to drive all over town to attend meetings. Plus, he missed his desk at home. He missed his nice pens and the way he had everything set up. He couldn't find anything in his current space.He couldn't wait for the R&D office to finally be set up. He was enjoying his trip to Colorado, especially the parts with Laura, but he missed his workspace. He wished there was a way he could have both, but for now, he was going to enjoy his time with Laura.“Can I ask your advice?” Ethan spun in his chair to face the other man. This chair turned more than his office c
LauraLaura looked down at the two faces of her younger siblings and felt her heart break. They were staring back up at her with tears streaming down their little cheeks. Their eyes were puffy from crying. Each of their sobs caused Laura's heart to break a little more.Dallas was sitting on the ground, with his arms wrapped around her left leg. He was squeezing her so tightly that she was pretty sure her foot would go numb soon. Ivy was doing the same thing but on the right. She couldn't move. It was like both of her feet had been cemented into the floor.“Guys, please,” Laura pleaded with them. “Just hear Ethan out. He's trying to give us a gift.”Laura and Ethan had gotten back to the house a few minutes before. The kids had been so excited to see them initially. They were prancing and dancing around the house with giant smiles on both of their faces. Things changed immediately, though, as soon as Ethan presented them with their surprise trip to the Caribbean.At first, the kids wer
LauraThe next morning, Laura and the kids were all gathered in the kitchen. They'd already eaten their breakfast and were dressed in their swimsuits. Laura had on her favorite two-piece suit, which she'd only ever worn one other time. It was white, with giant black strips going across it. The bottom part was like a little skirt, which fell just below her butt. Over that, she had on sweatpants, because it happened to be the middle of May and still pretty cold outside in the mornings. Colorado winters never ended when they were supposed to and this year was no exception. One day it was warm and sunny, then the next day there would be a blizzard.“Laura, is it going to be nice today?” Ivy asked. “It looks cold outside.”“Yeah, it will warm up soon,” she replied. “The sun will show up here any minute. At least that's what the weather says.”Sitting on the kitchen table nearby was Laura's giant gym bag that she'd had since high school. It was stuffed with everything she could think of tha
LauraEthan, Laura, Dallas, and Ivy and made their way down the sidewalk and toward the front gates of Water World. Laura remembered many happy summer days at this water park as a kid. It was a quite good backup plan to come here.As they walked, Laura realized that something didn't feel quite right. There wasn't the sound of any kids laughing or water splashing on the other side of the fence, where the park was. In fact, it was pretty much silent except for their own feet as they scuffed across the pavement.That was when she glanced back toward the parking lot. She saw Craig driving away in the SUV, cutting across the parking lines on his way to the exit. He was the only car in the lot, though. Not a single other one was parked.That's weird, she thought. This place is usually packed.She reached over and touched Ethan's arm to get his attention.“What is it?” he asked.“Look,” she said, nodding toward the empty parking lot. “We're the only ones here. I'm pretty sure it's closed.”E
LauraEveryone was quiet for the ride back home from Water World. Laura and Ethan relaxed in the third-row seats, while Dallas and Ivy slept soundly in the middle row. Laura hadn't seen the kids this tired in years. A day of fun in the sun, going on rides and building sandcastles had taken it out of them. They weren't the only ones who were feeling it, though.Laura was beat. She could feel a sunburn on her nose and couldn't seem to stop yawning. She was just glad it wasn't her that was driving because she wasn't sure she was going to make it home awake. It was the good kind of tired, though. The kind of tired that meant you'd spent the day the right way and squeezed every drop of life out of it that you possibly could.“Pass the bucket...” Dallas mumbled in his sleep. “I need to make the castle bigger.”Ethan nudged Laura and pointed toward Dallas. They both listened in, watching as he stirred.“It's my turn to go on the water slide,” he whispered, then smiled right before falling ba