Spring
Winter had come and gone, and spring was in full bloom even though it was late May. There were still some patches of dirty snow on the ground, crystalized into near ice from the warm temperatures in the day and the colder temperature at night. The spring flowers were starting to sprout through the earth, thanks to a normal snowfall that winter, encouraged by the bright sun shining through the trees. The fiery red alpine paintbrush, the majestic purple lupine, and the red and yellow crimson columbine dotted the land. The colors were vibrant and brought joy to Shawn as she slowed down to savor the beauty of her town. Shawn had spent the warm afternoon mountain biking, trying to pass the time until Morgan arrived. Morgan had come up to the lake every other weekend, insisting she wanted to be up there, and that it made sense since Shawn had a diner to run. Shawn had gone to Sacramento for a few weekends, and they usually had dinner with Jane and Annie when Shawn was in town. Shawn felt like she’d owed them so much since they were instrumental in getting her and Morgan back together. Besides that, Shawn really liked them. She’d welcomed them to stay with her whenever they wanted to come to the lake.
Shawn rode her bike back to her house, ecstatic to see Morgan’s car in the driveway, two hours earlier than expected. Shawn looked at her mud-spattered clothes and knew her face probably matched. That was the downside of spring mountain biking in the mountains.
She closed the front door behind her, calling for Morgan as she stripped her dirty clothes in the entry way. Morgan came out the kitchen holding a wooden spoon, her eyes wide. Shawn stood naked with the exception of her sports bra and underwear. Mud was splattered on her arms and legs that weren’t covered by her mountain biking attire.
“Shawn Evans! What on earth were you doing?”
“I was mountain biking, and you’re early, Ms. Campbell. Not that I’m complaining.”
Shawn went to hug Morgan, but she stepped back. “You go shower before you get mud on me.” Morgan stepped closer and leaned forward to give Shawn a kiss, but Shawn was too quick and grabbed her, lifting Morgan off the ground and kissing her senseless.
“Ack! You’re getting me dirty.”
Shawn laughed and despite Morgan acting upset, she wrapped her arms tight around Shawn’s neck.
“I like you dirty, baby.”
“You’re right on that account. And I’ll show you later just how dirty I can be. But dinner’s almost ready, so go take a shower. I have something to talk to you about.”
Shawn scrunched her eyebrows together, and Morgan smoothed out the wrinkles with her thumb.
“It’s good news, love. Now, run along.” Morgan smacked Shawn’s bare ass with the wooden spoon, causing a loud crack.
When Shawn returned to the kitchen freshly showered, wet hair slicked back, and dressed in running pants and long sleeve T-shirt, Morgan let out a woof, causing Shawn to laugh. “Damn, baby. You clean up well.”
They sat at the table, and before digging in, Shawn held Morgan’s hand.
“What’s the good news, Morgan?”
“Well, since we got back together, my time with you has been well spent, but short-lived. I hate it when I have to return back to Sacramento to go to work. And I hate it when you leave me to come back to the lake.”
Shawn brought Morgan’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “I hate that too. I want to have you with me every night and every morning.”
“So, here’s the thing. I told my boss that I was going to leave the company. My time with you and Jameson is much more important than my job.”
Whoa! That was huge. Morgan loved her job and was really great at it. The fact that Morgan was willing to leave her job to be with Shawn made her soar, but also made her feel a little guilty. She didn’t want to be the reason Morgan quit her job.
“He wouldn’t accept my resignation, however he offered me a lateral transfer into inside/outside sales.”
“I don’t understand. What does that mean?”
“It means that working inside sales, I can work remotely, but he wants me in Sacramento for a day every other week to meet with the doctors.”
Shawn didn’t know what to say. “What are you saying?” Shawn was afraid to get her hopes up and needed to hear it from Morgan.
“It means, if you’ll have me, I want to move up here and live with you. We’ll be able to fall asleep and wake up next to each other every day. What do you think?”
Shawn just stared at Morgan, disbelieving how she’d been so lucky to have a woman like Morgan love her. Hearing those words from Morgan’s mouth was a dream come true. Shawn stood and brought Morgan up with her. She held Morgan close and looked deep into her eyes, seeing the love and excitement she was sure mirrored her own.
“I think I’ve never loved you more than I do right this moment. You have no idea how happy you make me.” Shawn kissed Morgan filled with promise and happily ever after. “Welcome home, my love.”
❖
Two Weeks Later
Shawn had taken a few days off work and joined Morgan in Sacramento to help pack her things. Since Shawn’s house was fully furnished, Morgan had arranged for Habitat for Humanity to pick up her furniture in the living room and bedroom. Really, Morgan only needed to move her clothes and things that had sentimental value to her. Shawn had insisted she could bring whatever she wanted, and they could redecorate the cabin. All in all, they were able to pack everything in Shawn’s SUV, Morgan’s car, and Annie’s truck. Morgan’s house had only been on the market for a week before she had an offer for full price, and she took it.
The three vehicles arrived back to Shawn’s with still a couple of hours of daylight left. It hardly took any time to unpack Morgan’s things save for a few boxes they stored in the loft. With Jameson still at Marcy’s, Shawn and Morgan took Annie and Jane to their favorite pizza place along the Truckee River. Once they’d finished their large combo pizza and a couple of pitchers of beer, they returned home. Morgan had gone into their bedroom to shower, leaving Shawn alone with Jane and Annie.
“I can’t believe Morgan won’t be living in Sacramento anymore.” Jane’s frown told Shawn how disappointed she was that Morgan had left.
“I know this change won’t be easy for either of you, but we’re only a two-hour drive away. We expect you both to celebrate the holidays with us, and with the new ski boat we just bought, we can go out on the lake whenever you want. I know how important you are to Morgan, but I want to tell you that you’re important to me too. If it wasn’t for you coming to see me over Thanksgiving, I might not have ever seen her again.”
Jane reached over and took Shawn’s hand in hers. “You’re good for her, Shawn, and we love the way you love her. Just promise us that we’ll be invited to the wedding.”
Shawn laughed. “When we get to that point, you’ll be the first to know.”
Morgan joined them a few minutes later, sitting on the arm of the couch next to Shawn, skimming her fingers along the back of Shawn’s neck, causing a shiver throughout Shawn’s body.
Annie chuckled. “It might be sooner than you think.”
Morgan continued to caress Shawn. “What will be sooner than she thinks?”
“That we’ll be getting married someday, and that I promised they’d be the first to know.”
Morgan leaned down and gave Shawn a short, sweet kiss, letting their lips linger for just a moment.
“Just so you know, when you’re ready to pop the question, I’ll be ready to say yes.”
Shawn smiled as her lips met Morgan’s again.
“Good to know, Ms. Campbell. I’ll keep that in mind.” Shawn grinned as she thought of the black velvet box hiding under her folded T-shirts in the bottom dresser drawer. She’d bought the two-carat princess cut diamond engagement ring shortly after Morgan told her she was moving in with her. Shawn was just waiting until September second. One year ago, on that day, was when Morgan walked into her diner, and Shawn’s life had never been the same. Morgan had far exceeded Shawn’s idea of her perfect love, and on September second, at Sand Harbor State Beach, as the sun sets, Shawn would get down on one knee and ask Morgan to be her wife for life.