Page 10 of Mountain Man's Merry Grumpmas
"I inherited some money when my mom passed, and I bought a little building in Maple Ridge. I live in the studio apartment over the store and rent out the bottom space. I work from home. My expenses are pretty minimal, so I've saved a lot of money over the years. I'm thinking of quitting my job and figuring out what I want to do with my life. I haven't been able to pull the trigger, but maybe you're giving me the confidence to figure it out."
Drake gazes at me and then nods seriously. "We're getting you a new car, Monroe." Drake pulls me against him tightly, seemingly ignoring my confession of a mid-life—or, I guess, third-of-my-life—crisis as well.
"What? No," I say, bewildered by his response.
"Monroe," Drake starts, gearing up for a fight.
"It reminds me of my mom. No." I don't look at him, knowing I sound crazy.
He's silent for a moment, and I can tell he's fighting that stubborn streak of his. "Fine. Then we'll have the engine rebuilt so it's more reliable. No arguments."
"Fine," I grit out like it's a concession, but inside my heart thrills.
He's using "we" language.
"Does this mean you want me to stay the weekend?" I ask, my nerves bouncing around my body like tiny little toddlers.
"No," Drake says, sitting up and pulling me with him as my stomach drops. Tears prick behind my eyes, and I briefly consider trying to make it down the mountain in the blizzard because the sound of my sobbing is going to make it hard for either of us to get any sleep tonight.
And then his deep voice surrounds me like a warm hug.
"I want you to stay forever."
If crying on a first date is not allowed, then doing it twice is surely frowned upon, but I can't stop the waterworks. I sob out tears of relief and sheer joy.
Drake pulls me toward him and kisses me with all the passion of a man who knows what he wants. Our tongues caress one another, as our hands explore each other's body, taking our time now that we don't have a clock ticking down on our moment together.
I pull back, breathing hard.
"Merry Christmas, Drake," I say, biting my lip as I grin at the man who has managed to capture my entire heart in less than twenty-four hours.
Drake grins back at me. "Marry me, Monroe."
Chapter seven
Epilogue - Drake
One Year Later
"Oh, look at my cabin. Isn't it so beautiful?" Monroe grins at me playfully.
"Yes." I nod. "Mycabin looks amazing."
Monroe laughs as I reach over and tickle her side. Monroe and I are spending our honeymoon in the little cabin north of Duhring Park this year. A year ago, she said yes, and we spent the entire Christmas weekend locked away, making plans for our future, much of which involved a lot of fucking.
For two people who have spent our lives living alone, we mesh well. Any time I get grumpy, Monroe has drawers full of sexy lingerie to turn my mood around, and we both remind each other to focus on the present, because as long as our future is together, we're set.
We spent this year living part-time in Maple Ridge as Monroe figured out her next steps with her job, and I got to know the important people in her life back home. Her dad is a great guy, as is her stepmom. They still don't understand why we aren't spending Christmas with them, but we made it a point to see them once a week for dinners so they can't really complain about the one holiday we're keeping to ourselves.
Monroe's last day of work was the week before our wedding. Between the two of us, we have enough in our investments to live comfortably for the rest of our lives, but we want to have kids soon, so we're taking this next year to figure out what our plan is. We might start a business together. First on the list is a trip to Europe to see if we like traveling.
In the meantime, we rented the cabin for another year, and we're alternating our living arrangements. It's weird and nomadic, but it works for us.
As we pull up to the side of the house, I look over at my beautiful wife and wonder what the hell I was thinking when I tried to send her away last year.
Monroe grins at me. "Good thing it started snowing before you made the biggest mistake of your life, huh?" she says, reading my mind, and I smile at her.
"Yes, a very good thing." I lean forward, planting my lips to hers. "Sorry for being a dick when we first met."
