Prince follows through on his promise and reserves a room for us at the hotel I suggested for Monday night through Friday morning. Later I come to find out the room was actually reserved for Saturday through the following Sunday, so he could get his people in to prepare it for us, and back in to return it to normal after we leave.
He wanted to arrange a helicopter flight to bring us there and back, but I begged for him to let me drive the four hours up. "It's a beautiful drive, please," I request, complete with puppy dog eyes, and he surprisingly submits with barely a huff. When we arrive at the hotel earlier than check in is when I find out that the room had already been prepared by his people, and we were able to drop our bags and begin exploring.
I drag him from one end of that little town to the other, only to have him ask me several times in astonishment, "You really know your way around here, don't 'cha?" On Wednesday he even agrees to the two hour drive to Orr to see the Wildlife Sanctuary, although he was slightly apprehensive to climb aboard the school bus that takes you into the viewing area when we got there. Seeing me so excited to be sharing everything with him made any of his balking slight.
When we went to The North American Bear Center and International Wolf Center, he seemed slightly amused that I still had a standing membership at both places. Not to be outdone, he signed up for a membership at both centers, as well as leaving generous donations for each.
A new camera had been purchased for me just prior to the trip and even though I kept apologizing, he spent a majority of his time watching me in admiration as I snapped pictures. In the evenings when we would return to the room, my SD card would be plugged into his laptop so we could view what I had captured that day. If we were too tired from our excursions to make love in the evening, I was awakened in the morning by his less than subtle advances.
I hated for our little trip to end, we had so much fun, even when we just sat out on our private balcony watching the loons skim across the lake. It was so peaceful, and relaxed, Prince was so present. I felt as if I talked his ear off for five days, but he still did his best to dominate the conversations, and I was happy to have that, he was sharing, and there was NO WAY I was about to stop him.
On the four hour trip home, I nonchalantly ask, "So, about this wedding?"
"Yesssss," he drags out the word while he smirks at me.
"I'm assuming that there will be a lot of purple," I peek at him out of the corner of my eye.
He chuckles, "Is that a problem?"
I shake my head as I keep my eyes on the road, "Can we keep it kinda small?"
"That was my plan, somewhere between 50 and 100."
I grimace as I sneak a look at him, "Between 50 and 75 would be better, if it's possible?" I flashback to the event that only had 100 people in attendance, and that had seemed like a lot of people to me. He nods, again he doesn't contest me, I have a feeling even he would be happier with the less amount. I add, "I really don't have anyone to invite, to be honest, maybe like five people. My parents are gone, I'm not close with the rest of my family. Angel needs to be there," I specify at the end, to which he mock shudders and then laughs.
When he regains his composure, "Of course Angel will be there, I assumed you'd want her to be a bridesmaid." When I slouch into the driver's seat, "What's wrong, Sugar?"
"Bridesmaids and groomsmen, that's right, I really hadn't thought about that. Do we have to have any?"
"Well, I was going to ask Kirk to be my best man, but, no, we don't have to have a bridal party."
"Maybe just Kirk and Angel." I think out loud.
Prince frowns, "You don't have any closer friends?"
"Yes and no, between work and gardening, I honestly just keep to myself. I have a few close friends, but I doubt after years of not hearing from me, that they're going to drop everything to fly out to Tennessee for a wedding."
He considers all that I'm telling him and he doesn't seem disappointed in the least, "So we might be closer to the 50 mark," he thinks aloud.
"Do I get to see my dress, you know, before the day?" I know that he has to have one in the works.
"You don't want it to be a surprise?"
I knew it, I think as I shake my head adamantly, "No, not that I don't trust you, but it is my wedding dress. It will give me an idea of what you'll be wearing, too," I tease.
His brows knit, "I want to go more on the traditional side, I was thinking a tux." I turn and excitedly look at him, he'd look so handsome in a tux. He laughs at my reaction, "Don't look so happy."
"I love that idea," I focus back on my driving with a big grin on my face. If he's thinking tux and traditional, I know I'm going to love my dress.
*******
Back home, the getaway extends well into the weekend, this quiet time with each other is exactly what we needed after his latest emotional withdrawal because of Warner Bros., he shows only the slightest interest in getting back to Paisley when Monday rolls around. I let him know that I'm going to offer to let Margaret use me at the shop two days this week, and he seems content with that, since he's had me all to himself the week prior.
With that we fall back into our comfortable routine, the one where he makes the effort to come home every night. As the weeks pass, and I flip the calendar from August to September, Prince remains surprisingly attentive, and consistent. With the first album due to be released at the end of this month I worry about his continued emotional stability, but it proves to be nothing but overthinking on my part. Even though he has had to do some promotional traveling, he has not stayed gone longer than 24 hours at a time, and usually returns home with his libido soaring.
After one of those quick trips, and an enthusiastic lovemaking session on the staircase just after I had greeted him in the foyer, do I find out that he had continued to push Warner Bros. and succeeded. BOTH albums will be released on the same day just like he had intended when he had agreed to re-sign with them.
