He grimaced. “Looks like it.”
“And there is talk of me suing the company? Holy cow. How will I be able to face them?” I wondered out loud.
“Do you want to?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s totally your choice, but you don’t have to work, you know. I’ll support you. Or, if you want to work, work wherever you want. You could take a break from the company if you wanted to.”
I grew quiet. “Is this your way of saying I have to resign?”
“No! Not at all! If you want to keep working there, that’s totally fine!”
I wanted to believe him. I was still mulling it over when he said, “Actually, I’ve been thinking I might quit.”
“What?” This was a shocking development. Matthew loved his job, being the boss. It was all he had ever talked about, being the CEO of Egal, taking over from his father.
“I don’t know. I’ve just been thinking… “
Our conversation was interrupted by a sign for the hotel, and we took the next turn off. The road snaked off into the mountains and it was hard not to be distracted by the stunning mountain scenery. The resort was quite deep in the mountains, surrounded by thick vegetation. There was a main lodge and several smaller cabins, hidden amongst the trees of a pine forest. Elevated wooden walkways connected the cabins to the main lodge and gave the impression of being up in the foliage, like tree houses.
“This is amazing!” I said, my breath taken away by the exquisite log cabins.
“Did you see the bathrooms?” Matthew asked me, a naughty grin on his face. “I saw this place online, I figured it looked amazing.”
But I was walking through the living room and into the bedroom, which had a big glass wall looking out directly over the forest. There was a drop into the forest floor so it was completely private, there was no way anyone could walk past the window and see you. This view of leaves and branches, birds flitting from tree to tree was mesmerizing.
“There is only one bedroom, but I figured I’ll take the couch,” Matthew said, pointing to a wide sofa in the living room. I gave him a look.
“Really, I don’t mind. I asked for a two-roomed unit, but they didn’t have one and I didn’t want to miss out.”
I realized he was being serious. He really had tried to find a two-bedroomed cabin so I wouldn’t assume we’d sleep together. He would bring me to a place like this, the epitome of romance and not expect me to put out.
Was this where I fell in love with him? Properly, deeply?
Maybe.
I certainly fell in lust with him. Perhaps my hormones were going wild, I had heard about that happening during pregnancy. Because all I could suddenly think about, was the two of us getting naked.
He sat on the couch, testing it out with his hand and calling out to me that it was fine and that he would be able to sleep there.
“Matthew?”
“Yes?”
“Would you come here please?”
He came to the bedroom, where I was lying on the bed. “Come feel this mattress, tell me what you think.”
I saw him hesitate, wondering what I was playing at. But I kept my face straight, pretending to press down on the coverlet. “I’m not sure if this bed will do.”
“Really?”
He came over, leaned down to touch it. I reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him down on the bed. He fell next to me on the bed, laughing. He smelled clean, spicy and I was overcome with a rush of desire for him. With his day-old stubble, those dark, smoldering eyes, he was so attractive. I couldn’t believe we were here, all alone, in this stunning cabin. I leaned over him and kissed him, hungry, and sensing his hesitation, pulled back.
“Not what you had in mind?” I asked.
“No… I mean… yes! But what about the baby?”