“What about when you win the Stanley Cup?” She lifts a challenging brow in my direction. I like that she says when and not if. Her belief in me is unwavering. Lili is my biggest cheerleader, besides my mom.
“Well, when that happens, I imagine it still won’t compare to winning you,” I tell her.
“You’re a horrible liar, Travis.” Lili laughs.
“Okay, it’ll compare, but I’d still pick you over the Cup.”
An hour into the trip, Lili closed her eyes and finally fell asleep. A few more hours after that, I was killing the engine and jumping out of the car.
I slowly click the door shut, walk around to her side, open her door, unplug her belt, and scoop her up into my arms.
“What are you doing? Where are we?” Lili asks.
“We’re here, babe,” I tell her, kicking the car door shut and walking us towards the house.
Her head pops up, and her arms wrap around my neck as she looks around. “We’re here? Put me down. I can walk.”
“But I like carrying you.” Shifting her weight to one arm, I approach the keypad, type in the code I was given, and push the front door open.
“Wait,” Lili says before I can step foot inside.
“What?”
“I just want to tell you that I love this place and thank you.”
I lean in and kiss her. “You haven’t even seen it yet, babe.”
“I don’t need to. I already love it,” she says.
I set Lili on her feet once we’re inside the small entryway. It’s a quaint little cottage, advertised as a two-bedroom, two-bath house that backs onto a lake. Definitely not the kind of luxury Lili is accustomed to.
“It’s perfect, Travis,” she hums, spinning around while taking in the open living area. I follow her as she walks through to the kitchen and then continues down a little hallway to the bedrooms; she peeks inside both before heading back out again. “This is going to be the best week ever.”
“It is,” I agree, while wrapping my arms around her. I place a kiss on her forehead. “Let me go and get the bags from the car and then we can figure out what we want to do for dinner.”
“I can help,” she says.
“Nope, I got it. Sit your pretty ass down,” I tell her, slapping her ass before I walk back towards the door.
I grab our bags, slam the trunk shut, and turn around. The feeling I’m being watched has me scanning the street before a black sedan pulls away from the curb. I try to shake off my paranoia and slip inside the house, making sure to lock the door behind me just in case.
“You sure your father didn’t have you followed?” I call out to Lili.
She gets up from the sofa and turns to me. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“No reason.” I shrug.
“You wouldn’t have asked me that for no reason,” she says, walking past me to the front door. She peers out the small pane of glass on the side.
“I just had that feeling like I was being watched. It’s nothing.”
“Did you see anyone?”
“No, just a car that was parked two houses down. It drove off, though. I’m sure if it was your father’s men, they wouldn’t just drive off. They’d probably park their asses in the driveway.”
“They would,” she says.
“So what do you feel like having for dinner?” I ask while attempting to change the subject.