“Nothing a little makeup can’t fix,” Maggie says. “More importantly, people will start arriving soon. So I’m going to show Summer to a spare room so she can shower and change. Not that she isn’t already completely gorgeous, of course.”
She beams at Summer whose face pinkens and I can almost feel her squirm with embarrassment.
“If the caterers and musicians show up while I’m gone,” Maggie continues, “please show the caterers to the kitchen, and tell the string quartet to set up over there.” She points to the side of the sweeping staircase and guides Summer to the first step.
As Summer moves away I immediately miss the warmth of her body on my hand. Any moment not spent touching her seems like a tragic waste of time.
“Owen, be a dear,” Maggie says, turning back toward us. “Bring her things in from the truck, would you?”
Summer’s eyes meet mine, and she smiles a smile that makes my heart soar. Christ it was lucky that I forgot to pack my charger. Imagine if I hadn’t gotten lost with a dead phone outside her cabin, and I’d never met her. I almost physically shudder at the thought. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
Yes, she’s the opposite of anyone I’ve ever thought I’d want to be with. But there’s something in her that’s caused a shift in me already. She makes me want to be the man she hopes I am. I’ve no idea if I have it in me to be as good a human as she is but, in this moment, I know I’m ready to try.
“Thank you,” Summer says as she turns and heads up the stairs with Maggie by her side and Elsa following.
She’s been here less than an hour, almost knocked out the woman of the house, and still been instantly welcomed with open arms into the bosom of the family. That says everything about the warmth and charm she radiates. I want to pick her up, take her back to San Francisco, and settle her into my penthouse. But I’m sure she’d run a mile at the thought.
I guess I don’t have to live in a characterless apartment, though. I could get a house outside the city. Maybe a craftsman that needs renovating. Summer’s creative eye would work wonders. And she saw her grandpa reclaim a bunch of historic bits and pieces for the cabin. Even though she was only a kid, I bet she learned a lot from that and would love to follow in his home-making footsteps.
Fuck.
It hits me like a door in the face—I want to live with Summer. Build a home and a life with her.
I do.
As she walks up the stairs with Maggie and the dog, a wave of warmth washes over me and everything inside my head slows down as a sense of inner peace settles in.
I can’t fly back home without her.
Even the thought of being apart from her tears at my guts.
The idea of coming home from work, snuggling with her under a blanket on the sofa, and watching a movie suddenly seems like the only way I want to spend my evenings. Why would I want to be at the office till midnight, when I could bicker with Summer over whether we watch a comedy or an action-adventure?
Is this the mythical thing people talk about that I never thought was real? The thing where you meet someone and, whatever your priorities were before, all you want now is to be with them, you’d upend your life for them, and nothing else matters anymore?
Is this the true love thing? The thing that Maggie and Jim have. The thing that Summer’s grandparents had.
Well, I definitely can’t tell her any of that. She’ll think I’m delusional. We’ve only known each other three days.
I take a deep breath.
Yes, one step at a time.
Tiny steps.
As the women disappear, I turn back to Elliot, who’s staring at me. “What’s with the weird grin?”
He chuckles. “You’ve got it bad, my friend.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve never seen you look at a woman like that before. And I didn’t think you’d ever bring anyone here until you were ready to marry them.”
I almost tell him I could marry her right now and be totally sure it was the right thing to do. But he’d think I’d lost my mind. So I’ll keep that to myself. For now.
I lower my voice. “Well, anyway. Look, under no circumstances must Summer find out what Archie said back there, when he thought she was a housekeeper.”
“Sure, yeah.” He shrugs, like it couldn’t matter less.
