Three Years Later
“Holy fuck, it’s cold!” Travis holds his hands together in a fist in front of his mouth, blowing into them as his wild, excited baby blue eyes gaze at me while I rip my glove off and reach into my pocket to grab the keys.
Chuckling, I murmur, “Well, yeah, it’s something like thirty-three degrees out, dumping snow, and we’ve been snowboarding for the last four hours.”
Unlocking and pushing open the door, Nova greets us with a wagging tail and her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. Travis bends down to pet her as I close the door, kicking my snow-covered shoes off.
“I still can’t believe you got the same place,” he murmurs.
It’s our anniversary, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get out of town and go back to where our relationship officially started, the snow-capped cabin in Snoqualmie Pass. We’ve been back to the mountains several times over the last three years to snowboard and get away from the everyday life, but never back to this cabin.
The trip has been mostly a secret, as I’ve been planning it for the last few weeks. Travis knew we were goingsomewhere; he just didn’t know it was to the mountains until this morning when we were leaving the house. And now he’s practically bouncing on the balls of his feet all over again, and I couldn’t contain the grin on my lips even if I tried. Surprising Travis is always kind of hard. He’s such a snoop, and he hates being out of the loop, so the fact that I managed to keep this a secret until this morning is quite a feat.
“Do you want to take her potty while I get us some drinks poured?” I ask, needing him to get out of this cabin for a few minutes so I can set up.
Nodding, Travis grabs her leash, and they’re out the door again.
Standing and staring at the door he disappeared behind for a few moments, I kick into gear, heading into the kitchen. Pulling open the fridge, I find the bottles of champagne and the chocolate-covered strawberries sitting in there, just as I requested. Grabbing both, I meander across the hardwood floor, somehow managing to get the French doors opened without spilling everything. Right next to the hot tub is a table that I set the items on before heading back inside and finding the last piece of this puzzle.
I strip down and climb into the hot tub, pouring two glasses of the champagne while I wait for Travis and Nova to get back. There’s a slight tremble to my hands, and the fluttering in my gut almost tickles. Tonight is something I’ve wanted to do for a while now, but I wanted to make sure everything was perfect before I did.
My relationship with Travis over the last three years hasn’t always been a walk in the park. We each had issues we had to work through, both together and separate, and I don’t think either of us realized how hard it would be to learn to trust a partner again. We’d both been hurt in different ways, and a good part of that first year together was learning to work through it.
As much as I wanted to speed through every milestone and make Travis mine in any way that I could, it was important to him that we take things slow and not rush. Patience has never been my strong suit, especially when it comes to Travis, but I did it for him. About a year ago, we finally moved in together. Up until then, we were still living across the hall from one another, which seemed silly most of the time. Especially since we’d wind up in each other’s bed most nights anyway.
We didn’t move far—well, I didn’t moveat all—Travis gave up his lease and moved into my place with me.
This has felt like the next step for months, but I didn’t want to scare him off, so I waited.
But the wait’s over.
I hear the front door close moments before Travis yells through the cabin, “Matty?”
“Out here,cariño.”
My chest tightens, the blood roaring in my ears as I watch him through the glass door. A big, goofy grin is tugged onto his perfect, pink, full lips, and his baby blues are lit up.
“What’s all this?” he asks, reaching behind his head and tugging off his shirt.
Wagging my eyebrows, I tell him, “Get in. We got celebrating to do, baby.”
He spots the table beside the hot tub. “Are those the chocolate-covered strawberries from that place on fifth?”
“Yup, sure are.”
Travis climbs in, wrapping his arms around my neck, and pressing his lips down on mine. Everything about him—his touch, his taste, his scent—is intoxicating in the very best way. In three years, the electric vibration that runs through my veins every time I’m touching him hasn’t lessened any. Every kiss is like the very first one we shared in my apartment during a blizzard. Every time I sink into him, feel his tight warmth encompass me, it’s like it’s new all over again.
He's everything.
Travis pulls back, his thumb rubbing along my cheek absentmindedly as he gazes into my eyes. The smile on his face is slightly crooked, but full of the love I know he feels. “Thank you,” he breathes, emotion thick around the words. “For setting all of this up, and for bringing me here again. It’s perfect.”
“You’re perfect.” My lips trail along his jawline, peppering it with kisses while trying to not let him see how nervous I am.
One hand to my chest would give away how fast my heart is racing. I’ve gone over how this night would go for months. Even before I knew where I would do it, I knewhowI would do it, but nothing could’ve prepared me for just how fucking nervous I am right now.
“Can you believe it’s been three years?” I ask against his throat as I nip at the sensitive flesh, making him gasp. The sound sending a chill down my spine.
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
