“So, you remember when you told me your parents were selling the cabin?”
He nods.
“Do you know who bought it?”
“Dad said it was some company. He wasn’t sure what they’d want to do with a cabin way out here, but they paid above asking for it.”
It’s my turn to nod while Annalise looks at me, mouth slightly agape. I didn’t tell her how much I bought the place for or that it was over asking.
“So, the company that bought it was me.”
Silence hangs in the air, no one saying a thing. Walker and Annalise stare at me, waiting for me to continue.
“I knew what this place meant to Annalise, and I didn’t want her to lose it. I bought it in the name of a company and I’ve given her the title. It’s hers to do with as she pleases.”
“We had already decided to be more before he gave me the title. I didn’t know he bought it until yesterday morning.”
Just looking at Annalise, I know she has a question on her mind. Her eyes are doing that squinty thing she does when she’s trying not to forget a thought. It’s adorable. I nudge her leg slightly and lift my chin towards her.
She turns to Walker and asks, “What are you doing here? You weren’t that attached to the cabin, and I texted you when I got here. You knew I wasn’t planning on coming home for a few days.”
“I came to bring you home so we could all spend New Year’s together.”
“Mom and Dad didn’t want to come with you?” she asks, disappointment filling her voice.
He shakes his head. “I think Dad sees selling the cabin as failing us. It would just be a reminder. They stayed back. They’re expecting me to bring you back tonight.”
She immediately shakes her head. “I’m not leaving tonight.”
Walker runs his hands down his face. “Please, Lise. Come home and tell them the cabin is staying in the family. Let’s enjoy the holiday together. You can always come back later.”
There’s a desperation in his voice I’ve never heard before. I place a hand on Annalise’s leg and give it a gentle squeeze. I understand her not wanting to leave. I know she doesn’t like to change plans once they’re set, and she was hurt her family waited to tell her about the sale of the cabin. The way she asked why her parents didn’t come with Walker to get her tells me she wishes they had all spent one last Christmas here before the place sold.
I run my thumb lazily along the inside of her knee, quietly supporting whatever decision she makes.
Her teeth dig into her bottom lip, and she turns to face Walker. “If I agree to come back tonight, you have to promise me you’ll come up with me next month, even if Mom and Dad won’t come.”
Walker regards her for a minute before nodding and offering Annalise a soft smile.
“Okay, we’ll pack what we need, and then we can get going.”
Annalise pushes off the couch and heads upstairs. I go to follow her, but the look on Walker’s face says he wants to talk before I head up there.
“You care about her,” he eventually says.
I nod, clasping my hands together and leaning forward on my thighs. “More than anything.”
“Why not before?”
I know he doesn’t mean why didn’t I care for her before, he’s asking why I took so long to make a move.
“You. You made it clear she was off limits, so I kept my distance. I knew she didn’t want to see or speak to me anyways, so it wasn’t entirely my decision. Then she started dating and there was nothing I could do. Then between her ending it with Tim and the cabin being up for sale, I knew if I was going to make a move it had to be now. I was tired of not going after what I wanted. Everything with her feels natural. We’ve fallen into this comfortability that I’ve never experienced with anyone but her.”
He stares at me for a few moments before nodding slightly, and I’m not sure if it’s acceptance of our relationship or just acknowledgement of what I said. I head upstairs after Annalise, and we make our way around the cabin packing anything that can’t be left behind, storing food in cabinets and unplugging the tree. I stare at it, knowing that when we come back, it’s going to be a mess to clean up. There will be pine needles everywhere, and the tree’s going to be in horrible condition. But we need to get on the road so we can make it back around dinnertime.
Resolved that I’ll need to take care of it during our next trip, we pack up the vehicles and settle on a gas station to meet up at and climb in and start the journey back to the city.
TWENTY-SIX
