41. Cade
Hey Girl - Stephen Sanchez
The early morning light shines through the picture windows as I descend the stairs to find Paige sitting at the kitchen island, an appliance that looks like a waffle maker resting on a cutting board, parchment paper laid out with large snowflake-like cookies lined up in rows, several of them already cooled and stacked. A faint smell of something sweet permeates the air, with a hint of black licorice. “Mornin’, sunshine. How long have you been up?”
“Hey. I watched the sunrise and got a sudden urge to make Nana’s pizzelles, I hope you don’t mind. I’m actually almost done but I have to wait for the rest to cool before I can stack them.”
“Of course I don’t mind. This is your home, too.” I say, rounding the island to place a kiss on her cheek. “Do I get a free sample?”
“I think that can be arranged,” she smiles at me, a hint of light sparking back to life in her eyes. It’s been 6 weeks since Paige started therapy and while I can’t say that the worries that have been plaguing us are completely gone, I have noticed a significant change. The color is coming back into her face and the darkness that crept into our days has receded. I can see a spark of something coming back to life as she finishes the last pizzelle. I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia in the act of baking her grandmother’s recipe, or something else; I just know I want to stoke the embers.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“The best kind. Let’s get cleaned up, and then I’m taking you on an adventure.”
We load the dishwasher, working in tandem to clean up the remnants of her early morning project before she disappears into our room to get ready. When she comes back down, she’s a walking wet dream. It’s sundress season, ladies and gentlemen.
Paige walks down the stairs in a dusty pink dress that ties under her tits, leaving her cleavage on full display. It hits slightly below her knees with a slit up her left thigh. Fuck. Me.
“On second thought, let’s go back to the bedroom.” I rush forward and all but tackle her in a hug, trying to force her back upstairs.
“Cade,” she swats at my chest playfully. “Stop it, I want my surprise,” she says through a giggle and the sound goes straight to my dick. Much to my dismay, we walk out to the truck hand in hand and once I’m sure that she’s securely buckled in, I pull out onto the street towards a special place that I hope will make her smile. When we get close to our destination, I pull over to the side of the road.
“Cade, what are you…” her sentence trails off as I pull out a blindfold and place it over her eyes. Making sure that the knot at the back is secure.
The truck jostles us around when I pull onto a gravel road and I can’t help but steal a glance over at the passenger seat w here her breasts are bouncing behind the confines of her dress. I quickly adjust my cock in my jeans, willing away the erection. I park the truck on the gravel path, hopping down and rounding the truck to help Paige out of her seat then I reach into the back seat and pull out the blanket I packed earlier today.
“Ok baby, are you ready?” She squeezes my hand and nods. Releasing my grip, I turn her away from me and untie the blindfold before grasping her shoulders and slowly guiding her into the open field.
“Ok. Open your eyes.”
Paige
I blink my eyes open, adjusting to the light. All the air whooshes from my lungs at the sight before me. We’re standing in the middle of a vast field, wildflowers of every color imaginable as far as the eye can see. The flowers gently sway in the breeze, taking my breath with them.
“Oh Cade,” I whisper, as tears fill my eyes. “It’s beautiful.” He takes my hand in his, leading me further into the field where he lays out a blanket and guides me down to sit between his legs.
“I thought you could use a day away. Just you, me, and this,” he says, gesturing to the field of wildflowers around us, reminiscent of the ones from my wedding bouquet on a much grander scale.
We laid back on the blanket, arms raised as our fingers danced with each other. He slides his hand around mine and brings it down to meet his lips in a gentle kiss. He places another lingering kiss on my shoulder, whispering, “tell me what you need. I want you to be happy.”
“I’m not unhappy.” It isn’ t a complete lie. I’m happy but aimless. Adrift.
“Tell me.” It’s a gentle request and I can’t deny him.
“I need a purpose. You have the bar. I need something that’s mine.”
“What about your photography?”
“It’s a start.”
“Your work is incredible, Paige. It should be seen and appreciated.” His brow furrows for a moment before his face breaks into a toe curling grin. “What if we looked into some kind of exhibit? We can talk to the owner of Chapters & Brews. They have that small event space upstairs, and they’ve hosted artist showcases in the past.”
My skin tingles at the suggestion. It was a spark of something that I had been missing.
“And in the meantime, I spoke to Ivy. She said they’re looking for more volunteers at the shelter and with the adoption events. Again, it’s not a paid position, but it’s something.”
“Cade, I don't know what to say.” I rolled towards him on the blanket, tears soaking his white t-shirt. “I love you so much. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Paige. I’d do anything for you.”
A sense of peace settles in my bones. It’s a start.
We lay like that for a while, pointing out shapes in the clouds and talking about the future, our serenity broken only by my grumbling stomach. “Probably should’ve planned a picnic.” His voice is full of amusement as he helps me off the blanket. “Let’s go to Rosie’s.”