******
Arie and Cyril were waiting for us at the coffee shop in the middle of the village. It was bustling pretty mightily, but I managed to squeeze in, hoping I could slip in my favorite caramel flan latte before heading out for the day’s unknown adventures.
Before I even got over to the table, Arie bounded towards me and gave me a great big hug. Usually, I would have been as stiff as a board and very uncomfortable, but for some reason, I hugged her right back, as if I had done it a million times before and then dashed into the coffee line that was getting incredibly long.
I felt Athen coming up behind me in line and wondered if I really could feel him, so I turned around and sure enough he was there.
“So are you going to tell me where we are headed?”
“Nope.”
“Alrighty then. Sounds like a plan.”
I got up to the counter to order my drink and noticed the girl paying more attention to Athen than myself. I’m sure I’d have to get used to that if, by any chance, this might actually last longer than forty-eight hours. I ordered my favorite latte, and Athen ordered the same. We wandered to the end of the counter to wait for our drinks. It was standing room only, and I was thankful that Arie and Cyril were already at a table.
My drink was called first so I grabbed it and started my way through the crowd in the tiny coffee shop. The last thing I needed was to spill my latte over someone or myself for that matter. As I got to the table, I remembered that I forgot a straw. As if on cue, Athen showed up with a straw in his hand giving me his usual half-lipped smirk that I loved so much.
“How did you know I used one in a hot drink?”
“Just a hunch.”
“Huh, well, thank you. The thought of making it through the lines again was a little daunting.”
“Well, not to rush you guys, but I think we better head on to our next destination,” Arie piped up.
I longed for the table so that I wouldn’t spill my drink on myself, but I decided I’d have to buck up and figure out how to drink a beverage like most normal people. On our way out of the coffee shop, I noticed the haunting images of the six hikers that were posted on the community bulletin board. It was a bleak reminder of the possible fate of the hikers, and my heart sank a bit. I quietly cursed Karen for placing the crazy thoughts in my head. Thankfully, all it took was a look at Athen to get myself out of the funk. There was no way this family was involved in anything like that.
“Are any of you guys going to let me in on the secret?” I asked, kind of not wanting the suspense to end. Nobody had ever put this much thought into anything that involved me, especially for me.
“Absolutely not. You’re ours today. Plus, we can’t give you any reason to ditch on us,” Cyril said laughing and grabbing Arie’s hand. At the same moment, I could feel Athen’s hand wrap around mine and pull me through the crowd. Thank God for my lid.
We walked over to the center square where the activity groups often met. I was completely puzzled. Athen’s hand squeezed mine, leading me to an area that read Soo Valley.
“Can you figure it out? Do you know what it is yet?” Arie asked excitedly.
“I have honestly no idea. I thought I knew everything that was offered, but I have no idea what this could be.”
“Good,” Athen whispered in my ear, and chills ran up my spine.
If only his voice wasn’t so amazingly haunting, I could concentrate better.
The guide came out to meet us and, as guides usually are, seemed very upbeat and excited to get us ready for the day’s adventures, whatever they may be.
“Alright, who is Athen?” The guide asked.
Athen stepped forward and shook the guy’s hand. “I am and this is my sister Arie and almost brother-in-law Cyril and the star of the show, Ana.”
“Great. Good to meet you all. I’m Dave, and I’ll be taking you to Soo Valley,” he said, looking directly at me not lifting his gaze, “Are you ready to head to the van and start the day’s event?”
“Uh, yeah. Whatever it is,” I peeped up. Athen wrapped his arm around me, and we all shuffled to the parking lot where the van was kept.
“So, the guide must have thought you had syrup in your hair?” Athen whispered.
“What are you talking about, Athen?” I asked perplexed.
“Let me guess, you didn’t notice how he was only talking to you?” Athen said laughing.
“I noticed, but I figured it was because I work in the village, or you told them ahead of time it was a surprise for me, the star of the show,” I said sarcastically.
“Nada. You are so oblivious, Ana,” he said, squeezing me.
“Oblivious to what?”
“How enchanting you are.”
“Whatever. I’m sure there is a logical explanation for his stare.”
As if on cue I slipped on the one piece of ice that hadn’t melted from the heated walkway on the way to the lot. I grabbed Athen on the way down, and thankfully, that made it far less painful than it could have been. Of course, I still landed with a thud.
“Oh, my god. Are you ok?” Arie asked, not sure whether to laugh or be frightened.
“Oh yes. I’m totally fine. I thought I wasn’t getting enough attention.”
Athen grabbed me back up, and we piled into the van. The van had a rather musty smell, like most of the shuttles around the village from all of the melting snow that fell off of people day after day and all of the wet clothing that saturated the seats from the rides back from whatever fun place that they had ventured to that day.
As the van started up, I caught a glimpse of a conversation between Cyril and Arie. Embarrassment began to make an appearance as I was eavesdropping, but I was intrigued. I couldn’t help myself from wanting to hear more. Athen must have sensed it because he immediately touched my chin, which sent a spark through me. It sounded a little serious, but I couldn’t decipher the topic. The thought of the missing hikers entered my psyche in a flash, only to vanish as soon as he touched me.
“So, have you figured out where we are headed yet?”
“Soo Valley.”
“And what is that?”
“I have no idea. You asked where, not what,” I said, trying to give it back to him, instantly dismissing the uneasy feelings that Karen had so thoughtfully placed.
David, our guide, began the usual chitchat with all of us, asking us the typical questions like where were we from and if we liked the village. Thankfully, Athen and Cyril did most of the talking, and before I knew it, we were pulling down a long and winding road. It looked like a private road and was very narrow for the large van we were riding in, especially as we went over all of the bumps. The limbs brushed the side and top of the van creating a screeching sound, as we drove at a snail’s pace. As I looked deeper into the woods, I could see a stately log cabin, which looked like it was in the direction we were heading. The snow was piled up pretty high on the sides of the road as if they had plowed recently.
“I still can’t figure it out. The suspense is killing me! You’ve got to tell me.”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Arie piped up.
“Alright, alright,” I complained.
The van circled around to the front of the log cabin and came to a stop. I peered out the window and saw an impressive stone porch with matching pillars leading up to where we were evidently supposed to meet.
“OK, guys, we are here,” David said, as he climbed out of the van. He came over to our side of the van and helped us all out. I could hear dogs barking excitedly in the distance and wondered if they had anything to do with our adventure. I was hoping their idea of good time wasn’t to dress in an assailant costume and be attacked by dogs.
As I was busy thinking these ridiculous thoughts, we climbed the stairs to enter the lobby of the log cabin. The warmth escaping hit my cheeks instantly. I looked around and saw a picture perfect seating area nestled near the fire that was t
hrowing off all of the heat I was enjoying. The van was a bit colder than I expected. The couches that caught my attention were a homey, deep-brown leather, with red fleece blankets folded on the backs. The bright green shag rug that the coffee table sat on looked like a perfect bed for Matilda.
An older woman with pure white hair stepped out from behind the front counter, introducing herself as Marcy and asked if any of us would like coffee, tea, or hot chocolate before we were to set off for the afternoon. Since I still had no clue what was going on, I opted for the coffee in case we were going out snowshoeing for the day leaving behind all sense of warmth and security. I hoped they weren’t counting on me being super athletic because I would most certainly disappoint. Although, it did look like athleticism ran in Athen’s family.
As I reached for my coffee, I heard the back door open, and David, our guide, asked us to follow him. Everyone followed suit, and Athen grabbed my hand and had us linger in the lobby for a moment. I was hoping the older lady had gone back into her office, and in that moment, I heard the door click to the back office.
“Alright, Ana, I hope you like this,” Athen said a little apprehensively, “We are going dog sledding and then stopping for a lunch before heading back to the lodge for drinks.”
I looked up at Athen, realizing how hopeful he looked. He genuinely seemed to care about me and about pleasing me. I had no idea why. I couldn’t explain for the life of me why he had chosen me, but I was the luckiest girl ever. I said a little prayer that I wouldn’t disappoint him.
“Athen, you couldn’t have done anything more perfect.”
He looked down at me. His hands slowly rose up my back and cradled me as his lips touched down to mine. My senses were ignited in a way that I had never thought possible. The only way that I could help myself in this moment was to kiss him back. The warmth of his breath came over me as I held him tight, and the sensations ripped through my body. His lips stung mine like thistles. The electricity running between us was almost painful, but I couldn’t stop being this close to him. It was as if a lifetime had passed between us in the last twenty-four hours of meeting, and I didn’t want another second to go by without experiencing him throughout me.
“Yeah, love birds, let’s get a move on it.” I heard a loud thud and saw Arie smack Cyril with her bag. Then I heard her say,” Let them be, Cy. It has been a long time.”
The words made no sense to me. Athen must have caught it, too, because he instantly let go, and we walked down the stairs to the group with me tailing behind wondering what she meant.
I was quickly distracted by the sound of the excited dogs yipping away, and when I looked over to where they were harnessed, their wild beauty literally took my breath away. They were so happy and ready for their freedom on the trails. I knew immediately that I had better get my act together. David, our guide turned musher, was going over all of the features of the harnesses as we were getting situated in our sled.
“Hey, guys. This is Taylor. He is our other musher, not as good as me, but we take what we can get,” David said laughing.
“Hi, hope you all enjoy our little adventure today, and David, no pay for you,” Taylor said without missing a beat.
“Guess the owner doesn’t have a sense of humor today,” David said smiling, and Taylor smacked him on the back.
I couldn’t wait for the dogs to take off. I was trying to get the hood of my very fluffy, goose-down jacket situated when I felt Athen pull up my collar without even looking, which made it much easier. I was so thankful to have worn such a warm outfit.
“All set,” Cyril yelled, “I got my baby tied down before you did, huh, Athen?”
“Not a chance, Cy. I’ve been done for minutes. I was helping Ana get herself organized.”
The quick lurch of the sled alerted me that the adventure was about to begin, as we bolted up the first snow and ice covered path.
“Oh my God, Athen, this is so awesome.”
“Are you too cold?” He yelled back.
“No way! This is spectacular, wonderful… almost as wonderful as the kiss back in the lodge. Thank you so much for both experiences!” I said teasing him.
“Thank you, Ana.”
I grabbed onto him tightly, nestling my head on his back as our sled ran over the trails. The snow dust picked up in the wind creating a beautiful swirl of light. I saw all the trees pass by us so quickly. The ground drizzled with downed logs in between creating a beautiful scene for me to lock in my memory forever. Everything was glistening and almost alive on the forest floor. I knew I was lucky to be able to take it all in, especially with him. There was nothing more peaceful than being in the mountains with the white, angelic hues dusting everything, casting a beautiful glow all around. I had a quick flash to the night before when Athen first called me on the phone and the beautiful glow that had entered my bedroom. I snapped out of my daydreaming and took a deep breath in, noticing the icicles that dangled from the bare tree limbs of the now naked maples that were peeking out from around the evergreens. They added something very special to the landscape and made the view stunning. With each bump, I grabbed onto Athen a little tighter. I was slowly becoming secure in this new world that had come my way very quickly, and I knew Karen was wrong about these people.
I could hear the barking begin as we rounded down the first corner deep into the forest. This was part of Whistler that I never would have seen if I hadn’t met Athen. I wouldn’t want to share this moment with anyone else. The forest was much more dense. The towering trees let very little light in, as we flew over the snow-packed trail, making the icicles now harder to spot.
Every once in a while, as we went over a large rut, I grabbed on more tightly to Athen’s waist. I swear that I could feel him smile. I hoped I was right.
We rounded another bend, and the dogs began to pick up their pace. I wondered what could be up at the next hill. In between dog barks and laughing from Cyril, I thought I could hear something else, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
At that moment Athen’s voice swirled back to me.
“There is a river over the hill. That is probably the noise you are hearing.”
A pulse of exhilaration ran through me. How was it that he knows what I’m thinking or was that all in my head? Maybe, I spoke and didn’t realize it. If he can hear my thoughts then he hears me now. Why do I do this? I’m sure I’m reading too much into this. Athen’s body shook a little, and I couldn’t tell if he was readjusting or trying to hide a laugh. I decided to bring up my suspicion.
“Do you know that you often answer my questions before I ask them?”
“How would I know what you are going to ask before you ask it? Don’t you think we could just be in tune?”
I liked that thought and dropped it as we went gliding through the rest of the trail, resting my head on his back. Plus I didn’t want to feel as silly for thinking such bizarre thoughts. I began to see what looked like a wooden structure up ahead and wondered if that was our resting spot for lunch.
“Is that where we are meeting for lunch? How long have we been on the sleds? It only seemed like a few minutes!” I yelled, hoping Athen would hear me.
I heard David’s voice begin to answer my questions. Figuring out how loud I must have been. I hoped I didn’t cause any hearing loss for Athen.
“We’ve been riding for about an hour, and that is our resting spot up ahead. We have sandwiches, salads, chips, hot chocolate, and coffee. But the best part is the triple fudge brownies that Marcy makes fresh daily. She is the gal you met at the front counter.”
“Ooooh. I can’t wait!” I heard Arie shout from behind us. She always added such excitement and happiness to wherever she landed.
We circled around the back of what looked like a pergola as he brought our dogs to a stop. We pulled in right next to Taylor’s sled. The mushers unharnessed the dogs as we got out of the sled. We began walking up the steps to t
he picnic benches as our mushers went back to the sleds to grab the food, our boots crunching in the snow.
Arie came running over to me breathless and almost more excited than I think I was.
“What do you think, Ana? Athen thought this all up himself.”
I blushed at the thought of someone going to so much trouble for me, and of all people, it was hard to imagine this particular set of beings giving me the time of day, let alone this much effort.
“Are you sure he thought this up all by himself?” Athen’s arm wrapped itself around my waist as he jokingly acted as if he was going to take me down to the deck.
“Alright, alright. I believe you. I have to say that I have never had anyone go to this much trouble for me or put even half as much thought into something. It means a lot to me. Truly. I’ll never forget this.”
Arie bounded up to me and gave me a great big hug. “We are so happy to have you as part of our unit, Ana. You belong with us.”
I thought this moment was getting kind of heavy, especially for as little time as I had known them, but deep inside I felt the stirrings too. I worried that I was over-exaggerating. Maybe, Arie was simply referring to all of our friendships and not specifically Athen’s affections. Although, I secretly hoped not. I looked over at him as he was leaning up against the wooden post. He was truly gorgeous - without trying. His eyes had the familiar glow to them again. In fact, it was as if his entire being was throwing a cast off. I quickly attributed it to the cold air. It was hard to imagine that someone could be so breathtaking, especially since I should be used to looking at him by now. He started grinning pretty wide. His dark eyebrows went up as he looked over at me. Once again I was certain that he knew what I was thinking. I scolded myself for thinking such ridiculous thoughts.
Thankfully, the mushers interrupted my internal swooning by laying out all of the lunch preparations. They switched on the propane heater, which made me happy and excited to thaw out quickly. I walked over to the picnic table that held all of the food and scanned the many bowls and platters that were laid out. It was an incredible spread, especially for only us four.
“Wow, this is so gourmet,” Arie squealed. I knew she was enjoying this as much as I was.
“I know. I could take a little bit of everything,” I said, as I eyed the wonderful looking pesto salad and beefsteak tomato salad.
“That’s what it’s here for. If we go back to the lodge with anything left over, Marcy will take it personally so I suggest we all eat up,” David told us all.
“Doesn’t sound like a problem to me,” Cyril said happily, as he piled his plate high.
We all found a seat at the picnic table and began eating as the mushers went over to feed the dogs. I was sitting across from Athen, and it was pretty hard to concentrate when sitting directly across from him again. I decided from now on I would always try to take a seat next to him, so I wouldn’t be faced with having to look directly at him and not be able to concentrate or even be able to find my fork for that matter. He started laughing. I looked down at my plate sheepishly realizing, yet again, that it was like he was in my mind stealing my thoughts.
“Arie, do you ever get the feeling that Athen can read your mind?” I looked over to her. She gave a nervous glance towards Athen.
“No, not really. He tries but usually gets it wrong.”
“Huh,” I responded, “It seems like I can’t have a private thought to save my life.”
“You crack me up, Ana,” Cyril piped in.
“Really?” I asked, ribbing him in the side as he forked in the next mouthful.
“Well, not to burst your bubble or change the subject, but you have to tell us if you have any vacation time that you can take from your job or what exactly might be going on with that because we would love for you to come home with us over the holidays to Seattle. I mean if you don’t mind. Athen kind of mentioned that you weren’t that fond of the holidays. I totally understand why and don’t want to take anything away from you on that, but we would love to change your mind about them.”
I looked over at Athen wondering if he had told her everything from last night. I didn’t know if it was the couple of drinks I had downed or Athen’s presence but talking to him was so effortless. I literally poured out my soul to him. I told him about losing my parents and having no family to bring me up or even a recollection of one. I also mentioned how I had received an inheritance but still worked to create sort of a social circle for myself. I told him how much I missed my parents or at least the idea of having parents since I didn’t remember anything about them. I even told him how I felt so alone some nights when I had no one to go home to, except of course for Matilda, who more than made up for it. All I had of my existence was newspaper clippings. In hindsight, it was all probably things that should’ve scared him off, but instead he listened intently as if I was telling him something about his own past. It was a special night. I had hoped that level of trust and openness wouldn’t go away.
“I told my sister how the holidays weren’t your favorite because you didn’t have family around. I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds,” Athen whispered truly concerned, looking up at me.
“Oh, of course not,” I looked at both Arie and Athen recognizing nothing but kindness and concern radiating from them. I was so relieved.
“Well, I can certainly talk to my boss. I’ve never missed a day since I’ve been there, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. He brought on a couple new girls for the winter so there should be plenty of coverage. It would be great to get another perspective on the holidays. I love the idea of them anyway.”
Cyril went over the food table to replenish, and Athen was next when I looked down and noticed I had hardly touched my food. I looked over at Arie who was almost finished as well. I started to play catch up on my plate, and on my last bite, Arie hopped up and asked if there was anything else I wanted. I was super full, but because it all tasted so good, I decided to get a second round of my favorites and then, of course, dessert.
“Yeah, I think I’ll join you in filling my plate for round two.” I got up and grabbed my empty plate. I turned to go with Arie, and Athen’s hand brushed my back as he was walking back to his seat, which sent an incredible sensation through me. I could do this forever. Once we got to the food table, Arie began to whisper something to me so quietly that I had to lean in to hear what she was saying.
“Ana, Athen likes you, and this is very unusual for him to be this struck. I’m getting the impression that it’s the same for you. I’m not trying to interfere, but I want you to know that I think this could be the real thing if you let it. I have never seen my brother this way with anyone else, ever.”
My heart started pounding as she whispered the magical words to me. The thought that I wasn’t imagining the feelings I was experiencing with Athen was miraculous. I didn’t understand the circumstances or the pairing in the least bit, but I prayed with every part of my being that this would turn into the real thing.
“I haven’t ever gotten this close to anyone before, Arie, in two days or two years, so please don’t think I’m taking it lightly. I almost feel like I’m in a dream and don’t want to wake up. I’ve never felt this kind of ease before with people, and that includes you too. The last couple of days have been quite odd.”
“I knew it,” Arie sang on her way back to the table.
I grabbed the rest of my seconds and floated back to the table with such happiness zipping through my veins. I looked up at Athen as I got seated, realizing I had better get used to looking at him, but at that moment, he looked up and caught my eyes. The blush resurfaced. I gave him a faint smile and dropped my eyes back down to my plate determined to make the last of everything fit in my stomach. Being around him was going to be harder than I thought.
The mushers were getting the dogs all situated to take us back on our journey to the cabin, and my heart sank a little at thought of leaving
Athen. My condo definitely needed some tender loving care, and that was what I planned to focus on once I returned this evening. At least that was what I was telling myself to get rid of the gnawing disappointment that was washing over me.
“Ok, guys. Anyone want any thirds? We did well on the salads and chicken, but it looks like we still have two brownies left.”
“I got it,” Athen and Cyril yelled in unison.
Arie and I walked over to the sleds to pet the beautiful huskies as the guys gobbled up the last tidbits of food. The mushers put the platters, bowls, and utensils back to where they came from and turned off the heater. I promised myself that I would treasure the ride back even more then the ride to the picnic. I glanced at Athen, noticing his hands running through his hair nervously. Then he turned towards me, staring intently at me, leaning effortlessly against the log post again. He was talking to Cyril, but it was painfully obvious that he wasn’t paying much attention to anyone but me.
“One last check,” Taylor announced. “Everyone got everything, gloves, hats? It’s no fun to leave something out here, especially if you hope to get it back.”
“Nope, we’re all good. We’ve got everything,” Arie assured him.
Athen walked over to me and grabbed my hand as we walked to enter our sled. When we got to the sled I could feel the dogs’ newfound energy after their lunch and knew this was going to be an exciting ride back, and I’m sure far too fast. Athen got me fastened in before sliding into the sled himself, and before I knew it, we were off. This time, however, the mushers were going back around to enter a different trail than the one we came in on. Good, I thought. Anything to keep myself from getting sad at the thought of the day being over.
“Hey, Athen. Did you catch that?” I heard Cyril yell.
Athen held up his fist as if to acknowledge the sighting that Cyril was referring to. I had no idea what they saw, but whatever it was, it made Athen uncomfortable. His entire body tensed up.
“What did you see?” I asked Athen, “What did I miss?”
“It was only an animal we have been keeping our eye on for awhile up here. No big deal.”
“Huh,” I replied, thinking that was an incredibly unbelievable explanation. The gnawing feeling began to make its appearance again. I did my best to make it go away, but the feeling only went down to a low simmer. I decided I was going to press Arie and Cyril on it next time we had a chat. As we turned the last corner, I saw a glimpse of the lodge again and realized that route was much shorter than on the way to the picnic, which gave me a feeling of overall gloominess. Our dogs gave an extra charge in the home stretch as they saw the lodge. I took it as a personal insult as we slid in onto the patio. Once again, the mushers exuberantly jumped out of our sleds and turned to face us.
“So what did you think? Did you have fun with that?” Dave asked us.
“It was great!” Arie exclaimed. We all seconded Arie’s exuberance as we climbed out of our sleds.
“Well, wonderful. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Our dogs are part of our family so they will be pleased to know you had fun, which translates into extra salmon for dinner for them and a few extra belly rubs for sure. There are drinks awaiting you in the front foyer. I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t more baked goods as well.”
I was rearranging my jacket and hat when Athen lifted me up and carried me up over the steps. I looked behind me only to see Cyril doing the exact same thing to Arie.
“Holy crap, Athen. You scared me to death.”
“Get used to it,” I heard Arie proclaim, “It seems to be the only weight lifting they like to do.”
“Oh, brother,” I said laughing.
Athen and Cyril put us down so we could be somewhat presentable as we opened the lodge’s doors leading into the foyer. Once they were opened, I saw the quaint room from earlier turned into a dreamy setting from another place. The lights had been dimmed. Candles had been placed everywhere, with the fireplace blazing, and Chopin playing softly in the background. It was a purely splendid setting.
“Geez, man. Could you get anymore over the top? There are more than just you two here you know.” I could see Arie kick him gently in the shin, and he grimaced as we all walked in through the wooden doors.
“Wow, Athen. Did you do this for us? This is so touching.”
“No, I did it for you,” he whispered into my ear. Chills began to run through my entire body, creating energy between us both.
It was as if we were the only two in the universe. He led me to the table that was set up with wine glasses and a couple buckets of wine. The table had a luxurious silk tablecloth in an ivory that reflected the candles flickering an orange glow all over the room. The oversized log chairs, surrounding the table, were so comfortable, especially after the sleigh ride.
Everyone got situated around the table, and I thought it would be the perfect moment to ask about the animal that Athen and Cyril have been tracking. I wasn’t sure whether to be serious about it or joke about it, so I tried my best at making light of it.
“Well, since tracking is kind of an off pastime, I’m kind of curious about what kind of animal you have been seeing and keeping tabs on up here? Is it the elusive Sasquatch or how about a werewolf?” As soon as the words left my lips, I felt the air get sucked out of the room. In that instant, I wished I hadn’t said anything because the strain in the air definitely took away the relaxation that we experienced all afternoon. I saw Cyril look over at Athen and nod his head. I couldn’t imagine that they were taking serious either of the creatures I threw out as possibilities, but something happened in the room. I just didn’t know what.
“Um, there is an animal that looks like a bobcat that we have been noticing. The problem is that the coloring is off so we are trying to figure out what it is. Nothing more than that for a story. Unfortunately, nothing as exciting as your Sasquatch or werewolf theory,” Athen quibbled lightly. He gave me a squeeze, and Arie began talking nonstop to me about her favorite activities. I realized I had better drop it for now.
My heart knew that they had nothing to do with the missing hikers. Karen’s silly paranoia was no longer mine. The good night’s sleep did wonders too. The last thing I wanted to do was destroy this special time that Athen planned for me. I reached for my glass of wine and tasted the warmth run through my entire body as I sipped it slowly. I hoped that I could make this family mine.