by Anna B. Doe
I mock pout, too curious to let it go. “But I want to know now.”
“I can’t tell you now. It’s going to happen later. And you’re going to love it, I promise. Now come on cranky, let’s get some coffee in you so you’re more alert and acting like yourself.” He taps my nose with his index finger before taking my hand. “You’re moving slow, like a zombie.”
I don’t even take his comment as an insult. I do feel like a zombie. It’s like I’m moving, yet I’m still not awake. And Ash is right. I need coffee.
Right now.
Mom made me a special holiday blend with the Keurig and once I’ve dumped some peppermint creamer in there, I sip on it happily, settled in at the table in the kitchen and stare out the window while everyone talks around me. This feels so normal. Jake and Dad talking. Beck begging Ash to play more Madden and Ash kindly telling him no, but maybe later. Mom settles in the chair next to me, and when I glance over at her, I find she’s already watching me with a concerned expression.
“You all right, honey?”
I nod. Reach for my coffee and take another sip. It’s so hot, but so delicious. “Still sleepy I guess.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. Like the dead, really. My head hit the pillow and the next thing I knew, it was morning.”
“You work hard.” Mom’s smile is gentle. “I’m sure finals took a lot out of you.”
“They were tough. I’m so glad they’re over,” I say.
“Right. Now it’s nothing but relaxing family time for Christmas, and a long winter break. Though I think Ash has a little something planned for you two later today,” she says, tapping her finger against her chin.
“You’re in on it too?” I ask.
“He might’ve mentioned it to me. But I’ve been sworn to silence. You can’t get it out of me, so don’t even try.”
My mother knows me too well. I would’ve totally drilled her for information, though I’m sure she wouldn’t have shared a single detail.
The morning flies by with me helping Mom in the kitchen. She’s been baking nonstop, long before I arrived yesterday, and when she starts pulling plates out, I have to ask her what’s going on.
“We’re making cookie plates for all the neighbors,” she says as she grabs a roll of red cellophane out of the drawer. “Beck and I will deliver them later this afternoon.”
“How long have you been baking cookies?”
“For a few days.” Mom shrugs. “I find baking very relaxing. I’ve been doing it for the last couple of years, making the cookie trays for our neighbors. Now I think they’re starting to expect them.”
“You should win the neighbor of the year award,” I say jokingly.
Mom rolls her eyes. “Look, if you’d told me at your age I’d be baking cookies nonstop for my neighbors in my fancy kitchen and I had four kids with my rich, handsome husband? I would’ve laughed in your face.”
She offers these glimpses into her past life all the time, but it’s never quite enough to know what she’s really referring to. Rarely does she tell the full tale, and it always leaves me curious for more.
It leaves all of us curious. We’ve all discussed it before, and as the oldest, I feel it’s my duty to finally call her out on it.
“When are you going to tell us what happened when you were my age? When you and dad first got together?” I ask boldly.
“Now that’s a story. None of you would believe it, I’m sure.” She laughs. Shakes her head. “Someday I’ll tell you, but not today.”
“I know you had it rough,” I say, my voice gentle. “And that Dad was like your knight in shining armor.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. He saved me, but I saved him right back,” Mom says. “Kind of like how you saved Ash.”
I tilt my head. “I didn’t save him.”
“Yes, you did. He was on the road to nowhere until you two got involved. And once that happened, it was like a snowball effect. Every horrible thing you could think of, happened to that boy. You never faltered. Not once. Not that we saw. While your father worried Ash wasn’t good enough for you, I always knew he was. I could tell.” Mom’s smile is tremulous, like she’s getting emotional thinking about the past. My past. With Ash. “You two are perfect for each other.”
“I know,” I say softly. “He’s wonderful.”
“He is. And he’s going to go far. So will you. You’re going to live a very similar life to the one your father and I have created. Are you ready to be the wife to a NFL player?” Mom asks me.
Am I? That’s a good question. One I’ve never really given much thought to before. And that’s…a lot. My life would completely revolve around Ash’s. His schedule, what team he plays for, all of it. Could I handle that?
I want a life of my own, too. I told my parents at one point I wanted to be a heart surgeon, but I’ve quietly changed my mind. I don’t know what I want to do anymore.
Well, actually I do. My major is psychology, only because that was one of the easier majors to take to acquire a bachelor’s degree. But now that I’ve taken so many core classes, I’ve realized…
It feels almost like a calling, the need to help people. And I can do that if I’m a counselor or a psychologist, which means I need to complete my master’s degree. That also means even more college.
Can I do that, if Ash and I are together? If he’s traveling around, going to games? Will he expect me to be there for him, or can I stay home and still go to school, in whatever city we end up in?
Or am I completely thinking too far ahead and freaking myself out?
Yeah. That’s what I’m most likely doing. I need to hit the brakes and mentally calm myself down.
“…don’t you think?” Mom says, poking my arm, pulling me straight out of my thoughts. “Have you been listening, Autumn?”
“What? Uh, no. Sorry.” I offer an apologetic smile.
“Ash was asking us when you two should leave. I say stay for lunch and maybe you two could take off mid-afternoon?” Mom sends Ash a meaningful look, which I totally catch.
What are these two plotting?
“Do I need to bring anything?” I ask, wishing they’d give me more information.
“You’ll need to pack a bag. We’re staying two nights,” Ash says mysteriously.
“Two nights? Where are we going?” I don’t know why I keep asking. They’re not going to tell me.
“You’ll find out,” Ash says, a wicked smile curling his lips.
That smile is full of promise. Seeing it makes my toes curl.
I think I’m in for an early Christmas treat.
Chapter Four
Ash
By the time we hit the road a little after three in the afternoon, it’s starting to snow and actually stick. Autumn is squealing like a little kid, practically bouncing in the passenger seat of my truck as she watches the snow come down while I navigate the slick roads carefully. She’s wearing a thick coat and one of those cute hats with a fur ball on top of it. Her cheeks are rosy remnants from the chill outside, despite the fact that I have the heater on full blast. And I’m kind of sweating.
Reaching out, I turn it down.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” she asks, her voice full of innocence. She’s been trying to work me over all day. I came close to spilling way too many times. Sucks that we can’t even check in until four o’clock.
“You’ll find out when we get there,” I tell her, purposefully vague. It’s driving her crazy, which has also been fun. I can never keep a surprise from Autumn.
Until now.
We drive out of her neighborhood and turn right onto the highway instead of going left, which would lead us back into town and eventually, off of this mountain. Autumn’s head whips in my direction the moment I make the turn.
“Why are we going this way?”
“You’ll see.”
An irritated growl leaves her, making me chuckle. I always thought she was fairly patien
t, but not today.
There are a few cars on the road, all of them keeping a fairly cautious speed level, which is a relief. I don’t have a lot of experience driving in snow, and I’m pretty damn grateful I’m not in my previous truck, which was old as hell and had shit tires by the time I got rid of it. I’d probably be slipping and sliding all over this road by now.
Autumn is very quiet as I drive. Almost too quiet. I’m mostly silent too, since I’m concentrating on the roads. By the time we’re driving into the small village where the resort is located on the east side of the lake, there’s a gleam in Autumn’s eye.
“I think I know where we’re going,” she says with confidence.
“Oh you do, huh?” I keep my gaze straight, not daring to glance over at my pretty, distracting girlfriend. The car in front of me turns left into the gas station and goes slipping across the road before the driver is able to right the vehicle.
Damn. I’m glad we’re almost there and about to get off these roads. The snow just keeps on falling.
“Yes,” she says with a firm nod. “But I’m going to keep quiet until we get there.”
“Hope that doesn’t mean you’re let down,” I say, hating the sudden doubt that washes over me.
“Oh no. Not at all,” she says breezily. “Like I would ever be let down by anything you do for me. For us.”
I can’t help but snort. “Come on. I’ve fucked up a time or two.”
“So have I,” she returns. “But look at us. Still together, am I right?”
“You are so right.” I reach over and give her knee a gentle squeeze before I place both hands on the steering wheel once more.
Yeah. Not going to take any chances.
We enter the resort parking lot and I make my way to the pull through the entrance, parking my car right in front of the giant double doors. I shut off the engine and climb out of the truck, jogging round the back of the vehicle to the passenger side so I can open Autumn’s door, only to find one of the resort hotel employees already opening the door for her.
“Thank you,” Autumn says to the guy, who looks to be about our age and is staring at her like she’s the most beautiful woman on the planet.
Which she is. But she’s my woman, so I send him a mean look and take her hand, walking with her through those automatic double doors that lead to the front lobby.
Autumn is completely oblivious to how that dude stared at her. She’s too busy glancing around the impressive lobby we’ve just entered.
“I’ve never stayed here before,” she says as she tilts her head back and takes in the soaring vaulted ceilings. “It’s beautiful! We ate at the restaurant a long time ago, when we first moved here, and just…never came back.”
“Who says you’re going to stay here now?” I tease, and she sends me a look, one that says come on.
I approach the front desk and offer up my name to the overly cheerful woman who greets us. “Ah yes, Mr. Davis,” the woman with a nametag that says Judy pinned on her chest says. She’s moving the mouse around and studying the computer screen in front of her. “Ah. It appears your cabin has been upgraded.”
“Really?” I frown. I definitely didn’t ask for an upgrade. I got the smallest cabin they offered, mainly because it’s just the two of us staying there for two nights, but also it was the only thing I could comfortably afford.
“Yes.” Her gaze still on the computer screen, she enters something on the keyboard every once in a while. “You’ve definitely been upgraded.” Her gaze meets mine and she smiles warmly. “I’m sure you’re going to enjoy your stay with us. You’re in one of our premium cabins.”
Autumn nudges me in the side and I glance down at her. “What did you do?” she asks, her voice low.
“It wasn’t me,” I tell her before I turn my attention back onto Judy. “There must be some mistake. I didn’t request an upgrade.”
“Well you received one, and it’s already been taken care of.” Judy smiles politely in my direction before she starts tapping on the keyboard once more. “If I could see your driver’s license and a credit card to cover any extra charges you might make, please. Once I’ve processed everything, I’ll give you your keys and you two can be on your way.”
Digging out my wallet, I hand over my license and credit card, then tap my fingers restlessly against the high granite counter, trying to figure out who got us an upgrade. The only ones I can think of who would do such a thing are the Callahans. Autumn’s parents. Most likely her mother. Very sweet gesture, but she didn’t have to.
Though I suppose when you have an endless supply of money like they do, a couple hundred bucks in upgrades is no big deal. I’m going to have to thank her when we go back to their house for Christmas. Maybe I should buy her another present…
“Here you go, Mr. Davis. Your license and credit card.” Judy hands them over. “And here are your keys. You’re staying in cabin six.” She offers me a small envelope with two key cards nestled inside.
Judy goes over the instructions on how to get to our cabin and wishes us a wonderful stay. Autumn takes my hand as we exit the lobby, smiling up at me as we stop at the passenger side of my truck and I open the door for her. “I’m so excited.”
“Not sure how much we’re going to be able to do, considering the snow is falling pretty heavily,” I say as she climbs into her seat.
“Everything I’m thinking of, we can do in the cabin,” Autumn says with a sly smile.
Her suggestive tone makes my skin go hot.
Sounds like we’re thinking about the same thing.
When I’m sitting behind the wheel and about to start the engine, she leans over and drops a soft kiss on my cheek. I glance over at her. “What was that for?”
“Thank you,” she murmurs, her eyes glowing, her lips curved in a barely there smile. “This is the best Christmas gift ever.”
“You haven’t even seen the cabin yet,” I point out.
“I know it’s going to be amazing.”
“Your parents had something to do with this upgrade,” I mutter as I put the truck in drive and carefully maneuver our way over to where the cabins are located.
“Isn’t that awesome? You know this cabin will be huge,” Autumn says, her head tilted toward the window as she checks out all the cabins we drive past. They get bigger and bigger the deeper we go.
“Kind of ridiculous since it’s just the two of us,” I say, only slightly annoyed. I want to take care of things on my own. I appreciate her parents so much. They’ve done a lot for me over the years, and I can never repay them.
Not that I want to sound like an ungrateful asshole, but I can handle shit on my own. I appreciate the upgrade, but we didn’t need it.
“Ridiculous and awesome. We can run around that cabin naked for the next two days and not have to worry about anyone seeing us.” She literally claps her hands and bounces in her seat, making me laugh. “I love my family, but I only just barely arrived, and I was already feeling claustrophobic.”
“There was a lot going on, I agree,” I say with a nod.
“The best part of this early gift? Is that we can be alone. Just the two of us.” I glance over at her to find she’s smiling at me, that glow still in her eyes. “I rarely get you alone.”
“I know,” I say. “This is why I got the cabin. So I can keep you to myself for a little bit.”
She’s full blown grinning now. “I like the way you think.”
I find a parking spot close to cabin six, secretly pleased it’s the same number as my jersey. Feels like it’s meant to be. Once we’re out of the truck, I hand the cabin keys to Autumn, I grab our bags out of the backseat and then we head for the front door.
“It’s two stories,” Autumn says as she waves the key in front of the sensor lock and the light turns green. She turns the handle and pushes open the heavy door, walking inside. “Oh my God.”
I follow her in, quietly shutting the door behind me as I stare at the living area in awe. Talk about a freakin�
� upgrade. This place is huge. There’s a massive rock fireplace that takes up one entire wall of the living room, and there’s currently a fire going inside of it. A large beige sectional takes up most of the room, and there’s even a lit Christmas tree sitting in front of the gigantic window that faces the lake. Outside, the snow is falling, caking the ground and the pine trees.
It’s a freaking winter wonderland.
“I love it.” Autumn turns around, her entire face lit up, her smile wide. “This is beautiful. I can’t believe we get to spend the next couple of days here. All alone. With no one to ask if we want to play video games or bake another five dozen cookies.”
I can’t help but laugh at her descriptions of Beck and her mom. “I can’t believe it either.” I drop our bags onto the floor and grab Autumn by the waist, pulling her in close and kissing her deeply. She returns the kiss with enthusiasm, her arms slowly circling my neck, her body snuggled up close to mine. I take the kiss deeper, sweeping her mouth with my tongue, circling it around her own. A little moan sounds low in her throat and I break the kiss before we get too carried away.
Probably shouldn’t be bending her over the couch within five minutes of entering this place, am I right?
“Come on. Let’s go check out the bedroom,” I tell her, a little out of breath, my mind on other things than just checking out a bedroom.
More like I want to see the bed. With Autumn on it.
She grins and heads up the stairs. I grab the bags and follow closely behind her, lust making me eager. And fast. The moment we enter the gargantuan bedroom, I’ve tossed the bags on a nearby chair and I’ve got Autumn back in my arms, my mouth firmly on hers. Forget trying to be patient.
I want her now.
I guide her toward the massive bed, taking her down with me as we fall onto the soft mattress, lying side by side and facing each other.
Damn. This bed is really fuckin’ soft.
“I feel like I’m floating on a cloud,” she murmurs.
I pull away from her, noting the dreamy expression on her face. “Ever fuck on a cloud before?” I ask her, wagging my brows.
“Asher.” She presses her fingers against my lips as if that will silence me. “So crude.”