Page 17 of Tides and Tidings

I sighed, knowing that this place was way too fancy. The floors were made of marble that clacked loudly when you walked on them. The woman at the desk handed over our room keys. “Please take that escalator up to the next floor. Then, on the left-hand side, you will find the elevators. Ride that up to the top floor, and your room will be at the end of the hallway.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

We rode the elevator up to the top floor. Imagine my surprise when we roll up to the damn suite. “Charlie…”

He gave me a devious grin as he opened the door, “Yes?”

My eyes went wide, and I scanned the room. This was over the top. Legitimately the biggest and nicest hotel room I have ever seen. “Are you secretly a millionaire or something?”

“Fuck no. I just love you and want you to have a nice night.” He kissed the side of my head, “Look outside,” he motioned to the balcony.

My mouth hung open as I stepped outside. We had the most stunning view of the river and bridge. It was beautiful during the day, but I knew at night that this would be incredibly romantic. The warm December air kissed my skin, and I relaxed as Charlie wrapped his arms around me.

“You’re spoiling me.” I looked him in the eyes. Guilt bubbled up. Ever since I was a little girl, I felt guilty whenever someone would spoil me. I like being the gift-giver, not the gift-receiver.

“You have no idea what else I have up my sleeve.”

I plopped down on the bed and immediately sunk in. “This is the comfiest bed I’ve ever laid in. Holy crap.”

Charlie laid down next to me. “Oh…you’re not wrong.” His eyes closed, “We have a few hours until dinner. Want to go head out?”

“How much time do we have before dinner?”

He checked his watch, “Seven hours until the reservation. How long do you need to get ready?”

I tapped my chin, “Maybe an hour? I have to shower and do hair and makeup.”

“I can work with that.” Charlie seemed nervous. He had concerns about leaving the coffee shop in someone else’s hands, so I guess that’s the issue.

“Let me just freshen up, and we can head out.”

He shot me Wren’s signature double thumbs up as I slipped into the massive bathroom.

“Did you know that this room has a bang tub?” I called from behind the closed door.

“Sure did.” I could practically hear the grin in his voice.

Charlie

Blythe found the jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. Aside from this room being incredibly romantic, the tub added another level of spontaneity we never had. Did I think we would end up in said tub—hell no. Do you know how many people have had nasty sex in that thing? I don’t want my dick to fall off because I very much enjoy using it.

I scrolled on my phone while Blythe freshened up because my nerves were causing my stomach to do flip-flops. I could barely keep my breakfast down on our drive here. I have never been this nervous in my life. Tonight needed to be perfect, and Savannah was the ideal backdrop.

Earlier this year, before Blythe moved in, I texted her at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning and asked her if she was up for a random trip to a zoo an hour away from Wippowa. Without hesitation, she agreed. The whole way to pick her up, Wren kept talking about how excited she was to see the turtles with Birdie. The two of them both shared an affinity for the hard-shelled creature. The irony wasn’t lost on me that if life was metaphorical, I was the turtle in this situation.

That day will go down in history as one of the best days we’ve ever had. On the car ride there, Blythe sat in the backseat with Wren, and they looked up the map to see where they needed to go first to see the turtles. By the time we pulled into the parking lot, the two of them had an entire plan of attack for the zoo. Wren’s hand was locked with Blythe’s the whole time we were there. That was the day they became inseparable, and our little family was formed.

Once we had dropped Blythe off at her place, Wren and I went about our regular nightly routine. I was tucking her in for the night when she started crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that “her Birdie” didn’t live with us. I explained that Birdie lived in her own house and might one day move in with us. That answer didn’t help at all. It raised more questions about why Blythe wouldn’t move in.

I squashed her questions about the move, but as I was closing her bedroom door, Wren hit me with the kicker—“Why don’t I have a mom?”. How was I supposed to answer that? I sat back down on the edge of her bed to broach this sensitive topic. I delicately told her that her mom had to leave and wasn’t returning. You can imagine how well that went over with a five-year-old. She started sobbing and asking why her mom didn’t want her. I held her and told her it was for the best, reminding her I would always be there for her.

I rocked her to sleep that night—or so I thought. I laid her back down and tucked her in before she hit me with a “Can Birdie be my mommy?” Also a question I wasn’t prepared for. I offered up a “maybe one day” and closed the door.

That’s why I picked Savannah for our special night away. I have wonderful memories here, and I know Blythe did as well. Wren talked about the zoo trip every week for damn near the last year, asking to go back.

“Charlie?” Blythe called from the living room, snapping me out of my thoughts. Yes, this suite had a separate living room.

“Yeah?”