35. Chapter 35
Chapter 35
I had to get out of bed ASAP, if not I was going to spill all my secrets, and I’ve put too much time, thought and energy into my grand gesture. I could see he was worried about what was going to happen once our summer bubble popped and his season started back up again. I hated myself a little for creating that worry in him, but it just solidified that I had to show him, not only tell him, that I had both feet in this and that I wasn’t going to leave him. I had to show him that along the way, along the items on my Bucket List, I’ve fallen in love with him.
My plan was fool proof. I even got Sadie to help me. First, Beth was going to call us and say that I couldn’t pick up Daisy this afternoon. As much as I wanted to bring my baby home, I needed Ian to know that he was also on the hook for her, not that I think he would mind. I know he would try to cheer me up and either suggest a horse back ride or a diner out. I’m hoping he suggests the horseback ride on his parents ranch because that’s where Sadie comes in.
When I called her two days ago to tell her I wanted to grand gesture her brother, I had to pull the phone away from my ear. She squealed so loud. I think she was more excited than I was, saying her brother deserved this. To say she was on board would be an understatement. She agreed to have what I’ve deemed my and Ian’s spot ready for us. It was the spot along the creek that runs through the ranch where he brought me the first time he took me for a ride, where he helped me cross off the first item on my list. Sadie was going to make sure there was a blanket, bottle of wine, food, and most importantly the journal and pen I had dropped off to her after I had called her. I figured we could spend the evening there and watch the stars like he promised we would one day. Sadie even offered to drive the side-by-side down and bring the horses back for us so we could stargaze.
As long as our journal is there, everything else is just a bonus.
Taking a deep breath and shaking out my shoulders, I steel myself to keep my mouth shut and step out of the bathroom and back into Ian’s bedroom. I take a moment to look at him sitting up against the headboard of his bed, scrolling through his phone. He looks worried, dejected a little, but I can’t let that phase me. The small horrible part of me feels almost giddy because I know he’s not expecting today to go as I have planned.
Straightening my shoulders, telling myself not to ruin this surprise, I ask, “When did you want to start on that list I made for Daisy?” which pulls him away from his phone.
“Whenever you’re ready, it’s already past ten. Let me just take a shower. Did you want to grab food before shopping?”
“Yes please!” I agree, the more I can stall him the better. I don’t want him to suggest going to the ranch too early, even though we’re only scheduled to pick up Daisy at four and asked Beth to only give us a call around three. Seriously, I am so impressed with all the details I thought about when putting this surprise together for Ian. I see the appeal of surprises now, I almost feel bad for always ruining the surprises Ian does for me.
Almost five hours later, after taking my sweet time eating brunch and dragging Ian to every possible pet store in the city, we’re pulling into Levi’s driveway to drop off everything I got for Daisy. I insisted that I wanted everything set up or at least in the house before we went and grabbed Daisy, when my phone rings.
“Hi, Beth! Ian and I are just dropping some stuff up at home and we’ll be on our way to pick up Miss Daisy,” I say, answering the phone, letting her know I’m with Ian.
With a small giggle she says, “Right, well, unfortunately something came up and you can’t pick Daisy up this afternoon. I have to close the shelter up early.”
“Oh no! What happened?” I ask, playing along for Ian’s sake.
“Crap, I didn’t think of that—you’re going to have to come up with something on your own.”
“That’s fine, as long as I can come pick her up tomorrow afternoon?” I ask, knowing that that’s what we agreed to when I called her yesterday.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at four. Good luck with your plan! I can’t wait to hear all about it!”
“All right, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say, trying to sound disappointed. I’ve never been a great actress, or good at lying; hopefully Ian doesn’t see straight through me.
“Everything all right?” Ian asks, the minute I pull the phone away from my ear.
“That was Beth. She said both her and Ron got umm . . . food poisoning and had to close the shelter up early, so I can’t go pick up Daisy today. I’m gonna have to go tomorrow,” I explain.
“I’m sorry, Hannah. I know how much you were looking forward to picking her up today. At least it gives us time to get all this stuff organized,” he says motioning to the dozens of bags we have in the backseat of his truck. “How about we bring all this stuff in, go grab an early supper and go for an evening ride on the ranch? Horses always make everything better.” And just like that, he falls perfectly into my trap. It takes all the willpower I have not to jump up and down in happiness that I’m going to be able to pull this off.
“Yeah, I guess we can do that,” I say, with every ounce of acting I have in my body. I make my way out of the truck as fast as I can and grab a few bags out the backseat.
Thankfully, we can bring everything in in one trip. “How about we just leave this here and head out right now? We can organize all this stuff tomorrow morning. Beth asked that I go at four tomorrow like I had planned today,” I ask, wanting to get this show on the road as soon as possible. I don’t know how long I can keep this secret.
All day Ian hasn’t been himself. Usually, he can’t stop talking, pointing things out, or trying to make me laugh, but he’s been quiet today, lost in his thoughts. It’s clear to see that the conversation we had this morning, and how I quickly brushed him off, is playing on him.
“Sure,” he agrees, dropping off the bags he carried in on the kitchen table, before making his way back to his truck without saying a word.
The entire ride over to the ranch is done in silence, which is odd, but I can’t say I’m not thankful for it. He stays silent throughout saddling the horses and doesn’t question when I ask if he can take me to the spot along the creek—the spot he took me to the first time he brought me riding. He stays silent until about the last five minutes of our ride, and what he says surprises me.
“Sorry for being so moody today. I guess I’m just worried about the start of training camp and the pre-season circus that’s about to start.”
“I can totally understand that. And I can’t say that I’m not going to miss you. I like being able to see whenever I want. I’m here if you want to talk about it,” I offer, but I’m met with silence, which is fine because the closer we get to our spot, the more nervous I get. I swear I’m about to fly away with all the butterflies I have going off in my stomach.
What if he’s nervous or quiet because he wants to end things with me and I’m about to make the biggest fool out of myself. No , I tell myself, shaking my head. Sadie confirmed that Ian was head over heels in love with me, that that’s the bet that she won that got her an all expenses trip to New Zealand paid by her big brother. She told me that she bet him he would fall in love before the end of the summer.
I’m lost in thought and don’t realize we’ve made it to our spot. I owe Sadie more than a thank you. She really outdid herself.