Chapter 28
Aisling
Present day
By the time that we get back to the cabins it’s late afternoon, meaning that we hop in a couple of the trucks and head into town for dinner. The two booths that we take up are filled with more food than I’ve ever seen.
When we return to the cabins the sun is still on the horizon, just about to set, and Fallon, Hunter, Winter and Caden are sat together around the lit campfire. Caden is holding two skewers over the flames, toasting two giant marshmallows as his girlfriend neatly prepares the cookies. Then she holds them out for his marshmallows so that they can make the world’s most epic looking s’mores.
“S’mores? No way. Can we join?” Connell asks, jaw practically dislocating as he stares longingly at the marshmallow heaven happening in Winter’s outstretched hands.
Caden glances up mid-marshmallow removal and suddenly lets out a surprised curse, his eyes flying back down to his thumb as he yanks it away from the molten marshmallow.
Winter lets out a sympathetic squeal before quickly placing down the cookies.
She takes Caden’s big hockey player hand in her delicate palms.
“Are you okay?” she asks softly, a sympathetic dimple popping in her cheek when Caden swallows down the sting of the burn, clears his throat and nods.
“It’s fine,” he rumbles quietly.
Winter gives him a knowing smile before pressing a gentle kiss to his burnt thumb, then his palm, and then his stubble-coated cheek.
Caden drops his head so that no-one can see him blush.
Winter turns her attention back to us as she tugs at Caden’s arm, silently asking him to stand, which he does instantaneously.
“Of course you can join,” she says, smiling kindly. “We’ll just be a minute.”
Then she hauls Caden by his wrist to the smooth edge of the lake, tugging him so that he crouches down beside her. She eases his thumb just beneath the surface of the clear water, trying to ease the burn without even saying anything.
“They are so freaking cute,” Connell murmurs to me as everyone starts settling around the fire, and I nod in agreement, in awe of how gentle their love is.
My eyes drift over the shimmering water until I’m looking at the lake house, and an excited warmth flutters in my belly as I catch the hint of a glow coming from the downstairs window. I’m unable to really see what’s inside as the glass reflects the warm evening sunset.
But I can guess who will be inside there.
My phone has been vibrating with love notes from Tanner all afternoon, but I haven’t been able to peek at most of them because I didn’t want to draw any more suspicion than I already have from his teammates as we trekked to one of the beautiful lookout points in the nearest of the Larch Peak mountains.
Connell holds the bag of giant marshmallows in front of me, slapping away Austin’s hand when he tries to take one before I do.
I scrunch my nose at them, laughing at how sweet and silly they are, before peeping into the bag and taking one of the pink ones.
Connell’s eyes flick between my face and the lake house, a hint of a crease on his brow as he skewers his own marshmallow.
Then he pulls off his cap, roughly scrubbing at his hair.
“You calling it a night?” he asks, before glancing at the cabins behind us, undoubtedly wondering if Tanner is in there.
From the faint hint of a sconce glow radiating gently from beyond the lake house’s porch, I am ninety-nine percent sure that I know exactly where Tanner is.
“Yeah,” I breathe out, my voice quiet amongst the sounds of our friends. Connell nods at me and lifts his arm that isn’t holding the skewer, silently requesting a hug.
I laugh quietly and give him a quick squish, squealing my way out of his arms when he tries to turn it into one of his bone-crushing bear hugs. I give him a playful punch on the shoulder and his expression relaxes, a laidback smile lighting up his face as he kicks off his boots and settles his backwards cap back onto his head.
And then I’m making my way over to the lake house.
I stuff the marshmallow into my mouth, the soft thump of my hiking boots pounding rhythmically against the dirt sounding in time with the loud beat of my heart. The talking and laughter coming from around the campfire becomes a faraway melody as I try to calm my breathing, holding up the hem of the sundress that I changed into as the lake laps tauntingly close to my boots.
The closer I get the more sure I am that the soft glow radiating onto the porch is coming from the inside of the cabin, rather than the sunset outside that’s exuding its final burst of golden rays.
I jog lightly up the porch steps and then drop the skirt of my dress, staring at the front door as my heart thunders in my chest.
I quietly ease open the front door and step inside, eyes immediately moving over to the couch where Tanner is sleeping.
He’s fast asleep even though he’s sitting partially upright, with his quads spread wide apart and one hand tucked down the front of his unzipped jeans. He’s wearing a light grey shirt that’s stretched thin across his chest and there’s a small metal toolbox on the floor beside the sofa.
My mind whirs as I contemplate exactly what it was that kept him from joining us on our hike today.
As I gently click the heavy front door closed Tanner’s shoulders swell on a deep inhale and he rouses from his sleep, pressing the heel of his palm between his eyes.
When I slip my boots off my feet and they thud softly against the wooden floor his head turns in my direction and he immediately shoots to stand upright. He almost falls over the low coffee table as his big calves accidentally shove it across the rug.
“Fuck, sorry,” he rasps out quietly, his deep voice hoarse with sleep. He quickly looks down at his pants, ears blazing red as he rips his hand from under the open zipper.
He shoots a quick look in my direction as he hastily tugs up his fly, and then he’s rounding the side of the couch, meeting me in the middle just in front of the staircase. His palms immediately encase my waist as he looks me reverently up and down.
“How was the campsite? Did you have a good day?” he asks, eyes searching mine before he reaches down to press a kiss to the heart freckle on my exposed arm.
I scrunch up my nose, laughing, and he grins up at me before standing back to his full height.
“It was beautiful, I can’t wait to camp out there tomorrow night – I’ve never been camping before,” I admit, my voice hushed and happy.
I tug gently at his thin grey shirt, fitted tight around his thick abdomen.
I look up at him from under my lashes as I think about what he said to me this morning, about me deserving a break from the reno as I’m already so close to the finish line.
You know that I’ll help you finish it up, Ash.
My eyes subconsciously flick to the ceiling, toward the master bedroom, wondering if that subtle text meant what I thought it might.
He catches the movement and a smile touches his handsome mouth.
“What did you do today?” I ask carefully, my voice light and a little breathless as he pulls my body against his, the warmth of his broad chest pressing through my sundress.
His smile grows a little wider.
“Wanna see?”
I swallow hard, unable to prevent myself from smiling back, and then he gives me a full-on grin, a hint of a blush under his tan skin.
His big hand finds mine and then we’re walking side by side up the staircase, Tanner only stopping when we reach the top so that I can step onto the landing before him.
Then he tugs me gently in the direction of the master bedroom.
“Tanner…” I say warily, laughing in disbelief before we even reach the closed door. “You didn’t…” I say again as I shake my head, that blush on his cheeks spreading farther.
No way. No way did he do this for me again, even after the four years of disinterested hell that I put him through .
He breathes out a nervous chuckle, scratching at the back of his neck with his free hand, looking as nervous and shy and excited as I am.
“Do you, uh…” He breathes out a shaky laugh, pulling me closer against his side and weaving his strong fingers tighter through mine. “Do you still wanna see–?”
“Yes,” I say immediately, breathlessly, and he nods his head, eyes burning as they flash against mine.
He twists the handle and pushes the door open.
My free hand flies up to my chest, trying to subdue the warm clench around my heart as I take in the sight of the room before me.
The small furniture fixtures, like the wooden bedside cabinets and the large lounge pouf, that I hadn’t yet moved into place because I needed to construct the bed first have found their homes in the bedroom, framing the space and softening the angles of the A-frame with their natural placement. Their muted rustic colours make them seem as if they were here all along.
But most importantly? There resting against the centre of the side wall, at the perfect vantage point to watch the lake every morning and every night, is the fully-constructed master bed.
I don’t know whether it’s the fact that he built the bed on his own, the fact that he did it without me asking, or the fact that once he’d finished it, he’d taken it upon himself to dress the sheets in the deep emerald green bedding that I’d purchased, and carefully drape a long golden string of fairy lights that I hadn’t purchased along the headboard, that makes my heart squeeze the tightest.
I press my knuckles against the love-struck smile on my lips and decide that it’s all of those things combined.
“Tanner,” I breathe, stepping into the room. He keeps his thick fingers locked around mine, still standing against the doorjamb with his large shoulder resting against the wall. “This is so….”
I turn around to look up at him and his expression is cautious, almost shy. His eyes bounce between my face and the bed, his cheeks heating up warmer and warmer as he steals quick glances at me every three seconds.
“Perfect,” I finish at last, my voice light and soft. “This is so kind. You’re the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”
He grins and meets my eyes, his gaze dazzling and direct, and then he uses our still-joined hands to tug me towards him, his large chest immediately pressing warm and hard against mine.
“You like it?” he asks, his other hand wrapping around my hip so that he can haul me against him even tighter.
“I love it,” I admit, a little nervously, and his chest swells heavily as he squeezes my waist. I shudder against him and his eyelids drop, gaze flicking down to just below the high neckline of my sundress.
“Wasn’t sure if I was overstepping,” he murmurs, that large hand around my waist flattening against the curve of my lower back. I brush the knuckles of my free hand over his soft shirt, up his abdomen until I reach his chest. I caress his large pecs with my palm, before moving to his biceps, brushing my finger over his vein.
He’s huge, and I love it.
“You didn’t overstep,” I reassure him, grinning teasingly as I add, “until now,” pointing at the breached bedroom threshold and making him drop his head, laughing quietly. “No-one is this kind, Tanner, and I feel really grateful. This…”
I wave my hand in the direction of the bed and Tanner frowns and immediately grabs it, pressing it back against his muscles.
“This is the sweetest thing ever. You make me really happy.”
Tanner grunts, turning his head as his chest pumps faster, as if he can’t handle the words that I’m saying to him.
It makes me laugh quietly, adoration in my eyes as I gently capture his hard jaw in my hand to draw his attention back to me.
His eyes drop to mine, hooded and smouldering, before he swipes his tongue over his lower lip, in preparation for whatever he’s psyching himself up to say.
I swipe my thumb over his nipple and a deep laugh bellows out of him.
“Just say it,” I whisper to him, as he gently nudges the tip of his nose against mine. “Whatever it is that’s on your mind, you can say it.”
He pulls back up and then wraps his arm around my shoulders, bringing our joined hands to his mouth so that he can press a warm kiss against the top of it.
“I’m glad that I make you happy,” he rumbles finally, pressing our joined hands against his heart, looking at our locked fingers as he speaks. “Because making you happy is what makes me happy,” he finishes quietly.
My heart squeezes so tight that for the briefest moment I think it’s going to burst.
His striking eyes flick back to mine as he lifts up my hand to give it another kiss.
But that isn’t where I want his mouth anymore.
So I push my body more firmly against his, making his chest swell as his pupils completely dial out, and I ask him huskily, “Can we, like, kiss properly now?”
Those sexy twin creases appear in his cheeks, eyes alight with desire and darkness as he clears his throat and nods his head.
“Yeah – I mean, yes,” he rasps, deep and hoarse, so excited that he’s struggling to get his words out. “Yeah, I want to. I mean–”
I breathe out a tiny laugh, stand onto my tip-toes, and kiss him.