She blinked rapidly but then visibly shook it off. “Okay, we’ll circle back round to how weird it is to be called that, but for now, do you care to tell me where we actually are?”
“Near the Canadian border,” I said. “It’s a huge property, so we’ve got lots of privacy here. Our little bubble. That’s what you wanted, right?”
She turned slowly, taking it all in. “It’s beautiful.”
I shifted closer to her, sliding my arm around her shoulders and resting my head on top of hers. “I know it’s not exactly the honeymoon you probably had in mind, marrying a Westwood and all, but it was the best I could do on short notice, and besides, I wanted to share this with you.”
She looked back at me. “You did?”
“It’s yours now too,” I said quietly. “I wanted you to see it. Would you like a tour?”
“Yes,” she said excitedly. “Please.”
Leading her up the porch steps to the front door, I pulled the keys out of my pocket and unlocked it. Then I scooped her up to carry her over the threshold. “Welcome home, Mrs. Westwood.”
Laughter peeled out of her, but it faded fast when I carried her inside. “Wow. This is amazing.”
“It’s not much,” I said honestly. “No marble entryways or sweeping staircases, but I love it anyway.”
It had warm wood floors, big windows, and furniture that had been chosen to be used instead of admired. Kate squirmed in my arms. “Let me down. I need to see this.”
“I’m not sure that’s what I’m supposed to do,” I said but set her back down on her feet anyway. I stayed close as she wandered around the main room.
“This is really nice, Nate. It feels so homey and happy.”
“That’s why I bought it,” I said, surprised that she’d picked up on that right away too. “I renovated, obviously. It’s got new wiring, new plumbing, an updated kitchen, and heated floors in the bathrooms to make it livable year round, but I kept the beams, the stone fireplace, and the general character of it.”
“I agree,” she said. “Too modern would’ve ruined it. All the way out here, sleek glass and steel would’ve felt like an intrusion.”
I blinked at her. Hard. “That’s exactly how I felt, too.”
She ran her fingers along the back of the couch, inhaling so deeply, her chest rose. “It smells like wood.”
“Itiswood.”
She smiled. “Okay, you’ve got me there.”
I showed her into the kitchen next, pointing out the new, wide counters, the deep sink, and the updated windows looking out toward the water. She twisted to face me, eyebrows riding high. “There’s a lake?”
“There’s a lake,” I confirmed, unable to stop just the faintest smirk from appearing. “We’ve also got four bedrooms and five baths.”
“Five?”
“Yep. The extra one is a guest bathroom near the entertainment area.”
“The entertainment area,” she repeated. “Do you do much entertaining here?”
“Nope. Never.” I shrugged. “I come out here for the solitude, but the house came with it, so I kept it.”
“The house came with it.” She let out a quiet chuckle, and to my surprise, she smacked a quick kiss to my cheek before we continued our tour.
We peeked into the first guest room, then the second and the third, each one simple but comfortable, with soft linens, big windows, and done up in neutral colors. “It’s nothing fancy, but I like the quiet.”
She nodded her understanding.
I opened the last door, turning to her and smiling. “This is the most important one, but don’t even think about changing anything. You can do whatever you want to the rest of it. Just not in here.”
I pushed open the door to reveal the den and she immediately spotted the massive flat screen mounted on the wall, laughter bursting out of her. “Of course. You can’t miss a game while you’re on vacation, right?”
