You, Me, and Forever (Blushing)

“You aren’t going to tell me where you’re taking me?” she asked as we settled on the plane.

I studied her for a few beats. “You aren’t used to surprises, are you?”

“I’ve never really been surprised.” She chuckled. “I mean, my whole life is pretty planned out.”

“You never had a surprise party growing up?” I asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“No. My dad is a pretty logical guy, and he’d always worry about doing things right, because he was on his own. So we would talk things through. He’d ask if I wanted a birthday party or if I’d like he and I to do something special. So we’d plan things out. And I guess I’ve just always been that way.”

“I get that. I’m a planner. I live by a schedule and a calendar. I don’t like to be surprised. And I don’t normally surprise people, but I like the idea of surprising you,” I admitted.

Her gaze narrowed, and she smiled. “Why?”

“I don’t have a fucking clue, Honey Badger. But I wanted to take you somewhere special. You’ve been working long hours, and I thought it might be nice to take a break.”

“I just threw a bunch of different things in my bag, so I don’t even know if I have what I need.”

“You have what you need,” I said, because I’d already called ahead and made sure the house was stocked with everything she’d need. “Stop worrying. When was the last time you had a vacation?”

She thought it over. “I don’t really know. I mean, I’m twenty-seven years old. I don’t really take vacations. When was the last time you had a vacation?”

“I travel for work often. So I mix work and pleasure, because I’ll explore when I’m in different places, but I wouldn’t say it’s a vacation per se. But we’ve got three days, so we’ll call this a weekend getaway.”

“I’ve definitely never had a weekend getaway, unless you count my girls’ trip with Violet and a few of our friends from college to Cabo. But I needed a weekend getaway after that weekend getaway. It was like spring break gone wild.” She laughed.

“Did you go wild, Montana?” I asked, not hiding my curiosity.

“No. It’s not really my thing. And my friend Alana drank way too much and couldn’t stop vomiting on night one, so I was busy trying to hold her head up over the toilet all night. And then night two was spent with Violet insisting we do karaoke night and making fools of ourselves singing, until some guy came up onstage and got touchy, and Violet hit him over the head with a barstool, so we spent the night in jail. Night three, I stayed in the hotel alone and had room service.”

I laughed.

That’s my girl.

“You’re an old soul, Montana Kingsley.”

“I think I was born a fifty-year-old woman. I was making to-do lists for my dad in kindergarten.”

“I admire how close you are with your dad. The way he talks about you—it’s the way a parent should talk about their kid, you know?”

“How does he talk about me?” she asked as she popped a piece of blueberry muffin in her mouth.

“Like you set the sun. He’s so proud of you. You can feel how much he loves you just by the way he speaks. That’s rare. I notice the same with Charlie when he talks about Harper.”

“Yeah. They are both really great dads.” She cleared her throat, peeking up at me through long dark lashes. “Have you talked to your mom?”

“Yep. Apparently, Samuel was right. She and Gino have had an emotional relationship for many years. He’s her best friend, and she has feelings for him. She won’t consider dating him until her divorce is final.” I shook my head with a laugh. “She has this sense of loyalty to a man who has another child with a woman who works in our home. It’s insane to me that she would stick by him all these years, and feel the need to honor her marriage until a piece of paper tells her that it’s okay to move on. And do you know what she said to me?”

“What?” She was watching me intently, as if this was the most important conversation she’d ever had.

“She said that she stayed with him all these years for me and Samuel. She wanted to give us the perfect family,” I said, still trying to process those words.

“She thought she was doing the right thing. Sometimes when you’re in something, you can’t see your way out. I was in a relationship for years that was a dead end. There was no passion. It was just—comfortable, I guess. But sometimes when you’ve invested so much time into someone, you just don’t want to start over. It’s a cop-out and it doesn’t logically make sense, but it’s easier to see that when you’re on the other side of it. She was in this for so long that she probably justified it. She thought she was doing the right thing by you and Samuel. The right thing for her family.”

“I guess so. I just don’t get it. They fought all the time, because she knew the shit he was doing. And she knew that I knew about it years ago. How could she think that was a good environment for us? It only showed me what I didn’t want.”

“Sometimes that’s exactly what you need to see, Myles.” She shrugged. “Knowing what you don’t want can show you what you do want.”

“That sounds like some Freudian shit right there.” I laughed.

“I’m serious. You saw a very broken marriage growing up. You saw a dad who was a bit of a bully to his kids. And you knew that wasn’t for you.”

“And what did you see?”

“Well, I didn’t see any kind of relationship because my dad never dated anyone seriously when I was growing up. I mean, he’d go on dates occasionally, but never anything long term. But I saw a really good father. I know what it means to be that person for a child. I also know what it means to have a parent who wasn’t there, and I’d never want to be that. So I had to kind of find my own footing in relationships, because I had nothing to go off of. But I know what kind of parent I’ll be. And I also know what kind of relationship I want. And honestly, Myles . . .” She paused and interlaced her fingers with mine. “You’ve taught me that just in the time we’ve spent together.”

My heart pounded in my chest at her words. I was the last guy who should be influencing a relationship. Hell, I hadn’t had a serious relationship. Ever.

“How so?”

“Don’t panic. I’m not saying I expect that with you, but you showed me how good things could be. Even if for just a short time. It was never like this with Phillip, or with my boyfriend in college. It was sort of . . . meh. You know? There wasn’t passion and excitement. You and I have only known one another for a few months, but we laugh, and we fight, and we have a friendship at the core of all of it. And not every relationship needs to last forever to be impactful. Ours is one I will carry with me forever, though. Because you showed me what it means to feel treasured and cared for. And even if we never speak again after you leave, you’ll still be with me, Myles. It’s a connection, you know? And maybe we were meant to meet, and we’ve healed one another in a way.”

Her words hit me hard. I didn’t expect that. “You think I need to be healed?”

She smiled up at me. “Yes, Moneybags. We all do. Because deep inside, there’s still a little boy who carried a secret for his dad and felt the pressure to choose a career to please his father. So yes, I think we all need to be healed sometimes.”

“I’m content with my life, Montana,” I said, my voice hard. I wasn’t looking to be fixed. Or saved. I’d worked hard to get where I was.

“You can be content and wounded all at the same time. Both can be true.”

“You sound more like a therapist than a wedding planner,” I said, my voice lighter now. Because I knew she was right.

“Most of the time I’m both. I swear, I’m dreading doing Tracy and Bryan’s wedding. I don’t know why people tolerate her.” She shook her head and shrugged.

I thought about my father because I’d wondered the same thing about him many times. Yet I hadn’t completely cut him out of my life either. “I think sometimes you have a history with someone, and you feel an obligation, you know?”

“Well, you know the saying, ‘You can love someone, but that doesn’t mean you have to like them.’”

“I haven’t heard that, but I get it.” I did not like my father, but I suppose deep down I loved the asshole. Even though I didn’t want to.

“Stick with me, Moneybags. I’ll teach you all the things,” she said with a laugh.

Walker’s voice came over the speaker to let us know that it was time to prepare for landing. Montana stared out the window.

I had a home in Banff, Canada, that I’d bought a year ago because I’d gone to Calgary to check out a business opportunity that I ended up passing on, but I’d enjoyed the small town of Banff. So I’d found a home there and made it a place I used whenever I needed to work without distraction. It had become an escape for me, and it was my favorite place to spend a few days to decompress.

I’d never taken a woman here with me. My brother and Brianna had stayed at the house one weekend when he took off work, but I’d never brought anyone there with me personally.

But I wanted to do something special for Montana before I left.

Enjoy this last bit of time we had together.

And then we’d go our separate ways.

I’d never thought so much about an ending the way I thought about this one.

This dark looming cloud that kept reminding me that this would end.

I didn’t know why it was such a thing this time around.

But everything about Montana Kingsley was different.

“Okay, where are we?” she asked once the plane had dropped its wheels and landed safely on the ground.

“Such an impatient little Honey Badger.” I smirked. “Come on, let’s go.”noveldrama

Whitney and Walker both said they’d meet us back here in three days, and we said our goodbyes. My car was waiting for me at the airport, since I didn’t use a driver when I came here.

I kept a car here to make it easier.

It was usually just me.

But I was looking forward to sharing this place with her.

We climbed in the car, and I turned toward her. “We’re in Banff, Canada.”

“Banff. I’ve always wanted to go to Banff. I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”

I drove the short distance to my house, and she stared out the window at the surrounding mountains.

“It’s so pretty here.”

“Yeah. They’ve got a charming downtown area that’s similar to Blushing, but it’s a pretty peaceful place.” I pulled into the long circular driveway, and she gaped at the house.

I’d fallen in love with the architecture. Rich woods and stone covered the exterior, with large black-paned windows from floor to ceiling; two peaks on each side of the home were covered in stone.

“Wow. Myles. Did you design this place?”

“No. But if I were to design a home, this would be it. I knew the minute it hit the market that I wanted it.” I put the car in park and moved around to help her out. I grabbed our bags, and we made our way up the two steps to the tall front door. Once we stepped inside, she came to an abrupt stop, turning slowly and taking it in. The back wall of the home was floor-to-ceiling glass doors that were opened to the mountains.

“This is spectacular.”

“Yeah. It’s the perfect indoor-outdoor living. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

She chuckled. “How are the doors already opened and the fire is going in the fireplace?”

“Sistine is a woman who takes care of the property for me. She stocks the house before I arrive and comes and makes sure the heat is on and gets the fire going and leaves groceries in the refrigerator.”

Her eyes were wide. “That sure makes it easy when you get here.”

We spent the next few minutes going from room to room as she admired every single feature from the claw-foot tub to the stone fireplace in the primary bedroom and bathroom.

“Are you hungry?” I asked, taking her hand and leading her toward the kitchen.

“Starving.”

“Good. Let’s see what she brought us.”

The kitchen cabinetry was black, with a huge copper hood over the oven. The island was a dark wood, and all the counters were white marble with gray veining.

I opened the refrigerator and pulled out a few to-go containers. Montana jumped up to sit on the counter, and I turned around to find her watching me.

“What?”

“Do you bring a lot of women here?” she asked as I pulled out two plates and set them on the counter.

“No. I’ve only come here alone. It’s a place I like to decompress.”

“Thank you for bringing me here, Myles. I’m excited to decompress with you,” she teased.

I moved to stand between her legs and wrapped my arms around her neck. “I plan to do lots of decompressing after we eat.”

“I can get on board with that.”