Page 145 of The One With the Mountain Man

She smiled and finally took another full breath. "Okay, that's funny. But now I'm curious. How many boxes do you have, Jackson?"

Most of my life fit in my truck, and almost all of that had slowly moved into the cabin over the last few months. "I have a small storage unit with a few things in it."

"What kind of things? Is this when I discover you have a secret motorcycle or a habit of collecting taxidermy animals?"

Sometimes I forgot how fast her imagination could manifest the strangest things. "That's a no on both accounts. I'm not a particularly sentimental person but I do have a couple of boxes of mementos from high school and childhood. Some of the books I've kept over the years. Things like that."

"Hmmm." Her lips twisted off to the side. "I'm going to need to see this storage unit for myself. You have to have some sort of weird collection somewhere."

"I prefer to collect experiences."

We floated in silence while the jets of water worked out our sore muscles. Between the hiking and sex, I'd been using my body more than usual. I'd never thought much about having a hot tub for things like this, but now that I had a home and all the things that came with it, I was starting to appreciate that there some benefits to staying in one place.

I shifted to lean on the edge of the tub and stare out at the forest. "This is a lot of land. We could build another cabin and rent it out. Or build a bigger one for us." I liked that Golden Hour was small but maybe Marley needed more space.

"Nope. I like everything just the way it is. I don't want a big house to take care of and unless we need another revenue stream, I don't want neighbors."

And this was why we made so much damn sense.

But for some reason I had a gnawing need to change it somehow. Marley rented it for the summer and in her own ways transformed it into a space that suited her. I moved in without really any thought to what I was doing. It worked because it was our home but now that we were making it official it was time to put some intentional thought into it.

"So, this will be your office and the workshop will be mine." I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with it, but I had a lot of ideas. "We'll have guests over there."

"Yes...? Are you all right, Jackson?"

The bedroom was beyond perfect. So was the bathroom. I might want some adjustments to the kitchen or living room, but those were as minor as rearranging the loft.

What was missing?

I ran through things I might do, gardens I might plant, changes that might improve the environment around the property, but I couldn't come up with what was bugging me.

Until I thought about Marley. She loved writing on the deck. Even in bed sometimes. But when she got restless, she went to town and wrote at the TBR Pile.

"I could build you a writing cottage. Something close by and just for you." She needed a space where she could relax and build imaginary worlds that wasn't also an office or where we cuddled in front of the fire or ate our dinners. A space that was made for writing.

The softest, dreamiest smile came over her and I knew I'd found the perfect gift. "Okay, maybe. We can discuss that one."

"I'll think I know the perfect spot." It was just down the mountain. Maybe three, four hundred yards, but it might as well be on another planet. It would keep her close to the house but give her the privacy she needed. There was a nice level area without trees but still completely surrounded by forest. Digger could help me plan it.

It was all too perfect.

No, nottooperfect...just right. I moved across the tub and over Marley. "I love you and while some people shop for rings or throw parties to declare their love to the world, this is more our speed."

She pulled my lower lip between my teeth. "Are you saying that building me a writing cottage in the forest away from everything is your way of asking me to marry you? It's my engagement ring?"

What was more perfect for a writer? "Did I stutter?"

She wrapped her arms around my neck as she grinned up at me. "No, but you did shroud it in shadows and confusing word play."

"You're the one who proposed." I teased.

"I did nothing of the sort."

I nodded to the guest-bedroom-soon-to-be-office behind us. "Did you or did you not say we're basically married in that very room while begging for me to take you bare?"

She blushed so hard the tips of her ears burned. It made my dick stand up and take notice. "It sounds so filthy out of context."

"I love it when you're filthy. I love it when you say what you're really thinking. And I love that you knew then that you were mine."

---