Her mother whispered in her ear as they were leaving the reception. “Even blessed marriages have dark days—face them together, sweetheart.”
Cassie rested her head against the cool glass, staring out the car window, admiring the gradual appearance of stars littering the night sky. The city lights always veiled them with an effusive urban shine. But now, they were increasingly more apparent with each mile as she and Rick drove deeper into the desert night. Finally, the last of Las Vegas’ passing streetlamps blurred.
The passion and the warmth within her felt like an unbridled force, a light. A shine that couldn’t be contained because she felt happier than she had ever been and in love. Promised, kissed during their holy sacrament, and celebrated. Wedding day euphoria felt like she was witnessing life from some hiding place in her head, mesmerized by the anticipation of unbridled possibilities, captivated by an impending night of passion.
Cassie turned in her seat and watched from the back window with weary fascination as the remaining glimmer of her hometown faded. And then, as the high-rise glow of Las Vegas’ casino lights gave way to mountain silhouettes.
The stars in the night sky got brighter against a backdrop of endless black. Diamonds, she smiled as she glanced down at hers in her wedding ring.
Cassie reached down and lovingly traced each finger on Rick’s hand, perched on the stick shift. And then she gently rested her hand on his. Rick merely smiled at her, apparently equally as tired. It was a big wedding, to be sure, with lots of family and friends. She gently laughed when she remembered Rick’s complaint about his feet hurting in his rented shoes and his face aching from smiling too much. She was grateful, though, that he was still wearing his tux, his black tie untied and dangling from the collar of his white tuxedo shirt.
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Cassie’s wedding dress rustled against the leather seat as she rested her head on Rick’s shoulder. And from the dull glow of the dashboard, she could see his face, the line of his chin, and how impressive he looked in his tuxedo shirt.
From the headlight shine, a steady stream of ghostly-white lines appeared in the windshield’s reflection. Faintly aware of the hypnotic effect, Cassie shut her eyes.
Then, she recalled the photos of her new in-law’s cabin. The thought of going there for part of their honeymoon didn’t do much for her. Until Rick’s older sister, Emily, insisted on showing her some pics of their family gatherings.
Cassie was pleasantly surprised to see images of a beautiful rustic log cabin hidden by tall pines. In a place called Pinetop. However, its beauty and privacy weren’t what cinched it for her. And it certainly wasn’t the photo of the entire family together on the back porch, wearing forced smiles.
Emily quietly pointed to something else in the photo, a waist-high wooden structure that appeared to be a bench. It had a thick padded top, which Cassie recognized. With a wink and a smile from Emily, she understood. It was a hot tub!
“The cabin is very private,” Emily whispered, careful to avoid attracting attention. “I don’t want our siblings to hear me. Otherwise, they will follow you there.” She smiled. “No one uses it much lately. So, you could have it all to yourselves for as long as you want. I’ll talk to Dad if you’re interested. He’ll go for it for sure.”
Cassie wrapped her arms around her soon-to-be sister-in-law, realizing they would be good friends.
Flashes of white-line reflections in the windshield, once more, brought her back to reality. Two weeks, Cassie thoughtfully smiled, just the two of us in a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere. She snuggled against Rick’s shoulder and felt herself drifting off. And saw that Rick lowered the volume on the car stereo as the singer sang, “Forever my love.” And somewhere in the back of her dreamy brain, she wondered what her mother meant by ‘dark days’?