Page 122 of Delirium
“No.” I shook my head, smiling, trying not to let the nerves wreak havoc on my body. “Tonight. I’ll take her there tonight.”
“Is everything ready?” she asked. “I left the things—”
“God, that feels so much better,” Ophelia all but moaned, the sound shooting straight to my groin. For the hundredth time tonight, I wished we were alone, in our room. I wanted to worship her, to show her every day what I felt, rather than telling her.
That would start tonight.
“Sunshine,” I murmured, standing up from the couch and walking toward her. “Say your goodbyes to your friends,” I whispered into her ear.
“W-what?” she exclaimed, looking at me. “What are you talking about? We were just talking and the conversation isn’t over.” Yeah, we were all talking, but I couldn’t wait anymore.
I wanted to see the look on her face when she saw my Christmas gift for her. I wanted to feel the same as this morning, when we lay in our room, happy and content, far away from everyone else.
“I know, but this can’t wait.”
“Storm,” she grunted. “You know I hate surprises.”
“You’re gonna like this one.” I grinned. “Come on.” I took her hand and pressed my lips to her cheek. “I’ll wait for you outside until you say your goodbyes. And, Sunshine.” I lowered my voice only for her to hear. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
I didn’t wait for her response. With one simple nod at the group staying behind, I exited the room, taking the keys to my car from the bowl we kept in the tiny foyer of the house, and stepped outside into the cold night.
Goosebumps traveled over my body as I ran toward the black Range Rover sitting right in front. I knew I should’ve taken a jacket with me, but it wasn’t as if we were going to be outside. As soon as I stepped inside the car, I turned up the heat, shivering as the temperature in the car slowly rose. Not long after, I could see the front door opening and Ophelia stepping outside with a frown on her face, her eyes narrowed at the car.
She walked down the path and straight toward the car, opening the door and sliding in without the word.
“Are you pouting?” I asked, chuckling as she cut me with her brilliant blue eyes, keeping her mouth closed. “I promise you, Sunshine.” I took her hand. “You’re going to like this.”
Or at least I hoped she would. I’d been working on this for almost a month, getting everything ready, and I just hoped she would love it as much as I already did.
Holding her hand between the seats, I maneuvered the car away from the driveway and into the night, driving down the familiar road, not too far from the Club, while my heart raced in my chest with each passing second.
The Will Rogers State Historical Ranch wasn’t too far away from the place I was going to, and I planned to take her there as well one day, after the twins were born. I had a feeling she would love the horses and the landscape. Kaiser loved to be in nature, and where we were going, he would have so much space to run around and play with Ophelia and the kids.
This was the first step to life together. Even with all the nerves and fear that she wouldn’t like it, I had a feeling that it was just what the two of us needed. A place to call our own, our home.
The place was ten minutes away from the Clubhouse, and as I started turning toward the narrow road leading up to the ranch, she stiffened, looking between me and the road ahead of us.
“What is this?” she asked. “Storm?”
“You’ll see.”
“I really, really don’t like you very much right now.”
“Keep on lying to yourself, Sunshine.” I smiled. “We both know you wouldn’t be able to live without me.”
Just as I wouldn’t be able to live without her.
* * *
The cold nightair wrapped its hands around us as I exited the car and both of us came to a stop in front of the ranch house.
“What is this, Storm?” Ophelia asked, her voice wobbling as she kept looking between me and the white building in front of us. “Storm?”
“It’s home,” I murmured, looking at her. “Or at least I hope it will be a home. For us, for our kids.”
“Storm,” she whispered. “You got this for us?”
“I did.” I beamed. “The Club will always be there, and so will our room, but it isn’t a place where I want our kids to be born, to grow up. It isn’t a place where I want to stay forever. Before you, before all of this, I never really thought about getting a place of my own, because I was happy there. Or, well, I was okay there, but not really happy. I always knew there was something missing, something crucial, and that something was you, Sunshine.”
