Page 97 of Wild Love

After talking to Eli, he'd insisted on showing me something.

I wasn't sure where he was taking me, but I was looking forward to spending the day with Eli. I no longer had a job or a place to live, but for the first time, I wasn't worried. I'd figure it out.

He drove onto the resort's property, stopping to grab a picnic basket and a bottle of champagne at the lodge, then kept going past where the road ended. It was bumpy, but I trusted that Eli knew what he was doing. He finally parked at the edge of the woods.

"We have to walk from here." He grabbed the basket and held out his hand to me.

I intertwined my fingers with his. "Where are you taking me?"

"I found a special spot for us. It has the perfect view."

I never thought I'd enjoy nature as much as I had since I returned home. Eli's passion for hiking and other outdoor activities had rubbed off on me. Not that I'd ever jump out of a plane. I wasn’t that crazy.

We walked for about thirty minutes before we came to a clearing at the top of the mountain. I was breathing heavily by the time we stopped. I wiped the sweat from my brow and drank from the water Eli had grabbed from the lodge.

He set the basket down on a nearby boulder.

"This is what you wanted to show me?"

He crossed the space to stand in front of me. "You remember those blueprints I had?”

"The ones on your dining room table the other night?" I asked, my stomach dropping. We hadn't discussed our plans outside of telling each other how we felt. I wasn't sure if Eli's ideas for his future included me.

"This is the spot Mac chose for the house. It's private but still close enough to the lodge for me to keep an eye on things."

"This is perfect." I was happy that he'd decided to take thenext step in his life to build a home. He'd said something about filling that house with kids though. Did he see me living there eventually?

"When I was looking at the blueprints, I guessed at what you might want in your dream home, but I wasn't sure."

I tipped my head to the side as he pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I thought you were planning the house for yourself."

"I hoped you'd live with me here. Every time I imagined myself coming home, it was always to you."

My heart contracted. "What if I’d moved to Tennessee and didn't come back?"

"I would have followed you and asked you to reconsider, maybe even suggested long-distance, but I never lost hope that you felt the same way about this place that I did." His expression was so earnest; I didn't doubt what he was saying.

"That was quite the gamble." I moved closer to him, needing to touch him.

He lowered his head so that his lips were hovering over mine. "But it all worked out in the end."

I closed the distance between us, kissing him like he was mine because he was. There were no more questions about our future. Whatever we planned, we'd do it together.

When we finally pulled away, I smiled. "Now tell me your plans."

We moved to sit on the boulder with the view of the lodge and resort below. Up here, it was like we were in our own world. Similar to the penthouse but so much better. This is where I'd live. There were no more motels in my future.

"I thought we'd have at least five bedrooms. That way my brothers could stay overnight, or even your parents. And when we're ready to have kids?—"

"We'll have plenty of space." I hadn't thought about kids before, but with Eli it felt like anything was possible.

We talked through our dream list of items: a soaker tub inthe master bath, an outdoor grill area for him, a large family room, and open-concept first floor. It felt like we were building a life together.

“I think we should build a makeshift stage too. A small amphitheater just for us. That way if you get the urge to act, you’ll have something here.”

“I love that idea.” And I loved more that he’d thought of me. He wanted to ensure I was happy here too.

When we had kids, I could see our family acting out plays on the stage. I wondered if Marigold would get her wish for a serious relationship soon too. Then we’d have kids at the same time, and they’d grow up together.

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