My car door opened and I was met with the deepest brown, almost black, pair of eyes I had come to love. A smile graced my face as I placed my hand in the hand offered. "Thank you, Derek." I said as he helped me out of the car, always a true gentleman. As I rose to stand by him, I was pulled into his embrace; I felt his lips place a kiss on my head.
"Of course, beautiful."
Rounding the back of the car, Derek released my hand to grab a blanket and picnic basket out of the trunk. Today was our one-year anniversary and we had decided to keep it simple instead of going all out. Derek apparently knew the best place to have a picnic. I went to take the basket to carry but found them out of my reach.
"Hey! I can carry something. It's not fair for you to carry everything."
Derek let out a small chuckle, shutting the trunk. "Meredith, how many times do I have to tell you that a woman should not have to carry anything. I am happy to carry them for you."
"I know. I know." I grumbled under my breath while huffing.
Derek grabbed my hand and led me onto the hiking trail. "I knew you would see it my way."
He let go of my hand to ruffle my hair. I swatted his hand away, "Yeah, yeah."
Hiking in silence, I took in the forest around me and marveled at its beauty. Tall oak trees with a scattering of pine trees mixed in; fresh air mixed with pine invaded my nose. I always loved the way a forest smelled. Birds flew through the trees, perching on a branch periodically; chipmunks, squirrels, and bunnies scurried around. The path up ahead split into two, Derek smiled at me and led me down the path on the left.
"Don't worry, we are almost there."
I met his eyes and smiled. "It's okay. It's so peaceful out here. I love it."
"I knew you would. We will have to come here more often then. It's convenient that my parents own this land then."
I turned my head sharply to the left, my eyes wide. "What?"
"Yeah, did I forget to mention that?" He chuckled.
"Um, yeah you did." I knew his family was wealthy. His parents had started a company when they were young and it took off immediately. Expanding across the country, eventually growing to stores internationally.
Trees started to become fewer before opening up into a large clearing. The sight before me took my breath away. A small waterfall rained down into a lake. The lake was so crystal clear that you were able to see straight to the bottom.
We came to a stop in the middle of the clearing, setting the basket and blanket down, Derek turned to me, "So, what do you think?"
"It's amazing! I can't believe that your family owns this."
He grasped my hands. "You better believe it Mer, because soon, it will be yours too."
Blood rushed to my cheek, heating them up. I distracted myself by setting up the picnic. Unfolding the blanket and spreading it out on the ground, I grabbed the basket and started to unload the food. I dished up plates for both of us.
Derek sat down and I handed him his plate of food. "Thank you, hun."
"Of course, Derek."
We chatted while eating, keeping the conversation light; small talk and what was happening at work. Gazing out at the lake, I admired the beauty of where we were. Soon we were done eating; we cleaned up and placed the items back into the basket.
