I watched as Rose’s gears started churning. I could almost picture the lists in her head rearranging themselves into different lists, becoming organized in a different way. If anyone could fit a square peg in a round hole, it was Rose.
“I would too.”
“Prove it.”
“Fine. Invite me to go away with you this weekend,” she said defiantly.
“Rose?” I said her name like something had just occurred to me. “Would you like to accompany me on a weekend getaway to my cabin? Say, this weekend? Would that work for you?”
Rose’s gaze was fixed on mine, and she was absolutely riled up. It was so fucking cute. She didn’t pull her gaze for one second.
“Gee, let me think about it.” She paused for two beats, then said, “Sure, sounds great.”
“Terrific.”
“Perfect.”
Our stare down continued until Hadley finally broke the silence.
“Well, this isn’t awkward at all.”
“Ladies, do you have a free evening this week?” Rose asked without taking her steely gaze off me. “I need help acquiring some cold-weather clothes.”
“Wow, first you give us a show and now we get to go shopping?” Hadley joked. “You’re okay, Rose.”
“Make sure you grab some good gloves. Wouldn’t want you getting a blister from chopping all the firewood.” I lifted my glass and then tilted it toward Rose, enjoying the scathing look she was giving me. “And long underwear too, city girl.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Rose
I
knew how I’d gotten myself into this mess.
Champagne.
Granted, I hadn’t been drunk, but I’d definitely been...altered...when I’d agreed to take the weekend off for a mini vacation up the mountain with Aiden. For the last five days I’d wavered between being worried about going away—even if it was just a few hours—to excited to see Aiden’s cabin and spend time alone with him. Time away from real life, to just be together.
After a day or two, when I realized that if I wanted to take a vacation ever, I would have to leave Rose City Event Planning in capable hands, this would be a good test run. Did I have confidence in Riley that she could handle it? Of course. Riley was more than capable. I just didn’t like handing over the reins. To anyone.
Clearly, Aiden knew this and manipulated me into a weekend away.
I had spent a little time debating whether I should be upset with him about it and I finally came to the conclusion that Aiden had my best interest at heart. Tricking me into taking a few days off was one of the ways he showed me he cared. As crazy and underhanded as that sounded.
He promised a relaxing weekend and I was looking forward to it.
I was also praying I’d be able to actually relax.
So, I’d done something I’d rarely done before.
I left work early.
That’s right. It was Friday afternoon and I was two hours out of the city.
“So, how long has it been since you’ve been to the cabin?” I asked, watching the beautiful scenery pass by. There were still piles of snow along the road, but not much else. Just green trees as far as the eye could see.
“A really long time, actually. Longer than I’ve ever been gone before. Since before Christmas. It was a really heavy snow season and even though the truck can handle it easy, there wasn’t a reason to make the trek. The cabin does pretty well locked up for the season. It might be a little cold when we get there, but the heater does a pretty good job in a short amount of time.”
“Not a problem. I have a nice new warm fleece and a big puffy coat. I am prepped for sub-zero temperatures.”
“You know we’re still in Oregon, right? We aren’t traveling to the Arctic.”
“Still, I’m prepared.”
He laughed, resting his hand on my thigh like he always did in his truck.
“Will there be cell service at your cabin?” My voice was hopeful, but I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.
“I’ll give you one guess.”
I frowned and powered down my phone.
“I guess I’m officially off the clock.”
“Everything will be okay. There’s a landline at the cabin.”
“A landline? Does that come with an 8-track player?”
“Don’t dis the cabin, Rose.”
He was joking, but I knew it was important to him that I liked his cabin. It was his home. If there was anything in his life aside from his flannel that would give me insight into Aiden, it was the cabin.
“I’m sorry. I really am excited to see it. I’m sure it’s fantastic.”
He laughed again. “It’s okay if you don’t love it, Rose. I know mountain life isn’t for everyone.”
“But you love it.”
“I can also live without it for most of the year. I like having a place to go to, but I don’t need to be there full time. It’s actually pretty impossible with my job.”
Were we having a conversation about our future without actually having it? Because it felt like we were talking about where we might want to live in the future. And it also sounded like Aiden was saying he was okay with not being out in the middle of nowhere all the time.
“Well, I’m still excited.” And that was the truth.
Twenty minutes later we turned onto a road and Aiden announced, “This is the road I live on.”
My belly did a tiny flip at the thought of getting an extra piece of Aiden.
It took a few more minutes of rumbling down the unpaved mountain road before we pulled up to the most picturesque area I’d ever seen with my own eyes.
Although Aiden’s cabin wasn’t large, it was breathtaking.
“Oh my God. This is spectacular,” I breathed. “You built this?” I asked as the truck came to a stop.
“Well, me and my crew. It was a summer project for myself and a few other unmarried guys. We camped here at night and worked on the house during the days. This was a long time ago and I didn’t have a ton of money, so they got to stay for free on my land and they still each get a week whenever they want it every year.”
“You let your crew stay here free? Still?”
“Well, yeah. Those who are still around. A few moved away or I haven’t heard from them. But a couple are still on my crew. I’d never charge them to stay here. They built it with me. And walked away with very little pay. Now they have a vacation house if they want. I don’t mind.”
“Who are you? How did you get to be such a good man?”
The question came before I had a chance to censor it, but I was honestly curious. Not many people would still offer their home up to people who work for them so many years later.
“One day you’ll meet my mother, and everything will become clear.”
Everything about that statement made my heart plummet to the depth of my belly and then jump right up to the top of my throat. I wasn’t going to cry and throw up at the same time.
“I’d love to meet your mother,” I whispered. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to meet her until that very moment. Anyone who could raise someone as good and kind as Aiden had to be wonderful.
“All right,” he replied, leaning over to kiss me sweetly. “Come on, I want to show you my cabin.”
Aiden took me on the best tour ever. He slowly walked me through the entire house, pointing out all the tiny details, telling me the funny stories he remembered from when it was being built.
He told me it was an A-frame cabin, which made sense as it looked like a big capital A on the outside. The wood was stained a dark color, and the roof was tin and painted green. I’d never thought about what a mountain cabin would look like, but as soon as I saw it, it fit perfectly. There were huge trees on both sides and what Aiden called an outbuilding. I was instantly glad I’d purchased a pair of boots when I went shopping earlier that week with Riley and Hadley. There was not one paved sidewalk or pathway in sight. Just rocks, mud, and a little bit of grass here and the
re.
The inside was weirdly beautiful. I’d never really described architecture on a visual scale, but the house was beautiful. It was a strange and perfect combination of modern and rustic. There were exposed beams, but a floating staircase. A huge butcher-block island and all top of the line appliances. The fireplace was the central focus of the main room, and it was probably as big as the bathroom in my condo.
“This is the best part,” he said, taking my hand and leading me to the back of the great room. He pulled open a huge drape that hung from ceiling to floor, and I covered my mouth and gasped.
“Holy shit, Aiden,” I exclaimed, overcome with the view. “Your cabin is on the side of the mountain.”
The back wall was tall windows. At least fifteen feet high. With an unobstructed view of the valley on the west side of the mountain. You could see nothing that would indicate you were anywhere near civilization. No powerline, no roads, and no cell towers. And that was perfect.
“The sunset here is beautiful,” he said, coming to stand behind me and hugging me from the back. “There’s a patio and watching the sunset out there is my most favorite thing to do. You can either just sit in a chair or in the hot tub.”
I turned back and gave him wide eyes.
“There’s a hot tub?”
He nodded and laughed.
“Does it work?”
“Of course it works. I mean, the last time I checked it did.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have brought a suit.”
“Maybe I didn’t want you to bring a suit.”
An embarrassingly large wave of arousal crashed over me. What was it about this man that totally overwhelmed me?
“Let me show you the loft.”
He took my hand again and led me up the floating staircase made of beautiful pine planks. The loft was big enough for another king-sized bed, two nightstands, and an armoire. The same view from downstairs was featured on the top floor. I could imagine lying in bed with Aiden watching the sun set, or even in the morning just watching the sky change from an inky black to a light blue with the morning sun.
“Everything about this place is breathtaking.”
“It’s not much, but it’s all I’ve ever really needed.”
“It’s perfect,” I said, meaning it. “I didn’t know what to expect, but now that I’ve seen it, it makes perfect sense. It just kind of feels like you.”
“The only bathroom is downstairs, with the shower and tub, and that pretty much ends the tour.”
“I’ve never been more impressed with anyone than I am with you in this moment,” I said, leaning into him and wrapping my arms around his waist. He wrapped me up too, pulling me close. I stood there, in the house the man I loved built, hoping I’d get the chance to stand there with him a million more times. “Thank you for bringing me.” I whispered the words, but it was so quiet on the mountain, I knew he’d heard me.
“Thank you for coming. I know it’s a stretch for you. And you don’t have to love it, but I’m glad you came.”
“I do love it,” I said as I looked up at him. “And maybe I love it because you love it, but that’s just as valuable to me. I love it because you made it and it means a lot to you. And I love that you brought me here.”
He kissed me there in the house he built, and even though there wasn’t a soul around for miles, he didn’t try to take it any further. I was both disappointed and relieved. By his own admission the sheets on his bed hadn’t been changed in months.
“How can I help? What can I do?”
“You don’t have to do anything. If you want to just give me an hour or so I can get things pretty much in order. You relax.”
I tilted my head to the side and narrowed my eyes at him.
“Have we met? Are you new? Am I really a sit by and watch everyone else work kind of person? Let me help. I’m going to need to learn the ropes if we’re going to be coming up here more than just this once, right?”
“You want to come up here again?” he asked with a stupidly cute grin on his face, pulling me closer to him.
“Of course.”
He smiled wider and kissed me again, causing me to laugh.
“I’ll unload the car first if you want to take all the sheets and put them in the wash. Then I’ll get to work on the hot tub if you want to start dinner. I packed some stuff to make spaghetti. I know it’s not fancy, but it’s cabin food.”
“I love cabin spaghetti.”
“Perfect,” he replied with a wink. Then he slapped my ass and I took that as the sign that we were to get started with our assignments.
Three hours later, and one and a half bottles of wine, Aiden and I were sitting in front of his giant fireplace doing something I never thought I would enjoy so much.
“Explain to me how you managed to get a Z on a triple letter score?” I practically yelled.
“Azure is a shade of blue,” he said as he wrote his score down.
I gave him a withering look.
“I know what it means.”
“You’re just sad that you’re losing,” he said with great pleasure.
“You didn’t mention you were the reigning Scrabble champion.” With wine came sarcasm. And many eye rolls.
“Just add it to the list of things you love about me. I know you have a list.”
I scoffed, perhaps a little too loudly.
“I do not.”
“Oh, yes, you do. It’s okay. I have one too.”
That made my wine stop only halfway to my mouth.
“You have a list of things you love about me?”
“Not a physical list. It’s not written in my diary or anything.”
Apparently, wine made Aiden sarcastic too.
“But yeah, I have a list of things I love about you. Things that make you loveable. Things about you that, had I found those traits in others, wouldn’t be as attractive as they are in you.”
“Well, one—that’s almost the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. And two—are you for real?”
“I’ll tell you one thing on my list if you tell me one thing on yours.” He waggled his eyebrows as he asked the question, and I couldn’t roll my eyes back far enough.
“I used to love that you were confident, but then you started fishing for compliments...so...” I sucked some air in through my teeth, then gulped my wine.
“I’m going to cut you off if the wine is going to make you mean.” He was smiling, so I knew he was joking. Besides, I probably didn’t need any more wine.
I set the glass down on the coffee table which, by the way, Aiden had built with his stupidly capable hands. Once it was safely deposited there, I crawled over the Scrabble board on the floor between us, watching as Aiden’s face moved from intrigued to surprised, and then I climbed right into his lap, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.
“I’m sorry,” I said in the sweetest voice I could muster. “Please don’t take my wine away.”
“Then tell me why you love me.” One of his hands moved up my back, while the other went south, curving over the swell of my ass.
Yes. I liked this game much better than Scrabble.
“I love that you’re manly, but not in a way that makes me feel inferior.”
His hand slipped under my shirt and moved up my back as his gaze moved to the ceiling.
“Okay, I guess that’s kind of a compliment.”
“You need a more substantial compliment?”
“Not necessarily. I just want to know why you love me.”
Suddenly, his voice wasn’t playful anymore. It was raw and honest. Vulnerable, even.
I thought about his question, wanted to give him the best, truest answer I could.
“I’m not sure if this is the answer you’re looking for or not,” I said as I swirled the hair at the nape of his neck through my fingers. “But one of the biggest reasons I love you is because you love me.”
He didn’t speak, or even breathe from what I could
tell, but his gaze stayed locked on mine, searching my eyes for more. So, I gave it to him.
“I wasn’t really living before I met you. Not my best life, anyway. I thought I was happy, but I think I was just waiting. You make me laugh, you took me to the beach against my will, you feed me, you’re careful with me, and the way you love me makes everything that came before seem pale in comparison.”
I couldn’t resist the urge to press against him, so I didn’t. I hugged him close and took in a deep breath, relieved when his arms squeezed me back.
“How can I explain that your love is everything to me?”
My voice was a whisper, but my words were strong. Full. Deep.
Aiden held me close, his arms never loosening. Then he softly said, “I love you because, even though it scared you, you let me love you back.”
My breath caught in my lungs. Everything within me stilled, as the one person I’d ever loved explained how well he knew me and how much he understood me.
“You’re the strongest woman I know and even when things look difficult, you put on a brave face and dive in. Even if I know there’s fear under the strong front you put on, no one else would know unless you told them. So not only do I get to see the brave side, you trust me enough to tell me about the fear too.”
After a quiet moment of being held and feeling his love wash over me, I pulled back from him, looking him right in his beautiful face.
“You’re also the best lay I’ve ever had,” I tried to say with a straight face. “So that helps.” I managed to shrug before Aiden growled and used one arm to sweep the Scrabble board aside, flinging letters all over the floor, the little tiles scattering everywhere. Then he laid me down on the floor, giving me not one second to acclimate to my new position before his mouth descended upon mine.
We’d both changed into lounging clothes after our simple spaghetti dinner, so there were only two thin layers of cotton between my core and his cock. My leggings and his sweatpants were terrible barriers and I could feel every ridge of him as he pressed against me, grinding against my clit in a way that left me breathless.
I wanted to feel him, his skin against mine, so I moved my hands down, trying to memorize the map of muscles along his back through his shirt, until I reached the elastic waistband of his sweatpants. Those also were not stopping me, so my fingertips dipped inside and then continued down until both my hands were grasping his ass.
Coming Up Roses Page 21
