Page 43 of Driving Me Mad (Sanity 1)

I believe him, too. Maybe I worry about us, about myself, about school, about my family, and a million other things. I worry about Trace some, too. I can’t help it. However, I have the utmost faith and trust in Trace. I believe what he says, believe he will follow through, and believe he’ll take care of me. It’s in this moment that my worries about us lasting fade away. With a guy like Trace being as fantastic a boyfriend as he is, how can we ever fail?

Brittany slowly came off her old medication before starting the new one. She hasn’t been on it long at all, only two days, but so far, she hasn’t had any negative side effects. It gets me so excited because we could potentially have a problem-free weekend for our romantic time away from home. I think my increase in meds has helped me too. Our week has been calm and blissful. I’m on my way home from work to pick Brittany up and head to a cabin in the mountains. It’s an obvious yet perfect place to go during the winter.

I laugh when I pull into the driveway. Brittany is sitting on the porch with her luggage and a tote next to her. Crazy girl. I gave her a key earlier this week so she’d be able to get in.

“Aren’t you cold?” I ask once I get out.

“I’m excited about our trip,” she answers, standing up. She lifts on her tiptoes to press her freezing cold lips to my mouth. “Ready?”

“Yep.” She keeps hold of her tote and purse, but I take her luggage from her and lead her to the car. I put my things in the car this morning.

“How long will it take us to get there?”

“A few hours.”

“Then, I’m going to work on homework.” She pulls out a textbook and a book light. So that’s what was in the tote.

“Why haven’t you done it already?”

She cuts me a glare. “One of my classes is online, and the instructor just posted our assignments today. If I can get a chapter read and do my work Sunday or Monday, then why not? It’s not like we’re doing anything right now.” Brittany slips off her shoes and props her feet on my dash.

“As long as the tote stays in the car once we get there. This is a homework-free weekend.”

“What if we have free time?”

“It’s a romantic weekend, remember? That means no free time and no homework because we’re going to be busy doing romantic things.”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Trace,” she laughs. “I’ll leave it in the car.” She would take it inside and try to work on it if I let her, though.

“Is the radio going to bother you?”

She reaches out and turns it down a little to where it’s low background music. “That okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

The drive is boring. Brittany finishes her reading just as I pull into a grocery store only a few miles from our final stop.

“Where are we?”

“Bryson City. We’ll need some food, and then we can go to the cabin.”

The smile Brittany gives me is worth everything. She has genuine smiles that she gives me, but this is a mega-watt, happy to the nth degree kind of smile. And I’m the one who put it there! I lean over and give her a quick kiss before we get out of the car.

“Do we need a cart?” she asks.

“A basket should work.”

She grabs a basket and we head to the meat department to pick out a few things. Next are a few simple sides. Finally, I lead her through the store to the marshmallows. She surprises me by not asking any questions as I grab a bag, then a jar of peanut butter, and lastly, a box of Ritz crackers. I brought cases of Sun Drop, just so I wouldn’t have to worry about drinks, so we’re done shopping now. Which is good because we were on the verge of needing a cart.

“Question,” Brittany says as we check out. I glance to her. “Why did I bring my bikini if we’re spending the weekend at a cabin in the mountains?”

“There’s a hot tub.”

Her response is a simple smile and a nod. Once I’ve paid for everything, we leave the store and finish the drive to the cabin. The gravel driveway is a little long, leading to a secluded one-story cabin. Brittany grabs most of the groceries while I get our luggage. The key was left under a flower pot since we would be arriving late.

“This place is so cozy!” Brittany says as she begins unloading the groceries.

“Glad you like it.” I kiss her temple. “I’m going to grab the drinks.”

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