“Yes, yes, I am.” I stand up quickly, energy zinging through my body. He smiles widely and moves quickly, which makes me think this is a big surprise.
I can’t wait.
FORTY-FOUR
Dane
Gravel crunches under the tires as we wind down the driveway. Kendall is practically sitting on top of the dashboard as she looks out the windshield. When I finally park outside my lake house on Mirror Lake, it’s beautiful, and I have one of the few lots on the lake with some privacy.
The house sits back from the shoreline, off to the side. Down by the water, I have a beach hut. It took forever for all the sign-offs to get the hut built. It has it all—electricity, running water, a bathroom, a kitchenette, and a guest room. The house is big enough, but I wanted a place where I could have a piece of heaven closer to the water. My favorite part of the hut is the front porch. It’s positioned perfectly for all the summer sunsets on the lake.
We walk up to the side door. “Dane, is this your house?”
“Sweetheart, this is my lake house, and I wanted to share this slice of heaven with you.”
“Okay, so this is your second home?” Her mouth is agape. I think she loves it.
Rylee, my assistant, spent the last few days getting this place ready. I haven’t seen it since Logan and I came here earlier this week. I’m just as surprised as Kendall is with the inside.
I unlock the door and turn the knob. The door swings open. What once was a place I never wanted to visit again is now a place that Kendall is oohing and ahhing over.
“Dane, this place is amazing,” she says as she walks to the windows overlooking the yard and lake. She stands there for a few minutes, taking it all in.
My heart squeezes in my chest. Is it from the memories of what happened here? I rub my chest and watch her. She doesn’t move, so I stroll over, not wanting to disturb her. My chest connects with her back, and I wrap my arms around her stomach. We stand there, watching the moonlight flicker on the water.
Surprisingly, my chest loosens the longer we stand here. Holding her, I begin to sway and dip my head to her ear. “You love it.” I know she loves it; her eyes give it away. The way she is swaying with me and her thumbs stroke my hands, this woman has me—all of me.
Fresh memories of my favorite place with my new favorite person. I slide one of my hands from hers and dig into my pocket for my phone. Fumbling through some songs, I choose Lenny Kravitz's “Can’t Get You Off My Mind” and press play.
She whirls around. “What’s that?”
“A song. Want to dance?”
“I’d love to dance.”
We spend the next twenty minutes dancing. Her body against mine, my arms wrapped around her, and our hearts beat together. The fire burning between us is more than just sexual tension. Our flames intertwine the longer we hold each other. The complete calmness in my body, all my muscles relaxing, andthe watermelon scent of her hair, has me hugging her closer. Although I’m not sure how much closer we can get.
I want to make new memories here with her. The song wraps up, and I whisper to her, “Want to see the rest of the house?”
“I’m content dancing right here with you.”
“Okay.”
When we finally tear apart several songs later, I give her the tour. Rylee pulled out all the stops in such a short amount of time. The last room is the master bedroom. My heart beats faster as we approach the door. This is where it all happened. I stop in my tracks.
Shit! Can I walk through the door?
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Concern is written all over her face.
We stand in the hallway a couple of feet away from the door. She takes my hands in hers, bringing them to her mouth, and kisses my palms. “Tell me. I can see it in your eyes. Something’s wrong.”
My eyes? She’s full of surprises. I read body language—she reads eyes.
A deep sigh leaves me, and I confess, “It was here.”
“Dane, what was here?”
My throat constricts as I choke out, “Maggie…” I pull my gaze from the floor to her eyes. Her beautiful emerald green eyes pierce me with an affection that seeps through my body, spurring me to continue. “She brought him here—my best friend. She tarnished this place for me. I came home early to surprise her. Really early, she never would have thought I would take that much time off from work, but I did. That day.”
