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Following our dip in the hot spring, where Arianna proceeded to fuck my dick raw, we then joined everyone fordinner, grateful that my brothers made excuses for our late appearance and told mom that I gave Arianna a tour of the ranch. After we finished, I told her I had something to show her.
The dry grass crunches beneath our feet as we make our way to the edge of the pasture.
“Oh my God, are we staying in that tonight?” She squeals and quickens her steps, holding her hand to her chest.
“Yes.”
“It’s beautiful, Nathan.” She gives my hand she’s holding a squeeze.
“It’s the honeymoon suite, but since there is no wedding here this weekend, I thought we could sleep in the treehouse.”
“It looks like the castle from the Harry Potter films.” She sounds lost in pure happiness.
“Never seen them.”
“You’ve never lived.”
“I work.”
“Too much grind, not enough unwind. C’mon, let’s go.” She starts running, and the rhythmic rustling of the blades crackle under our feet as they bend and spring back up. Her energy is infectious and she’s so fucking happy that I find myself running after her, feeling like a fucking teenage boy all over again as we hurtle toward the suspended treehouse.
Running much faster now, I pray that our dull thuds from our feet against the soil below scare away any rattlesnakes who love the grassland.
Arianna lets out a whoop of glee, making it bounce off the crests of the valley.
I look up at the newly built two-story treehouse we call the watch tower because it’s set higher than all the others and has its very own suspended walkway through the trees to access it.
Walking along the wooden walkway that leads to the main entrance, I use my head to point to the door as we arrive. “It’s open,” I tell her.
When she pushes it open, she gasps in awe at the oak surroundings my mother spent hours selecting. From the paintings on the walls to the furniture, every item in here, she personally handpicked it all. I guess it was a distraction for her at the time when dad took a turn for the worse.
“Look at the fairytale turret, Nathan.” She looks upward wearing a massive smile. “I feel like a princess.”
I wrap my arms around her and look up too, impressed by the beamed ceiling.
“Mom had some of the world’s best treehouse carpenters build this. There’s another ten for wedding guests. Each one is unique. But this one is extra special.”
Arianna lays her forearms on top of my shoulders and drops her gaze back to me. “Thank you for this, it’s…” She’s speechless.
“We can stay here any time we want. Mom closes the ranch throughout the winter.”
“I might want to move in permanently.”
The warm lighting all around us makes it look like she’s glowing with happiness.
I clear my throat. “You could always move in with me. Permanently.” I don’t know what made me say it, but the timing feels right.
She tilts her head to the side, her forehead creasing as she puzzles over my offer. “Are you being serious? I mean, it’s a little fast is it not?” Her arms disappear from my shoulders and she begins pacing back and forth across the wooden flooring, every clunk of her boots mimicking the beat of my heart with worry.
Please say yes.
“We’ve been dating”—I go to correct myself because we haven’t mentioned dating as such—“I mean, sleeping together,having fun, whatever you want to call it, for months.” It might not seem very long to some people, but to me, it feels like I’ve known her all my life.
It’s not just fun for me anymore. She’s it for me.
Fretting some more, she adds, “And you don’t know me, not really, and then there’s my apartment. I like it. I mean, it’s okay but it’s not where I want to stay for the rest of my life because I’ve been saving up to move to a better area, but moving in with you, that’s huge.” She threads her hands through her long dark hair as if anxious. “I would have to give up my apartment, and it was so difficult to find something I liked to begin with. I searched for months.” Her lips press into a thin line of uncertainty, and I love that she seems to be having some sort of mini meltdown at my suggestion.
It’s a big deal, I get it.