Page 59 of Sweetest Hate

As he rolls to a stop, I scan the building that appears to need quite a bit of work. The porch sags a bit, and the awning over the bare porch looks like it could collapse at any moment, but from what I can see, the bones of the cabin seem intact.

I glance at Arsen, wondering why he'd bring me here. "Whose place is this?"

Arsen is staring out the window toward the lake that's maybe two hundred yards behind the house. "Ours…" His gaze shifts to meet mine, and he almost appears nervous. "It's ours If you want it."

I stare at him, replaying his words, but I can't seem to grasp clarity on their meaning. "What are you talking about?"

Arsen clears his throat. "It just went on the market last week. I only found out about it by chance because one of the guys that installed the windows at the shop owns it. What do you think?"

"What do I think?" I repeat as my heart hammers in my chest. "Are you serious? This place could be ours?"

"Would you be mad if I said it was ours already?"

My eyes widen as my jaw drops slightly. "What did you do?" I whisper.

"Um, bought it?" He winces. "If you hate it, then I can still tell the guy no. He's willing to do a rent to own option, and I'm sure he'd understand if you—"

"If I hate it?" I shake my head because the opposite is true. "Arsen, I can't believe you did this, but I love it." The emotion that clogs my throat catches me off guard, and I cough to clear the rasp. "Can we see inside?"

He digs out a key I don't recognize from his pocket and hands it to me. "It's all yours."

I snatch the key, and he chuckles as I jump out of the truck. He's close behind me as I take in the grounds around the place. The heavy woods are natural and untamed. Brush and wild bushes dot the spaces between the towering trees. As I get closer, it becomes obvious the place needs more work than I'd originally thought. I step onto the porch that threatens to buckle under my weight. I give him a nervous look.

"Obviously, it needs some work," Arsen says with a slight grimace. "But I've already made a list of everything that needs to be done to get the place back in shape."

My boyfriend was seriously the most thoughtful man I'd ever met in my life. Sometimes I wondered if I even deserved the kind of love he offered. Unwavering devotion that strengthened my love for him every single day. I shouldn't be surprised he'd done something like this, but I am. I didn't think something like this was even an option for us yet.

"We can tackle it together," I assure him as I unlock the door and then swing it open.

The family room is open concept and almost completely bare. A rectangular cutout between the cabinets in the kitchen waits for a refrigerator to be installed. No furniture is in sight, and still hanging in the air is the stale smell of burned wood that emanates from a used fireplace, which desperately needs to be cleaned.

"You can look at the list and add anything to it," he continues, but my eyes are drawn toward the windows lining the back wall and the view of the lake not far beyond. "And like I said, if you don't want it, I can—"

"I love it," I interrupt, spinning around and gripping the back of his head. Pulling him down, I place a kiss, full of appreciation for the crazy things he does for me, against his full addictive lips.

"Yeah?" He smiles against my mouth and pulls back a few inches. "I mean, I was hoping it was what you wanted. I'll get it fixed up and livable. We'd have to stay here while I do that, so that's something to keep in mind before you decide."

"You're insane, you know that?" I shake my head. "I can't believe you did this."

His gaze is warm as he scans over every inch of my face. "I'd do anything for you, little mouse." I swallow hard, knowing he means ever word. Before I can respond, he pulls back and grabs my hand. "There's more."

At this point, I'm not sure what he could show me that would make me any happier than I am, but I allow him to drag me down the hall with scuffed wood flooring. He pushes open the door to a bedroom. "This would be our room, but it isn't what I want to show you."

The room has to be swept out in the worst way. The floors are covered in dust and in need of a couple coats of polyurethane. The windows are filthy, and yet all I see are possibilities. "It's perfect."

Arsen scans the room. "I wanted to get out here sooner and get it ready, but I ran out of time with the shop and everything."

"I'm glad you didn't," I answer as I glance up at him. "I think it would be fun to take on together."

He has a strange look on his face I can only describe as guilty. "Actually…I did start without you, but only on one thing, I promise."

Curious, I tilt my head. "Okay, what is it?"

He steps back, tugging me with him. "I'll show you."

Interested, I follow him to the door directly across the hall and freeze the moment he swings open the door. My chest aches, and my throat constricts as I step inside. The room is spotless, or as spotless as the room could be, without a fresh coat of paint and several other things that will need to be done. None of those things really register as more than an afterthought.

The room has one window, but it makes up most of the wall that faces the most gorgeous lake view. Inside the room, there's a desk and a full free-standing easel, along with a smaller desktop version. Stacks of canvas boards in every size lean against the wall, and beside it is an art portfolio bag larger than the one I own. Without opening it, I already know it's perfect because Arsen has taken a genuine interest in my art from the day he discovered me painting.

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