Chapter 16
Noelle
I glanced at myself in the full-length mirror of our room and smoothed out my dress.
Bentley had surprised me with this dress earlier in the week.
It couldn’t have fit me more perfectly if I had picked it out myself.
I grabbed a piece of white lint that had landed on the black silk material and gave myself another once over.
Tonight was our one-year anniversary and Bentley had not only surprised me with the dress but also with a weekend away to this cozy little bed-and-breakfast about an hour away from home.
I smiled at myself in the mirror. The last year had been amazing, and I was so thankful to still have my parents in my life. It had been rocky, to say the least. There were many more disagreements after last Christmas, especially when we announced to them that we were moving in together.
Bentley had decided that it was time to stop living above Dripping Whiskey and we started searching for a two-bedroom bungalow in town.
We moved in together in the summer and spent the rest of the summer furnishing the place.
I’d started helping at the bar as well, taking on a lot of the office work.
My father hadn’t been pleased, but he couldn’t complain because at least I was putting my degree to use.
I heard the shower shut off and glanced in the mirror to see Bentley step out of the shower and reach for a towel. My eyes washed over him and met his.
“Don’t get any ideas there.” He chuckled.
I couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh as I shook my head and walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, slipping my feet into my heals.
“Where did you say we were having dinner?” I questioned.
“It’s called Lumina Trattoria. Please don’t look it up. Anything more than that will ruin it.” Bentley called as I held my cell phone in my hand, the name of the restaurant half typed out on the browser.
“Why would you think I was going to look it up?” I questioned, deleting the name from the browser.
“Because I know you.” He said, poking his head into the room and winking. “Plus, I’ve worked hard to keep it a surprise for you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You know me too well.”
“Why don’t you pour yourself a glass of wine and relax?” Bentley said, nodding toward the small fridge in our room.
“Would you like one?” I asked.
“No, I got it for you, plus I’m driving.”
Bentley disappeared back into the bathroom while I got up and opened the small fridge, grabbing the bottle of wine he’d put in there.
I opened and poured a glass, replacing the cap and placing it back into the fridge.
Grabbing my glass, I wandered over to the large window and looked out over the field.
Christmas lights twinkled in every tree and bush on the property, lighting everything up.
It looked so pretty as the snow fell and I softly smiled.
Bentley had made me so happy this year and no matter what, there wasn’t another place I ever wanted to be.
All the challenges with my parents had brought us closer than ever, and he had never faltered from his promise of being there for me in whatever capacity he needed to be.
In some ways, I almost didn’t think I deserved him.
I caught his reflection in the window and turned to see him standing there. He looked as handsome as ever, wearing black dress pants and the black-on-black shirt I’d gotten him for our anniversary. The moment I’d seen it I knew I had to get it for him.
“You look beautiful.” He said, walking toward me as his eyes washed over my body. He placed his arms around me, pulling me gently into him.
“Thank you. I love this shirt on you.” I whispered, fixing the collar as I met his eyes.
“You ready to go?”
I nodded.
* * *
We pulled into a parking lot, parked the car and Bentley cut the engine.
“I didn’t think it was this far from the bed-and-breakfast.” He said, undoing his seatbelt.
“Oh well, it was a pleasant drive.” I said, grabbing my clutch and getting out of the car.
He walked around, took my hand in his, and then gently guided me away from the building.
“Aren’t we eating?” I questioned, looking over my shoulder as we walked away from the sign that read Lumina Trattoria.
“We are, but we enter this way.” Bentley said, still guiding me to the opposite side of the lot.
“This is just a path?” I said, shaking my head and shivering as we continued down a snow blown path through the woods.
“It is, but this is where the entrance is. Trust me.” He added.
The moment we stepped off the path, I sucked in a breath at the sight before me.
Scattered throughout the field were all these glass dome igloos.
Each one of them had decorated Christmas trees in them, lit with white twinkling lights and a table and chairs in each one.
Servers carried food out on covered plates, taking them into the glass domes that were full.
I couldn’t help but smile. It was beautiful here.
“Are we eating in these?” I asked, still looking at each of the domes.
“We are.” He answered, guiding me over to one of the domes on the far side.
“Mr. Gray, it’s nice to see you.” The server said, taking lead and directing us to one dome where two people were already seated inside.
“Bentley, he has the wrong one.” I said, pulling at his arm, only to have him ignore me as he stepped into the dome.
I came around him and was shocked to see Kelsey sitting there with Trent. Kelsey had moved away with Trent at the beginning of the year while he finished his residency. The last time I’d seen her was in the spring, when she’d come back to town to pick up the rest of her things from her parents.
“Oh, my god!” I gasped, bringing my hand to my chest, as tears sprung to my eyes.
Kelsey stood up and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me close. “Look at you.” She whispered, “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too. What an amazing surprise.” I cried, still hugging her tight.
As we parted, I looked over at Trent, who stood up and gave me a hug as well.
“Noelle, so good to see you.” He whispered, before placing a kiss on my cheek. He then shook hands with Bentley.
“You did all this?” I questioned, still smiling, as Bentley pulled a chair out for me to sit down.
“Happy Anniversary Darlin.” He whispered, as he kissed my cheek.
* * *
We shared appetizers and then moved onto main courses while the conversation between the four of us flowed.
Kelsey talked about her new job and Trent filled us in on how his residency was going to the local hospital in their area.
I shared pictures of the new place with them both and told them all about the new upgrades we’d done to the bar.
Shortly after, the server appeared and took our dessert order.
Bentley then got up and excused himself for a moment.
I glanced over my shoulder to see him stop and speak with the man who’d been serving us.
They exchanged words, but then Kelsey tore me away, wanting to show me pictures of her new cat.
We were deep into the picture when Bentley returned and sat down, diving into another discussion with Trent. We were both in our conversations when the door to the glass dome opened.
“Ah perfect.” Bentley said, looking up at the server.
He passed out our desert and then gave Trent, Kelsey and Bentley a glass of wine. I was about to say something when he asked me to close my eyes.
I looked at Bentley and shook my head no. Only Bentley nodded. “It’s alright Noelle, go ahead.”
I looked over at Kelsey with a questioning look, but all she could do was give me her usual goofy smile she always wore when something was up. Questions floating through my mind, I finally said fine and closed my eyes.
I heard nothing in the room, no one handed me anything and when I heard the door close behind me, I wondered how much longer I was going to have to sit here with my eyes closed.
“Bentley, can I open my eyes now?” I asked, frustration setting in.
“Not yet.” I heard Kelsey say.
“Why not? What is going on?”
It was then I felt a hand slide in front of my eyes.
“Relax Darlin, just a couple more seconds.” Bentley said, soothing me with his deep and calm voice like he always did.
I let out a sigh and continued to sit there.
“You know this isn’t fair.” I whined.
“What isn’t?” I heard Bentley ask.
“Um, hello, making someone cover my eyes.” I cried.
“That’s because I know you’d look. I needed some extra insurance here.” Bentley added, sounding as if he were concentrating on something.
Finally, I felt the hand that was covering my eyes fall away and I heard Bentley say, “You can look now.”
I opened my eyes, blinking twice, allowing the room to come into focus and looked at the table in front of me. Everything was exactly as it had been before. I frowned, shaking my head.
“What is it?” Kelsey asked.
“What were you guys doing?” I questioned, looking at each of them.
It was then Bentley picked up his wineglass and said some silly toast and then waited as everyone else picked up their glasses before he looked at me and nodded toward the glass in front of me.
Locking eyes with him, I finally looked down and picked up the wineglass in front of me. I felt something hit my hand, and that was when I noticed the white ribbon tied around the stem of my glass and dangling from the bottom of the ribbon was a diamond ring.
With a lump in my throat, and tears in my eyes, I finally tore my eyes from the ring and looked at Bentley. Was this for real?
I looked over at Kelsey, who had her usual cat ate the canary look on her face and then over to Trent, who sat there with a smile on his lips. Then I looked back to Bentley, who had somehow in that time, dropped on one knee and took my hand in his.
My stomach flipped as I met his eyes.
“Noelle, darlin, you’ve changed my entire life in the last year and I’ve never been happier. We’ve navigated all the difficulties our relationship has brought forth together and for that we are stronger.”
Tears slipped from my eyes as I stared into Bentley’s eyes. He took my wineglass from my hand and quickly untied the ring from the ribbon and held it in his fingers.
“Noelle, I want to live within the warmth of your heart and always know I can call it home. I was your first everything, and I also want to be your last. You make me happier than I ever thought possible. You are my heart, my life and my one and only thought. You’ve been the one I’ve been waiting for.
Will you do me the honour of saying yes to being my wife? ”
I could barely see the ring he’d slid onto my finger for tears.
“Yes.” I answered, tears now falling freely down my cheeks as Kelsey gasped and clapped her hands.
Bentley moved in closer and pressed a kiss to my lips and pulled me against him for a hug as his tongue parted my lips, washing through my mouth.
The moment we parted, Kelsey grabbed my hand and looked at the ring Bentley had placed on my finger.
“My god, it’s beautiful.” She said, hugging me.
“Now, lets get this desert in us.” Bentley said, taking a bite of the red velvet cake he’d ordered.
I took my fork and dug into the moist cake. Tonight had turned out better than I’d ever imagined and I had Bentley to thank for it. He truely was the man of my dreams and I was so lucky to have him. As I slipped the last bite of cake into my mouth I looked over at Bentley and caught his gaze.
“I love you.” He whispered, taking my free hand in his as Kelsey talked about maybe cross country skiing in the morning.