Page 86 of Because of You
Hallie stands up from her desk and comes over for a quick kiss. She starts to pull away, but I spin her back into me, tipping her head back and taking her mouth for a far more satisfying kiss. She hums into my mouth and wraps her arms around my neck, tangling her fingers in my hair. We’re both a little breathless when we break apart, exactly the way I like it. Hallie shoves some files into her bag, grabs her phone, and takes my hand to lead me out of the office.
“Do you need to tell Jules or anyone that you’re leaving?”
“Actually, none of them are here. I can’t even tell you the last time no one was here on a Wednesday morning. Like I said, weird week.”
It is not, in fact, a weird week. Unless you count the plans I have for Hallie later today. I know exactly where Julie, Molly, and Emma are, and why all of Hallie’s clients mysteriously canceled, but that is embargoed information for now.
“Well let’s go, Hallie girl. Secret mission awaits.”
We head downstairs and walk out into the frigid January air. I lead her to my car and buckle her seatbelt and kiss her forehead like I always do before I close her door. When Hallie and I first got together, I spent a lot of time thinking about the big moments of a relationship. What I didn’t realize was how much I would come to love all the small, everyday moments that make up our life together. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
When I get in the car and start the engine, Hallie’s questions start almost immediately.
“Okay, so where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“But I hate surprises.”
I smirk at her. “I know.”
She flops back into her seat, grumbling.
“Check the back seat, Hal. There’s a bag back there you might be interested in.”
She turns around in her seat and finds the bag I stashed before picking her up. She starts pulling out all her favorite snacks, and I can tell when she gets to the bottom of the bag because she laughs out loud.
Holding up the giant bag of mini-Reese’s cups, she says, “That’s a lot more than two. This must be one hell of an important day.”
“You have no idea,” I mumble under my breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. There’s a cooler back there with drinks, and the tumbler in the cup holder has water in it.”
She grins at me, her mouth already full of candy. “You’re too good to me, Benji.”
I wink at her. “Anything for you, Hallie girl.”
The drive goes faster than I thought it would. An hour in, Hallie realizes exactly where we’re headed and peppers me with questions the rest of the way. I manage to hold her off, but just barely. As we pull up to our final destination, I breathe a sigh of relief and hope that everything is ready.
Hallie
Ben is acting super fucking weird. He’s all one-word answers and nervous energy, and I’m curious as shit. An hour into the drive, I realize we are headed to the lake house. It’s not unusual for us to go up in the winter. We all ski, and Deep Creek is a great place for a ski weekend, so I assume that’s what we’re doing. Lucky all my clients for this week canceled because a long weekend with Ben at the lake house sounds perfect.
When Ben pulls the car up the driveway, my heart lifts just like it does every time the house comes into view. The house is a winter wonderland. Icicles hang from the roof, and the front yard is covered in snow. As much as I like the lake house in August, I’ve always been a winter girl, and there is something magical about being in the snowy woods in January. Ben parks in front of the house and comes around to open my door. When I get out, I smell the smoke from what I assume is a neighbor’s fireplace, and can’t wait until we can snuggle into one of the couches inside in front of a fire of our own. Ben grabs my hand and pulls me onto the path that leads to the backyard.
“Where are we going?”
“Just come with me, okay?”
“Um, okay.” Weird.
He leads me around the side of the house, and I wonder what we’re doing back here. When the lake comes into view, I stop in my tracks and look out in astonishment. The snow has been completely cleared from the small stretch of sand by the mostly frozen over water. There is a bonfire roaring right in the spot where we have all our summer bonfires. And next to the fire are two Adirondack chairs facing each other and covered in blankets.
“Ben, what is all of this?’
“Just come with me.”
