Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Gabriel
After spending a day ensuring work can go without Monica and me, I convince her to spend a week with me at my mountain cabin. After she told me all about the house Liam bought for Olivia, I felt I needed to give Monica an accurate representation of my place. Look, I get it. Liam has money. From what Monica told me, he scored a pretty hefty settlement after the state failed him as a child, then took the money and invested it. Kinda blows my mind that he’s still a deputy sheriff when he could easily just live off his money.
My regular car is a sedan, but I have an older SUV for when I’m up in the mountains. It isn’t much, but it’s reliable and functional, especially when the roads are snow-packed or heavy rains have impacted the mostly rural backroads. Monica didn’t even bat an eyelash as she climbed into my SUV. She looks good in here. She looks perfect in my cars and my house. Like she belongs here.
It takes about an hour to get to my cabin, and I find the drive pleasant with the conversation between us. Even any quiet lulls feel comfortable and peaceful. My querida brings out a calmness in me I didn’t know existed. The feeling I get when I can just exist next to her, my hand on her thigh as her fingers absentmindedly trace patterns on my arm, is euphoric.
“What does Liam’s house look like?” I ask after Monica points out the turn-off to his mountain house.
“It’s massive. It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it’s too much for me. It’s perfect for them, though. Especially now with the kids. Perfect family escape,” Monica tells me.
“It’s too much for you?” I ask, my brow furrowed. Monica sighs.
“I grew up in money. We lived in a huge house. We had nice cars. I get it, the pull of that. But it’s not for me. I want comfort, and I don’t really need much. So I’d rather the money go toward experiences than personal belongings.”
“What kinds of experiences do you want for your life?” I ask. I have a feeling I already know the answer, but I want to be sure we’re on the same page.
“For as much money as my family had, we never went anywhere. Maybe it was a safety issue. Most definitely a control thing. But we rarely left Texas. I was thrilled to move to Oklahoma just to get a new experience. I want to travel. I’ve never been to Europe. I want to eat a crepe beneath the Eiffel Tower and see the Coliseum in Rome. African Safari, Great Wall of China, Buckingham Palace, I want to see it all.”
“I’ll get you to all of those places, querida ,” I say quietly as I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. I see her smile wistfully.
“I’d love that, Gabriel. ”
We’re quiet for a few moments as I pull into a grocery store parking lot. “This is the last store before my cabin. Let’s get stocked up, and hopefully we won’t have to come back out here.”
“How far is your cabin?”
“About another twenty minutes. You know it’s basically just a room, right?” I warn. She giggles.
“I know. As I said, I don’t need much. Kitchen, bathroom, bed. That’s really all I need.”
“Got a good bed up there,” I whisper as I lean over and peck her lips.
“Oh yeah? You got plans for the bed?”
“Yep. And the counter, the wall, and probably the porch swing outside. Wherever I can take you, I plan on it. Gonna imprint you all over the cabin, anjinho .”
“Then hurry the hell up so we can get going already,” she huffs as she opens her door with a flourish. I chuckle as I get out of the car. Typically I only get simple items when I’m up here, choosing to eat like a child. Pop Tarts, Kraft Mac and Cheese, and frozen meals. But I’ve never brought anyone up here before. Never wanted to. My cabin has been a retreat, a place to decompress and unwind. So having Monica in my space is a huge step, making me want to change my entire scope.
Monica meanders through the aisles of the grocery store, humming to herself, which is fucking adorable. I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it. I can’t figure out what she’s humming, though. It sounds familiar, but I can’t identify the tune.
“Are we cooking meals, or did you have something else in mind for dinner?” she asks.
“Typically, I just eat frozen meals, but I’d like to cook dinner with you,” I tell her .
“With me?” she asks with a small smile.
“Yes, querida . With you. I want to do everything with you,” I say as I wrap an arm around her waist to pull her body against mine. My lips find hers, and she whimpers against my mouth. I deepen the kiss, forgetting we are in the pasta aisle of a grocery store, before Monica giggles and pulls away from me.
“Behave yourself,” she whispers with a smile. I give her ass a light squeeze before we continue shopping. We grab ingredients for spaghetti, baked chicken, steaks, and other meals. I’m also looking forward to cooking breakfast with her each morning, and Monica grabs a bunch of ingredients for desserts and s’mores when we have a campfire. She’s way too giddy about dessert and promises a ‘surprise’ one night. I hope it involves licking things off of her.
As I pull down the dirt and gravel driveway toward my property, I’m anxious to see Monica’s reaction. While the actual cabin is relatively small at less than one thousand square feet, it sits on a couple acres of wooded landscape with a mountain creek running along the back edge. I regularly see all kinds of wildlife traipsing through and have trail cams at a couple different spots for when I’m up here.
As the cabin comes into view, I hear Monica’s quick intake. “Gabriel, it’s beautiful!”
I let out a relieved breath as she grabs my hand and squeezes it. Throwing the car into park, I look over at Monica. “Come on, querida , let me show you around.”
She squeals and jumps out of the SUV before slowly turning around in a circle, soaking it all in. “I can’t believe you own this. It’s so peaceful. God, I could live up here and never complain about anything.”
“You wouldn’t want Target? Starbucks?” I tease, and she laughs.
“No. I can make coffee just fine, and Target is only an hour away. I think this view makes up for the lack of amenities,” she tells me as we walk onto the covered front porch. She gasps as she sees the porch swing. “Oh! I always wanted a porch swing. Which way is the sunrise? Can we see it from here? I want to sit here and watch it tomorrow morning. Do you have a bird feeder? I bet there are tons of birds. What kinds of animals do you see up here? Shit, are there bears? I bet there are bears. Oh my God, they’d think I was a fucking appetizer, wouldn’t they?”
I double over laughing as Monica stammers on about animals and birds.
“I’ll protect you, baby. No bears will eat you. Only me,” I tell her huskily.
“Can you eat me on the porch swing?” she asks with a wicked glint in her eyes.
“Told you, querida . I’ve got plans for you all over this cabin. Won’t be a single inch of this that hasn’t had us fucking on it.”
Monica shivers as she wraps her arms around my waist, placing her chin on my chest and looking up at me. “I love you, tesoro .”
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hearing her say that. I feel my heart skip a beat as my hand cups her head, my fingers sliding into her hair. “I love you too, anjinho . So much.”
I kiss her before grabbing my keys and unlocking the door. I haven’t been up here in a couple months. I’m hoping everything is still working and that nothing, animals or humans, has broken in. Opening the door, I scan the perimeter and see everything looks just as I left it. I find the light switch and turn it on, relieved to see the power is still working. There’s a well on site for water, so we should be good there. I foresee a lot of showers this week because I fully intend to make the two of us sweat. A lot.
The cabin isn’t much. It’s basically one large studio with a separate bathroom, but I’ve never needed much. I’ve thought about adding on to the cabin so I could have guests, maybe adding two or three bedrooms. Right now, I have a king-size bed, a couch, and a table with four chairs, and that’s about it. Monica is the first person to step foot in here other than me.
The two of us make quick work out of unloading the car before Monica begins unpacking the groceries. I have some canned goods and non-perishables here, but I never leave anything that can go bad and attract animal attention. Unfortunately, I’m so far into the forest that I have to drive my trash into the closest town.
Once everything is unpacked, I pull Monica onto my lap on the couch. She lets out a blissful sigh as I kiss her neck.
“It’s supposed to be a beautiful night,” I comment. “I can get a fire going, and we can cook the steaks that way. Then you can make your s’mores.”
“Okay,” she whispers against my shoulder.
“You okay?” I ask, and she nods.
“Very content right now.”
“Me too. Most content I’ve ever felt, I think.”
Monica pops her head up to look at me. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
We stare at each other for a moment, basking in the feeling.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Gabriel, but I’m not letting you go,” she blurts out. I feel a wide grin spread across my face.
“I’m not letting you let me go. You’re mine.”
“I’m yours.”
“Good.”
Monica throws back her head with a bark of laughter. “And are you mine?”
“Fuck yes, I’m yours, querida . All yours. Now kiss me and show me how much I’m yours.”
She giggles as she straddles me before leaning forward to kiss me. Our kiss turns ravenous quickly as Monica reflexively begins to grind against me. I didn’t intend for us to have sex as soon as we got here, but I’m not turning it down. Obviously, we both want it. With Monica wrapped around me, I stand and take a few steps over to the bed before launching us in the middle. Monica lets out a small shriek as we land, then giggles with glee. I spend the rest of the afternoon seeing how many different adorable noises I can get to come out of her mouth.
My ‘backyard’ at the cabin consists of a small concrete patio and a fire pit. I’ve been meaning to buy a grill to leave up here, but I figure it’ll just get stolen unless I drag it into the cabin every time I leave. Because I’m not up here often enough, I know people will figure it out sooner or later. My closest neighbor is a couple football fields away, and I’ve never met them. I don’t have fences on my property, so anyone can roam through here. With everything going on with Monica, I realize I need to get more security up here, too.
Cooking steaks over a fire pit as the sun sets is incredibly romantic, especially with Monica sitting next to me on my small patio loveseat. I brought some outdoor lights that I’ve strung up, giving the entire patio an ethereal glow. Monica sits against my side, her feet tucked under her, with a glass of wine in her hand. Every now and again, she sighs with a blissful expression as she watches the sunset.
“I don’t want to ever leave,” she says quietly as I flip the steaks.
“We can come up here whenever you want.”
“It’s because I can act like the real world doesn’t exist, like my family isn’t a problem. Up here, I can just be me. With you. No worries.” Her voice has become subdued and flat. I turn to face her and grab her chin, forcing her to look at me .
“Nothing is going to happen to you, querida . I won’t let it,” I say deeply. Monica gives me a sad smile.
“I love that you feel that way, Gabriel. Really, I do. I understand the sentiment. And I appreciate it. But I know my family and the mafia life. I know what they can do. I watched my father kill a man right in front of me. They’ll do whatever it takes …” she trails off.
“As will I. You will not be taken away from me, amor . I will lay down my life before anything happens to you,” I vow. Her eyes snap to mine.
“That won’t make anything better! If something happens to you, it would be like me dying. I won’t survive that, Gabriel. You have to promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” she says as her voice trembles.
I sigh as I close my eyes and think of how to respond. I already know I would absolutely die protecting Monica. If anything happened to her , it would destroy me. But I can’t tell her that without heightening her anxiety. She’s worrying enough as it is.
“I promise I won’t do anything stupid,” I say. I’m not technically lying, as stupidity is subjective. And clearly, we disagree on what’s allowed in the realm of keeping her safe.
“I think I’m going to need you to be more specific. Say, ‘I promise I won’t put my life on the line for my querida . I promise I’ll still be alive when this is all over.’ Say that, Gabriel,” she tells me nervously. I chuckle as I take her in my arms.
“I promise, amor .”
“Thank you,” Monica whispers against my neck. I love that she burrows into me. I can tell she’s breathing me in, taking strength from me. This tiny little spitfire, this strong and independent Italian woman, has finally let me in. Monica is letting me care for her and protect her. It is the best feeling to know that she trusts me unconditionally .
Once the steaks are cooked, Monica grabs the rest of the food from inside before we sit and enjoy the sunset. Having her here is so poignant. When I bought this place after my divorce, I was hell-bent on never being in a relationship again. Certified bachelor for life. I never imagined this little ball of excitement would bounce into my life and throw me on my ass, showing me everything I had been missing. I felt a pull toward her when I saw her in that bar. Monica completes me in ways I never imagined.
As we finish dinner, Monica lets out a big yawn.
“Let’s save the s’mores for another night, querida . You’re exhausted. A good night’s sleep is needed,” I tell her as I grab her plate and walk inside.
“Can we sit out here for a few more minutes? It’s so peaceful. I want to revel in it,” she calls from the patio.
“Absolutely.”
I grab a blanket off the bed and return outside, covering us both on the loveseat. Summer in the mountains is beautiful, but there can be a chill in the air. As the crickets begin to sing their nightly songs, I rest my head against Monica and enjoy the moment.
“Gabriel,” she breathes, “Look!”
I open my eyes to see a group of deer meandering about a hundred feet from where we sit. I peek at Monica and see a shocked and exhilarated expression on her face as she stares at the deer.
“This is so freakin cool,” she whispers. We watch the deer until they are out of sight. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the wildlife here. I never had anything like this in Oklahoma. I’d hear a pack of coyotes every once in a while but never see them.”
“Yeah, this is one of the reasons I wanted to retire here. I love how different it is. And the mountains help me decompress and relax.”
Monica turns to me and studies me.
“Did you have a lot of bad experiences in the Army?” she asks quietly. I take a moment to formulate my answer.
“Nowhere near as bad as other people, but it wasn’t a walk in the park either. Deploying sucks. I saw things I definitely didn’t want to see, and they stuck with me. It’s tough being deployed when your family needs you, too. My grandfather died while I was in Afghanistan, and I didn’t find out about it until a week later because we were on a mission and didn’t have contacts back at the FOB.”
“FOB?” she asks.
“Forward operating base. It’s basically like a regular military post but more mobile and much more rustic. No amenities.”
“So you weren’t even at the FOB, you were out in the field?” she asks.
“Yeah. Like dangerous camping where you have a weapon, and you know other people might shoot at you.”
“Sounds … horrifying.”
“Eh. In some ways, it was. But I had trained for it. I was with my buddies. That deployment ended well.”
“Ended well?”
“Yeah, because no one from our group was killed.”
“Have you had someone get killed from your group before?” she asks softly. I nod. On my third deployment, I lost one of my best friends. His name was Sam. I still don’t like talking about him, even fifteen years later. “I’m so sorry, Gabriel. I can’t imagine how traumatizing that must have been for you.”
Monica puts her head on my chest as I close my eyes and struggle to rein in my emotions. I don’t like talking about my time in the Army. It brings up so many negative memories. Losing Sam, my marriage falling apart and Courtney ultimately cheating on me, and even some tension with my family for not moving back to Texas. My family loves me and respects me, but they’d prefer I move home. Now that I have Monica, and she loves Colorado as much as I do, there’s no chance I’m moving back to Texas.
This, right here, is my future.