Chapter 13
I walked into the house and it was deathly quiet. Quietly, I placed the groceries in the kitchen then crept through the house. I looked in the bedroom relieved to find Hazel sleeping. Whew! I thought perhaps somebody came and took Hazel. My gaze fell to the floor and I found boot prints that didn't belong to me. So somebody was here!
"Erik is that you?" Hazel asked with her back turned towards me.
"Yes it is, love." I smiled at her. When I called her 'love' she became rigid. "Are you okay, Hazel?"
She huffed and flipped onto her back in the bed. "Yeah, I am fine, Erik. Don't worry about me. It's just that in the dream you called me 'love' and it's like de' javu."
That dream must have been that bad. All of a sudden, I had the urge to not even think about having a child with Hazel. It would help her very much to relax. "Well then, how about dinner. I'll go get started." I clapped my hands behind my back. Hazel shot out of bed.
"Oh no you don't, I will make dinner. You will rest for a while." she scolded me. "You have done everything for me on this trip, so I must do something for you." I watched as she walked out of the room and into the kitchen. She is going to make a fine wife...
...
Somewhere in town...
"Maxwell, nobody was there. All that was there was the two's belongings." Gabe said. "Isn't that right, Augustus?"
"It sure is, Maxwell. I saw it all with my own two eyes."
Ugh! These two are pathetic. "Well, thanks for your help gentlemen." I handed them the money they asked for and with that, they were gone. I guess I will have to find Hazel and take her back myself. I looked out the window and watched the people go passing by. "Hazel, I still love you and I hope we will see each other soon..."
...
"How was dinner, Erik?" I asked. He smiled at me and put his hands on his stomach.
"It was the most delicious dinner I have ever had." Erik said politely. "Now, I have a surprise for you." A surprise for me! Wasn't the proposal enough? Erik pulled out a blindfold and tied it around my eyes. Suddenly, I was swept off my feet and carried out of the house. I knew we were going down to the beach because the salty sand's scent wafted in my nose.
"Erik, you better not drop me or toss me in the water!" I warned him.
"Why would I do that now?" he said with sarcasm in his voice. Oh no! When I felt the sand beneath my bare feet, I smiled. The blindfold was ripped off and I gasped. Right in front of me was a blanket in the soft sand.
"Are we going to look at the stars?" I asked. Erik nodded and pulled me down onto the blanket beside him. For many hours we gazed up into the night sky looking for the constellations. I felt so happy to be close to Erik and have him hold me around my waist. This is the best day of my life... After a few minutes of silence, I asked Erik a question. "Are we going to have a traditional wedding?"
Erik shook his head. "No, Hazel, I'm afraid not." Erik answered and then frowned. "Is that okay with you?"
"It is perfect!" I said and then leaned over and kissed him. Yawn!
"You must be tired. It is very late. We should get inside because we have lots of house work to do tomorrow." Erik said and helped me to my feet. It took us a few minutes to get back up to the house. When I was ready for bed, I climbed underneath the covers next to Erik and snuggled up against his warm body. Sigh... this is a day I shall never forget.
When I woke the next morning, I climbed out of bed and looked out the window. It was gray and raining. That's fine with me weather! Erik was still snoozing when I started dusting off the furniture in the living room and everywhere. By the time Erik woke up, I had finished pretty much everything that needed to be done, except for making breakfast, which I had forgotten about completely. I looked at the grandfather clock in the room. 12:30 it read.
...
"Erik, where did you learn to cook like this?" Hazel exclaimed.
"Madame Giry not only taught you well." I smirked. Last night I had thought of only one thing: making Hazel mine. Usually couples do that after the wedding ceremony is over, but since we weren't doing a traditional wedding, when would that happen? After some hard thinking, I eventually decided tonight will be the night.
"Erik!" I snapped back into reality.
"Yes, what is wrong Hazel?"
"You just zoned out for a minute or two. I thought something was wrong." she said worried.
"Well I am just fit as a fiddle." I replied. After we washed dishes, I grabbed Hazel's hand and took her outside. She tried to retreat back indoors, but I didn't let her.
"Erik, stop, I'm going to ruin this dress!" she giggled. I jumped in a puddle, causing her skirt to be soaked. "See what you have done!"
"Yes I do! The more dirty the dress, the faster you will get out of it." I smirked. She blushed and turned her face away. When my back was facing her, I felt water pour over my head. I whirled around and found Hazel with a bucket. That little brat! "Hey! Get back here you!" I chased her. After our time in the rain, we made our way to the room. I guess it is time! We both got undressed and fell into bed next to each other. This is going to be fun...