AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, it is in the woods.” His chuckle filled the SUV’s cabin. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you any further details, but I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to see your reaction when we pulled up into the driveway.”
“Well, mission accomplished. I’m surprised.”
Travis continued down the narrow gravel driveway and came to a stop just outside the front door. After getting out, he came around and opened the door for me. Instead of immediately going inside, he took my hand and led me down to the small pier so we could look out across the lake.
“This is . . .” I began to say but found that words failed to describe the beauty that surrounded us.
“It’s something else, isn’t it.”
“Not exactly the words I was going to use, but yeah. Wow, Travis. This place is absolutely amazing.”
Needing him close, I slid my arm around his waist. Travis’s arm settled over my shoulders before he pulled me into his chest. We stood there for the longest time taking in the scenery and appreciating its quiet, peaceful rhythm.
Twenty minutes later, after Travis carried in our bags and gave me the grand tour, I was still half-stunned. However grand the exterior was, it had nothing on the inside. Decorated in a tasteful blend of creams, soft reds, tans, browns, and rustic leather, the lake house looked like something straight out of Architectural Digest. The house was a showpiece. There was no other way to describe it.
Just like I’d thought, the ‘cabin’ had five bedrooms, an open concept living room-kitchen-dining room, as well as a solarium, a library, a separate office, and a playroom filled with a mixture of toys. Anyone looking at it from the outside could easily see its splendor. Once inside though, it was how itfeltlike home that captured you in its spell.
Travis and I spent the rest of the evening cooking dinner. He'd thought to bring a few groceries along with us because as he so adamantly stated, “We weren’t going anywhere unless it was to change rooms.”
He’d whispered his dirty plans while we ate our dinner of smoked salmon and grilled asparagus. The food was delicious, but the dessert—every bit of it—was by far the highlight of the evening.
Exhausted by our ‘extracurricular activities’, Travis and I fell asleep in the master bedroom as unbroken, silvery moonbeams peeked through the curtains. We’d been here less than twenty-four hours and I was already in love with the place. I honestly couldn’t wait to come back, but next time, I wanted Amie with us. There were so many things I wanted to do with her—skipping rocks, playing Fashion Show in the ultra-cute playroom, and snuggling by the fire pit sipping hot cocoas. The thought thrilled me to no end. Maybe we’d invite my sister and nephew, as well as Casey and Jason. The thought of having them all under this roof filled me with a contentment that I’d never experienced before. The same kind of contentment that came from deciding to let myself be happy again.
“Do you think about him?” Travis asked, catching me off guard. Night had fallen. We lay together on the outdoor chaise lounge, wrapped in a soft plaid blanket as the firepit warmed the chilly air. I knew what Travis was asking without him directly saying it. He wanted to know if any part of my heart still belonged to Dennis. The answer was yes, but not in the way he might think. That part of my heart belonged to the boys, and always would. It wasn’t until that first night with Travis that it hit me that what I had felt for Dennis wasn’t the unbreakable, forever kind of love. It was the type of love that comes with safety. From settling. I’d convinced myself that Dennis had been The One because I believed he saw me when no one else did. What I failed to see was that in his own way, Dennis was just as blind as the others. What was worse? He used me. Dennis claimed to have loved my confidence, my drive, and my determination. But really, he was just like all the rest. All the things I loved about myself intimidated him. That’s why he went after Diane. Despite her bloated sense of self-importance, Diane would never outshine him. She’d never outmatch him. Like every other dude that wasn’t worth my time, Dennis’s masculinity was threatened by me and therefore, ultimately chose someone who didn’t.
The man may have convinced himself that he loved me for me, but clearly, he didn’t. Dennis had used me as a placeholder until something better came along. His biggest crime was letting me be a mother to his boys before ripping them away.
“No,” I said after I’d kept him waiting for my reply. My throat tightened at the thought of what I’d lost. Travis’s muscles had tensed under my touch but that one little word instantly relaxed them. With a tender kiss to the skin under my ear, he pulled me into him and held me tighter.
“Good,” he whispered, his relief palpable in his words. “I don’t want to talk bad about him, but he never deserved you.”
“I know, and just so we’re clear, I don’t really think about him. I sighed and redirected my gaze out across the lake. The full moon shone overhead, casting its ethereal, road-like glow across the glass-topped water.
Mangata, ormo-an-ga-ta, as my Swedish mother called it. It translated to “moon road.” Mom and my MoMo, her mother, always spoke of the magic found at the end of the moon road. That only the most adventurous, determined of travelers would ever find what they sought. I’d shared that with the boys each time Dennis and I would take them camping. Some of my favorite memories were of the three of us sitting by the shoreline, staring out across the stilled waters, dreaming about what we’d find if we’d traveled down that silvery highway.
“I think about the boys constantly.” The ache I thought would fade with time hadn’t. It was still as raw as it was the day Dennis took them from me.
“I know. I know how much you love them, and I’m sure they love you.” Travis brushed my hair back from my neck before kissing my shoulder.
“I do.” I sniffed as a tear rolled down my cheek. “I love those boys so much. They feel like they aremykids, too. I helped raise them from the time they were practically babies.” My lone tear was followed by several more. “I don’t understand how he could be so cruel to separate us like that? How could heeverthink that that bitch would be a better mother than me—” A choked sob stole whatever words I had left to say. Pulling me in tighter, Travis kissed my cheek and wiped away my tears.
“It’s okay, my love. Just let it all out.” Travis held me as I wept against his chest. Not just wept, mourned. I mourned the loss of my family. My babies. Even though I didn’t give birth to them, I was their mother all the same. No matter what their shithead dad thought or said.
“You know, I often think about what it would be like if Tami had been different. If she’d wanted to be a mother to Amie and what my life would look like.”
“But things didn’t turn out that way for us, though. Did they?”
“No,” Travis whispered as he dropped a chaste kiss upon the skin just under my ear. “They turned out better. We’ve each had some devastation in our life, but I think that it just makes us more appreciative of what we have together.”
Soothed, I smiled and snuggled deeper into his side. “They did, didn’t they?”
“I can’t tell you how much I love having you here with me.” Travis kissed me again, this time on the mouth and with more passion than before.
“I love being here with you, Travis,” I said honestly. “There’s no place I’d rather be than right here, in your arms.”
Travis didn’t bother wasting his time on more words. Instead, he made such sweet love to me right there under the stars, atop that chaise. When we were done, we moved into the house and headed back to the master suite where we made love twice more before falling asleep in each other’s arms.
As I drifted off, I couldn’t help but think about how perfect all this was. How I’d gotten a second chance to have my three wishes and that the man who once irritated the shit out of me (and still did sometimes) was the one to grant them.
