Page 66 of Meant for You

I tucked her hair behind her ear. “Got a surprise for you later. Probably best if neither of us drinks too much.”

“Oh?” Her soft full lips parted, and I leaned in and kissed her, because I could.

Because she was mine and I wanted everyone to know it.

I trailed kisses along her jaw to her ear. “You good with that?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

I lifted my head. “Good.”

Neither one of us was breathing steadily, but we had to wait. We had a wedding to celebrate.

She squeezed my hand, and I wanted to pick her up and take her with me now, and not come back for days.

* * *

“Bull’s cabin? Is that where we’re going?” Eves asked as we took the familiar gravel road toward the lake.

“Yeah.” I glanced at her in the passenger side of my truck.

She was chewing her lip, fingers twisting in her lap.

It would kill me not to have her tonight, but I’d wait. I’d wait forever for her. “If you want me to turn back, if you’re not ready—”

“Don’t you dare turn back,” she said, brown eyes meeting and holding my gaze. “I mean it, Dane.”

I dipped my chin and grinned, then reached out, taking her hand. Now I was starting to feel fucking nervous. Was this too much? Was my surprise expecting too much too soon? Well, it was too late to change it now. The headlights of my truck hit the cabin just ahead.

The LED fairy lights I’d gotten were a muted glow coming from inside, and the ones I’d used to edge a path to the lake were doing their job as well.

Everly sat up straighter beside me. “This looks…oh my God, Dane. It’s beautiful.”

I wanted tonight to be perfect, so bad. I wanted to be perfect for her. I wanted to be everything for the woman beside me, give her everything, be the man she needed. Provide for her, protect her. And for some fucked-up reason, giving those things to her felt…I don’t know, at risk, distant.

That if I didn’t pull this off, make this perfect, I might not get that chance. Which was stupid, but there it was all the same. Nothing I had control over.

I pulled to a stop and shut off the truck, then climbed out and walked around to open Everly’s door for her. She climbed out, and I grabbed her bag I’d told her to pack, and mine, then took her hand again and led her to the cabin.

It was a hot night, clear skies full of stars. At least that part had worked out.

My breathing was shaky along with my hand as I unlocked the cabin and pushed open the door. Everly’s indrawn breath and her fingers tightening around mine let me know that so far I’d gotten it right.

I’d picked flowers and put them in mason jars by the bed. The fairy lights were soft and muted and made the cabin feel cozy. I’d brought out sheets and a blanket from my place for the old but sturdy wire-framed bed. I’d dusted, swept, cleaned the place from top to bottom. Made sure we had breakfast tomorrow and drinks.

“You did all this for me?” she said, turning to me.

“I’d do anything for you.” I meant it with everything in me.

“I know you would,” she whispered and came up on her toes to kiss me gently.

She walked farther into the room, and I put our bags on the small chair by the bed.

Everly stood at the foot of it, staring down, and I had no idea what she was thinking. I knew she wanted me as much as I wanted her, but I also knew deep down she was afraid of this step with me. She was afraid that if we didn’t work out, she’d lose me and there’d be no coming back.

I got that. We’d both lost people we loved and knew what it was like to have them torn away. We already knew what it was like to lose each other.

Which was why I’d planned something to lighten the mood, I hoped, before we used that bed.