“I’m not going to hurt Ella,” Maverick quickly assured her. Then he leaned closer, his voice softer. “She’s the one, Mila.”
“Lightning strike?” she whispered.
“Big-time.”
It spoke to how crazy and wonderful his family was that Mila’s concerns vanished in an instant, replaced by a huge smile. She hugged him as she squeed with delight. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you both.”
She released him, doing a little dance as Maverick shook his head. “I haven’t told her yet, so the happy dance might be premature.”
Mila waved him off. “I’m not a bit worried about that. You’re my most charming, handsome cousin. Just don’t tell the others I said that.”
They both laughed at her joke because it had been a standard with Grandma Sheila, who always used to tell all of them they were her favorite grandchild, before requesting the vow of secrecy.
Before they could say more, Ella returned. “I’m ready,” she said.
Maverick winked at Mila, then reclaimed Ella’s hand, leading her out of the building to his truck. He opened the passenger door for her, waiting until she climbed in. “Buckle up,” he said, as he closed the door and crossed to the driver’s side.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, she looked over at him. “Where are we going?”
Maverick didn’t take his eyes off the road. “You know where.”
Ella’s silence told him shedidknow.
Neither of them spoke as he drove down the winding road until he came to the turnoff to Hideaway. The cabin was taken out of the rental rotation at the end of the previous fall foliage season, when Mila and Remi decided the place needed some major renovations. Three of the cabins on the farm were called the “originals,” because they’d been built by their great-grandfather as hunting cabins about a thousand years earlier. For many years, they’d described them as rustic retreats, but nowadays, people weren’t looking for a Little House on the Prairie experience. Most of their renters preferred modern accommodations, like air-conditioning, dishwashers, and big-screen TVs.
When Maverick found out about the remodel, he asked the family if he could take charge. At the time, he pretended it was because he needed a new project to occupy his time, but he knew now it was because he was a masochist.
He’d already renovated this cabin in his mind way back in high school, imagining it as his forever home with Ella.
And while he hadn’t let himself think too hard about it as the work commenced, what he’d built wasexactlywhat he’d described to her when they were kids.
Now, he couldn’t help but wonder if fate had been giving him a helping hand because it knew she’d be coming back. He’d been doing most of the work himself throughout the winter and spring, slowly, with some help from his brothers. But that changed right after he ran into Ella at Whiskey Abbey during her first week back.
That was when he called a buddy of his, Lyle, who did construction, hiring him and his crew to help him finish.
Even then, he’d pretended it was because he didn’t have enough time to complete the project on his own if his family hoped to put the cabin back into the fall rental rotation.
Jesus—he’d been the king of lying to himself since Ella’s return.
Lyle and his crew had just finished work on the place last week, and the cabin—ha ha; it was a legit house now—was even better than he’d dreamed.
Maverick took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down, aware he was building this up too big in his mind. Not that the breathing helped.
Because as far as he was concerned, he was bringing his future bride to see their home. The one he’d built for her—forthem.
So, yeah, subtlety was not his strong suit. Neither was playing defense.
He heard Ella’s soft gasp when they rounded the final curve in the long driveway, the house finally coming into view.
“Oh my God!” she murmured, her eyes wide as she leaned forward, taking in as much as she could through the windshield when he pulled right up in front of the place.
“We’ve done some renovations on it since the last time you were here.” Maverick mentally laughed at himself, because that was a fucking understatement.
“It’s completely different,” she said, her gaze taking in every part of the house. “It’s amazing!”
With those two words, Maverick’s nervousness subsided. “Stay there,” he said, when he turned off the engine and hopped out.
Ella was still sitting in the truck, gawking at the house, when he rounded the hood and opened the door. Reaching for her hand, he held on to it as they walked up the handful of stairs to the porch. Originally, the porch hadn’t been much more than a stoop, only big enough for a couple planters on either side of the door. Now, it had been widened and expanded, wrapping around the righthand side of the house, before becoming a huge deck.
