Lakeside Love (A Mill Creek Crossing Romance)

by Rose, Angelina

  “Amazing!” she said as she stared at the years of history lining the walls of the rocky cave. She was so thankful for that moment in time and sharing it with Dylan.

  “I’m part Cherokee, so this was an unbelievable find for me,” he said.

  “I’m Cherokee too!” she said.

  “Jeez, I hope we’re not related,” Dylan said laughing. “That would be my luck.”

  “I think we’re safe,” she said nuzzling ever closer to him as they stared into the blue skies above the cave. They talked for an hour or so until the sun started to set in the sky. The darkness started to overtake the cave, and Erica got a little antsy being way out in the woods in the dark on such a steep incline. “Should we go since it’s getting dark?” she asked sitting up.

  “Of course not. We haven’t had dinner yet,” he said standing up and walking to the picnic basket. Before she knew it, he had a small fire going near the pond and a whole picnic set up for her.

  “Did you make all of this?” she asked looking around as she surveyed the selections.

  “Of course. We have a nice grilled chicken salad here. Hope you like Caesar dressing. Over here, we have fresh baked yeast rolls, sweet tea and a little peach cobbler for dessert. How’d I do?”

  Erica’s stomach did a flip flop when she realized he’d made her favorite meal. But she never told him that, so how did he know?

  “I don’t understand. How’d you know those were my favorites?” she asked cocking her head.

  “They’re your favorites?” he asked just as shocked.

  “Yes…”

  “Well, come eat then!” he said patting the ground beside him. For the next hour, they ate and laughed more than Erica had in years. Dylan cleaned up the food as Erica walked around the cave inspecting every part of it.

  “Whatcha doing?” he asked as he walked up behind her.

  “Just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “How I would have missed out on ever seeing a place like this: if Max hadn’t stood me up at the altar.”

  “He never took you places like this?”

  “No. He was more of a four-star restaurant, museum, business meeting kind of guy. He never took me on vacations much either. He said his business was thriving and there would always be time to do things together later.” She ran her hand across the wall of the cave feeling droplets of water running from the waterfalls above.

  “One day he’s going to realize what he let go,” Dylan said.

  “I don’t think so. He picked a younger, hotter, perkier blond haired goddess. I am a distant memory,” she said biting her bottom lip.

  “He’s a fool then. Seriously, Erica, women like you don’t come along everyday.”

  “Thanks. But, it’s okay. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m grateful he stood me up because being in this place, at this moment, is just about as perfect as I could ever imagine,” she said surprising herself.

  “Really? So I did good?” he asked grinning like a school boy.

  “You did great…” she said turning to him. “I’ve never had anyone really think about where they were taking me. It wasn’t just your typical dinner date. You really put some thought into this,” she said reaching out and taking his hands. “Dylan, I know I was kind of a hard case about going out with you, but this has been so worth it.”

  “I’m glad. This has been amazing for me too.”

  “I spent so many years with Max but I am having a hard time understanding how I could let him go so easily…” she said letting go of his hands and walking toward the waterfall in the center of the cave.

  “Because he was the wrong one, and your heart knew it.”

  “Maybe. Can I ask you something?” she said sitting down on a rock across from the water.

  “Sure.”

  “How did you know Amelia was the one?” He looked down at his hands.

  “Do you really want me to talk about my late wife on our first date, Erica?” he asked.

  “If you’re not comfortable…” she started to say.

  “No, I’m always comfortable talking about Amelia. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable or thinking you have to compete with her.”

  “Dylan, your wife is a big part of who you are. And I like who you are so far,” she said poking him in the side. “It’s okay to talk about her because I know she will always hold a special part of your heart. I’m sure she influenced the wonderful man you’ve become, so anyone who dates you will have her to thank for that, right?”

  “Wow.”

  “What?”

  “You are truly amazing…”

  “Nah…” she said waving her hand. “So tell me how you knew you loved her.”

  “Well, we were young, so you have to remember it was puppy love at first. We grew up together, and we were lucky that love came easy to us, I guess. Once we were older and married, we talked a lot about how we wouldn’t have gotten together if we ha-d met as adults.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “We were very different. I love the outdoors, she loved to shop at the mall. I love to read and play my guitar. She liked to play video games. But we made it work. And it wasn’t always easy, but we made a commitment.”

  “Video games?” Erica asked laughing.

  “She grew up with four brothers, so…”

  “Ah, I see,” she said smiling.

  Erica got up and walked closer to the water, removing her shoes along the way. She wanted to feel the cool stream of water up close, so she walked straight into the water, which wasn’t very deep since it ran out the other side of the cave wall. She rolled up the bottom of her jeans, and the water barely touched her mid calf area, but it was enough to cool her off. She reached her hands out as the water splattered across her palms sending droplets of water all over her shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Dylan asked laughing as he removed his shoes and rolled up his pants.

  “Having fun!” she yelled over the loudness of the water dropping around her. He climbed into the water with her and reached his hands under the stream coming from above. They joined their hands together and laughed like kids as they got soaking wet. Before she knew it, Erica had managed to get her perfectly coiffed hair wet too. “Oh, man! I messed up my hair!”

  “You look beautiful,” he said smiling at her with a heated look in his eyes. His hands reached up to frame her face as he stared at her for a moment before leaning in to kiss her gently on her lips. When he pulled back, keeping his hands in place, he looked into her eyes again as if searching for permission.

  “Do that again,” she whispered as he covered her mouth with his in the most passionate kiss of her life. Never had she felt so overcome from a simple kiss. He pulled her closer as if he couldn’t get her close enough. A tangle of lips and tongues, they kissed under the waterfall until both were breathless.

  “Wow…” he said as he pulled back and looked at her.

  “Yeah. Wow…” she said back with a smile. “That was…”

  “Amazing,” he said finishing her sentence.

  “Then, let’s do it again,” she said giggling as she pulled him in closer for another lengthy kiss.

  Chapter 8

  For the next week, Dylan and Erica spent a lot of time together getting to know each other better. There were more kisses, of course, along with more dates to interesting places. As the end of her trip started to approach, Erica worried about going back to her normal routine. Being with Dylan was so easy and effortless she didn’t know if she could go back to the monotony of her job and her life. It had kept her up all night as she went over every bit of her trip and every possible ending to their week-long love affair.

  “Good morning!” she heard him say as he walked through the back door and into her kitchen holding grocery bags. He came and went as he pleased, and it was a comfortable feeling for her.

  “Did you bring those over in the kayak?” she asked laughing as she looked out the back window.

&nb
sp; “I sure did,” he said as he started to unload them onto the counter.

  “Whatcha got there?” she asked smiling as she saw a bunch of ingredients.

  “Well, I’ve got the makings of a fantastic pot roast meal here. And, I’ve got a pair of lips waiting right here,” he said pointing to the full, luscious lips she’d become so accustomed to kissing each day.

  Erica wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss as he pushed her back against the counter. Lifting her up for better access, he pulled her in for another deep kiss. Erica’s mind started to race as she thought about how fast her feelings were developing for Dylan. Getting spooked by her own confused thoughts, she pulled back and jumped down from the counter leaving Dylan breathless and confused.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked as she walked a few feet away.

  “I’m sorry,” she said looking down and feeling bad for breaking the mood.

  “Did I do something?” he asked walking toward her.

  “Oh, yeah. You did something alright. You got me all flustered,” she said with a slight smile.

  “I don’t understand…”

  “Look, Dylan, I really like you. I mean I’m starting to like you a little too much, if you know what I mean.”

  “How can you like me too much? Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “No, because I have to go back to my regular life in a few days, and I can’t get attached to a man who lives two hours away. You might as well be a world away.” The whining in her voice took her by surprise.

  “Erica, it’s okay. We’ll make it work somehow. Let’s not ruin the rest of your time here over silly fears,” he said taking both of her hands and kissing them gently.

  “You don’t know me very well, but I can’t just fly by the seat of my pants. I have to know what’s happening next.”

  “You can’t always know what happens next, Erica. Trust me,” he said letting go of her hands and leaning back against the counter. His words cut through her like a knife. How could she have said something like that to a man who’d lost his wife?

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…”

  “It’s okay, honey. You never have to walk on eggshells around me,” he said putting his hand on her cheek. “I’m developing strong feelings for you, Erica, and I know you feel the same. I’m scared just like you are. If I fall in love again, I’ll always worry that I’m going to lose that person. But isn’t love worth the risk?” His question rang through her head, and she didn’t know what to say. Was love worth it to her?

  “I hope so. I’ve honestly never experienced real love. I know that now, and maybe that’s what scares me. What I had with Max for so many years wasn’t real love, and it still hurt like crazy. You’ve already lost a real love, and you know what you’re risking. I only have unknowns…”

  “Have you ever heard the saying ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’?” he asked.

  “Yes, but this isn’t a sporting event, Dylan,” she said. She could tell she was frustrating him, but she didn’t know what to do. “I think it might be best if I go home earlier than I planned, Dylan.”

  “Are you kidding me? That’s it, Erica? You’re willing to just give up and cower away like nothing ever happened between us?” She could feel the hurt and anger in his words.

  “I just can’t…”

  “Never mind. Don’t finish that sentence. Safe travels, Erica.” She was shocked when he walked out the back door and started to push the kayak into the lake. She ran outside and down the stairs, mad as fire that he’d given her up so easily.

  “Excuse me!” she yelled at him with her hands on her hips.

  Dylan turned around, surprised to see her there. “What?”

  “You just gave up that easily? Do you know nothing about romance?” At her core, she’d had no idea she wanted him to fight for her, maybe even grovel a little bit. Then she mentally kicked herself realizing he didn’t deserve that at all.

  “Romance? What about caves and waterfalls and kisses and home cooked meals, Erica? Is that not romantic enough for you? If begging a woman to love me is romantic to you, then you’ve got the wrong man.”

  Wait, did he just say “love”?

  “Did you just say love?” she asked as the breath was sucked from her lungs.

  His face went pale as he started walking toward her. “What if I did? Would you turn tail and run?”

  “I didn’t run the first time.”

  “You were about to pack up and leave, Erica!”

  “I didn’t get a chance before I saw your cute butt high tailing it out of my kitchen!”

  They both stood there staring at each other for a moment before laughter broke out. Erica was in hysterics, and tears were running down her cheeks. Dylan was bent over trying to catch his breath.

  “What are we doing, Erica?” he asked when he finally caught his breath from laughing. “Are we risking both of our hearts for something that could be amazing, or are we giving up to prevent any chance of a heartache?”

  “Dylan, I…”

  “Let me ask you this way,” he said softly as he walked to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “If you pack up and leave today, can you honestly say you could leave me, and this time we’ve had together, behind? Or, would your heart ache anyway?”

  A stray tear rolled down her cheek as she realized he was right. There was no getting him out of her head or her heart… no matter how far she ran. He would always have a permanent place.

  “I couldn’t leave this behind,” she said softly as she looked up at him. He leaned in and kissed her gently.

  “Good. Then, can we get on with our day?” he asked smiling. “I’ve got a pot roast to cook.”

  ***

  On the final day of her stay in Mill Creek Crossing, Erica’s stomach was churning. She didn’t know how to say goodbye to Dylan or when she might see him again. She packed up her things and sat on the edge of the bed thinking about their time together. How had this amazing man healed her heart in less than two weeks?

  During their time together, they had hiked and fished and cooked meals together. She was surprised at how much she loved mountain living since she’d always been in the city. She loved the slower pace and how everyone knew everyone else. She loved the festivals in the town square on weekends, and their little secret retreat in the cave.

  Her fondest memory was of their first kiss in that cave, and she’d promised herself the first time they made love might just be there too. But she wasn’t ready for that step yet, and Dylan understood. They were both treading lightly until they saw what their relationship would be.

  She loved he didn’t pressure her to have sex like so many other guys had. Even Max had pushed her when they first met, and she’d caved to keep him. Looking back, she wished she’d been stronger and saved herself for Dylan since she was quite sure Max would have broken it off earlier without sex.

  Erica zipped up her last suitcase and did one last sweep of the room before going downstairs to say her goodbyes to Dylan. As she walked into the living room, she was shocked to see Callie standing beside Dylan with a big smile on her face.

  “Callie? What’re you doing here?” she asked smiling with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

  Callie cackled with laughter as she drew Erica into a big hug. “You’ve been had, my friend.”

  “What?” Erica said even more confused.

  “This was a test,” Callie said.

  “A test?”

  “Dylan and I have known each other for years. In fact, we went to middle school together. I knew Amelia too,” she said putting her arm around a grinning Dylan.

  “Okay…” Erica said unsure of whether she was angry or just shocked.

  “I set this trip up to see if you could open your heart up to another man, and it worked!” Callie said grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  “So this was just a joke? It wasn’t very funny!” Erica said, her eyes welling with tears. “What kind of friend does that?�
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  “No, no, no… Erica, as usual Callie isn’t explaining things very well,” Dylan said walking to Erica. “She knew that I lived across the lake from her cousin. She knew about Amelia, and what I went through. When we reconnected on Facebook a couple of days after your wedding fiasco, she got a bright idea to help us both heal by throwing us together. So, she sent you up here in the hopes we would find each other. And we did. I didn’t know until a couple of days ago when she called me. In fact, the meal at the cave was all my idea. Total coincidence.”