Thank goodness.
The get-together was fun, though. Everyone loved our place, and I even had one friend of Sam’s, Charlotte, ask me to help her redesign her kitchen. I said yes, of course, thinking she was just being kind. It turns out, she meant it. A week after our party, she called me and asked me over to look at her kitchen. We drank wine and looked at home design magazines and laughed. A lot. We have a lunch date next week, after which we’re shopping for tile and countertops. The fact that Charlotte is super nice and hilarious is a bonus.
Life is good. I can’t complain. Take tonight for example. Sam’s taking me to dinner. He’s calling it our three-month cohabitating anniversary. It doesn’t matter what he calls it. I think it’s so damn sweet he’s that romantic. We’re going to the Italian restaurant again—the one we went to on our first date. The one when he could barely make it to his truck before he ravaged me.
“What are you giggling about?” Sam asks, coming up behind me.
“I was thinking about the last time we went to Luigi’s.”
“That little dress,” Sam says with a growl. “You gonna wear that again?”
“Well, it’s only forty-five degrees out there, so no.”
“Maybe you could wear those purple panties and matching bra?”
“Maybe.” I kiss his lips. “Or maybe I could wear the new set I just bought.”
“New set?” His eyes darken. “What color are they?”
“You’ll have to wait and see, stud.”
“Fuck,” he grumbles as he attempts to peek beneath my robe. “You know I don’t do well when you tease.”
Holding the front closed so he can’t get a peek, I say, “I’m not teasing. You’ll see them. You just have to wait.”
“Fine.” He looks at his phone. “We leave in thirty minutes.”
I laugh as I make my way into the bathroom to do my hair.
“Dinner was delicious.” We’re back in his truck. I lift the bouquet of roses he gave me and smell them. “Thank you for the flowers.”
“You’re welcome.” Sam reaches out and takes my hand in his. The music is playing softly in his truck, one of my favorite playlists. We’re quiet as he pulls into his, I mean our, driveway. They’ve done more work on that, clearing more trees to widen it. They’ve also added more rock at the top before it snows. When he puts the truck in park, he turns to me. “You’re going to need to get a different car soon. I don’t think yours will make it up here after it snows.”
“I know.” I frown.
“I mentioned it to your dad this week. He said he’d start looking around for something four-wheel drive.”
I smile thinking about my dad. He’ll love doing that research. “Then, I won’t worry about it. He’ll find me a good used car at a great price.”
“I have no doubt.”
I wait for Sam to open my door and take my hand in his. “It’s a nice night. Let’s go sit out on the deck.”
“Sounds good. Let me grab a sweater. I’ll meet you out there.”
By the time I’ve bundled up, Sam has the small firepit going and a throw from the living room ready and waiting for me. He’s also got a glass of wine for me. “You thought of everything.”
“I try.”
Crawling beneath the blanket, I curl up into a ball and wait for Sam to move in next to me. But he doesn’t. He’s standing in front of me, looking down at me. Pulling my arm free, I pat the spot next to me. “You gonna sit?”
“I will in a minute. I’d like to kneel first.”
“Kneel?” I blink at him, confused. Until he kneels. In front of me. “Sam?” My eyes start to water immediately. “Sam?” I ask again.
“Baby girl,” Sam begins. “I love you more than anything.”
I know he does. He shows me every single day. He’s holding something. A box. Not a tiny one like a ring box, but it’s not huge. It fits in his hand. “What’s that?”
