BAMBI

XLI

My eyes began to swell with tears as I looked across Lake Ann from the edge of an old, neglected boat dock, my bare toes skimming the otherwise calm waters as my feet swung back and forth. It had been two months since Prince asked me to move in with him, one month since I listed my home for sale and thirty minutes since I handed over the keys to the place that had become a refuge for me. And although I was excited to start the next chapter of my life, I was hesitant to close the door on the life I'd built for myself.

So many unknowns consumed my thoughts as I sat there alone. And it didn't help that I hadn't seen Prince in a week. He'd been in Los Angeles working on plans for a new nightclub. It was still in the very early stages but that doubled with the remodel of his home made for a very hectic schedule.

Looking down at the small watch hugging my left wrist, I let out a nervous sigh. It was 4:25. In thirty five minutes I was due to meet Prince for dinner in his newly redesigned estate. His plane landed at 2:00pm that day but he insisted on preparing dinner for me so my first night in the house would be perfect. The gesture was sweet but it left me in some sort of limbo between my old life and the next, wondering if I was making the right decision. What if it didn't work out between us? What if we moved too quickly? If anything were to happen, there was no where else for me to go, I just sold the one thing I'd worked so hard for- my home.

Straightening myself out, I wiped my eyes, trying to rid myself of the apprehensive feelings that seemed to consume me in that moment. I didn't want to think such negative thoughts. And although my past relationships ended badly, I didn't want to compare what I had with Prince to anything I'd ever experienced before. The truth was was that the love I shared with Prince was on a vastly different level than anything I'd shared with Janet or Aaron. He helped me open up my heart when I thought it was damaged for good. He helped me see that my past didn't define my future.

A few weeks prior to the move Prince drove me to his secret spot within the woods for a picnic. We hadn't seen that place since before Winter. But the snow had melted, giving way to the beautiful Spring growth, gracing the entirety of the North Star State. As soon as we exited the car I noticed the birds chirping high up in the forest canopy while the cool breeze made the whole field of tall green grass sway softly. Prince grabbed his trusty blanket and picnic basket from the trunk of his canary ride and took my hand, "Come on." Leading the way, he created a narrow path as his feet trampled the grass one step at a time.

Looking back, I saw the car we'd left behind getting smaller and smaller, "Where are you taking me?"

"Just a little bit further." Chucking, he yanked my hand towards him, telling me to pick up the pace. And before I knew it he stopped his stride and spread the blanket out on the ground. "Sit." He demanded, point to the picnic spot he'd made.

"Yes sir!" I joked, both of us taking a seat simultaneously on the soft fabric below our feet. Almost immediately Prince opened the picnic basket, handed me a sandwich and poured two glasses of wine. "Wow, you hungry?"

"Mhmm. I haven't eaten all day! There was some issues with the tile so I was busy with that all morning." He said, referring to the ongoing and very secretive construction project he'd been working on. In fact, he hadn't allowed me into his home since construction began at the beginning of the escrow on my house.

"Oh really? So are you installing it or having it taken out?"

Prince's eyebrows lifted onto the center of his forehead, "Uh uh!"