“Sounds good to me. When do we leave?”
That was one of the things she loved about him. Since retiring, he was always happy to travel practically anywhere she suggested. “How about this weekend? I talked to the lodge owner, and they are open to the idea of renting all the rooms exclusively to our family for the holidays. The only thing is, they have a huge, private New Year’s Eve party planned, so our group would need to check out the morning of December 31st, ensuring the rooms are ready for the incoming guests. I don’t see that being a problem, though. Chances are, there will be some in our group who will want to leave early so they can attend various New Year’s Eve parties,” she said.
“You’re probably right.” Drew pulled her into his arms and brushed a kiss across her lips. “So, what’s the name of this place in the Smoky Mountains?”
“The Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge.” She studied his features and knew the exact moment he remembered.
“The Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge?” he asked to make sure he had heard her correctly.
She threw her head back and laughed. “Yes, can you believe it?”
He laughed with her. “That lodge is where we spent the holidays together while you were hiding from your father.”
Eden would never forget that time. She’d been twenty-one, fresh out of college, and had signed a big modeling deal. She’d also been on the run from her father. She had made it to Phoenix and once there, she had stowed away on a tractor-trailer. She’d heard the driver say he was headed to California, then back east to the Smoky Mountains for the holidays after making a delivery in Dollywood. That driver had been Drew.
“I didn’t think we would ever make it to the lodge. Your father’s men were desperately trying to find you,” he said, recapturing her thoughts.
“But we did.”
Drew nodded, smiling. “Yes, we did. When I left Phoenix that day, all I anticipated was an uneventful drive to California, then on to Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. I was looking forward to getting some rest and relaxation over the holidays at the lodge. Everything changed once I discovered you were a stowaway in my rig.”
“But you got to the lodge eventually,” she said, smiling up at him.
Drew brushed a kiss across her lips. “Yes, and we always said that we would go back there one day, but never did.”
“Because once we got married, you kept me pregnant,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“True,” he said, grinning proudly.
“And of course, you were building generational wealth with your trucking business, while I had six little boys to take care of while juggling a modeling career.”
“And you did both beautifully,” he said, brushing another kiss across her lips.
“Only because I had your help and support, Drew.”
“I remember that week well,” he said. “The reason I was spending a week in the mountains over the holidays was that I couldn’t go home to be with my family in North Carolina.”
“You were run out of Charlotte since you couldn’t keep women out of your bed,” she said, grinning.
“True, and I wanted to keep you out of it that week at the lodge.”
“You tried. But only because you thought I was too young for you.”
“Damn right. I was thirty and you were twenty-one,” he said.
“For Pete’s sake, at twenty-one I was considered an adult, Drew. I had a college degree and a promising modeling career. And if I recall, that twenty-one-year-old rocked your world that week.”
He smiled as if remembering. “And my world hasn’t been the same since. We had fun that week, both in and out of bed. I recall the Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge wasn’t all that big. Will it be able to accommodate everyone?” Drew asked.
“It’s been renovated and remodeled over the years, and is now five times the size that it was then. The Bohannons still own it, but now it’s run by Charlie’s son, Seth. He’s the one I spoke with. He said his parents retired.”
“Glad to hear Charlie got married.”
“Did you honestly expect him to remain single?”
“He swore that he would.”
“So did you.”
