Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
Isla
Travis and I walk through the Japanese garden. “I’ve never been here before. It’s so beautiful.”
We drove into Seattle to spend Saturday in the city. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the city, so I’ve been looking forward to coming, especially with Travis. And since everyone found out we’re together a couple of weeks ago, we no longer have to hide our relationship. It’s been nice not having to look over our shoulders at the office when we’re alone in the same room.
“I’ve never been here either.”
We pause as we crest the small stone bridge and soak in the scenery. It’s peaceful here. I’m no expert on horticulture, but the plants look different from the usual ones you see around us. Although we’re in the middle of an urban area, the city feels miles away.
We continue down the path, and I enjoy discovering something new with Travis. First, camping and fishing, and now this. I hope we have years ahead to do more of these things. Neither of us is particularly adventurous, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a lot to discover together.
We keep walking, hand in hand, chatting about this and that until we come to a grassy area.
“Let’s go this way.” Travis leads me off the path onto the grass.
I’m a little perplexed as to why. There are no signs saying to stay off the grass, but it seems odd that he wouldn’t want to stay on the designated path. As we walk a little further, I catch a glimpse of something off in the distance. When we get closer, I see that it’s a picnic that’s been set up, but this is above and beyond a regular picnic in the park where you pack a basket from home.
It has a white blanket spread out with large cream pillows on top, a short wood table set with rattan place mats, white plates, and serving dishes, and a cream runner and flowers strewn down the center of the table.
I stop in my tracks, and my hands fly up to my mouth. “Travis, what is this?”
He retakes my hand and leads me toward the setup. “This is for us to enjoy. As you may have already realized, I’m not really a wine and dine ’em kind of guy, but I wanted to do something nice for you. You’ve been so patient watching me work on that pendant light in the workshop lately, and you were so willing to come camping with me and try fishing and hiking that I wanted to do something I thought you might enjoy. Hopefully, you do.” He looks over at the picnic.
“Are you kidding me? You did so well!” I wrap my arms around him and give him a big kiss. “This is so beautiful. I have to take a picture before we mess it up.” Reaching into my crossbody bag, I pull out my phone and take a few pictures. “Let’s take a selfie with it behind us.”
Travis appeases me and steps into the frame, smiling wide. For the second picture, he turns and kisses my cheek when I click the button.
It’s our first picture together, and I make a mental note to have it developed so that I can frame it and place it next to my bed.
“Can you send me a copy of that?” Travis asks.
I smile, surprised. “Of course.”
He nods toward the picnic set up again. “Shall we?”
“Absolutely.” I sit on the lush pillow on one side of the table and get myself comfortable while Travis does the same on the other side.
Checking out the spread, I see some wine, strawberries, cheese, pastries, a few different cold salads, and some desserts. All of it looks delicious.
“You didn’t set this up yourself.” I phrase it like a statement, but it’s a question. I don’t know when he would have had time. We drove into the city together, and he hadn’t been out of my sight all day.
Travis chuckles. “Not sure I could pull something off that looks this good.”
I was thinking the same thing, though not in a bad way. I don’t know many men who could arrange a display like this. It could be dressed for a wedding if there were a hundred more place settings. It’s that nice.
“I found a company online that sets these up around the city, so I called them, and they made it happen.”
My grin starts to hurt my cheeks. “I still can’t believe you arranged all this and kept it a surprise.”
He spreads his napkin out over his lap. “You deserve it.” Reaching for the wine bottle, he grabs a glass. “Would you like some wine?”
I nod. “Yes, please.”
He pours me a glass and then himself one. “How about a toast?”
I raise my wineglass toward him.
“To beginnings and wherever they may lead,” he says, lifting his glass to mine.
“To beginnings.”
We clink our glasses and both sip our wine. After the two of us each fill a plate full of food, I take a moment before I start eating to look around and enjoy my surroundings. It’s so beautiful and romantic.
“I feel bad that I haven’t done anything like this for you yet,” Travis says, stealing my attention back to him, which isn’t hard to do.
I pick up a strawberry from my plate. “Have I ever given you the impression that I expect stuff like this? Not going to lie, this is amazing, but it’s amazing because it’s a treat. I enjoy our day-to-day, and honestly, as long as you’re there, I’ll have just as much fun doing things as I do hanging out with you in your workshop or going camping.”
“You’re really fucking amazing, do you know that?” He leans in over the table and kisses me.
When he pulls away, I pop the strawberry into my mouth, and he chuckles.
“I still haven’t figured out how you manage to be both sexy as hell and cute as a button, but I’m working on it.”
My cheeks heat as my eyes admire him.
If someone had told me after our first date that we’d end up here and that I’d feel this way about him, I would never have believed them. There’s so much more to Travis that I never could have guessed until I really got to know the man beyond the grumpy exterior.
“How much longer do you think it will be until you finish with the pendant light for the contest?” I ask him, grabbing another strawberry.
“Likely another few weeks, possibly less if I go hard on it.”
I nod. “It’s pretty cool watching you work and seeing how you turn a chunk of wood into something intricate and beautiful.”
His dark eyes twinkle as he smiles. “I’m happy you think so.” Something passes over his face, but it’s there and gone so quickly that I can’t make sense of it.
We eat, drink, and talk. Travis tells me a few stories about him and his brothers when they were younger, ones I’ll be sure to razz Lucas and Josh about next week at the office.
After we finish with our picnic, we decide to do some window shopping on Ballard Avenue. There are so many cute shops, and being that I don’t get into the city a lot, I want to use the opportunity to check it out while we’re here.
I’m sure shopping is not at the top of Travis’s to-do list, but he doesn’t complain when I suggest it, seeming content to tag along.
As we walk along the sidewalk, stopping periodically to window shop, I think what an amazing day this has been. And I’m fairly sure I’m not alone in feeling that way.
Travis has been so sweet today and more touchy-feely with me than he normally is. Maybe it’s just because we’re not hiding our relationship anymore. I’m not sure, but it’s clear that I’m not alone in my feelings.
I drag Travis inside the Filson store because it’s completely his vibe—an outdoor outfitter store. Everything screams Travis.
We browse around and pick out a thick flannel that I look forward to seeing on him during a camping trip this fall. I can perfectly picture him standing on the bank of a river or cooking something over the fire on a cool autumn morning, wearing the new shirt.
“All right, enough shopping for me. Let’s see if we can find you something,” Travis says as the salesperson hands him his bag.
“I could use some new undergarments,” I say as we leave the shop.
Travis grins and places a chaste kiss on my lips. “I’m not a big shopper, but something tells me that might change helping you pick some things out.”
I giggle and take his hand as we continue walking down the street. We’re only a couple of shops down when Travis’s hand squeezes mine, and he stiffens beside me.
When I glance to my side, he’s tense, though I have no idea why. His jaw is set, and his lips are pressed into a thin line, eyebrows drawn down. His color is pale as if he’s watching a ghost ahead of us.
It’s not a ghost, though. It’s a beautiful woman with striking features and long, straight dark hair, and she’s approaching us. The way she’s coming toward us with her eyes set on Travis’s, it’s obvious they know one another.
The question is—who is she to him?