Page 83 of Forever Mine

“I grew up in money. We lived in a huge house. We had nice cars. I get it, the pull of that. But it’s not for me. I want comfort, and I don’t really need much. So I’d rather the money go toward experiences than personal belongings.”

“What kinds of experiences do you want for your life?” I ask. I have a feeling I already know the answer, but I want to be sure we’re on the same page.

“For as much money as my family had, we never went anywhere. Maybe it was a safety issue. Most definitely a control thing. But we rarely left Texas. I was thrilled to move to Oklahoma just to get a new experience. I want to travel. I’ve never been to Europe. I want to eat a crepe beneath the Eiffel Tower and see the Coliseum in Rome. African Safari, Great Wall of China, Buckingham Palace, I want to see it all.”

“I’ll get you to all of those places,querida,” I say quietly as I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. I see her smile wistfully.

“I’d love that, Gabriel.”

We’re quiet for a few moments as I pull into a grocery store parking lot. “This is the last store before my cabin. Let’s get stocked up, and hopefully we won’t have to come back out here.”

“How far is your cabin?”

“About another twenty minutes. You know it’s basically just a room, right?” I warn. She giggles.

“I know. As I said, I don’t need much. Kitchen, bathroom, bed. That’s really all I need.”

“Got a good bed up there,” I whisper as I lean over and peck her lips.

“Oh yeah? You got plans for the bed?”

“Yep. And the counter, the wall, and probably the porch swing outside. Wherever I can take you, I plan on it. Gonna imprint you all over the cabin,anjinho.”

“Then hurry the hell up so we can get going already,” she huffs as she opens her door with a flourish. I chuckle as I get out of the car. Typically I only get simple items when I’m up here, choosing to eat like a child. Pop Tarts, Kraft Mac and Cheese, and frozen meals. But I’ve never brought anyone up here before. Never wanted to. My cabin has been a retreat, a place to decompress and unwind. So having Monica in my space is a huge step, making me want to change my entire scope.

Monica meanders through the aisles of the grocery store, humming to herself, which is fucking adorable. I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it. I can’t figure out what she’s humming, though. It sounds familiar, but I can’t identify the tune.

“Are we cooking meals, or did you have something else in mind for dinner?” she asks.

“Typically, I just eat frozen meals, but I’d like to cook dinner with you,” I tell her.

“With me?” she asks with a small smile.

“Yes,querida. With you. I want to do everything with you,” I say as I wrap an arm around her waist to pull her body against mine. My lips find hers, and she whimpers against my mouth. I deepen the kiss, forgetting we are in the pasta aisle of a grocery store, before Monica giggles and pulls away from me.

“Behave yourself,” she whispers with a smile. I give her ass a light squeeze before we continue shopping. We grab ingredients for spaghetti, baked chicken, steaks, and other meals. I’m also looking forward to cooking breakfast with her each morning, and Monica grabs a bunch of ingredients for desserts and s’mores when we have a campfire. She’s way too giddy about dessert and promises a ‘surprise’ one night. I hope it involves licking things off of her.

As I pull down the dirt and gravel driveway toward my property, I’m anxious to see Monica’s reaction. While the actual cabin is relatively small at less than one thousand square feet, it sits on a couple acres of wooded landscape with a mountain creek running along the back edge. I regularly see all kinds of wildlife traipsing through and have trail cams at a couple different spots for when I’m up here.

As the cabin comes into view, I hear Monica’s quick intake. “Gabriel, it’s beautiful!”

I let out a relieved breath as she grabs my hand and squeezes it. Throwing the car into park, I look over at Monica. “Come on,querida, let me show you around.”

She squeals and jumps out of the SUV before slowly turning around in a circle, soaking it all in. “I can’t believe you own this. It’s so peaceful. God, I could live up here and never complain about anything.”

“You wouldn’t want Target? Starbucks?” I tease, and she laughs.

“No. I can make coffee just fine, and Target is only an hour away. I think this view makes up for the lack of amenities,” she tells me as we walk onto the covered front porch. She gasps as she sees the porch swing. “Oh! I always wanted a porch swing. Which way is the sunrise? Can we see it from here? I want to sit here and watch it tomorrow morning. Do you have a bird feeder? I bet there are tons of birds. What kinds of animals do you see up here? Shit, are there bears? I bet there are bears. Oh my God, they’d think I was a fucking appetizer, wouldn’t they?”

I double over laughing as Monica stammers on about animals and birds.

“I’ll protect you, baby. No bears will eat you. Only me,” I tell her huskily.

“Can you eat me on the porch swing?” she asks with a wicked glint in her eyes.

“Told you,querida. I’ve got plans for you all over this cabin. Won’t be a single inch of this that hasn’t had us fucking on it.”

Monica shivers as she wraps her arms around my waist, placing her chin on my chest and looking up at me. “I love you,tesoro.”

---