Epilogue
Jace
Six Months Later
“God, it’s cold,” I muttered.
“Watch your step,” Caleb responded.
“You know this is crazy, right?” I asked. “It will still be a surprise if you take this thing off now.”
“Not yet,” Caleb said as he reached for the hand I was touching the blindfold with. “Just a little longer. Please?”
“Fine,” I said. “But for future reference, I hate the cold. And surprises.”
“Noted,” Caleb said.
I listened as Caleb told me when to step. There weren’t too many steps leading from the body of the plane to the ground, but it was still off-putting, since I couldn’t see for shit through the piece of fabric Caleb had wrapped around my eyes.
The whole thing had started this morning when Caleb had woken me up with what he’d called my birthday morning blow job.
Since he’d added the morning part in, I’d assumed, well, hoped, actually, that there’d be more coming throughout the day.
Breakfast in bed had been next, along with a strict order for me to stay in bed while Caleb took Willa to Mav and Eli’s house for the day.
I’d hoped that his return would lead to blowjob number two followed by a marathon of all-day sex, but no such luck.
As soon as he’d gotten back to our house, he’d pulled an already packed suitcase out of our closet and had told me to get dressed.
I’d been in the dark since then, both figuratively and now, literally.
No matter how much cajoling I’d done in the car, Caleb hadn’t spoken a word about our destination.
Which had ended up being an airstrip just south of the city.
I hadn’t had to wear the blindfold on the plane, but Caleb had closed all the window shades so I couldn’t look outside, and the pilots hadn’t mentioned our destination even once.
However, I had gotten blowjob number two in the small bedroom at the back of the plane.
I’d gotten a lot more than that, actually.
To say that Caleb had embraced his sexual awakening was an understatement. Admittedly, we’d had some rough spots as he’d recovered from Rush’s attack, but we’d taken things slow and eventually Caleb had been able to put the terrifying encounter behind him.
Me, not so much.
There were still days when I didn’t want to let Caleb or Willa out of the house, despite the threat to Caleb being truly gone now.
Ronan, Dante, and I had killed all the men waiting outside the warehouse and Rush had bled out within a minute of Caleb stabbing him.
Caleb had only had to spend one night in the hospital, but I’d kept him in bed for several days after that.
Eli and Mav had returned from their honeymoon early, despite Caleb’s protests.
When Eli had asked Caleb if he would have been able to stay away if the situation had been reversed, Caleb had promptly shut up and hugged his brother and told him he was okay.
As the trauma had faded, Caleb and I had settled into a new normal.
We’d found a house that was near Mav and Eli’s that gave us some room to grow into.
It was also close to the university where Caleb had enrolled for the fall semester after getting his GED.
Willa had become the light of our lives and we reveled in every milestone she hit.
We were eagerly awaiting her first words, which each of us were equally sure would be our respective titles.
Dada for Caleb and Papa for me.
The only checkbox I had left to tick off was getting my ring on Caleb’s finger – something that would be a lot easier now that I’d finally found the perfect one.
And fortunately, I’d had the sense to grab it from my dresser drawer right before Caleb had dragged me out the door. Even now, I could feel the weight of it in my pocket.
“Okay, this way,” Caleb said as he took my hand. The car he ushered me into was nice and warm, but when I made a move to take off the blindfold, Caleb stopped me. “Not yet.”
“You do realize I’m going to get even with you for this… and your punishment will likely include this blindfold?”
I heard someone chuckle and realized it wasn’t Caleb. I could feel my cheeks heating. “Caleb, baby, are we in a cab?”
“Um, maybe.” He dropped his voice, presumably so only I could hear him. “And as for your other question, I’m counting on it.”
With that, I stopped complaining because he’d just given me the perfect way to propose. I’d make love to him until he was begging me for release and that’s when I’d slip my ring onto his finger.
At the same time that I slipped the blindfold off.
I sighed and leaned back against the seat.
“What?” Caleb asked.
“What what ?” I responded.
I could practically feel Caleb’s curious eyes on me. But before he could say anything, the cab pulled to a stop. Caleb helped me out. I expected him to lead me somewhere, but instead, he whispered in my ear, “Are you ready to see your surprise?”
“Does it include you naked?” I asked, hoping like hell the cab driver was gone. From the two distinct chuckles I heard, the answer to that was no. I listened as Caleb thanked the driver and sent him on his way. Then his fingers went to the blindfold.
“Just remember that I love you and this trip is just for you. ”
“Okay,” I said somewhat nervously.
He pulled the blindfold off. It took my eyes a second to adjust, but when they did, my stomach dropped out.
“No way,” I said. “You’ve got to fucking be kidding me,” I said as I took in the huge snow-covered mountains. There were skiers everywhere, both on and off the massive ski runs, and the ski lift was jam-packed with people.
Oh God, he was taking me skiing.
I’d be making a fool out of myself in front of him and a million other people.
What the hell had he been thinking?
“What do you think?”
“I think you should probably make sure you’re up to date on your health insurance,” I said as I looked at him.
“Exactly what kind of punishment is it that you’re planning?” he asked with a grin.
“Caleb,” I said as I looked at the ski slopes again. “I love you, but there’s just no way in hell you’re going to be able to teach me to ski.”
“Oh, we’re not skiing,” Caleb said.
“We’re not?”
He shook his head. “No, that’s not your surprise,” he said as he pointed at the mountains. He used his fingers on my chin to turn my head slightly to the left. “That’s your surprise.”
It took me a moment to zero in on what he was trying to show me. My eyes went wide when I saw a woman waving at us from the opposite side of the lodge’s driveway.
“Oh my God, is that…”
“It is.”
“It isn’t,” I said in disbelief. But as the woman headed our way, I knew I was wrong. “I can’t believe it,” I whispered. “You got me Martha Stewart for my birthday?”
I whipped my head around to stare at Caleb in complete and utter shock. “What… how… what …?”
He grinned. “Turns out she and Mariana worked together on some kind of fundraiser benefiting veterans a while back. When I mentioned to Mariana that you were a fan, she said she’d make a call.
And she did. Martha has a house out here – we’re in Vail, by the way.
She said we could join her for dinner tonight. ”
“Oh my God,” I repeated. I felt a sudden warmth flow through me as I remembered all the time my mother and I had spent bonding over everything Martha Stewart related.
I wanted to kiss Caleb for giving that moment to me.
So that’s what I did. I brushed my lips gently over his. “Thank you,” I said in all seriousness.
His eyes were bright as he smiled at me.
Because he knew what this moment was to me – it was so much more than meeting a famous person.
Caleb squeezed my hand.
“Oh, and Mav and Eli upgraded us to a luxury suite. Something about bearskin rugs – fake ones – in front of the fireplace, a mini-fridge full of strawberry milk and a private balcony with a hot tub—”
I kissed him hard. “You had me at Martha Stewart,” I said.
Caleb laughed. But before I could process that I was really about to talk to the Martha Stewart, Caleb leaned up to whisper in my ear, “Just remember, she looks at you funny even once, I’m kicking her ass.”
I let out a bark of laughter and tugged him up against me. “Got it. Do me a favor, will you?” I asked.
“Anything,” Caleb said softly, and I knew he meant it.
He would do anything for me.
Just like I’d do anything for him.
“Whatever you do, don’t let me cook in front of her. I’d never be able to live down setting Martha Stewart on fire.”
Caleb laughed and leaned into me. “Okay, deal. As long as you don’t tell her that Sno Balls are the best dessert in the world.”
“Deal. Those will be included in your punishment, by the way.”
Caleb’s pretty eyes held mine as he whispered, “Promise?”
I knew what he was asking. He wanted so much more than just the promise of a fun night in bed. He wanted a lifetime of promises.
I kissed his temple. “Promise,” I whispered .
And as we stepped off the curb and made our way to meet my idol, I knew that I would gladly spend the rest of my life keeping the promises I made Caleb.
Just like I knew he’d do the same for me.
Always.
The End