Can This Be Real?

Chapter 36: ... A morning for us to remember

Hope you enjoyed these last couple of chapters I was able to upload this week. Now back to inconsistent and lack of uploads... Lol... Jk... Fingers crossed, hopefully not. 😬😉😶😳

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. 🦃🍗🌽🍽🌽🍗🦃 I am so thankful to each and every single one of you that has taken the time to read this little story. I can't thank you enough. Hope you like what is still to come 💍👫💑👪👨‍👩‍👧👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👩‍👧‍👧💑👫💍

Bethany POV

I felt his hand graze my hair and I groggily say, "How long have you been awake and watching me sleep?"

I can feel him smiling through his answer, "for a little while."

"What time is it?" I ask.

He answers, "a quarter past noon."

"Derek!" I said, "why did you let me sleep in this late? We missed breakfast with your family and half of the day's activities."

He laughs and replies, "Babe, we're here ALL week. We'll have plenty of time to catch up and see all that Idaho has to offer."

"But this is a bonding trip with your family!"

"Beth, you are my family too and we have barely had time for one another these last couple of months. So, I say this counts as 'family bonding' also."

"Fine," I said as I rolled my eyes and then move closer to kiss him, "Good morning."

He smiles, kisses me one more time and answers, "Good morning."

I ask, "How did you sleep?"

"The best night's sleep in months, it helps having you right next to me," he answers.

I exhale deeply and reply, "I've missed you. "

He simply smiles and grazes his fingertips across my cheeks and lingers along my dimple. The way his eyes are staring at me is something different.

I continue, "Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"I first noticed it when you picked me up from the airport and then while you were talking with your Gramps on the dock. What's going on in that mind of yours?"

He smiles and answers, "You know what today is?"

I stop to think, "Umm...?"

He moves his hand away from my face to hold my left hand, "Exactly one year ago today..."

I smile as it occurs to me and finish his sentence, "...is the first day we met."

Derek nods his head.

"I can't believe you remembered," escapes my lips.

"It's crazy how fast this year has gone by yet how it seems like it was just yesterday you first turned around from that perfectly set up computer in the middle of a dance studio and our eyes first met," he starts to nervously rub his thumb over the top of my hand and continues, "so much has happened this year and it has made me realize how much you have completely changed my life, Bethany. From the day that I met you, I knew that I didn't want to live another day of my life without you in it."

Taken aback by his sweet words, I sigh and say, "Derek..."

He nervously hesitates, "B, I know that we've talked about this before and you want to wait because you think that we might be rushing things... but I just can't seem to get this off of my mind."