“I really hate that you’re not going to get your cabin for your honeymoon. Maybe I’ll find a cheap apartment in town and…”
“Would you stop?” Kelsey said with a small laugh. “We’re fine with it. Maisie—she’s the decorator and Axel’s girlfriend—made a honeymoon suite and we’re going to use that. So really, we’re not missing out on anything. And we know you’re not going to live in that cabin forever.”
“At least you hope I’m not…”
“Lexi, come on. You know you’re going to be back on your feet in a few months. This job is going to be good for you, and before you know it, you’ll feel like your old self. This is all temporary.”
“Maybe.”
They both turned as Jayce pulled in behind them, and within a matter of minutes, a group of people were heading toward them.
Here we go…
It had been years since she’d seen these people—these faces—and yet it suddenly felt like yesterday. Walker, Slater, and Axel all welcomed and embraced her. It was overwhelming and familiar and wonderful, and tears stung her eyes because there was a time when this group was her entire life. It didn’t matter that they only spent their summers together; they were her best friends.
“Lexi, this is my fiancée, Harlow,” Walker said. “She’s the best real estate agent in the area, so whenever you’re ready to explore the town or look for a place of your own, she’s got you covered.”
Harlow stepped forward and hugged her. “Welcome to the family.” And when she pulled back, smiling, she added, “But there is absolutely no rush. You take your time and get settled. The town’s not going anywhere, and there are a lot of great little places to rent when the time’s right.”
“Thank you.”
Axel had his arm around a dark-haired woman who was smiling at her too. “Hi! I’m Maisie Quinn. I did all the decorating around the resort.”
“And she’s also my girlfriend,” Axel interjected.
Laughing softly, Maisie nodded. “Yes, I am Axel’s girlfriend, and we live here on the property too. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.”
“Thank you,” she replied shyly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jayce stop and look in the window of her SUV before walking over and joining them. “Wow, Jonah’s out cold, huh?”
Nodding, Lexi explained. “When he was born, we were living in a tiny apartment, and I knew he would never sleep unless he got used to there being noise. So we just lived like normal and he turned into a great sleeper. But the car?” She smiled. “That is the secret sauce to getting him to nap. But I should go and get him. He was very excited to see the playground.”
Kelsey nodded. “We were telling him all about it on the drive.”
“I’ll be right back,” Lexi said before making her way around their group and heading toward her car.
“Why don’t we all start unloading the truck?” Jayce asked, and it seemed like everyone agreed.
In the distance, she spotted someone coming out of the lodge and immediately knew it was Connor. The shaky breath was out before she could stop it, but she just kept walking. Behind her, Jayce and Kelsey were instructing everyone on how they could help and letting them know what was packed and where.
But Lexi kept her eyes on her vehicle and silently prayed that Connor was maybe leaving for the day.
He lives here, dummy. Where is he gonna go?
At the car, she opened the door and gently nudged her son. “Jonah?” she whispered. “Hey, buddy. We’re here. It’s time to wake up.”
He was a deep sleeper, but quick to wake up. It was almost like someone flipped a switch and he went from asleep to awake in the blink of an eye.
“We’re here?” he asked as he tried to get out of his car seat. “Where’s the playground?”
Reaching in so she could help him, they worked together to get the harness off. “You can’t see it from here, but as soon as we unpack, I promise we’ll check it out, okay?”
“Okay!” Jumping from the car, Jonah hit the ground running and went right to where Jayce and everyone were unloading the truck.
Taking a moment for herself, she packed up the toys and books he’d been playing with on the long drive and put them in his backpack. Hopefully they’d also keep him busy while they handled moving all of their stuff into the cabin. It was great that she didn’t need any furniture right now. All the pieces she had back in Springfield were old and secondhand. Maybe once she could afford a place of their own, she’d also be able to afford new furniture.
Kelsey had informed her that the cabin came fully furnished, but that she had requested bunk beds for the second bedroom for Jonah. As much as she was grateful to her and Jayce for helping her like this, she couldn’t help but feel bad about all the concessions. Of course, once she and Jonah moved out, they could do whatever they wanted with the cabin, but she would do everything possible to keep it as pristine as she could while they were there.
