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When Solomon came home last night, we had a long talk that included twenty minutes of him cussing me out and telling me that I’m not allowed to ever leave him. I have spent those last few days broken and depressed, but the moment he came back home, it was like a dark cloud had been lifted.

We spent the entire night talking about our relationship and where we wanted things to go. Since I have been on a social media diet, I hadn’t seen his interview. I didn’t know anything about it until I heard him on the phone with Messiah. He told him how proud he was of him and how grateful he was to have someone who loved me the way he did. I had no idea what they were talking about, but Solomon showed me the interview after they got off the phone.

There were no adequate words to describe the way that I felt inside when I heard the way he stood up for me. He made me feel seen and validated, and I needed that more than anything. I expressed my concerns about how my situation could damage his career, but he made it clear that he didn’t care. Solomon was willing to sacrifice everything. He worked so hard just to protect me, and that was more priceless than any dollar amount.

“We’ve only been driving for twenty minutes, baby. I promise we’re almost there,” he smirked at me, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Solomon was everything I ever wanted, but I didn’t know that I deserved. I never had a question about my words around him because he made sure to tell me how worthy I was and how much I mattered to him. He assured me that there was no situation that we couldn’t get through, and I believed him.

When we woke up this morning, he told me to pack a bag, but didn’t give me any details about where we were going. He told me to make sure that I brought clothes that I didn’t mind getting dirty, and that alone brought on a series of questions in my head.

Solomon wasn’t the nature or adventure type, so I couldn’t figure out what he could possibly have in his sleeve. We stopped by this grocery store before we hit the road and grabbed the cooler along with a variety of snacks, drinks, and food to cook. He also purchased some random items: a pack of lighters, a basket, a blanket, a flashlight, fire starters, binoculars, and a sketchpad. None of them made any sense, but I trusted him, so I was eager to see what his surprise was.

At some point, I dozed off, and when I woke up, we were driving up a dirt road. I sat up and looked around to see if I recognized where we were. My eyes widened when I noticed all the open land and pastures. I got excited when we passed by some cornfields because I hadn’t seen one up close in such a long time.

We drove for what seemed like another ten minutes until we pulled up to a beautiful cabin. It looked like something I saw on one of those Hallmark movies during Christmas time, only there was no snow. There was nothing but beautiful bushes, trees, and land for miles.

“You’re bringing me to a cabin?”

I danced in my seat because it was something I told him I wanted to do. We had the conversation three years ago, so I couldn’t believe he remembered after all of this time.

“Yeah, I have a few surprises for you. I really hope you enjoy yourself this weekend. We both need a reset.”

My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard, and I tried my best to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall. My emotions were more intense than usual, but I figured it was because of everything going on around me. I needed this getaway more than I could express because it felt like I had been suffocating.

We got out of the car, and I felt like a kid in a candy store.

“Oh, baby, look! There’s a farm over there. Oh my gosh. Look at the cows.” I squealed when I saw the animals walking through the grass on the property a little ways away from us.

“Those mothafuckas stank,” Solomon grumbled. I rolled my eyes at him for being such a party popper.

He opened the back seat and began to remove some of our things. The entire backseat and the trunk were full, and I kind of felt bad.

“Baby, do you want me to help with anything? I can carry my own luggage into the house at least.” I offered.

The side-eye he gave told me that I had him fucked up, so I threw my hands up and headed towards the cabin. Solomon never let me carry anything when we were together, so I knew better.

“The code on the door is your birthday and year.”

I eyed him curiously, but then I remembered that a lot of Airbnbs will set the code to something specific to you and then change it once it’s time for you to check out. I happily entered the numbers and opened the door in anticipation.

My jaw damn near hit the floor when I saw it was even more beautiful on the inside than it was on the outside. For some reason, I expected it to be an old, well-lived cabin that had been around for generations, but it looked like something out of a magazine.

The appliances were state-of-the-art and looked expensive. When I noticed the touchscreen on the refrigerator, it only reaffirmed what I already knew.

“Damn, this place is nice as hell,” Solomon commented once when he made his way inside. His hands were completely full, but he seemed to have things under control.

I walked around and observed the place, and I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper. It had everything you could possibly want in a cabin. The fireplace was surrounded by red bricks, and it gave a homey feeling. A wide grin spread across my face when I saw the s’mores stand next to the fireplace with a cute note that said, “ You can have a proper evening by the fire without S’mores. Please follow the instructions below on how to start the fireplace, use the metal skewers provided, and enjoy.”

On the table was a spread of: Jumbo marshmallows, White and Milk Chocolate bars, and Graham crackers.

When I walked back into the kitchens, I noticed a similar table setup for coffee as well. There was an assortment of syrups and creamers, along with a fancy coffee maker. I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but I noticed there were also packets of hot cocoa and a closed container with mini marshmallows and another with chocolate shavings.

I ventured further into the house, and I fell deeper and deeper in love as I walked through the place. In the master bathroom, there was another fireplace in front of a California king bed. There was a fur covering thrown across the bottom part of the bed. If I had to guess, I would say it was bear fur, but either way it was beautiful. I ran my hand through it and relished in the soft, silky feel of the fur.

The room was decorated in cream and brown colors. The bed held a multitude of throw pillows, and they all fit perfectly. On the left side of the room, there was a large bay window with cushions you could sit on.

When I walked over to get a closer look, I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw the horses walking freely in the backyard. I figured they must have escaped from the farm across the way.