Epilogue
Cara
Caden turned in to a small drive that stopped at a gate. An intercom conversation later, the gates opened and we began driving down a one-car path toward our destination. I had no idea what to expect. We were in the Charlottesville area, which was known for quaint and beautiful bed and breakfasts nestled all around the mountains. I had never seen one with a gate before.
Driving around the next curve, a building came into view. It was a beautiful brick building, painted white, with an American flag hanging from the wrap around porch. It was a bit fancier than what I usually saw here, but it was nothing compared to the beautiful grounds. There were ponds and green, green grass everywhere. All I could think about was jumping out of the car and running around in the grass. I breathed in the air as we continued to make our way down the windy path in the convertible. The air was so clean here, with trees scattered everywhere, and mountain peaks circling around the place.
Caden drove us past the white house I had seen.
“Are we not going to put our stuff down?” I asked, trying to nicely say that maybe he had missed the correct road.
“Oh, we are. But not at that house.” He motioned toward the house where I had thought we were staying.
Then, I saw where we were going. Just ahead was a large, stately brick estate. It had all the makings of some place that you would see in a movie. It was beautiful red brick, with what appeared to be a wing on each side. There were brick columns at the front to lead you to the porch, where the brick steps spilled over each side for convenience and effect. As we parked in front of them, I noticed that there were no other cars parked there. A plaque near the porch read, “Valerio Estates.”
I looked at the scenery to the opposite side of the car from the estate, and it was breath-taking. Rolling hills of green, leading to a big pond just below.
“Can we walk to the pond later?” I smiled the goofiest smile at him. I was like a kid again, seeing all the freedom of the grounds of this place.
“Of course,” he said with a laugh. “But first, we should get checked in.” He turned off the car and walked to my side to open my door for me before opening the trunk and retrieving our bags he had packed. I held on to my new bathing suit and just stared up at the bricks. The door started to open, and we both made our way up the stairs.
“You must be Mr. and Mrs. Zahn.” A man dressed in a sports coat motioned for us to come inside. I looked over at Caden, who was smiling at the assumption we were married. I decided to just play along.
The floors inside were black and white checked marble, and it was completely quiet.
“You two have the whole place to yourselves today. I'm Dwayne, and I will be here for anything you need. At night, I will be staying at the house you passed on the way up, along with the service staff. Here is how you can reach me if I'm not in this office.” He gestured for us to go in the office and handed Caden his card.
After signing the papers for rental and getting a room key, Dwayne asked if we wanted to be shown around.
“I think we’ll look around and discover it for ourselves,” Caden replied, taking my hand as we left the office.
We walked back in to the foyer and started toward the main hall.
“Which way should we go first?” Caden looked at me for direction.
“Let’s go right,” I decided. We turned, but I couldn't even walk. “Caden, oh my gosh! Look at this place! There are statues at the end of the hallway! It’s like a museum. How in the world is this place all to ourselves?”
“I pulled a few strings and had another place set up for the two other rooms that were rented here to stay. I also set them up on a free wine tour with a driver. I really wanted you all to myself, with no distractions.” He winked at me and smiled that gorgeous smile. I melted, and butterflies moved around lower than my stomach.
Exploring the bottom floor really was like walking through a museum. There were pedestals with plants, pedestals with busts of famous people, full on statues, and fountains. There was a pool hall, a poker room with memorabilia from old sports teams, a library, and just every room you could imagine. Going upstairs was just as delightful, though not as available to explore, as it was mostly guest rooms, and only one was ours in this huge place all alone. The key was, of course, a key like you'd see somewhere else. Not just an electronic card, nor a regular room key. It was an artistic expression of a key, with a simple ribbon tied to it.
When we got in to the room, Caden put our stuff to the side and immediately led me to our bed. The bed was framed in mahogany, with the windows beside revealing the beautiful grounds I had seen on the way up. Within minutes, we were undressed and making love.
* * * * *
While I pulled on my new bathing suit, Caden sat and watched me, as if he was taking in every inch of me as I slid it on. I loved the way his eyes were full of both hunger and love when he looked at me.
“Are you ready?” I raised my eyebrows toward his suit, which lay beside him on the bed.
“I got distracted, but give me two seconds.” He pulled on his suit, and we walked out to find the pool. At the bottom of the spiral stairs, we went in the opposite direction as we had come. Finding a back door, we walked out in another amazing world. Water flowed everywhere around a patio, with brick paths leading in every direction. We took the one we thought led to the pool.
When we reached the pool, Caden jumped right in. He came up, treading water, and shouted, “It feels awesome! Come in!”
For a split second, I worried about someone seeing me, but then the part of me that wanted to tease him got the best of me. Pulling off my top, I dove in to the pool beside him. Emerging from the underwater, Caden's expression was a mixture of surprise and delight.
“Mrs. Zahn,” he joked, playing off of the estate keeper’s mistake, “you are the most exquisite sight at Valerio Estates.” I giggled at my half embarrassment of being topless, and he pulled me in for a kiss. Our wet bodies touching sent more impulses through my body, and I reminded myself that there were still groundskeepers around during the day.
“Caden, there's something I've wanted to do since we got here.”
“What's that?”
“Frolic.”
“Frolic? What in the world is that?” He laughed, and I was pretty sure he really didn't know what I was saying.
“Jump out of the pool for a second,” I smiled and lifted myself up on the side of the pool. Caden followed suit.
“See all of that soft, green grass? It's been waiting for us to frolic.” I pulled my top back on for support, and reached for his hand. He allowed me to pretend to help him up, and I led him to the edge of where the pool patio met the green.
“This is frolicking.” I kept his hand in mine and started half skipping, half running, and then let go and started spinning around as we made our way toward the pond. Caden was laughing and acting like a kid alongside me, doing jumps as he ran. It felt so amazing to be this free, this alone, and this happy, with this most amazing man. The man that I could only hope would actually have me take his name one day.
“Cara, you are the most wonderful and exquisitely perfect woman I have ever met,” Caden breathlessly yelled across the field to me.
We both stopped at the edge of the pond and fell down in exhaustion.
“It's the frolicking,” I said, panting. “It makes everyone feel happy.”
“No. It’s you, Cara. It is purely and wonderfully you.” Caden pulled me toward him and kissed me slowly. The beautiful estate, the beautiful sky, and this beautiful man. I had never felt more “exquisitely perfect” as in that moment.
We made our way back to the pool and sat in the lounge chairs, taking in all that was around us, and all that was happening within us, until we became hungry.
“What should we do about dinner?” I asked, hoping he was as hungry as I was. My stomach was actually feeling a little nauseous from hunger.
“I thought we could head to Tavola. It's the best food in Charlottesville. One taste and you’ll be hooked. Are you getting hungry?”
I nodded with enthusiasm.
“Well, let's go get dressed, then,” he said, smiling that charming smile. “I can't wait for you to see what I packed for you to wear tonight.” I mentally went through my clothes in my head to try to figure out what he would have picked for me.
“Hmmm. That sounds interesting….is it my black dress with the tie?”
“No, ma'am. It's something you haven't seen before.”
“You didn't buy me something else, did you?”
“What fun is it to be in love with an amazing woman if you can't spoil her?”
I held his hand a little tighter as we walked up the stairs to our room. I had never wanted to be a “kept” woman, and still had no inclination toward that, but it felt good for someone to want to spoil me. To, for once, not have to struggle and work so hard for everything in life. I pinched myself, again to make sure I had not dreamt all of this up. Caden looked own as I did, and stopped us before opening up our door.
“Cara, I assure you that I'm real. And that I will always be here with you and I will always spoil you. You are my motivation now, what I've worked so hard for, and why I want to continue to work hard. For you. For us.” He ended his proclamation with another soft kiss and let us in the room.
He must have hung up the dress right before he left the room while I was already outside in the hallway looking around again. It was gorgeous. It was a deep periwinkle color. The color didn't look good on most, but happened to be one of the best colors for my skin. It had a deep neckline to the front of it, but otherwise was a classic and soft dress.
Caden was watching my face carefully. “Try it on.”
I walked over and suddenly was worried it wouldn't look good or wouldn't fit right. I could tell it was going to be form fitting.
“Why don't I take a quick shower and then I will try it on?”
“Sounds like a deal. I'm going to call and see if we need reservations.”
I grabbed the dress and walked in to the luxurious bathroom. The tub had gold, clawed feet, and the shower had two massage shower heads with the ability to turn it in to your own personal steam room. Every toilette imaginable was already in the bathroom, from the shampoo with the name “Valerio” in bronze, to a new wood-handled hairbrush.
Turning on the shower, a wave of nausea passed over me again. I really needed to hurry and get showered so we could get some food. I took the quickest shower I could, and got ready to try on my new dress. He had even picked out a matching bralette and panties to go along with the dress. I giggled at his attention to detail.
Slipping on the dress, I could only describe the feeling of the fabric as “butter.” It melted on my body and fit perfectly, as if it just molded to my every curve. The color showed off my summer tan, and my long hair was a stark contrast against it as well. I couldn't wait to show Caden how well he had done.
When I opened the door to the room, he wasn't there, but there was a note, “I wanted to give you time to get ready, so I had Dwayne allow me to use another room. I won't keep you waiting long, beautiful.”
I looked around, and beside the fireplace, I found a tray with snacks. Thank goodness. I ate a granola bar, which only half helped with my stomach, before Caden was back. He opened the door to the room and froze. His eyes traveled from mine down the length of the dress, all the way down to my feet and slowly back up to my lips. I knew what he was thinking, but I was feeling too hungry to let our lust take over.
“Well, hello, gorgeous,” I flirted. Caden was wearing a simple blue button-down shirt that brightened the blue in his eyes, and a pair of khaki pants that fit him just right. I could smell the hint of his aftershave on his clean-shaven face as I leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“You are…stunning, Cara. You really took my breath away when I opened the door. That dress—oh my God, it is delicious on you.”
“Wow, I don't know if anyone has ever described my outfit as delicious. Speaking of delicious, I’m starving. Is my handsome man ready to take his lady out on the town?”
“Anywhere you want to go, milady.”
And with that, we walked out of the room, our hands intertwined. Passing Dwayne, we said our goodbyes and ensured someone would be able to open the gate upon our return. Walking outside to our lone car on the expansive property was just as surreal feeling as walking through the mansion alone. As if it were our own residence, with Dwayne and the staff at our disposal.
The drive to the restaurant was down a series of winding roads, which did nothing for my stomach. I really felt like I was going to vomit, but I knew it was probably just that my blood sugar had dropped and I needed food. My head was starting to feel light as we finally pulled in to parallel park.
Caden opened my door and helped me out of the car.
“Caden, I'm not feeling well. I think I just need food, but can we order an appetizer right away?”
His eyes showed worry as he answered, “Of course. How about their famous cheese creation, with some bread?”
“That sounds perfect.”
With that, he put his hand on the small of my back and led me into the restaurant. It was small and dark and full of conversation. The tables were packed, but there were exactly two bar stools left at the small bar. We looked at each other, and without having to ask, he led me toward the bar, weaving through the tightly packed tables.
“May I get you some wine?” the bartender inquired as soon as we sat down.
Caden didn't miss a beat. “Let's start with the delicious cheese appetizer I've heard about while we look at the wine menu.” He looked over at me. “Are you feeling okay? Food is on its way.”
“Oh, I'm fine. I can't remember feeling so hungry. It just hit me in a big way earlier. I should have eaten a larger breakfast, I guess.”
The bartender poured us two small glasses of water and Caden ordered a Pinot Noir for us. I downed the water quickly and it was filled again as soon as I put the glass down. I was going to like this bartender if he kept our wines filled the same way.
“I've heard the eggplant parmesan is to die for,” Caden said, looking over the one-page menu.
“I think I’ll just do the house pasta,” I answered in return.
“You got it, beautiful.”
The bread and cheese arrived and I immediately unfolded my napkin in my lap and took a corner piece of bread.
“You are hungry,” he said with a laugh.
I nodded as I continued chewing. My stomach was starting to feel better just thinking about food.
We continued to eat and talk throughout dinner, taking in the ambiance of the local favorite dinner spot. The evening was perfect, and the wine and food were delicious. I limited myself to two glasses of wine since my stomach felt just the tiniest bit “off” still, so I sipped and savored each sip. I wasn't sure what he had ordered, but when he pointed it out in the menu, I realized it was almost two hundred dollars a bottle. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to the extravagance of his life.
We didn't stay long after we finished our meals, as we both wanted to spend some time in our mansion. After another short ride, we were back at Valerio Estates, with Dwayne opening the door to welcome us back before retiring to his building for the night. Then the mansion was ours again.
“How about you show me your pool skills?” Caden joked, as I had once told him how perfectly terrible I was at playing pool.
“Just wait, maybe I was sandbagging. I may take you down,” I teased. Passing a bathroom, I added, “Quick pit stop and I’ll meet you there?”
“I’ll grab the bottle of wine Dwayne left us.” And with that, he kissed my hand and left me.
Closing the door to the marbled bathroom, I held onto the sink for a minute. The sick feeling had come back. All of the sudden, I knew I was going to throw up this time. Cursing myself for the wine, I sat on the cold floor in front of the toilet and heaved. It only took a moment, and then I felt completely okay again. But sweat had formed beads on my forehead. I got up, splashed my face with cold water, and used the mouthwash I found under the sink. What was going on with me?
When I walked out, Caden was standing there with two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. His expression dropped when he saw me.
“Cara, what's wrong? We need to get you to see someone. You're sick.”
“I honestly feel better now. I don't know what is going on with me.”
He put down the wine and glasses and pulled out his phone and Dwayne's card. Within minutes, Dwayne was back at our building, with a nurse in tow.
“This is Nora, our on-call nurse,” Dwayne said. “She’ll take care of you.” Dwayne bowed away to give us our privacy.
“Let's go up to your room,” Nora instructed.
Caden protectively put his arm around me to help me up the stairs.
“Caden, I promise you, I don't feel that bad anymore,” I said. “I’m fine to walk up the stairs.”
“You are so stubborn. Just let me help you.”
Nora smiled at our banter, and dutifully followed us. Caden turned the key in the door and opened it, allowing us to enter first. I sat on the bed while Nora got out her stethoscope and thermometer to check my vital signs.
“Everything looks good,” she concluded after she was done. “There's just one more thing I think we should check.” Caden and I looked at one another questioningly and then back toward her. Nora pulled out a box and then looked at me. I looked at the box, and Caden and I must have read it at the same time.
“You carry those with you?” I asked, feeling overwhelmed suddenly, and also a little scared.
“You'd be surprised how often this is the cause.” Nora held the box out toward me. It was a pregnancy test. Not knowing what else to do, I took it in to the bathroom with me, scared to look at Caden on the way.
Locking the door, I pulled out the stick with every thought possible going through my head. When was my last period? It was almost two months ago, but with all the drama of LJ leaving, I’d chalked up the late period to stress.
I read the directions and peed on the stick in the way it described, then left it to sit on the sink counter. Two lines were already forming. I looked at the directions again, willing them to change. Two lines meant pregnant; one meant not. How likely was it that in the next minute and a half the other line would just disappear?
I stared for three more minutes. Nothing changed. I probably would have stayed there forever, had there not been a light tap on the door.
“Cara? Are you okay? It's been a bit longer than two minutes.” Caden. How could I come out and face him?