“Well, big boy, let’s get this show on the road. I do believe you have a surprise to deliver.”
“You have no idea, babe. No idea. Hold on tight, and prepare yourself for an afternoon of surprises. Best day ever, promise.”
He cranked the truck and headed back down Highway 64 towards Franklin. Our first stop was Bridal Veil Falls, one of our favorite places to visit. What made this waterfall unique was the fact that you could drive your car right under it. When building Highway 64, instead of blasting away at the waterfall, the Department of Transportation built the westbound lane underneath it. After driving slowly under the falls, Tripp pulled over into the small grassy area, and we got out of the truck to walk back and explore.
Tripp grabbed my hand, and even though we’d been here hundreds of times, he decided to play tour guide. “According to Cherokee legend, if a maiden walked under these falls in the spring, she would be married before the turning of the year or the first snowfall. Basically, that’s just a nine-month period. I wonder what happened if she walked under them in the fall?”
“Seriously Tripp, do you really think a waterfall has anything to do with when a girl gets married? That’s why they’re called legends and folklore.”
At just that moment, I felt the cool spray from the falling water mist upon my face. The rare and simple beauty of the sun shining through the falls made the surrounding air look as if diamonds were floating around us. While I knew that it was simply the light reflecting off the water, those moments still had the ability to take my breath away. I closed my eyes, and let the peace and beauty of the location wash away all the despair that I had been feeling. These small moments were the ones that would help me get through the coming days. Because Tripp understood how I was, and he knew me to the depths of my soul, he had planned this specifically with my needs in mind.
As I opened my eyes again, I felt the bands around my chest loosen and the act of drawing in air became easier. Tripp had left my side, and was exploring the rock wall that ran underneath the falls. When he turned back, he motioned for me to come over to him. As I walked closer, I caught sight of vibrant colors that were definitely out of place this time of year, especially in this location. When I reached Tripp’s side, I realized the jeweled hues were actually a large bundle of flowers. Curiosity got the best of me. “What in the world are those doing here?”
Tripp shushed me, and with a laugh, said, “Patience.” As he presented the flowers to me, I realized the delicate stems were woven together to form a necklace. As I leaned my head forward, he gently placed the blossoms around my neck. “Wrynn, I promised you that today was the beginning of our tomorrows together. I brought you here today because we shared our first true kiss here behind this waterfall. That alone makes this one of my most favorite places to be.”
He remembers. I knew that I would never forget our first kiss, but for him, a big tough guy, to remember it, too? I couldn’t help myself; I lifted up on to my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and placed a tender kiss on his lips. “There’s another for your memories,” I whispered as I fought the tears that were trying to choke me.
He cupped my cheeks and pressed his lips to the tip of my nose. “I’ll take all your kisses that I can get, but right now, let me finish.” He took a half step back, and nervously wiped his hands on his jeans.
“Each flower in this necklace has a specific message from me to you. As this day goes on, I want you to understand what each means, but even more, what you mean to me.” He stopped, cleared his throat, and then took my hands in his. “The first three flowers are the lilies, wild blue violets, and carnations. The lilies represent your beauty, not only on the outside, but also the beauty inside you that radiates and shines on everyone whose lives you touch. The wild blue violets represent my adoration for you. There is no one on this earth that I adore more than you. The carnations represent my fascination for you. From the moment we met on the playground, you have fascinated me, and you do more so every single day.”
Oh my. Being struck speechless was not a common thing for me, but with his tender words, Tripp had managed to do just that. I opened my mouth to form a reply, but nothing would come out. Instead of speaking, I wrapped my arms around his waist, and leaning gently against him so we wouldn’t crush the flowers, I laid my head on his chest and just held him. This beautiful man loved me. How had I been so blessed to have him in my life?
He slowly drew back, and taking my cheeks in his hands again, he placed light kisses all over my face, before resting his forehead against mine. “I love you, and I would stay here all day with you, but we have a couple more stops to make before nightfall.” With those words, he took my hand and led me back to the truck.
I bounced up and down on the seat, and thought about begging Tripp to tell me where we were going next. He must have sensed my nosiness, because he turned, gave me a big grin, and said, “Don’t get too comfortable. Our next stop is just up the road.”
That told me that we were going to Dry Falls, which was just a hop, skip, and a jump away. I had always thought that the name was so funny. There wasn’t one single thing about that place that was dry. The land around it and the surrounding foliage were constantly drenched from the spray, even during times of drought. This waterfall wasn’t quite as easy to get to because we had to hike down into a ravine to walk behind it. One thing that I could say about Tripp, he never once complained about my love of being outdoors. If anything, he encouraged me by arranging hikes and picnics, and by bringing me to the places he knew were special to me.
By the time we made it down into the gorge, the suspense was killing me. I had already noticed that there were ten different kinds of flowers woven amongst the galax and fiddle ferns. That meant there were seven more that he needed to reveal, and I was quite anxious to see how he would pull this off. His romantic deeds were keeping me keyed up in anticipation of the things to come.
Now that we had made it to the bottom, Tripp drew me to his side and, placing his arm around my waist, he carefully guided me over the slippery rocks. As we stepped behind the curtain of water, he placed the picnic box on one of the rock formations. Tripp pulled me over and, removing a plastic tablecloth from the carton, he then covered the ledge, bowed gracefully, and said, “Your seat, Mademoiselle.”
His silly French accent made me giggle, but I gave him a little curtsy and took a seat on the cold rock. Opening the box further, he proceeded to pull out three sandwiches, chips, a jug of water, and the piece de resistance, a hand full of Hershey’s Kisses. With a sheepish grin and a shrug of his shoulders, Tripp said, “You didn’t really think that small pizza would get me through the day, did you? A body like this, it needs fuel. Besides, I figured you’d be a little hungry, and I wanted to make sure you would have the energy to get to our last stop. Eat up.”
Truth be told, I was starving. After eating only a bite of breakfast and then choking down that one slice of pizza at lunch, I was more than happy to share a picnic with him. We ate our sandwiches and chips, and shared the jug of water, and then my sweet Tripp unwrapped the Kisses and fed them to me one by one. With the last Kiss gone and the trash put away, I looked over to Tripp and said, “Well, are you going to keep me waiting? You have to know that I’m dying over here.”
Tripp just shook his head and flashed me that grin. Sigh. There was that dimple again. He stood, paced for a moment, and then pointed to my necklace. Taking a deep breath, he started to speak. “I chose Dry Falls because this was the first place that you told me that you loved me. Here behind the cascades, you accepted my promise ring, and told me that you’d wait for me forever.”
He walked back over to me, took the necklace in his hands, and pointed out the flowers. “The next three flowers are the iris, lilac, and rose. The iris represents the faith, hope, wisdom, and courage that will see us through the rest of our days together. I want you to know that, even during the times that we aren’t physically together, you will always be present in my heart.” He stopp
ed for a second, and with a tender look in his eyes, gently kissed away the tears that I couldn’t hold back any longer. This moment was so bittersweet to me. His beautiful words spoke to the depths of my soul.
He cleared his throat and with an emotionally laced voice, he continued. “The lilac stands for our youthful innocence. So many people have told us that what we have is just puppy love, but I know they’re wrong. Even though we’re young, what we have, our love, it’s real. When we are old and gray, we’ll sit on the front porch in our rocking chairs and laugh about these days. Promise. The last flower for now is the rose and that one is quite simple. I love you, and I always will.”
Tripp’s loving words once again robbed me of the ability to speak. I could only stare into his eyes, and I hoped that he could read the love that was in mine. My heart was overflowing and I wasn’t sure if I could handle any more. I sprang to my feet and flew at him, almost knocking him to the ground before he steadied us. I peppered kisses all over his face, then grabbed his head and pulled his lips to mine. As ours tongues danced together, I tried to pour all the swirling emotions that I was feeling into that one kiss.
When we pulled apart, we were both gasping and had to take a second to get our acts together. Tripp turned and walked a few steps away, running his fingers through his hair. When he was finally back in control, he came back and grabbed my hand, pulling me back to the waterfall’s entrance.
We remained silent as we walked, each lost in our own thoughts, until it struck me that there was no way that Tripp could have done all this on his own. When I questioned him about it, Tripp smiled and admitted, “I’ve been planning this for weeks. Liam may have helped me out a little. Now, come on, we have one last stop for the evening before we head home.”
“I have to admit that I was wondering how you set all of this up. It makes sense, now that I think about it. Is my whole family in on it?”
Tripp just gave me that grin of his and helped me back into the truck. He really needs to quit flashing that dimple at me. I felt the cold seeping slowly into my bones and gave a quick shiver. Tripp reached into the backseat, grabbed a blanket, and wrapped me in it.
I hadn’t realized it was getting so late in the afternoon, but the daylight was fading and the temperature was beginning to drop. I sat lost in my thoughts, hoping that wherever he was taking me would be warm. Just as I started to ask where we were going, Tripp turned onto Turtle Pond Road. He’s taking me to Jones Knob, one of my most favorite places in the world. I had always said, “Sometimes you feel like you’re on top of the world, but on Jones Knob, you really are.” The top of the knoll stood at approximately 4600 feet above sea level, and when you reached it, you could look over into the states of Georgia and South Carolina. The scene changed from season to season, but the peace and tranquility it provided remained the same. My only concern was that I had never made that hike in the dark, and there wasn’t much time left before the sun escaped behind the mountains and the stars came out to blanket the sky. Thankfully, it was pretty much a straight shot with a well-maintained trail, so maybe all my worry was for naught. I sure hope I don’t twist an ankle. Nah, if I do, Tripp can carry me piggyback.
“I can see those wheels turning in your pretty little head. Whatcha thinking about?”
Tripp’s words drew me from my rambling thoughts, and I realized we were near the end of Dendy Orchard Road. That left only a short drive on Jones Gap Road before we reached our destination, so maybe we would have enough daylight to get to the top. “Well, we’ve never made this hike at night, and I would hate for one of us to tumble over the mountain in the dark. Don’t you dare let go of my hand.”
“Do you seriously think that I would put you in harm’s way? Not on my life. I’ve taken care of everything, you’ll see.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the cocky look on his face. He was quite proud of his accomplishments today, and really, he had the right to be. He had taken a day that had started as a nightmare for me and turned it into a real, live dream. I couldn’t wait to see what was next.
When we got to the parking area at the mouth of the trail, I noticed my parents’ Explorer, Nana and Papa’s Town Car and Liam’s Jeep, but the vehicles were all empty. Now, I was really curious as to what was going on.
Tripp hopped out of the truck and helped me to the ground before he reached into the backseat to get the bags out. He handed me the blue sack, slung the duffle bag over his shoulder, and gently draped the garment bags over his arm. Taking my hand in his, he led me to the mouth of the trail.
What I saw next brought me to a complete stop. Thousands and thousands of fairy lights draped throughout the trees, illuminating the path, and making it easy to navigate. How was this even happening? Here we were in the middle of nowhere and a fantasyland opened up before me. This should not be possible.
I looked at Tripp with my mouth open, and all I could get out was, “How?”
There was that cocky grin again. “Magic, baby, magic. Now, come on. There’s more where this came from.”
“But, Tripp, it’s your birthday. Why am I the one getting all the surprises?”
“Trust me, Wrynn. I will get what I want for my birthday. Promise.”
I just shook my head, grabbed his hand, and as we walked up the trail, I took it all in. He had done this for me. I am one lucky girl.
We were almost to the top when I caught sight of our families. Mom and Nana walked over to us. Nana took my hand and led me over to where a sheet was hanging. Mom followed us with one of the garment bags in her arms. Now, I was even more curious. What tricks did Tripp have up his sleeve?
“Come on, sweetheart. We need to get you changed before it gets much colder.” With those words, she unzipped the garment bag and pulled out a turtleneck cashmere dress with long sleeves in a shade of turquoise that matched the color of my eyes. Nana opened the blue bag, revealing a pair of knee high black boots made of buttery soft leather and a barely there heel. Seeing the questioning look on my face, Mom answered, “Yes, dear. Tripp went shopping. And if you ask me, he did an excellent job.”
I had never been dressed so quickly in my life. Nana tugged and Mom pulled. While Mom zipped the boots, Nana fixed the turtleneck part of the dress. She fluffed up my hair and Mom powdered my nose. My flower necklace found its way safely back to my neck. They were quite the tag team. “Mom, Nana, what’s happening here?” They looked at each other, smiled, and then ignored me completely. When they were satisfied with my appearance, and had all my other clothes packed up, Mom stepped out from behind the curtain to check and see if everything was ready.
I assumed she got the go ahead because she and Nana took down the makeshift dressing room. The first thing I saw was my Tripp standing with my dad, Papa, and Liam. He had changed clothes, too. While I had always thought he looked great in jeans, tee shirts, and sweats, Tripp in a black tailored suit and a pair of wingtip shoes was breathtakingly amazing. He wore a stark white dress shirt underneath with a turquoise tie that matched not only my dress, but also my eyes. I looked into the eyes of my future, and knew that tomorrow would only get better from here.
Tripp walked over to me and offered me his elbow. I slipped my hand through his arm, and he covered it with his own. He seemed just a little nervous, and maybe even a touch shy. That was so out of character for him. He walked me around the last bend in the trees and spread before me was the most beautiful picture I had ever seen.
The sun was setting behind the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, casting a rainbow of color on the sky. As nighttime came calling, the lights from the houses and businesses in the distance twinkled like stars in the night. And there, on top my treasured Jones Knob, a blanket of rose petals and lavender sprigs released their scent as we walked among them. Hundreds of tea lights cast an ethereal glow around us.
I let go of Tripp’s arm and turned in a slow circle, trying to absorb all the beauty that surrounded me. Everywhere I looked, the darkness faded and a warm glow took its place.
Astonishment filled me, tears slipped from my eyes, and I wondered if I had somehow fallen into a dream. When I had made a complete circle and once again faced Tripp, he took my hand, led me over to a blanket spread at the highest point, and helped me to sit down on it. An awed whisper escaped, “Tripp.”
Now, his nerves made a strong appearance. His chest expanded as he took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he knelt down beside me on the blanket. “Here on Jones Knob, I’ve seen many beautiful things. None as stunning as you are when the love that you feel for this place shines on your face. You’re breathtaking and no one can compare. I’ve also seen my future from this point, and I know that YOU are my future, my tomorrow.”
My heart filled with such happiness that tears of joy flowed from my eyes. Any words that I could say would pale in comparison to his.
Tripp reached forward and brushed his finger lightly over the flowers on my necklace. “There are four more flowers here. The orchid represents strength. Without you by my side, I am weak. With you in my heart, in my arms, I am invincible. My love for you will only grow stronger. The sunflower stands for longevity. That same love for you will keep growing until I take my last breath.”
He stopped at the next flower, his finger lightly grazing it, and the smile he gave me sent shivers through my body. “The daisy makes me think of you and I can’t help but smile. It represents the purity and innocence of our love. We’ve proven to others, but more importantly, to ourselves, through our mutual respect for each other, that physical love is worth waiting for and anticipating. And yes, I am looking forward to that day.” He wiggled his eyebrows and kissed me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Tripp paused for moment and took a deep breath. The air around us was chilly and brisk, but a fine sheen of sweat had popped out on his forehead. He reached behind me and drew out a beautiful bundle of red tulips. He kissed each of my hands and then presented the tulips to me. Decorative raffia wrapped and intertwined with the stems of the flowers, and in the center of the bow.…
Searching for Tomorrow (Tomorrows) Page 12
