Since the snow melted, I wanted to go out and hunt, since that was the reason why I was at the cabin in the first place. I couldn’t, though, because I had a feeling that if I went anywhere, Tumy would try to leave while I wasn’t in the house. I couldn’t let her leave without knowing my feelings for her.
I was on the couch watching television when she emerged again from the room. My heart dropped to my feet when I saw her with her luggage.
I stood and put my hands in my pockets. Tumy paused when she spotted me. The rims of her eyes were wet with unshed tears, and it broke me knowing I was the cause.
I moved to close the space between us. She looked skeptical when I moved my hand and lifted her chin.
“Can we talk?” I stared into her eyes. She hesitated like she wanted to say no. “Please?” I was desperate to at least clear the air before we parted ways.
“That’s fine.” Her voice came out in a whisper, but I heard her clearly.
I grabbed her hand and led her over to the couch. Sparrow came over and curled up on her lap once she sat down. Her head was down as she slowly rubbed his head. She agreed to talk, but apparently, she didn’t want to look at me.
“First, I’d like to apologize for my actions. I shouldn’t have shut you out the way I did. You did nothing wrong for me to treat you like that. No bullshit, I got scared of the feelings I developed for you in a matter of days. That wasn’t the way to go about things.” Her head popped up, and she looked me in the eyes. A single tear slipped down her cheek. I used my thumb to wipe it away. “I missed you last night. I thought since we were going our separate ways that I should distance myself to make things easier, but it made shit even harder. I couldn’t let you go home not knowing what I feel for you. I can’t say that I love you yet, but I fell for you, Tumy. No matter what happens once we separate,you will always have a place right here.” I pointed to my chest where my heart was.
“You really hurt my feelings last night, Major. But, at the same time, I understand. I fell for you, too, even after you tried to kill me.”
“I didn’t try to kill you.”
She giggled, then grabbed my hands. For a few seconds, we stared at each other.
“These last few days were some of the best days I had in a long time. For a second, I thought maybe you had someone back home, and I was just something to do. I came to terms with the fact that whatever we shared wasn’t going to go anywhere outside of this cabin. I don’t regret any of it either. Where do we go from here?”
“Can you stay another day or two?”
“Yeah, I think I can.”
I leaned forward and kissed her lips.
“Good. Since the snow let up, I want to take you on an official date. If we have time, maybe we can do a little hunting. That’s if you want to.”
She chewed on her bottom lip and hummed. Our hands were still intertwined.
“We’ll have to see about hunting, but I would like to go on a date with you.”
“It’s still early enough; we can do something today if you want.”
There was a restaurant at the end of the hill that had good food, so I figured we could have dinner there, then see where the rest of the night took us.
“That works. Let me change into something else.”
I pulled her closer and kissed her again. I used my tongue to part her lips, and she welcomed me in. The kiss lasted for a minute or so before we pulled apart.
“I’ll be waiting for you.” I pecked her lips, then helped her up.
My chest felt lighter as I watched her walk toward the back of the cabin. I still didn’t know what the future held for us, but at least she knew how I felt about her. The best thing was that she felt the same way. Someway, somehow, we would see each other again. That was a fact I was sure of.
I felt so much better talkingto Major and was glad to know we both had the same feelings. I wanted to cry because he had hurt my feelings, and I didn’t want to leave on a bad note. I didn’t have anyone or anything important to do at home, so it was nothing for me to agree to stay. I ran my own business, so it wasn’t like I had someone to check in with. It was a good thing I packed extra food for Sparrow, because I couldn’t have my boy out here not eating.
When I went into the bedroom to change, I texted Mariah to let her know that I was staying longer. She asked for details, but I told her I would tell her when I was free.
I wasn’t sure where Major planned on taking me, but I decided to put on a dress that I packed at the last minute.Initially, I didn’t have plans on doing anything that required a dress, but I remembered my mom saying to always pack something for different occasions. I lived by that rule my entire adult life, even though most of the time I didn’t use whatever I packed.
The weekend was supposed to be a time to reflect on my life and relax; instead, I had a gun in my face, then was put through the mattress by a stubborn ass man. I couldn’t help how I felt about him, though. Major was . . . major. There was no other way to describe his presence. He had the type of aura that commanded attention in any room he stepped into. I felt him in my bones even when he wasn’t in the same room as me. I couldn’t wrap my head around how that was possible.
Even with him pulling back, I didn’t feel that our story was over. At least, I hoped it wasn’t. I wanted to jump for joy when I saw him standing in the living room when I came out of the bedroom. I kept it cool for the most part, but I knew he didn’t miss the water that filled my eyes. He for sure didn’t miss the tear that escaped. I hated feeling so vulnerable after he had hurt me, but I was glad I wasn’t alone in this.
Once I was redressed in something more date appropriate, I grabbed my camera and my phone.
