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I nudge my shoulder with hers, “Are you sure about that?”

She barks out a laugh. “Positive. Really, though, what are we doing?”

I mime zipping my lips before she laughs again.

“Fine, keep your secrets. Thank goddess your cabin isn’t a long walk. I can’t walk through the woods in these heels.”

Glancing down, I watch as her ankles roll as she tries to walk along the uneven path full of pine needles, twigs, and rocks.Shit, I didn’t even consider that.Before she can say a word, I swoop down and pull her into my arms bridal style. With a determined pace, I head down the path toward my cabin.

She smacks my chest with her hand. “Put me down, you brute. You can’t carry me all the way to your house!”

Quirking an eyebrow, I say, “Says who?”

“Me!” She smacks my chest another time for good measure.

“Well, I disagree, and I’m bigger than you.” I laugh as she crosses her arms over her chest and huffs indignantly.

“I promise it will be worth it,” I say as I pick up the pace to get there as soon as I can. The butterflies from earlier have returned, flying around my stomach, causing me to feel nauseous.Is she going to love it, or is she going to think I’m just trying to buy her love?

It doesn’t take us long to get to the porch of my cabin and I place her feet down on the bottom step. Ensuring she has found her balance before I let her go, I rest my hand on her lower back as we walk up the three steps.

We stop before my front door as I pull her to face me. “You said earlier that you are ready for the future. I want you to know that I’m ready, too, for whatever that will be.” I pull out the deep red, silk blindfold from my back pocket. Her eyebrow quirks in question. “I’ve dreamed of this moment for months now, imagining your reactions, your eyes, and the sounds that you would make. Will you give me the chance to see if it lives up to my dreams or exceeds it?” I ask as I hold up the blindfold between us.

She sucks in a breath before nodding her head and turning her back to me. The blindfold slides down over her eyes as she holds it in place for me to tie it.

Leaning close to her ear, I whisper, “Can you see anything?”

Her mouth is slightly ajar as her breath pants out of her. She shakes her head.

I turn her gently until she is facing the front door. Quickly working the locks, I push it open as I guide her through it. Leaving her standing in my living room, I quickly shut the front door and guide her toward the room. With a flick of my wrist, the door swings open.

Thankfully, everything was completed in time. I left the curtains pulled open to show her that there is a beautiful view of the forest right outside her picture window.

“Stop right here,” I say, as I walk her a few steps into the room. “When I say now, drop the blindfold.”

Rushing over, I stand in the center of the room and I feel the rush of adrenaline course through my veins. All the planning, long nights working in here, secrets, staying away from her, has accumulated to this exact moment. My chest rapidly rises and falls in anticipation. One last look at her standing here, in my house, in the room I designed for her, I finally say the word, “Now.”

She tentatively reaches up behind her head with shaky fingers and pulls the tail of the ribbon, allowing the blindfold to drop. Her eyes blink a few times, allowing them to adjust to the light. I know the exact moment they do because her mouth drops open as she pulls her hand to cover it. Her eyes roam slowly from one side to the next, taking in the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves covering both walls and next to each side of the window. She looks down at the cream rug we chose with navy blue constellations weaved into it. She gasps when she sees the matching constellations painted in the deep navy blue ceiling that sparkles with the refractions from the crystal chandelier.

I take a step to my right to move out of the way of the best part of the entire room: the overstuffed armchair with a footrestto match. We even made sure to give her a small side table for a lamp and to place her drinks. She takes tentative steps toward the chair, watching me for any sort of reaction to her movement. I nod my head gently and she squeals as she bounds to it. Her contented sigh slips from her mouth when she realizes it’s as comfy as it looks.

“Warrick, did you do all of this for me?” she asks timidly.

I nod my head as I hold my hand out to her. She slides her palm across mine as she looks up to me, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“I’ve dreamt of this exact moment for so long now that it feels surreal to be in it. So many emotions are warring inside me, but I have some confessions to make. Things I need to say before I allow any of these emotions to take over.” I pull her up to standing as I guide her to the center of the room. “But first I want to say, I’m sorry.”

Confusion clouds her face as her eyebrows scrunch together. “Sorry? For what?”

Chapter 25

Aspen

He shifts his weight from side to side. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Warrick this nervous. Besides, when he was about to run onto the field for a game, but even that feels different from this. Almost like he is scared of what I’ll say or how I’ll react.

He blows out a breath. “I’m sorry for many things, but the first is for being a young, dumb, idiot who cheated on you under the bleachers, knowing you were there waiting for me. If I could go back to that guy and kick him in the dick, I would. I think I realized that I’ve been on a path of self-destruction for a longtime now, not caring who I hurt along the way. Especially you. For that, I’m sorry. I can never take away all the times that you’ve seen me with other women or the times you heard about them leaving my cabin.”

“Warrick, we don’t…” I start, but he cuts me off.