everything we pass, sharing her thoughts on the beauty of the drive up the mountains while I admire her be auty.
After a few hours, we make it to Whistler, and the first thing I want to do is take Scarlette on the cable car. I take her by the hand, looking up at the red gondolas floating in the air, held up by a single metal cable. Scarlette seems nervous at first, but with a little squeeze from my hand, she instantly relaxes, and her excitement shows as we step onto the ride. As we make our way further up the mountains, the colourful village below becomes smaller and gives way to a landscape of lush green t rees.
“Elvis, this is breathtaking,” she says, still fixated on the view through the window of the gondola, the nature sprawling beneath us, as we lift higher in the wind. I love watching her enjoy every moment of it, and I bring my head closer to hers.
“You are breathtaking,” I whisper in her ear.
She tilts her head closer to mine, and I can see a smirk form on her lips. I place my hand on the side of her cheek, pulling her in for a soft kiss.
The rest of the ride is quiet while we hold each other, enjoying every bit of the sensational scenery. The sky is a clear baby -b lue , and the sun shines down on us, not a cloud in sight. Once we’re brought back to ground, we step out and walk to the village hand in hand, passing the shops. The cafés, and restaurants have their patios open, with their multi -c oloured umbrellas providing shade over the tables. We pass Portobello and both glance at it immediately. Our eyes meet and we smile at each other, remembering our date. I pull her hand, leading her in, and we stop for a bite to eat before the sun sets.
When we walk back out of Portobello, the sky has started fading into night. We take a slower walk back to the parking lot, and I drive us out of the stunning pocket in the middle of Whistler, making our way to the family cottage. Scarlette and I give each other shy smiles, knowing this will be the first night we spend toge ther.
We arrive and get out of Snow White. The air is filled with the scent of the pine trees. I open the front door, and we walk inside the cottage. Scarlette heads straight for the window, overlooking the lights from Whistler, but I stay standing near the front door, watching her.
With the bags in my hand, I make my way to the bedroom to tuck them away, but I don’t get a chance as Scarlette is suddenly behind me. Neither of us flicks the light on, and I feel a magnetic pull towards her. I’m only able to make out her shape in the glow filtering in from the hallway. I drop the bags, and when I’m close enough to place the palm of my hand on her perfect
face, I pull her into me. Our lips instantly meet, and I feel the softness of hers against mine. Breaking our kiss, I gaze into her eyes, getting lost in them. At that moment, the light from the full moon gleams through the window into the dark room, illuminating Scarlette. I take my time analyzing every part of her face.
She is mesmeri zing.
My fingers slowly start to undo the buttons on her green - a nd -
w hite plaid shirt one by one. With both hands, I gently move the material off her arms and down her back, as her long brown hair cascades over each of her bare shoulders. I look back at her matching brown eyes, gazing into them again, and I see the desire in her soul. It’s clear that Scarlette is in love with me, and I want to love her back the way she dese rves.
With my arms still wrapped around her, we gently fall onto the bed. My lips don’t leave any part of her skin without a kiss. We both tremble, feeling the waves of electricity come together when we touch skin to skin. Finally, we become one … I can hear every shallow breath she takes beneath me. My insides tingle as I feel every ounce of my being entwined with hers. Our fingers are locked in a tight grip, and our lips only separate when we stop to gaze into each other’s eyes. Every part of making love to Scarlette is sensual and passionate. We hold each other close through the night, and it’s the most peaceful sleep we’ve both had in y ears.
When the morning light shines through the curtains, my eyes flicker open, and I look over to see Scarlette still sound asleep in my arms, the white sheets wrapped around her little body, hanging slightly off of one shoulder. Her scar shows through strands of her long brown hair, and I run my index finger ever so softly across the line, then push myself closer to her body to kiss it. Immediately, she opens her eyes, and I feel her lips give my free hand a gentle kiss. We both take a deep breath in, knowing that nothing from here on out can brea k us.
“Good morning,” I say. “The sun is shi ning.”
Scarlette smiles against my hand. “Good mor ning.”
“I am so in love with you,” I whisper softly in her ear.
She squeezes my arms tightly around her in response. “I’m so in love with you,” she replies. “Thank you for finding me, E lvis.”
“I won’t ever let go. You will be in my arms forever,” I promise her.
“Good!” she says. “These are the arms that saved me. I’ve been waiting for them.”
“I couldn’t fall in love with anyone before you, Scarlette. Now I know why. I’m meant to love you, and only you.”
She stares at the ceiling for a moment and her eyes fill with tears. Quickly, she closes them, and a tear runs down her c heek.
“What’s wrong?” I ask with genuine concern, wiping the tear away.
“Nothing is wrong, Elvis. Everything seems to finally be right.”
She smiles. “My heart is overwhelmed with your love for me. I never wanted to give any piece of myself away for anyone to touch, until you came a long.”
“I will always protect your precious heart,” I say. “I would do anything for you, Scarl ette.”
“I know you would, Elvis,” she says, leaning her head on my c hest.
I wrap my arms around her, holding her like this for a long time.
I cherish every moment with Scarl ette.
We finally make it out of bed and get dressed, spending the rest of our morning in the kitchen making breakfast together. I never knew cooking with someone would bring me such pleasure. Every little thing Scarlette and I do together fills my heart with happiness. She completes every part of me, and I feel so alive in her pres ence.
After breakfast, I look at the big kitchen clock—it’s time to make our way back to West Vancouver. I promised Alli we would be back early to get ready for the n ight.
As we arrive back at the British Properties and pass through the gates, we see a large white tent covering the front lawn. Inside the tent, tables and chairs have been set up. A dance floor has been placed in the centre, surrounded by speakers, with a DJ
booth on the side, and I can see that Allison has rented a mahogany grand piano for the n ight.
We walk into the house to find chaos—but good chaos. The catering company staff are everywhere, carrying the decorations, tables, chairs, lights, and large trays of food. With wide eyes, I look back and forth at all the servers passing us with their hands full, as Scarlette watches me with an amused expres sion.
“You guys are here!” Allison shouts as she and my mom walk in from the terrace. “And early like you promised,” she adds, looking at me pointedly. “I have everything planned for ton ight.”
Allison can’t hide her excitement as she claps her hands toge ther.
“Hi, sweetheart,” my mother says, greeting me with a kiss.
“Hi, Mom,”.