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"And here we are at the Shenandoah Suite," said the bellhop, swing the door open and guiding them in before following with their luggage.
"Oh Lee, it's lovely!" gasped Amanda. "Look at that view!"
The view was indeed spectacular – a winter wonderland lay just beyond the glass like some kind of Christmas card come to life. The pine trees that the resort was named for were frosted with new snow that sparkled in the sun as if they'd been doused in glitter and they perfectly framed the rolling hills and ski runs in the distance. As if on cue, a horse-drawn sleigh appeared from behind them, crossing along their line of sight before disappearing into the forest.
The bellhop grinned, pleased at their appreciation. "These suites do have the nicest view in the whole hotel. Good thing you snagged one when you did – with all the fresh snow we got this week, we've got a rush on last-minute bookings."
"Yes, I'm so glad we finally settled on this for our getaway," said Amanda, giving Lee a mischievous grin. "We had a hard time deciding what to do with our time off."
Lee gave her a long-suffering look. "I just wanted you to have the best possible time," he muttered.
Amanda laughed as she moved closer and slipped her arms around his waist. "I know you did, Sweetheart and look-," she gestured out the window. "It doesn't get much more perfect than that does it?"
"I suppose it doesn't," he grinned back. "I think it must be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
"You're supposed to be looking out the window," Amanda reprimanded him, eyes sparkling.
"Am I?" he asked, dipping his head to kiss her.
A muffled cough from the bellhop reminded them they weren't alone. They pulled apart, only a little embarrassed and turned to him.
"Sorry about that," Lee said.
"Place this romantic, you get used to it," smiled the bellhop. "Anyway, if you get tired of the view, the bar is just behind you, and the room service menu is there too. The fireplace is set up and if you need any more firewood, just call down to the desk. Ski rentals are available from a few places in town if you didn't bring your own, although a lot of couples don't get their exercise from skiing while they're here, if you know what I mean." He smirked, then picked up their luggage. "I'll just carry your bags through to the bedroom."
He picked up the suitcases and headed towards a closed door, missing the way Lee's eyebrows twitched together.
Lee followed him, stopping in the doorway and glancing around as the bellhop lifted their cases onto the racks.
"Bathroom with jet tub is just off there," he pointed to a door that stood ajar. "Do you need me to hang anything up for you?"
"No, that'll be fine," said Lee. "I just…" He peered around the room again and then behind him to the living area where Amanda was standing, gazing out the window. "I just thought I'd…"
"Just thought you'd what?" asked the bellhop. "Anything I can help with?"
"No, it's fine," replied Lee. He reached for his wallet and handed the bellhop a large tip. "Thanks for your help."
"Anytime. Welcome to Pine Top and have a wonderful weekend!" the bellhop sketched a quick salute, and headed for the door, waving goodbye to Amanda before disappearing.
"Lee, this really is gorgeous," she said, walking towards him and locking her hands behind his neck. "I'm so glad we came."
"Yeah, well…" Lee reached up and pulled down her hands. "Could you just wait here for a few minutes, while I go have a chat with the front desk. I had, uh… I had arranged for something a little different and I'm not seeing it…"
"Another surprise?" Amanda asked. "You know you don't need to spoil me like this."
"Yes, I do," he objected. "But this wasn't what I… you know what? Just wait here – I'll be back in ten minutes."
"That's fine. I'll just unpack," she answered.
"No, don't do that just yet," he said. "I just want to make sure we're in the right room."
"The right room?" Amanda echoed. "What could be better than this?"
"Just humor me," he said. He steered her towards a comfy looking loveseat by the window. "You can admire the view and plan out our first few runs, okay?" He picked up a trail map from the coffee table and thrust it into her hands. "I'll be right back."
"Okay" said Amanda, rolling her eyes. "Ten minutes and no more – we need to spend as much of this weekend together as we can!"
"That will not be a problem," he promised her, dropping another kiss on her lips. "Not for this weekend, and not for the rest of our lives."
"Did you get everything worked out?" Amanda asked when he returned to the room. She was still curled up on the loveseat, but had found a magazine to flip through while he was gone.
"Not exactly," he admitted. "Listen, Amanda, can I talk to you for a second?"
She gave him a quizzical glance, wondering at his suddenly serious tone, but patted the seat beside her. "Of course, Sweetheart. You know you can always talk to me."
Lee lowered himself to sit beside her, turning so that he was fully facing her and picked up her hand in his.
"Amanda," he began, then struggled to think of how to phrase it.
"You're starting to worry me now," Amanda teased him. "We aren't breaking up, are we?"
"No!" he answered vehemently. "Absolutely not!"
"Well that's good," she said, laying her other hand on top of his. "So, what's bothering you?"
Lee took a deep breath, then looked into her eyes. "You know I love you."
Amanda nodded. "And I love you."
Lee's smile briefly lit up his face, before turning serious again. "I have loved you for so long. I'm not even sure when it turned from friendship into love because you have been my best friend for such a long time now."
Amanda said nothing, just squeezed his hand and smiled.
"And we have been through so much together and we've had to figure out how to make things work when we're thrown a curveball on a case and we've always managed that right?"
"As long as we're together, we can do anything," she agreed.
"And you know there will be never be anyone else for me – you are what I waited my whole life for."
"You know I feel the same," she answered.
"I know I was a bit of a serial dater when we met, but I'm not that guy anymore," he went on. "I'm a one-woman man now."
Amanda grinned. "I think you were always a one-woman man, Sweetheart – you were just looking for the right woman."
"And that's you," he answered. "You know that, right?"
"I do – you tell me in a million ways every day," she confirmed. "And I feel the same way about you."
"Good, good," he nodded rapidly. "So I want you to know that you are the only one for me – and have been for a long time."
"Lee, you keep saying that, but I'm not sure why," said Amanda. "What has got you so worried?"
"We're getting married – I'm not sure when yet, but we are," he said. "And I know how seriously you take marriage. And I do too. But even now – from this moment on – you are it for me, forever – you know that, don't you?"
"I do," she nodded.
"Now this weekend… I'd be lying if I said it wasn't supposed to be romantic. It's the first time we've ever been away as a couple – as a real, committed, together-for-life, engaged couple…"
"But?" she prompted him.
"But I also wanted you to just have a relaxing time away. No hiding things from your mother, no hiding things from Billy and Francine, just you and me and nothing on our minds but being out of the usual routine."
"I know – that's why it never mattered to me where we were going," she agreed.
"I wanted that for you because you… we… well, we haven't really had any downtime since that whole mess with Birol. And I wanted you to have a perfect, no pressure, no worries, just sun and snow and sleep kind of weekend… You know, time to clear your head, plan your future…"
"Are you sure we're not breaking up?" Amanda asked him. "Because you're making it sound like you want me to change my mind about marrying you."
Lee's smile was slightly grim now. "No," he responded in a strained voice, "but I do want you to feel that if you think we're rushing into this, or if you felt you had to say yes in the heat of the moment – I hoped giving you this time would let you see things more clearly."
Amanda squeezed his hand again. "You really are the most wonderful, thoughtful man, and I love you so much." She lifted a hand to caress his cheek. "I have been in love with you for much too long for this to feel rushed – it just feels right." She leaned in to kiss him, a kiss that warmed up quickly as he reached to wrap her in his arms.
Eventually they separated, foreheads touching as they caught their breath. Amanda pulled away slightly, so that she could see his eyes. "Now, tell me what it is that's been bothering you. You said this weekend is supposed to be all about relaxing and you've been like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs since we got here."
Lee gave off a deep sigh and got to his feet, holding out a hand to help her stand as well. "Well, one thing didn't quite work out as planned."
"You had more plans?" she asked in astonishment. "Everything is already so perfect – what else could you possibly have planned?"
Lee led her to the double doors that led to the bedroom and swung them open. The room had the same beautiful view as the living room, with the bed facing it so that anyone lying there could soak in the beauty of their surroundings from under the covers. The bed itself was a huge king size, made up with a fluffy eiderdown duvet and crisp white cotton sheets. A trail of rose petals led across the floor and across the covers, a pair of candles sat on the bedside table, waiting to be lit and nearby, an ice bucket stood by, cooling a bottle of champagne.
"Oh wow," Amanda murmured. "This looks amazing." She gave him a sideways look. "I still don't understand – did you think the hotel needed to make this more romantic somehow?" She turned to him, worried expression on her face. "Is it the rose petals? Is that too much? I know you don't like the scent of them since Dorothy, but we can sweep them up and get rid of them…"
She went to move further into the room, but Lee grabbed her wrist and held her back.
"No, it's not that," he said wretchedly. "I just didn't expect this room. And I went and asked if they had anything else and they're fully booked, but I don't want you to think I planned this."
"Planned what?" Amanda asked him, clearly confused and getting somewhat exasperated. "What's wrong with this room?"
"There's only one bed," Lee pointed out.
"Oh my gosh," murmured Amanda, understanding starting to dawn on her face.
"I thought I'd booked a suite with two rooms, but it seems like I didn't. That's why I went down to the desk – to see if we could change."
Amanda didn't look at him, just kept staring at the bed. "Did you… ask if we could get a rollaway bed?" she finally managed to get out, her voice trembling.
"I did," he admitted.
"And?" She prompted him in a squeak.
"He said they only have them sized for kids," he replied, dejectedly. "And there's nothing else available because, with all the new snow, they got a bunch of last-minute bookings. But Housekeeping is going to bring up some extra blankets so I can sleep on the couch."
Amanda did turn to look at him then, eyes widening. "Really?"
"He said it would be like practice for when we have out first fight after we get married," Lee added with a hangdog expression. "Thinks he's a funny guy."
"You'd really sleep on the couch?" Amanda pressed him. "Even though we're up here alone, in the most romantic setting possible?"
Lee nodded vehemently. "I know how you feel about this kind of thing and I don't want you to think that I assumed that just because we're engaged that I expected-" He stopped speaking as Amanda laid a finger across his lips, her whole body shaking with laughter.
"Sweetheart," she said, her eyes dancing, "did you really think I was expecting to come away for a romantic weekend with you and just hold hands and maybe make out like a pair of lovesick teenagers?"
"Um, yes?" he replied uncertainly. "I mean, when we've been on covers, you've been pretty clear about how you felt about even sharing rooms, let alone a room with only one bed."
"The last time we shared a room like that, we'd barely known each other six months. And the last time we shared a room like this was during that whole Stemwinder thing – you didn't worry about it then," she pointed out.
"Well, we were just lucky to have a roof over our heads at that point," he said. "And I wasn't worried that you'd think I'd lured you into something – not like this." He gestured at the room and its obvious set-up for seduction.
"Lured me in," she gurgled with laughter. "Oh Lee, you keep talking about rushing me or luring me or pressuring me as if I didn't just walk into all of this of my own free will. Do you really think I'd suddenly reverse gears now?"
Lee studied her, his expression relaxing as he saw the good-humored smile on her face. "You really don't mind?"
"Of course, I don't mind," she beamed at him. "In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret. It was going to be a surprise but…" She crossed over to her suitcase and flipped it open, then carefully lifted something out and shook it loose. It was a silky nightgown and she held up in front of her, head tilted as she waited for his reaction. "Does this look like I was expecting two rooms?"
"No," he said in a slightly strangled voice. "That looks-" he stopped, unable to think up the appropriate word for a moment. "That looks very alluring," he said finally.
"Good – it was intended to," she dimpled at him. She put the nightgown back down in the suitcase and crossed back to where he was still standing in the doorway. "I'll let you in on another little secret."
"Another secret? Is it as good as the last one?" Lee asked hopefully, as he drew her in close to his body.
"Maybe," she replied. "Just in case you're still worried… you should know you actually did book a suite with two rooms."
Lee's heart sank. "I did?"
Amanda nodded. "You did. And the other day, you were downstairs with Billy when the hotel called to confirm the reservation." She tipped up to drop a light kiss on his lips. "And I changed it to this."
"You did?"
"I did," she confirmed. Her smile turned demure but impish. "But you can sleep on the couch if you feel like I'm rushing you…"
She gave a small shriek as Lee lifted her off her feet, then tumbled her onto the bed, his hands pinning down her wrists before she had bounced even once.
"I'll have you know this is not a situation for rushing, Amanda King," he growled.
"Promise?" she said, her eyes darkening with desire as she pulled her hands free in order to draw him down closer.
"Always," he answered.