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This is unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine.
If you haven't listened to "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz (his newest one) you so should. This has become the theme song for this story.
Thanks to Just4Ale for the restaurant and hotel suggestion!
Word Prompt: Browse
Wednesday, 21 March
I walked into the store, my fingers trailing across the glass counters as I eyed the contents of each case. I wasn't looking for anything specific. I needed to kill some time. Bella still had another hour to go at the spa, and I didn't feel like hanging out at a winery or in our hotel room by myself.
"Good Afternoon." I looked up to see an older women walking toward me, a warm smile on her face.
I nodded. "Hello."
"Can I help you find something?"
I shook my head. "I'm just looking, but thanks."
"If something catches your eye, just let me know. I'd be happy to open one of the cases for you to take a closer look."
I thanked her again and continued browsing. The store was neatly organized, with a long L-shaped glass cabinet filled with sparkling gemstones and other pieces of jewelry in the middle of the room, tastefully decorated displays along the outer walls, and tall, black carousels with less expensive items sprinkled throughout the rest of the space. I walked from section to section, but nothing really stood out. I was just about to leave when a case of small, Sterling silver pendants caught my eye.
I walked over and leaned forward, examining each piece until I found one that seemed perfect for us. The pendant was circular in shape, although imperfect. It looked like someone had taken a piece of play-dough, haphazardly tried to make a circle, and then dipped it in silver. The center of the pendant had two hearts, a ribbon above them, and the word FOREVER stamped at the bottom.
I'd never seen anything like it before, and I was just about to call for the women when she appeared. She didn't bother asking if I wanted to take a closer look; it was pretty clear I was interested. She pulled it out of the case and set it on a piece of black velvet.
Gently, I picked it up. It was heavy on my fingers and had the feel of a well worn rock, smooth on the back and slightly bumpy around the edges. I examined it more closely and noticed how it looked almost like a stamp had been pressed into it.
"That was designed by one of our local artists," she said as she pulled out a small card with more information. "Each necklace is unique, shaped a little different from the next, and then cast with an authentic nineteenth century wax seal."
That explained the old time feel, I thought as I brushed my thumb across the top of it and smiled at the simplicity of the design. I had a feeling Bella would like something like this – simple and unique – and decided to get it for her. Aside from the snow globe for Christmas, I hadn't gotten her any other gifts, and the idea of her having a little something to remember our week together seemed like a great idea.
"I'll take it," I said, handing it back to her.
"Perfect." She polished it, laid it reverently in a small black box, inserted a little card with more information about the piece, and then tied it with a ribbon.
After paying and thanking her, I quickly made my way back to our hotel. Just the idea of surprising Bella with the necklace had me scheming and making calls. Things had been smooth as glass between us since we'd arrived. After our late night talk on Friday and our subsequent reunion in the San Francisco airport, where I'd kissed the shit out of her and hugged her for a long, long time, we'd spent the last four days wrapped in a cocoon of wine, good food, and sex.
Every day that we'd been in Sonoma had involved a trip to three or four wineries, a fun picnic or luncheon at some small little place we happened to stumble upon, and then an afternoon spent back at our hotel, napping and playing. At first Bella had been a little hesitant about thing because of her period, and I hadn't pushed. I had no desire to make her uncomfortable, and we'd had fun doing all sorts of other stuff. And by fun, I mean snuggling, touching, and getting ourselves worked up to the point of breaking. Bella, always generous, eagerly took care of me, and in turn, I made sure she wasn't left wanting… who knew making out like teenagers on the couch could be so fun.
Of course, by Tuesday night, when she gave me the all-clear, I took full advantage, lavishing her with all sorts of attention, touching her where I'd been dying to, making her come every way I could before sinking deep inside her. Making love to her was nothing short of amazing, and I had never been so grateful for the four remaining days we still had together.
I walked into our room to find Bella walking out of the bathroom, hair all twisted up in a towel, in one of the white hotel robes. She grinned when she saw me, and I immediately noticed how relaxed she looked.
"Hey, Pretty girl," I said, pulling her against me and kissing her hungrily.
She met my kisses with equal ferver. "Hey, Handsome," she said breathlessly as she pulled away. "Where have you been?"
"Oh, just out and about," I said, kissing her cheek and walking toward the bar in the corner of the room.
I didn't bother looking at her as I poured us each a glass of wine. I knew my response wasn't going to appease her, and I was right.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
I turned to find her standing right behind me, and I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "Noneya."
"Noneya? What does that mean?"
"It means it's none of your business, silly. I can't give away all my secrets."
She snorted. "Noneya. That's just great, Edward."
"You love me, anyway," I teased and kissed her nose.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"Oh don't get moody. Admit it. I'm amazing and you love me."
"You can't make me."
I arched my eyebrow as I set my wine glass on the table next to the small couch on which I'd just flopped down. I patted the cushion next to me. "Fine."
She glowered at me. I knew she was just messing with me, and when she finally grinned, begrudgingly, and sat down next to me, I just laughed. "Shut it," she grumbled.
I pulled her close, loving how warm she felt and how good she smelled after her bath. We spent the afternoon talking and eventually, after I built a fire, napped all wrapped up together on the couch.
~*WS*~
"Where are you taking me?" Bella asked as we walked down the street.
The front desk has texted me late in the afternoon to confirm all the details for the night had been arranged. I still couldn't believe how accommodating and helpful they'd been on such short notice.
"You'll see when we get there. It's a surprise." I looked down and made sure she knew it wasn't anything weird.
She squeezed my hand and smiled. I was once again grateful she was so easygoing and loved surprises.
After another block, I stopped in front of the restaurant and pulled open the door. She entered, her eyes taking everything in as she looked around.
"Welcome to Cyrus."
Bella looked at me, her eyes wide with surprise, and I grinned. "Reservation for Edward Cullen."
The host nodded, checked the book, and immediately escorted us to our table. I was surprised we were able to get in, especially since earlier in the week, the owner of the hotel had given us a list of restaurants and urged us to get reservations as early as possible. We had opted out, deciding to keep most of our meals low key, but after finding the necklace and spending most the day away from her, I wanted to do something unexpected, something special with her.
"I can't believe you were able to get in here. Mary said it would be difficult to get a reservation," Bella said, reaching for my hand, after we'd been seated.
"Well, Mary was very helpful in orchestrating this whole thing. She called, and they had an opening."
She smiled, and I was floored by how beautiful she was. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to seeing her look at me with such adoration.
"I'm glad. This is going to be great."
We proceeded to enjoy one of the best meals I'd ever eaten. It was eight courses, each paired perfectly with its own glass of wine. The entire experience was magical and romantic, slow and relaxed, and exactly what I wanted it to be. The air between us was so warm, bordering on sexually charged as I watched her savor every single bite, her lips wrapping around her fork, and enjoy every sip of wine.
By the time we got to cheese course, Bella's cheeks were flushed, her eyes were warm, like melted chocolate, and little pieces of her hair had pulled loose from the clip she'd put in just before we left. She was absolutely stunning, and the longer I stared at her, the more I wanted to get out there and take her back to our room. If the way her ankle was rubbing against mine was an indication of her feelings, I was pretty sure we were on the same page.
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" I asked, brushing my thumb across her knuckles in a slow back and forth pattern.
"I do believe you did, Dr. Cullen."
I loved it when she called me that. It was ridiculous that my ego ratcheted up a little each time she did.
"Well, let me tell you one more time, Dr. Swan. You take my breath away. Thank you for having dinner with me tonight."
As if her cheeks weren't pink and warm already from the wine, they flushed a little darker. Her eyes dipped down as a slow, sexy smile pulled at the corners of her lips. When her eyes met mine again, I could see the fire and intensity behind them that I knew from experience meant she was ready to wrap things up and get back home.
Something stirred inside me as she lazily pursed her lips. "The pleasure was all mine. Perhaps I could repay the kindness later tonight."
I nodded as I lifted my wine glass to my lips. "I do believe I would be most amenable to that suggestion," I said and tilted the remaining bit of my wine into my mouth.
We continued the back and forth banter through the remainder of dinner, and just before we sampled one last glass of wine with dessert, I pulled my hand from hers and dug inside the pocket of my jacket for the necklace I'd purchased earlier in the day.
I placed the box in the center of her palm and wrapped her fingers around it.
"What is this?" she asked, a note of surprise elevating her voice just slightly.
"Something to say I love you and for you to remember our week here."
She grinned, with almost childlike enthusiasm, and looked at me, her eyes asking permission to proceed.
I nodded and couldn't help but watch with nervous excitement as she untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she looked up at me and then down at the necklace. She ran her fingers across the imprint and looked up at me again.
"Edward, this is… wow. This is really beautiful." Her voice was breathy and excited, and I loved that I'd chosen well.
"There's a card underneath that explains a little bit about the necklace and how it was made."
She lifted the necklace out of the box and looked at it more closely before setting it down, unclasping the one she was already wearing, and then fastening the new one around her neck. It settled a little above her cleavage, and I had to swallow at the thought of what I already knew was there and how she would look wearing my necklace and nothing else.
I'd definitely find that out later.
"How does it look?"
"Perfect."
She lifted it off her chest and looked at it and then set it back down. "I love it," she whispered and looked at me. "Thank you."
"You are more than welcome, Love."
After paying, I led us back to the car, her hand in mine, and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, where I had one more surprise up my sleeve.
Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews and support as I've been away dealing with RL stuff. I'm still in Oklahoma and managed to sneak a few minutes to myself. I greatly appreciate all your kind words. More tomorrow night, hopefully. xoxo
There are pictures of the hotel and Bella's necklace on my blog: jessyptff dot blogspot dot com
