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“Ha-ha,” he said drily.
He turned his attention to the radio, giving up on me. He turned it up so we had something to listen to as we drove through the back roads. It wasn’t going to be a long drive but long enough that I didn’t want to field questions the entire time.
An hour later, we pulled onto the narrow, gravel drive. My tires protested against the loose rock and I slowed down, winding my way to the waiting cabin on the hill.
“Oh my god. Are we suddenly rich?” Atlas joked. I could see where he was coming from. It wasn’t a cabin at all, but a rustic manor. There were two stories and it resembled an A-frame. Large windows covered almost the entire font of the house.
“What’s in the second building?” Collin questioned as he pointed over to what looked like a greenhouse.
“A heated pool. And it’s lit up so we can enjoy a night swim if we want,” I said. Their excitement was amping up my own. I was just as anxious to park as they were.
The moment the car was stopped and the ignition was off, they all flew out of the car like little kids, only stopping long enough for me to put the key code in and let them inside.
I just stood in the foyer smiling as the twins took off upstairs toward the singular bedroom that took up the entire upper floor, including a seating area with a big screen TV, a bar, and a bathroom that could fit us all.
“We need to take notes for our future house,” Dean called out. Even he was all smiles and laughter as he moved through the house.
“There’s a hot tub out back. It’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen,” Collin announced as he came back in from the back porch. Ezra was still out there looking out over the lake. I let Collin head upstairs to the twins before heading out back with Ezra.
“I brought some of your fishing things. I don’t know if I grabbed everything,” I admitted. He looked over at me.
“Really?” he questioned in shock.
“Of course,” I said. “I booked it so you could get some fishing in, too. Don’t worry there will be plenty to occupy me while you’re out on the water.”
He snorted at that. “I have no doubt. Thanks, Ellie.” He leaned down and kissed me.
“You’re welcome,” I said before heading back inside. It was a bit chilly for me without a fire of some kind going.
While everyone was checking out the space and bringing in the luggage, I went to the huge fireplace. They left instructions so I read through them before getting a fire started. The sun went down fast and I wanted it going before darkness hit.
It took a bit of work but soon, I had a fire roaring to life, filling the room with light and chasing away the chill that hung in the air.
“One of you has grilling skills, right? Because I definitely do not,” I called out. That was enough to draw them all back to the living room with me. Collin went right for the fire, stoking it.
“You did good,” he told me. “And that’s definitely not me.”
The twins both looked at each other and shrugged.
“Is this a real question? We all know it’s me,” Ezra said, exasperated. “I saw a grill out back, let me go inspect it. You can get the stuff prepared in the kitchen.” His eyes swept over all of us making a point that it wasn’t just me he was talking to.
We worked so easily side by side. I gave the guys orders and we soon had steak seasoned, potatoes and veggies prepped, and Collin was mixing up brownies.
“The steaks are done,” I called out to Ezra as I washed my hands.
Soon, the brownies were baking and we had everything plated up and ready to go outside.
Ezra came back in a few minutes later for the food and we helped carry it outside. The fire inside was all but forgotten when we spotted an outdoor fire pit. It was sitting in a ring of bricks with Adirondack chairs around it. The setting sun reflected off the lake beyond and it was one of the most peaceful areas I’d ever been to.
“Remind me never to go back to the city,” I half joked as we took in the view.
“I could get used to this place,” Atlas agreed.
There was no stress here. No interviews looming over me. And no parents trying to stalk me and my siblings now that we’ve cut them off.
It was just us.
We all settled around the fire pit, not abandoning Ezra to cook alone. I snuggled into Atlas’s side to ward off the cold.
