The image was slightly unsettling. It threw me off balance. Was I actually contemplating making this thing between us more permanent?
Was it even possible?
Because there was one huge barrier... Adam.
Honestly, I was getting more than a little sick of tip-toeing around his poor wittle feelings. Marlena and I were adults. And if we wanted to be together, that was between us. We didn’t need Adam Ducate in the middle. I wasn’t into those kinds of threesomes.
“My big mouth friend Hannah told Mom I was seeing someone. So of course, she started role-playing grand inquisitor,” Lena finally said.
“You told your friend about us? Aww, baby, you’re talking about me.” The fact that she was talking about me with her friends was a good sign. Perhaps this weekend would be the push we both needed to take this thing into the light.
Lena snorted and rolled her eyes dramatically. “Make room for the giant ego.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes. There was no bite to her tone. “Yeah, I told Hannah and Jenna. I should have known better though. Hannah and secrets are like oil and water.”
I reached across the center console and took her hand, lacing our fingers together. “So what did your Mom say when she found out about us?” I asked. I ran my thumb along the back of hers. Her skin was cold.
“I told her there was no one, of course,” she replied as if it should be obvious.
I tensed. “So, I’m still the dirty little secret.” I couldn’t help but sound resentful. Because I realized that I was.
“Don’t be like that, Jeremy. We agreed that what was going on between us stays between us. There’s nothing to tell anyway. And if Adam found out—”
“He’d kick my ass. Blow a gasket. Yeah, yeah, I know the story by heart,” I snapped.
Lena stared at me in surprise. “Does that hurt your feelings?” she asked incredulously. “Why? Because you can’t go around bragging about your latest conquest?”
Why did she have to do that? Turn everything around and make me out to be the bad guy in this scenario. Why did there have to be a bad guy?
I dropped her hand and gripped the steering wheel. Maybe this trip was a bad idea. The snow was starting to fall a little harder, but the roads thankfully remained clear.
I was contemplating turning the car around and forgetting the whole weekend away when Lena put her hand on my leg. “I’m sorry. That was messed up for me to say. I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. My emotions are so out of whack. I shouldn’t use my ridiculous insecurities as a reason to attack you.”
I wanted to tell her she had no reason to be insecure. To remind her that I wasn’t with anyone but her. That I didn’t want to be with anyone but her.
But talk was cheap. I knew my recent past painted a not so pretty picture. Instead of telling her, I’d have to show her. Starting with this weekend. I lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, squeezing her hand to my chest. “That’s why you need a chill weekend away.”
She let out a sigh. “You’re right. I think this is just what the doctor ordered.”
“Okay, I’m going to relinquish control of the music. It’s all you,” I told her magnanimously.
She widened her eyes dramatically. “Wow. Those are bold words, Wyatt. Do you know what you’ve done?”
I laughed. And as we drove away from Southport, I felt myself lighten.
**
We arrived at the cabin a little after four. We had to drive off the main road and through the woods for a good thirty minutes before finding the driveway tucked into the trees.
“You’re not taking me out here to kill me and dispose of the body, are you?” Lena teased as I turned off the engine.
We got out of the car. The porch light had been left on for us as it was already growing dark, given it was less than a month until Christmas and the sun was already setting. The snow was still coming down, but not hard. Just enough to dust the ground. It was completely silent.
I took Lena’s hand. “Come on, let’s get warmed up.” I led her to the front door and entered the keypad combination I had been given by the rental agency.
Once inside, I was glad to see that the heat had been cranked. It was warm and toasty. The cabin was beautiful. Not overly large, but luxurious. I turned on the lights as we walked down a short hallway that led to an open living room/kitchen area. The entire back wall was composed of glass that overlooked a snow-covered valley. The setting sun bathed the area in soft, red light. The living room was sunken and furnished with plush couches and throw pillows. A large stone fireplace took up most of one of the walls and someone had already started a fire that crackled nicely. The kitchen was state of the art with gleaming stainless-steel appliances and a commercial gas range.