He chuckles as Violet scrunches her nose up. “You’re not as smart as you look, are you?”
“I guess not,” he says with a laugh. “But I am hopeful.”
She leans in and whispers conspiratorially to him. “Does this cabin have an extra room for me?”
“Of course,” he whispers back. “I’ll even get you your own bed.”
“Then I can convince her to come visit,” she whispers to him. “If I’m invited too.”
“Sounds like a deal.”
I smile as they shake hands.
He’s already won my niece over and she’s a toughie.
This keeps getting more and more complicated.
On the last day, I’ve earned three badges. One for chopping firewood, one for making a campfire from scratch, and one for giving head. The first two were from Carla and the last one was from Cyrus.
I’ll let you guess which one was my favorite to get.
“You have to put your weight on it,” Cyrus says to Violet as he shows her how to roll up a tent properly. “You have to get it as tight as possible so it fits back in the bag.”
Those two have become the best of friends. He’s taught her all kinds of wilderness survival tactics, while I sat back with my book.
But I haven’t been totally lazy. I’ve connected with nature while out here. I learned some names of trees and birds, and the hikes have been pretty amazing.
This trip has opened my eyes to the beauty out here. It’s opened my eyes to a lot of things. It’s not going to be the same going back to New York City, living in my tiny apartment and working my stressful job. The nights will be so lonely, my empty bed so cold. I know I’m going to be thinking of Cyrus non-stop, wondering what he’s doing, wondering if he’s thinking of me.
“I don’t want to go back,” I say to him when it’s almost time to leave.
His face lights up with hope. “You don’t?”
I shake my head.
“Then stay,” he says in a desperate tone. “Stay with me. For a while and then we’ll go back to the city together. Your boss will understand.”
“No, she won’t,” I say with a laugh. She’s going to flip her lid when she finds out that I won’t be there Monday morning. She didn’t even want me going on this trip even though I hadn’t taken any vacation for over three years.
“You’ll make her understand,” he says.
They are looking for lawyers and having a hard time finding any. I know I could go part-time if I’m forceful about it. If I don’t give them any other choice.
“What are we going to do tonight if I stay?” I ask with a flirty grin.
“We’re going to fuck,” he says in a deep sensual voice. “All night. You. Me. Naked. Sweaty. Hard fucking. You’ll cum so many times you’ll lose count.”
I suck in a breath as I contemplate it for about 0.2 seconds. Yeah, fuck that. I’m not showing up on Monday morning. Or Tuesday.
Or for the rest of the month for that matter.
I’m staying with my mountain man.
In our little mountain paradise…
Epilogue
Mia
* * *
Two years and a bit later…
* * *
“You’re getting so good!” Violet says as I expertly dunk my paddle into the lake and maneuver the canoe around a big rock.
“I know!” I’m still shocked every time I’m able to do anything remotely decent out here in the forest. “I’m like the best canoer, canoeist? in the world!”
Just as I say that and get a little cocky, a black fly takes a chunk out of my neck. I smack it hard and the canoe wobbles dangerously.
Violet turns around and looks at me with her eyebrow raised. “The best what in the world?”
“Never mind,” I mutter, and we both chuckle. “I guess I’m getting a little too cocky.”
She laughs as she turns back around and we start paddling across the lake, enjoying the calm, serene sights and sounds of nature. It’s a beautiful day.
I lean back and let the sunshine wash down on my face as I think back on the amazing year I just had.
We had a baby! An adorable little boy we named Benjamin. He’s been staying with his aunt Cassandra for a few days while we took in Violet. I didn’t want to let him go, but Cassandra insisted that she get some bonding time with the little tyke. He’s fourteen months old and I miss him so much even though it’s only been two days.
I love watching him with Cyrus. He’s the best father. So patient and loving. My boy is lucky to have a man like him to look up to. So am I.
Cyrus and I moved in together in the city after only knowing each other for a few days. A few weeks later, we bought a gorgeous place in the Upper West Side. We currently spend about half the year there, and the other half here.