Page 62 of Meeting Her Mate
How does one show gratitude and appreciation to a woman who has given you everything? How does one atone by way of action for his past behavior? These thoughts had given me pause. It was a dead-end of thoughts that I could not resolve.
Until finally, it struck me.
After confessing my love and then making love to Alexis, my most imminent desire was to take her out on a date. But an ordinary date would not do. Nothing about Alexis was ordinary, so it did not make sense that I just take her out for dinner and a movie. Besides, there weren’t all that many places where one could take his significant other in this small town.
The Grimm Reaper, as it had once come to my rescue all those long years ago, came to my rescue now. Earlier today, I had put the finishing touches on it. It was while I was staring at it in all its splendor in the sunlight that my brain fog lifted and allowed me to see this finished ship for the opportunity it was.
This world and so much of what it contained were beyond my understanding. But on this ship, time had stood still. Thanks to my repairs, it looked as beautiful as it did a hundred years ago. The ocean knew no concept of time as well. On that boat, I would be in my element, no longer a man who knew nothing of the world but a man who knew how to captain a ship across continents.
As far as I knew, Alexis hadn’t been on a boat before. The wonders of the sea were still hers to behold. It would mean the world to me if I got to show her the magical wonders that the sea kept shrouded under its surface.
I did not exhibit this to her, but I knew how worried she was because of the whole Blair thing. She was a woman of fortitude and grit. Even when something troubled her, she never let it show. But the fact remained that we shared a bond and that bond had been strengthened ever since we had professed our love for each other and had accepted each other as mates. Now, if I focused, I could sense how she was feeling.
It would do her good to let go of her stress and worries for some time. Not to mention, an outing such as the one that I had planned would do wonders for our new relationship.
With that in mind, I began making the necessary preparations.
***
“Will, I work at the warehouse. I see your ship every night. I know it’s been repaired,” Alexis said, but I still did not remove my hands from her eyes. Even if what she had said was true, I still wanted to show her the surprise. What she did not know was that I had spent last night repainting the ship to create a new theme. The Grimm Reaper was now in a navy blue and ash white theme, which suited it far better than the original brown and maroon one.
I had also stocked it with the necessary things for the date that I had planned. Vintage wines, smorgasbords of cheese, grapes, marinated meats for a barbeque, and so forth.
“You may see now,” I said, lifting my hands.
“Holy shit,” Alexis exclaimed as she saw the newly painted and polished ship. “You changed the entire color scheme? It wasn’t like this yesterday.”
“I told you I wanted to surprise you, but that’s not all. I have planned something. You see, I wanted to wait for your day off. Well, make that two days,” I said, smiling at her from behind as she looked at the ship and admired its new coat of paint.
“What’s happening?” Alexis turned.
“I’m taking you on a getaway,” I said, now unable to hold back my smile in front of her. “Our first romantic getaway as a couple.”
“Oh my god. For real? Where are we going?” Alexis asked. Watching a smile break across her face was priceless. It made all my efforts feel worth it.
“Let’s see. A romantic cruise across the sea. We’ll set sail from Fiddler’s Green to the open sea and explore to your heart’s desire.”
“No one’s ever done something like this for me before,” Alexis said. She ran up to me and wrapped her arms around me. “I would love to do that.”
I hugged her back with glee and then planted a quick kiss on her cheek.
“Ready when you are, my lady.”
“You mean we can go right now?”
“Of course. I put Vincent in charge for two days. I figured, given everything we’ve been through, we’ve earned some time off for rest and recreation.”
“Come here,” Alexis beckoned, prompting me to lower my face. Then she kissed me on my lips. I could taste the hot chocolate she’d drunk earlier today. I deepened my kiss and let the feeling of affection and belonging flood through my body, spreading its wholesome warmth to my extremities.
This sudden arousal inspired me to suddenly lift her off her feet.
“Will!” Alexis laughed as I slung her over my shoulder and began climbing up the ship’s stairs.
“What? It’s customary to carry your mate across the threshold for the first time,” I said, putting her down on the deck.
“That’s only for bedrooms,” Alexis said. “And that’s only applicable for newlyweds.”
“Well, this is maritime law, and it applies to all couples, not just newlyweds,” I said.