Page 4 of Wrapped in Hope
Chapter 2
“Areyou going to tell me where we’re going?”
He glances over at me with a big smile. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes!” I yell while bouncing up and down in my seat as excitement takes over.
“I got us a cabin at Giant City. Just you and me all alone out in the wilderness.”
I feel my eyes grow wide. “Really? That had to cost you a fortune.” It’s always been something I wanted to do. Our sophomore year, I told him I wanted to go there — just the two of us. I wanted to know what it would feel like to be the only two people left on the planet.
I remove my seatbelt and lean over to kiss his cheek. “This is amazing. Thank you so much.”
He blushes from my praise, but tries playing it off like it’s no big deal. “Put your seatbelt back on before our parents call freaking out,” he jokes, like they will somehow have a sixth sense about this sort of thing.
I let out a chuckle as I pull my seatbelt back across me.
Many hours later, we’re pulling up to our home for the weekend. The place is surrounded by big pine trees and rolling hills. He turns off the truck and I practically bounce out, staring up at the small cabin that is just for us.
The outside is made up of a deep brown wood with dark, navy blue shutters. There is a small screened-in porch that runs the length of the cabin, and every inch of the property is lush grass and flowers that have grown wild between the massive trees. I can smell nothing but the big pine trees around us, the cedar cabin, fresh water from a stream that must be nearby, and the wet earth beneath my feet.
This place is perfect.
I rush around to the back of the truck where Dean is grabbing our bags, and throw my arms around his neck while my thighs hug his hips.
“I’m guessing this means you like it,” he says as he wraps his arms around me, but it sounds more of a nervous question than anything.
“It’s perfect. I love it.” I move my lips to his and kiss him deeply. “And I love you,” I add on when I break the kiss and pull away.
He grins as his face reddens. “Let’s go check out the inside.” I can hear the excitement in his voice and it only makes my heart beat faster.
He places me on my feet and grabs our bags with one hand, while taking mine with the other. Hand in hand, he leads me up the two steps onto the porch. Just as he gets to the door, he stops and turns toward me.
“What’s the matter? Why’d you stop?” I ask him in confusion.
“I have a better idea.” He drops the bags and picks me up, cradling me against his chest in one swift motion. “I have to carry you over the threshold, right?”
I giggle like a school girl at his sweetness. “I think that only applies once we’re married.”
He manages to twist the knob with the hand under my knees. “Better safe than sorry.” Using his foot, he kicks the door open.
My eyes glance around greedily as he steps into the living room and places me on my feet. “So, what do you think?”
I look at the dark hardwood floor and up the cedar walls. There is a brown leather couch in the center of the room with a warm looking orange and brown plaid blanket thrown over the back. Directly across from the couch is a wood-burning fireplace. There is a big cabinet in the corner of the room, probably home to a TV, and matching tables and lamps in their appropriate places. When I look at this room, all I can think about is cuddling up with Dean under that blanket while a raging fire burns, warming us as we drink hot cocoa.
“This is beautiful, and so homey. I love it.” I spin around to face him.
“Let’s check out the rest of the place.” He takes my hand and leads me through the living room and into a small kitchen.
The deep woods theme seems to carry on into this room with the same hardwood floor and cedar walls. The cabinets are a matching deep, chocolate color while the counter tops are a dark marble. There is a small two person table directly in front of the large window so you can stare out over the property while having breakfast. It’s also stocked with top of the line appliances.
I walk over to the fridge and open it, checking to see if we’ll need to go to the store. To my surprise, it’s full.
“I admit, I didn’t have to work last night. I came here and stocked the place for the weekend,” Dean says from behind me.
I grab a bottle of water and turn back to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I look deeply into his blue-green eyes. “This is perfect. How did you afford all this?”
He offers up a lopsided grin. “All the money I’ve made this year has gone toward this weekend.”