Touring My Country

As Shay kept us waiting at the front door, we found ourselves reminiscing about the past few days.

“Man, I can’t believe how smoothly everything went. Forest, you really nailed your part.” Conner gave Forest a friendly punch on the shoulder.

Forest returned the punch with equal force. “I had to make it convincing. If my uncle had even the slightest suspicion we were setting him up, it would’ve all been for nothing.”

Noah chimed in, nodding in agreement. “We all had to act like we were clueless. It was the only way we could’ve found the leak as quickly as we did.”

“And getting your uncle involved was just the icing on the cake. I don’t think we could’ve executed it any better.”

Just then, Shay descended the stairs. A smile spread across her face as she approached me, wrapping her arm around my waist.

“Sorry for the delay. I got caught up chatting with the ladies downstairs. They were sharing stories about some mischievous kids who used to run around these halls.”

Conner threw his hands up in mock surrender. “I was swapped out for that unruly kid who used to live here. I was away at boarding school and he was my stand-in.”

Noah playfully punched Conner in the chest. “We all had stand-ins. They were here while we were at school learning to be good boys.”

Shay burst into laughter, then turned to me.

“Hey, don’t believe everything you hear,” I told her. “Those boys never existed.”

“Sure, Pokey, Shark, and Terror,” she retorted, pointing at each of us.

We all groaned and rolled our eyes.

“Seriously? They told you about the nicknames we used when we were kids?” Conner’s face turned as red as the carpet beneath our feet.

“Yeah, I thought they’d forgotten all about that,” Noah added, covering his face with his hands.

Shay pointed at me. “I can see why you got the nickname ‘Terror’, being the leader and all.” She laughed at our embarrassment, finding it endearing.

I cleared my throat, eager to change the subject. “Alright, now that we’re all wishing the floor would swallow us up, can we please start the tour?”

I took Shay’s hand as we headed out to the waiting limo. We were the last to climb in, and the driver set off towards our first destination, a quaint town not far from the house.

We pulled up outside an empty storefront and disembarked. Hand in hand, we strolled down the row of shops, Shay peering into each window as we passed.

She stopped at a jewelry store, pointing out a locket in the display. We went inside and she asked the saleswoman to show it to us.

It was a tiny heart-shaped locket on a gold chain, designed to hold pictures on either side.

“What do you think, babe?” Shay asked, glancing over her shoulder at the gold heart adorned with a small diamond.

“Can we get this for our baby?” I suggested. “We could put our pictures inside, or maybe one of us together and then the baby on the other side. That way, our child will always have us close to their heart.”

Shay ran her fingers over the locket. “If you want to, we can get it for our baby. I think it’s a wonderful idea. They’ll always have a piece of us with them, along with their first picture. Here, let me handle this.”

Shay handed the locket back to the saleswoman, who rang it up, placed it in a purple velvet bag, and handed it back to Shay. The smile on Shay’s face made my heart flutter and melt simultaneously.

Shay tucked the bag into her purse, and we continued our stroll down the street, stopping at a few more stores to make some additional purchases. After a few hours, we returned to the limo, ready for our next stop.

I was eager to take Shay to a fantastic restaurant in the next town over, a place the guys and I loved. I couldn’t wait to hear her thoughts on the food I’d grown up eating.

Back in the limo, I signaled for the driver to head to our next destination. The shopping bags were stowed in the trunk, and we were on our way.

“So, what do you think so far, love? That was the closest town to my house, but now we’re heading to a bigger one, which has our favorite restaurant.”

Shay was still beaming from our first tour.

“I love how friendly everyone is here. The shopkeepers didn’t hover or pressure us. They just waited patiently for us to ask for help, and if we didn’t need it, they just smiled as we browsed.

“I wish people back home were like that. This country is so beautiful, and we’ve only just scratched the surface.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“When we leave in a few days, I’ll have the plane fly over a few towns so you can see others that we won’t have time to visit.

“The ocean isn’t far from here, so next time we visit, we’ll go there so you can see how different the shore is from home.” I pointed in the direction of the coast.

Shay spent the entire ride gazing out the window, taking in the rolling hills and lush greenery. After about thirty minutes, we arrived at our next stop in a bustling city.

It was a small, family-owned restaurant that had been in business for over sixty years. I thought they served the best food ever. I knew Shay was getting hungry; her stomach had been growling for the last ten minutes.

We all got out and walked inside.

“What do you like to eat here?” she asked as we stepped into the cozy establishment.

We were led to a table tucked away from prying eyes and potential interruptions. In this country, my face, along with Conner’s and Noah’s, was a familiar one.

For years, women have been drawn to us, captivated by our status and lifestyle. Conner and Noah hadn’t found their forever yet, but there were a few women who had managed to catch their attention.

“They’ve got all the same stuff we have back at the house, sweetheart. Feel free to order anything you want. If you’re not sure what something is, don’t hesitate to ask any of us to explain,” I told her, pulling out her chair for her to sit.

I claimed the seat to her right, while the others filled in the remaining three spots around the table. After about an hour of enjoying one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had, we left to continue our tour.

We started with a few ancient ruins, strolling around and taking in the history. Then, I took Shay on a little hike up a mountain to show her the breathtaking view of the town below. As night began to fall, we finally headed back home.

Shay dozed off on me during the ride. I worried I might have pushed her too hard, but the content smile on her face reassured me that it was all worth it.