The city where I would live too.
My entire life involved lying and manipulating the media, company shareholders, and powerful people. Everything was potentially doublespeak and half-truths. When Derek looked me in the eyes and told me exactly what was going on in his mind, my brain almost malfunctioned. Imagine adults just being honest about their intentions and feelings.
It was a novel concept.
I wasn’t sure I would have thought to put it all out there, but I’m glad he did. I wanted there to be no confusion. Our relationship hadn’t started conventionally, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t start building a proper foundation for one now. We could put on a pretend face for the world and still be real with each other when it counted.
He saw me in a way no one else ever had. He had me enjoying things I never expected and picturing a future that had never entered my mind. The cabin wasn’t luxurious, but being there had felt like a vacation from reality. If I wanted, this could be my whole life, not just a break from it. To make that happen, I wouldhave to talk to my parents and maybe give up any claim I have to the money I grew up with.
“Here we are, home sweet home,” Derek said, as he carefully backed his truck into the driveway of a cute and well-kept rancher-style house. It was painted a bright white, with black shutters around two large windows in the front. The door was painted a bright brick red, and the lawn was lush and green.
As Charlotte promised, there were no paparazzi out front. Still, we didn’t waste time in the driveway. Derek went to the back of the truck to grab our things, then opened the front door and hustled me inside.
The house opened right into the living room. It was an open concept with the kitchen, and there was a hallway off to the left. It was clean and bright, with subtle gray walls and detailed crown molding. Definitely not what I would have expected for a bachelor pad.
Derek rubbed the back of his neck. “It isn’t much.”
“Are you kidding? It’s beautiful.” I ran my hand over the intricate pattern of tiles around the fireplace. “Did you do this yourself?”
He flushed a little red. “Uh, yeah, I redid the whole house when I moved in.”
“Benefits of marrying a contractor,” I murmured as I moved into the kitchen, admiring more stunning tilework and an island with built-in storage. I turned to face him, leaning my hip against the sparkling white and gray countertop. “Care to give me the grand tour?”
He stalked into the kitchen and grabbed my hand. “Well, this is the kitchen slash dining room, obviously. Since I am the contractor who built it, I can confidently say the countertops and kitchen table are strong enough to have sex on. In case you wanted to christen your new home.”
I laughed. My new home. I loved the sound of that.
He went on to show me the main bathroom. Noting that the shower was big enough for two. The master bedroom and ensuite. Again, a shower for two and strong countertops. The last room on the tour was a large, bright room that was empty except for one small desk. “I use this room as an office when I do paperwork at home, but I was thinking, if you want, that is—” He paused and shifted his weight. “You could use this room for a photography studio. If you want,” he added quickly. “It just. It’s big enough. I think, anyway. And the light might be nice.”
My eyes threatened to water as I realized he had been thinking about how to make his home work for me and my dreams. Not only that, but he was nervous to tell me. I looked around. He was right. The room was a blank canvas that I could make my own. I wrapped my arms tight around his middle and kissed him before holding his eyes with mine. “Thank you. I think it would be perfect.” The wordsI love youalmost escaped my mouth, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep them in. I didn’t actually love him, did I? We’d known each other for a week. It was too soon to say the words. Probably too soon to even feel them. Still, I knew what I felt, and as we unpacked our suitcases and made a shopping list, the domestic bliss was almost too much.
Derek went back to work the next morning, and just as I was wondering what I would do with my day when I had no car, there was a loud knock on the front door. I checked the peephole to find Charlotte on the front stoop.
“Morning, sister-in-law. Hop in the truck, we’re going shopping.”
I still hadn’t turned my phone back on since arriving in Canada. I hadn’t checked my social media. I hadn’t even looked to see what the article Kirk had written about us said. The idea of all of that sounded horrible compared to a day of bonding with my new sister-in-law. Still, I hesitated. “What about—”
“Paparazzi? Most of the errands are a quick pick up, but you could borrow one of Derek’s hats to wear when we go into the mall. People shouldn’t be expecting to see you, hopefully they just think you’re a doppelganger.”
I chewed my lip. It was a risk. The last thing I wanted to do was renew interest in us, since it was dying down. But if I wanted to build a life in this town with Derek and his whole family, I couldn’t just hide in the house. “Let’s do it.”
Charlotte was all business as we hit the road. “We are less than one week from the wedding, so I have a list a mile long to get done. The programs need to be picked up from the printers, and the groomsmen’s suits need to be picked up too. There is a fabulous discount home decor store I want to stop at to look for candles and a few more odds and ends to decorate the tables.”
We started with the pickups, laying the suits on a blanket in the bed of the truck, then closing the tonneau cover to protect them.
“Should we do a Tim’s run before we head to the mall? I could use a double-double.”
“A what?”
“You know, a coffee.” Understanding dawned on her face. “Tim Hortons. Maybe you don’t have those in the States. It’s a coffee chain. Do you want something?”
I frowned. “What’s a double-double?”
She laughed. “Two cream, two sugar. Why it needed a special name, I have no idea. But, as a country, we don’t question it.”
“Well, if I am going to live here, I need my first double-double; let’s go to Tim’s.”
We got our drinks, then headed to a big shopping centre, parking in the shade of a tree at the back of the lot. The coffee wasn’t half bad, although I was excited to see Canada had Starbucks, too. Sometimes a girl needed something a little fancier than cream and sugar.
