Page 74 of Princess

I gasp and raise a hand to cover my mouth.

“The cabin is empty,” Grant says, sounding slightly diffident. “It was abandoned a long time ago. It’s a mess inside, and the roof needs fixing, and the windows are busted, but I can take care of all that eventually. The lake is good. Deep. And the water is decent. You’ll be able to swim in it.”

I can barely move. Barely breathe. “This is… this is for me?”

“Yeah.” He clears his throat and glances away. “If you want it. We’ll be running out of chemicals for the pool in a couple of years, and I’m not sure we’ll find anything to replace them. Plus I don’t know how long the bunker itself will be viable. All it will take is a broken part on the elevator that we can’t fix. Having to use the stairs in an eighteen-floor facility will make living there almost impossible. It’s safer in this area now than it was before because we took care of those Wolf Packs. And we’ll keep making it safer. Eventually we’ll be able to live somewhere else. I wanted you to be able to swim. I wanted you to have a home for when we need it. If you want… If you want it. If you want a home with me.”

I choke on a sob. My face scrunches up.

“Not that being with me is some kind of payment for this. This place is yours, whether or not you want to live here with me.”

My shoulders shake. I can barely see through the blur in my eyes.

“And it’s fine if you don’t like it,” Grant goes on quickly, scanning my face and evidently worried about my reaction. “Pretty soon we’ll start building out from the camp. If you want to live with other people, I’ll build us a house there instead. Or we could do both. Whatever you want. I just don’t want you to ever think the rest of your life is defined by that bunker. We can make it better here. We can have a… a real home. Anything you want, princess. Just tell me, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to make it happen for you.”

“You spent this whole week looking for this place for me?” I gasp, my body wracked with silent, tearless sobs.

He still looks a little nervous. He reaches out to take my hand in both of his. “Well, not just that. It would have been ungodly selfish to use up so much gas just for us. I was mapping out the whole region surrounding the camp so we know exactly what’s what and who’s where and whether there are any hostiles we weren’t aware of. So now we have a detailed map, which is something we need. But along the way I was looking for this for you.”

I’m crying so much I can’t respond immediately.

“Are good with this, princess?” he asks at last. “Like I said, it’s okay if you don’t like—”

“I love it!” I throw myself into his arms. “I love it. Whenever it’s time, whenever we’re ready, I want to have a home here with you.”

* * *

We only spend a little time looking around the cabin and lake because it’s so close to sunset, and it’s a lot more dangerous to travel at night. The cabin is a wreck after so many years of neglect, but I can see the potential. It’s got two small bedrooms and a cellar and a porch looking out onto the lake.

I can imagine it as it could be. A home for me and Grant and maybe even children we might have.

It’s a hope I never imagined I could have for myself—not since that day Grant came to get me from school and brought me into years of lockdown. The hope changes things for me.

It changes everything.

All I’ve ever expected is a tightly guarded life in the bunker, and my only daydream was spending that life with Grant. The possibility of having more—having this—is shattering.

It’s dark by the time we return to camp, and the bulletproof vehicle is the only thing that keeps me from panicking. But we don’t run into another human being on the drive although we do have to brake for a young deer who’s trailing too far behind her herd.

I’m exhausted as we finally walk back into my apartment.

Exhausted but so happy I can barely contain it inside me.

“I’m going to take a quick shower,” I say when Grant just stands in the living area, looking like he’s not sure what to do with his hands. “If you’ve got enough energy, you might as well go back to your place and start packing up.”

His eyebrows lift, and a little smile quivers on the corners of his mouth.

“Since you’re going to be moving in here with me,” I add by way of (unnecessary) explanation.

“Okay. I think that’s an excellent plan, and I won’t even mention that I’m supposed to be making the first moves from now on.”

I freeze, having completely forgotten this little fact.

Grant laughs. For so long, I wasn’t aware that he even knew how. “I’ll wash up and change and bring one load with me tonight. Then I’ll get the rest tomorrow.”

I nod, pleased and already heading for my bathroom.

I’ve showered, brushed my teeth, pulled on a little gown, and climbed under the covers before Grant returns. I’ve turned off the light in the bedroom but left the door open to the lit living area so I can see as he walks back in. He’s got a cart piled up with clothes and personal items, and he just leaves it near the door and joins me in bed.

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