Page 96 of (Un)Expected

We drove to the other side of town, not stopping at any of the places I expected. When we approached the road for the Fox Creek lodge, I instantly tensed, not ready to face my failure just yet. Instead of buzzing past it, Cole hit the turn signal, pulling into the lot.

I opened my eyes to see the sold sign swaying in the wind, and my lip instantly started to tremble, hating that someone else was going to give life to my dream. Or worse—that they’d be tearing it down to make some slick and modern motel.

Cole pulled the truck up to the main cabin, not waiting for me as he hopped outside. He came over to my door, meeting my scowl as he pulled it open. “What the hell are we going here?” I said, crossing my arms like a toddler.

“I’ve got something to show you.”

Cole reached out his hand, but I refused to take it. I didn’t want to be here. It was too soon.

He leaned in closer, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “C’mon, sweetheart.” He presented his hand again. “You trust me?”

“With my life,” I answered honestly. If there was anyone who could get me out of the truck, it was Cole.

I placed my hand in his, letting him guide me down to the ground. Even when I found my footing, he didn’t let go of my hand as he nodded toward the main cabin. “So obviously, this would be the main entrance, with check in and the dining room. Did you know that there’s an apartment above the lobby? You could hire an onsite manager, and the housing would be a great perk. You’d have someone here 24/7 in case of any emergencies.”

I shook my head, not processing his words. “Yeah, but–”

“And the dining room—it's got a lot of potential.” He pulled me up the front stairs. “If you blew out that back wall, you could put in floor-to-ceiling windows, give your guests a view of the lake.”

“My guests? What the fuck are you–”

He stopped at the top of the landing. “This would be a great spot for a porch swing. I could see us coming out here, admiring all your hard work, you reading one of those romance books Calla’s always leaving around, me watching you.”

“Cole, stop!” I snapped. “What are you doing?” I dropped his hand and started walking back to the car. “You know what? No, I don’t care. I can’t believe you’d bring me here, especially after someone else bought it.”

“You bought it.”

His calm demeanor made me even angrier. “Did you hit your head? You know I didn’t buy it! You were there when I came home crying from the bank.”

“Yeah, I was,” he said, walking toward me and taking back my hand. “And the moment you fell asleep, Calla and I started talking about a plan.”

A plan? My heart tripped over itself, trying not to get ahead of myself while also bracing for heartbreak. I kept my mouth shut, needing to know why we were here.

“Adam already committed to investing, so he was more than willing to lend more for the initial cost. Curt and Marta also wanted to help, so they contributed as well. Shit, even Theo was willing to invest.” He shook his head. “Calla and I don’t have much, but we’re more than willing to put some sweat equity into this place. I’m going to try to tackle a lot of the repairs, and Steve offered to help with anything over my head. Calla was way too excited at the idea of using a sledgehammer, so I suggested she could help design the cabins instead.”

He continued to talk about everyone in town who had stepped up, all wanting to see me achieve this goal. I couldn’t hear him, too transfixed on the wonderful man in front of me, the one I never expected would be my person, and now, I knew I’d never want to live without. If it was possible for a heart to truly burst from happiness, mine would have, all because of Cole.

Cole glanced down at me, and his brow furrowed. “Are you pissed?” He ran his hand over his face. “Look, I know this was meant to be your thing, but dammit, Alex, you have to let people help you sometimes. You’ve got too many people who love you, who want to make sure you succeed.” He started pacing, taking my stunned silence as annoyance rather than wonder. “If you’re mad, be mad at me. This whole thing was my idea. Please, Alex, talk to me–”

I reached up on my tiptoes, fusing my lips with Cole’s. He flinched for a moment at the sudden movement, and then met me with the same intensity. He stepped back, pressing me against the passenger side door.

“I love you,” I said as his lips trailed down my neck. “I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

Cole chuckled, pulling back to meet my eyes. His hand went to my cheek, his thumb brushing away my tears of joy. “I’d do anything for you, Alex.” With one last, lingering kiss, he put me down andheaded over to the other side of the truck. He opened the driver's side door, pulling out a stack of papers that were tucked under the seat.

“All you have to do is sign, sweetheart,” he said, passing me a pen. “Then, the Fox Creek is yours.”

“Ours,” I said, glancing up at him. “I want you to do this with me.”

He shook his head. “This was your dream, Alex. I just wanted to make sure you achieved it.”

I tucked myself against his chest, letting my hands rest on his shoulders. “That’s the thing, Cole—none of this matters without you. I want to run this place withyou. Fill it with more love and happiness than I ever thought possible.” I reached up, softly kissing him. “So let’s make this place the start of our beautiful, crazy life together.”

He stared down at me, a look so intense that if it was anyone else, I would have flinched. “Yeah,” he finally said. “If you’re sure.”

“More than you’ll ever know.”

“Then I’m in.” He reached down, hooking his hands under my thighs. As soon as he lifted me, my legs wrapped around his waist. Cole kissed me with reckless abandon, making every inch of my body sigh with contentment. “I love you.”

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