Page 50 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

“Crazy? I wouldn’t call this crazy.”

“You wouldn’t?” She opened her eyes wide. “Really? You of all people. Mr. I don’t let anyone in. I don’t have relationships. I don’t—”

“Notdon’t.” He interrupted her. “Ididn’t.” He sat up and reached for her hand. “There’s a difference. A big one.” The lightness and laughter slipped from his voice. He held her gaze and looked deeply in her eyes. “Stephanie, I know this might seem insane to you, and probably everyone else once they…but to me this makes perfect sense. It took me a little bit to get there, I’ll admit. But the minute it all connected in my head and my heart…” He patted his chest. “I just knew. Every single thing I feel about you is real, and I feel it with a certainty that I can’t even begin to explain.”

Maybe it was the incredible setting or the physical exhaustion from climbing the mountain. Or maybe it was the ridiculously sexy man sitting across from her, looking at her with an intensity that saw right into her soul. But whatever it was, she felt it too.

“I can only begin to explain it like when you’re building a house.”

“A house?”

“Go with it.” He smiled. “You need all the pieces to build a house, right?” She nodded, and he continued. “From the boards, to the concrete for the foundation, to the carpet inside, to the tiniest of nails to hold it all together.”

“Okay…”

“And if you don’t have all of the pieces, you can getcloseto having a complete house, but something will always be missing. And that house will never be strong. Never complete. Sometimes you know it right away. Like the house doesn’t have a strong foundation. Or maybe the kitchen layout is wrong.”

Stephanie nodded and rolled her eyes a little. “Like other relationships mightseemto be the one, but maybe they’re missing a baseboard or something.”

Travis laughed. “Something like that.”

“And with me…”

“With you, babe.” He shifted so he was on his knees and moved across the blanket until he was nose to nose with her. “Not only is the house absolutely perfectly constructed, it’s beautifully decorated, too.”

She couldn’t help it; Stephanie burst out laughing. “You are seriously comparing our love to house construction?”

“Hey.” He shrugged. “You have to work with what you know.” He kissed the laughter from her lips and pulled away a little. “Did you just say love?”

She nodded, wondering whether he’d caught that. She hadn’t meant to say it, but the moment the word slipped out, it felt exactly right. There was no other way to explain how she felt about Travis. It was love. Pure and simple. “Is that too much for you?”

“Not only is it not too much.” He gave her that familiar, cocky smile that never failed to twist her insides up in knots of anticipation, and moved over her, so she naturally laid back on the blanket and he was overtop her. “It’s like the perfect—”

“Do not say mailbox or front door or—”

He silenced her with a kiss as she laughed.

“All I was going to say is…our house is perfect,” Travis said solemnly. “And I love you, too.”

ChapterThirteen

“I’m sorry,”Steph said for what had to be at least the tenth time since she’d gotten on the call with her agent. “There’s nothing I can do, Lewis. I’m stranded.”

“Like stranded on purpose or—”

“Like the bridge is out.” She rolled her eyes, but didn’t bother mentioning that she was almost positive she could fast-track the bridge construction if she wanted to. She didn’t. Stephanie glanced out the window where Travis was outside trying—and mostly failing—to teach Tinker Bell how to play fetch.

She lost herself in watching him and how muchlighterhe seemed in the last few days. He laughed more. And he smiled almost all the time. He was so different from the broody loner she’d known before. But the same, too. As though their coming together had unlocked yet another side to him. She liked it. A lot.

“Hello? Steph?”

She looked away from the window and Travis, and refocused on her conversation with Lewis. “I’m here. Sorry. I just…what do you want me to say, Lewis? I know the premiere is coming up. But it’s still a few months away, and I thought I had a few weeks with—”

“It’s just a few things,” her agent interrupted. “I’ll reschedule them.”

“Thank you.” She released a breath. “You know I’d be there if I could.”

“I know it.”

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