Chapter 7
All For Us
Collins
It’s been three weeks since the crash, but Harley looks beautiful as ever in the front seat of my brand-new Tacoma. Dominic took me to pick it up yesterday after I got a call that all of the auto insurance claims from our incident had been settled.
Harley sports black sweats, wearing a Manta Rays crewneck, and has a beanie secured over her head as we weave through the mountains. Red spruce and deep, green pines bracket the road we are on, leading up to the cabins. There’s a light snowfall coating the ground and trees, giving the scenery a more dreamy vibe.
“It’s so beautiful up here, and we haven’t even made it to the cabins yet.” Harley muses beside me. Precious in her carrier, purrs quietly as she sleeps beneath Harley’s legs.
“It is. Are you more of a mountain or beach lady?”
“I love the mountains, I would come up here twice a year if I could. There’s just something about breathing the fresh air up here that hits differently than it does in Florida.” She answers, continuing to stare out the window, watching the world flit by.
I make a mental note that when I make her mine,truly mine—we’ll be up here whenever she wants. Maybe even buy a cabin that can be rented out when it’s not in use.
“I agree, everyone loves the beach. However, the sand in uncomfortable places and the unknown of what lies beneath the surface of the waves is none of my business.” I tell her. The laugh that bubbles out of her has my face splitting into a grin. To hear her laugh for the rest of my life would be an honor.
“And it’s like rubbing your skin with sandpaper as you wash it off.” She says in disgust that the statement causes us both to cringe.
We continue our trek higher into the mountains and further into the trees, conversation continuing to flow between us. We take one final turn up a steep drive and are greeted by three cabins, everything dusted in a new layer of snow. The main cabin, which will hold the families, parents, Nik, and Dom, sits at the center of the land with a giant wrap-around porch and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out into the mountains. To the right sits a log cabin that I presume Grace, Jason, and Sin will stay in. To the left, down a small embankment, sits Harley and I’s A-frame cabin. I turn my truck down the little driveway, slowly pushing us toward the cabin and into the flat parking area.
“This is so cute.” Harley squeaks as I put the car into park.
“And it’s all for us.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see her cheeks pinken as she shies away from me.
“Let’s get our stuff inside, and then we can join the others at the main cabin.” She says, switching the topic of conversation. We hop out of the truck, Harley carrying Precious’ carrier while I grab our bags. Harley uses the door code that Kodi shared with us in a group text, pushing the door into a mostly open floor plan. A small kitchenette sits to the right of the space, while a small, worn couch breaks the room in half, facing a small TVabove a wood fireplace. Directly in front of us, stairs lead up to a loft space where our bed sits.
Harley sets the carrier down, unzipping the door. Precious mewls before slinking out and slowly taking in her new surroundings.
“I’ll take these up,” I tell Harley, sliding past her as Precious curls around my feet, purring happily at her newfound freedom. After taking the stairs up, I take in our sleeping space. A king bed covered in flannel sheets sits against a floor-to-ceiling window that looks out into the mountains away from the other cabins. To the right sits the bathroom, holding a shower-tub combo, sink, and toilet.
“Bathroom’s up here.” I holler down at Harley.
“Thanks! Coming down anytime soon? I’m sure that Sin and Dom are already making comments about us taking so long…”
“Sorry, the view up there is just unbelievable. I had to take it in for a moment.” I say as I make my way back down the stairs.
“I can’t blame you, I’ve been staring out this window while I was waiting.” She gestures toward the sill where Precious has curled up. I quickly grab my phone, snapping a picture of my cat watching the snowfall.
“Let’s go, Baby.” I take her hand in mine, pulling her out of the front door and locking it behind us. We make our way up the small, built-in staircase, Harley in front of me in case she slips on the icy ground. When we reach the top, I wrap my arm around her shoulder, guiding her over to the main cabin just as Kodi and Maverick pull up.
“You go inside, I’ll help Mav get the food and their bags.” I pull her in for a quick kiss, sending her on her way.
“Go inside, Ko. Collins and I’ve got this.” Maverick directs his wife once he opens her door and ensures she gets onto the snowy ground safely. Then, unbuckling and passing a sleeping Bellaover to her. Harley waits patiently by the front of Mav’s bronco for Kodi before they head into the main cabin.
“What can I help with?” I ask him after the girls have made their way inside.
“The trunk is stuffed full, and then we have a couple of bags in the back seat.”
“You got it.”
Once the kids are down for the night and the grandparents are handed monitors, ensuring that they can handle sleeping children, we all grab a drink, some blankets because we are Floridians after all, and head out to the porch where Nik starts up a fire in the built-in pit. The crackle of the fire is dimmed by the sounds of our friends chatting about the drive and plans for the trip. Harley sits in my lap, a mug of spiked hot chocolate in her hand, while her other hand absent-mindedly rubs circles on my bicep. My arms wrapped around her waist, her head tucked between my neck and shoulder. Around us, Kodi and Mav are in a similar position, while Darcy sits between Tatum’s legs in a lounge chair, leaning into his chest, Conrad and Enid snuggled togetherin a chais while everyone else in individual seats. Mace disappeared into the cabin when we offered to let him hang out, claiming he had better things to do.
“You all are so in love, it’s disgusting, actually.” Sin groans from our left.
“If you wanted to cuddle, you just had to say so.” Dom chuckles across the pit, opening his arms for her. All he gets in return is two middle fingers, making him laugh harder.
