Daryl seemed to be a jumble of nerves that whole day, waiting for the clock to click down and he could leave. Merle would be starting at noon, and would work the rest of the day by himself, while Daryl ran the last of his errands and then left with Beth. He was excited to spend a few days alone with his girl, but also terrified that she wouldn't like what he had planned. He seemed to be a good judge of what was going through her mind, so he would be able to tell if she approved or not.
When Merle came down the stairs, slowly trudging along, Daryl could only sigh. His brother knew this was important to him, but at the same time, needed to give him a good ribbing while he could.
Merle was outside, having a smoke, while Daryl was cleaning up the cutting boards. He worked hard all morning to get all the cutting and butchering done, so Merle could focus on the customers they would have throughout the day.
"You packed up already?" he asked, taking a drag. Daryl nodded.
"Just gotta load up her car. Hopefully everything fits."
"Should just buy another truck, then we don't gotta fight over this one," Merle motioned with his thumb to their black beauty.
"Don't need another truck. This won't happen too often," Merle acknowledged him and stubbed out the butt. He made his way inside, throwing on his butcher jacket and turned to Daryl.
"Get outta here before you cause an earthquake. Jumpin' around like a Mexican dancing bean."
Daryl clapped his brother on the back and made his way upstairs. He wanted to shower and get changed before going to see Aaron. Much to his relief, it was going to be the perfect weather the next few days. The last thing he needed was for them to get rain and have to leave earlier than expected.
Once he was clean and dressed, he walked over to Beth's place and let himself in. She was working the front, while Rosita was taking a break in the back kitchen, eating some lunch.
He gave her a silent nod, and a small smirk as he passed her to go upstairs. He had spent the night and made sure that Beth's car keys were somewhere he could find them easily. He also wanted her travel bag left out so he could pack her clothes. She made sure to pack her own toiletries and underwear, and put them at the bottom of the bag. Regardless of where they went, she still had some necessities.
He felt bad going through her drawers, feeling he was invading her privacy. But she seemed to have no qualms about it, telling him where everything was that he could possibly need and that she was excited for him to have kept this secret for so long.
Once the bag was packed, he unlocked her car and began the careful tetris game of putting everything in place. He had to maneuver things around, and left some things in the backseat but it all fit. He left some room in the back for the cooler that would hold their fresh food and the food that Aaron would be giving him for tonight. He noticed Beth standing in her doorway with a smile. Heat rose up the back of his neck, thinking of the effect she had over him and all this work he was putting into a two day vacation for them. But he wouldn't change a thing, just seeing the smile on her face as she watched him. This was for Beth and she deserved every minute of it.
They made it on the road in record time, Daryl driving to keep the secrecy of their location and Beth was happy. She managed to get a small nap in, as the low music was playing from the speakers. Daryl was actually content about that since once they got to their location, it would be even more of a surprise.
He knew exactly where he wanted to take her, it was somewhere that meant a lot to him. Growing up, he didn't have an ideal childhood and would seek the woods as his place of solace. Once he was older, he still found the outdoors comforting for whatever he was going through and even now, it was his second home. Once he moved to Woodbury, he liked to explore around him and found this amazing meadow.
It was surrounded by trees and brush. A river flowed off to one side, and this beautiful open meadow in the centre. It was filled with wildflowers, and tall grass. The few times he came out here, if he came at the perfect time in the morning, he would see families of deer walk through, enjoying their morning meal. He never even felt the urge to hunt one of them down, he just enjoyed watching nature unfold before him.
He hoped that Beth would love this place as much as he did. The drive wasn't too far, but it was away from any city or town. Perhaps the quietness and breathtaking views around them would bring some calmness to her hectic life.
Once he pulled up to the spot he wanted, he gently nudged Beth awake. She slowly opened her eyes and took in the scene around her.
"Where are we?"
"Middle of nowhere, I assume," he joked. She giggled and looked back at him.
"Planning on killing me now, and leaving the body or something?"
"Wasn't planning on it, but the thought is always there." After a little laugh, they both got out of the car to take a look around. Beth breathed in the fresh country air and sighed.
"This is amazing. Where did you find this place?"
"Came along it in my travels around Georgia. Thought it would be nice to take you outside and go camping," he scratched the back of his head, a little uneasy for how she would like his plan. She surprised him by coming up to him and wrapping his arms around his torso.
"I love the idea. And this is way better than any five star hotel."
"You won't be saying that after 2 days of no showers." She giggled and took his hand, pulling him towards the car.
"You're the camping expert, show me what you know." He smiled and knew that he had nothing to worry bout now.
He was amazed how attentive she was to setting up their camp. She was really happy about doing this and wanted to take it all in. While setting up the tent, when she couldn't get the pole A into slot B, she simply took a deep breath and commented that she was gonna get this, cause she wanted to be a pro for next time. It made his heart burst to know that she was already wanting to do this again.
They got the tent set up and a fire going. The weather was still decent out and the sun was just setting when they finally got to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labour. Daryl had brought out the cooler of food and Beth could barely hold back her sobs. It touched her heart to know that he went to such great lengths to make this night special for her.
Beth finally put her plate down and rubbed her stomach."I can not eat anything else. That was amazing."
"Aaron sure is giving you a run for your money."
"Aaron has way more experience than me. He learned all this on his own. I had it compacted into my head,"
"You've got twenty-five years experience. Your momma taught you well," Daryl was pretty proud of himself because he just gave himself a great opening for her gift. He stood up from where he was sitting next to Beth and made his way over to the bag in the tent. Beth gave him a confused look but her face lit up when she saw the gift that he was bringing back.
"What is this?" Beth asked as he handed it to her. She touched the bow that was on top, and the paper, taking in it's simple beauty.
"Talking about your ma and your cooking, thought this would be a good time to give ya this," he replied, sitting back down beside her.
"Who did the wrapping?" she was carefully tearing into the paper, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. He blushed but was honest.
"Lori helped me out." She giggled and clutched his leg, giving it a squeeze. She eventually got the wrapping off and opened the box that was covered.
She was confused at first, it looked like a large photo album, with a brown binding and tan cover. It was once she opened the book, that she lost her breath. Inside were pages and pages of blank recipe cards, all with her name attached to the bottom with her bakery name. She looked to Daryl who looked like he was unsure. He was biting his lip, waiting for some type of reaction from her. Finally, he wondered if she knew what he was trying to do.
"I saw your mom's old recipe book and how old and tattered it was. Thought you want to add some of those into this book, plus all the new ones you created. Start your own to give to your kids one day."
Beth was transfixed on the book and what he had said. He was beginning to worry when she still hadn't said anything. Maybe she took offense since he called her mom's book old. Maybe she had an attachment to it since cooking and baking was their thing. God, he felt like an idiot right now. He might have just ruined their night and she still wasn't talking. His mind was going a million miles an hour.
Beth looked over to him finally, her eyes brimmed with tears and a smile on her face. His eyes were downcast, his shoulders slumped over in shame. She realized she hadn't spoken anything yet and he probably assumed the worst.
"Daryl," she spoke softly, touching his arm with her hand, "This is the most thoughtful and personal gift anyone has ever gotten me."
"Really?" Daryl asked with hesitation. She seemed genuine but he still had reservations.
"Seriously, this is amazing. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Thank you," she turned to hug him, wrapping both of her arms around him tight. He sighed in relief and let his nervousness go. As he hugged her back, he thought this was a good opening for him and maybe he could slip in those words he was dying to say. But before he could open his mouth to speak, Beth let him go and looked back at the book.
"I can't wait to get home and start writing in here. Probably spend a whole day with just my mom's recipes." She had the biggest smile on her face, and she beamed towards him.
"Well we ain't going home till Thursday night. I got some plans for us while were out here."
"Oh, like what? You can tell me now since I already know camping is involved," Beth was practically jumping up and down from where she sat beside him. Her enthusiasm made him smile.
"Thought I could teach you how to track and hunt, they got some walking trails around here we can explore a little. Even rented you your own crossbow so you can try it out yourself."
"Oh my God, really? I've always wanted to try yours, but it's so darn heavy."
"Yeah. Yours will be a little lighter and easier to pull back for you."
"This is going to be so much fun. We should go to bed now, so we'll be up bright and early tomorrow. I don't want to miss any daylight," she said getting up and pulling him towards the tent. He reluctantly got up, and moved with her.
"It's only like eight o'clock, why you wanna go to bed now?" Beth looked to him with a seductive look in her eye and bit her lip.
"Wanna thank you for such a wonderful gift and for a wonderful surprise," she replied, pulling him closer so she could kiss him slowly. It didn't take long for Daryl to get the idea, running his hands up her arms as he walked them back to their tent, never once breaking their kiss.
Thursday morning had Daryl sleeping in. He and Beth were up pretty late the night before, so he let her sleep as long as possible. These past two days had been so relaxing, once Daryl got over the initial nervousness.
The day before, Daryl learned just how stubborn Beth could be. She wanted to learn to track and hunt and she was a determined young woman. Using the mini crossbow was a challenge for Beth. She had zero hunting skills but was eager to learn. He showed her how to draw the bow, insert the bolt and how to shoot but they lost a few too many bolts with her aim. Eventually, Daryl just used his and lined up the shot with his arms around her so she felt like she helped. She was having a good time and really enjoying herself. Made him proud he planned this all out for her, and it actually worked out.
Today, they were going to head over to her family's farm for an early dinner and then they would make their way back to Woodbury. Rosita and Abe were going to drop off her birthday cake and meat to the Greene family farm so that Daryl didn't have to worry about it while they were camping. It also gave Rosita and Abe an excuse to have a mini vacation themselves.
Everything had been going according to plan except for one thing. He still hadn't told her he loved her. He had so many opportunities and he just kept chickening out. Why, he couldn't understand. He felt it, he knew he did, so why couldn't he say it? It's possible that even after Rick gave him confidence, that maybe he was still afraid of rejection, or that she didn't feel the same way. But he knew she did. He felt it in his bones that she loved him too but it still didn't help his case.
He was so lost in thought, he never heard Beth come out of the tent dressed in just his flannel shirt, and wrap her arms around his stomach. He jumped slightly, but calmed once he saw her arms around him.
"Why you packing up already? We still have some time today right?" she asked quietly, kissing up his back.
"Have another stop to make this afternoon. Figured you'd want to see you dad and sister today too." She squealed and held onto him tighter.
"Oh my gosh, I really wanted to see them for my birthday but didn't want to ruin our mini-vacation," she spoke rushed and frenzied, "I love you so much, thank you for thinking of them."
Daryl froze and stiffened. Did she just say what he thought she just said? He felt her arms loosen from him and she started to back away. He turned around quickly to see a worried look on her face. He wasn't quite sure what to say cause blurting out he loved her too didn't seem appropriate right now.
"I was not expecting to say it like that," she said slowly, pronouncing each word as if unsure of herself. She covered her face in embarrassment. "That's not how I planned to say it, but I do mean it and you don't have to say it back if you don't want to cause I-"Beth rambled.
Daryl cut her off by grabbing her face and kissing her softly. "Love you too Greene." Once the words were said, he couldn't believe how right it felt. Once he'd said it, he suddenly had the urge to say it again and again. She immediately grabbed onto him and kissed him back. It only lasted a moment, cause she broke into a smile and then laughter.
"I'm sorry, I'm such a loser," her face reddening. His brow furrowed in confusion. "I never said that to a boyfriend before so I was nervous and unsure of how to bring it up. I must have gotten to the point where I would just explode if I didn't tell you so it just slipped out like that. It wasn't the way I wanted to but I'm glad that it's out there." Beth would have probably continued her rambling, but Daryl pulled her into him and dropped his face down to hers.
"Well, we're both losers then cuz I had the same problem," he flushed in embarrassment. Beth just giggled and hugged him again.
"We are ridiculous. Like a damn romance novel."
"Am I supposed to sweep you off your feet or somethin'?" he laughed out.
"No, I like the way we don't do things the conventional way, makes it more special."
"Whatever you say Greene," he smirked, giving her one more kiss. "Get dressed so we can pack up and eat. We gotta be at your dad's place in a couple hours."
"Yes sir, Mr. Dixon," she saluted. He smacked her behind as she walked away, earning another giggle from her. He stood for a second and took in the past few moments. It was typical them to have a declaration of that caliber, and for them to be playful and joking about it after. This is why he loved her so much, because she was carefree like this. They didn't have to turn things into a giant charade, they just needed to be themselves and it worked out even better.
These two have officially taken my heart! They are not conventional and have their own way of doing things so I think their love exchange needed to be the same way. Hope you guys liked it.
Thanks Brandy and Carla for helping me along.
Hopefully their camping trip lived up to your expectation. And what about his gift, did you guys catch that hint from last chapter?
Next update is Saturday. On The Road gets updated on Friday in case people caught my typo. It's hard having two stories going with their own schedules!