“It’s not easy to find”—he chuckles—“and I have a feeling people will be looking.”
“Go ahead and say it,” I push. “SayI told you this was a bad idea, Pen.”
Sobering, Lake looks from me to the road and back again. “You just upended your entire life, Pen. There’s noI told you so.Whatever you decide is gonna be hard, and yeah, I was pissed at you for not taking the promotion, for letting him take that away from you. But you’re a big girl and you made a choice then.” He swallows hard, his voice softer when he says, “And you made a choice today.”
I blink the tears from my eyes, the fake eyelashes practically audible as I do. Turning in my seat, I take Lake’s hand in both of mine and lace our fingers together.
“Thanks for being my getaway driver.”
“There’s nothing that could happen that would stop me from getting to you, Pen.”
His words resonate through me, a little bit of the tension dissipating as we drive.
My life is a mess, but Lake’s loyalty and friendship have never wavered.
Pulling off the main road, I spy a mailbox as Lake navigates us down a long driveway. It’s lined by trees, the scene before me like a winter wonderland, leading into a clearing and the most perfect log cabin I’ve ever seen.
“You built this?” I breathe, sitting forward to stare at the house through the windshield. It’s idyllic with big windows and wraparound porch, the wood stained a rich cherry color.
It’s perfect.
“Yeah, everyone helped.”
Everyone except me.
The thought sends a twinge of hurt coursing through my veins and I release Lake’s hand, pretending to gather up the fabric of my dress as the truck comes to a stop.
“Pen.”
“Hmm?”
“It wasn’t right to have you here,” he says slowly, rubbing his hand over his mouth. “Hell, it still might not be, but you didn’t belong in another man’s house.”
“I get it, but I don’t, Lake. What would the harm have been with letting me paint a few boards?”
Draping his arm over the steering wheel, he stares at me. “You weren’t here, Pen. You moved with your boyfriend turned fiancé.You couldn’t be running home to me.”
I open my mouth to argue but he’s right. Carter and I were building a life, and how would he have felt about me leaving for any amount of time to be with another man?
Have I always felt this torn?
I don’t realize Lake is out of the truck until he opens the door for me and holds out his hand. I take it, trying to gather as much of the white material as I can, my heels sinking into the snow and gravel as we walk to the cabin. It’s not far, but Lake drapes his suit jacket over my shoulders, his cologne and the mountain air mixing to form the most alluring aphrodisiac— something I never noticed or maybe neverallowedmyself to notice.
The room is dark when he pushes the door open, ushering me inside before closing it behind him and flipping on the lights.I gasp, spinning in a slow circle as I take everything in. The workmanship is stunning. It’s amazing.
High ceilings and wooden beams make it the perfect rustic space and I’m in awe.
“Wow,” I breathe. “Lake, this is incredible.”
He doesn’t respond, but heat fills his cheeks as he rubs the back of his neck. “I’ll grab you some clothes, and Wren can bring you whatever else you need.” His gaze trails down my body, heat flashing in his eyes so fast that I would have missed it if I hadn’t been watching him. But I know what I saw.
“Lake,” I say slowly as I push his jacket off my shoulders and let it fall to the floor. His Adam’s apple bobs and I make sure he knows I see it before brushing my hair over one shoulder and turning my back to him. “I need you to help me with the zipper.”
Emotions swirl around us, but whether it’s from this being the first time I’m in his house alone with him or that I made a scene leaving my wedding, I don’t know.
“Pen.” His voice is rough and completely at odds with the way his hands shake as he finds the zipper and eases it down.
His breath is hot on my skin as my heart pounds in my chest.
