Chapter 30: Chapter 30

LANCE

I feel like I’m floating as Wren and I shower together and get ready to have dinner with my family. I can’t help myself and end up pinning her to the wall in my shower so I can feel her again.

She’s agreed to stay here with me and I feel elated knowing she’ll remain in my arms, my home, my life.

At dinner, I can’t keep my hands off her, like I’m making sure to let everyone know that we come as a team now. Wren finally peels herself away from me to help my mom in the kitchen.

I’m hanging out with some of the guys talking about how Wren will be staying after the summer and how thrilled I am when Grant speaks.

“Really happy for you, Lance.”

“Absolutely, haven’t seen you smile this much in a long time,” Logan says. He’s joined us for the evening. He’s worked for my folks for years so he has seen me through all my ups and downs.

“I wish I could take her out to celebrate, but we’ve been avoiding Bryxton with all the drama,” I say.

“Why don’t you make a weekend of it elsewhere, where no one will know you?” Logan asks with a shrug.

“That’s a great idea. I’ll book a suite and take her to a nice restaurant,” I say, already thinking about Wren’s face when she hears we are going away for a weekend.

“What about the pup?” Grant asks.

“Oh right, Puck. Maybe my folks will watch him. Jeremy is especially attached to him so he’ll be excited.”

I turn to Jeremy, who’s sitting in a chair nearby. “Hey, Jeremy!” Jeremy gets up and approaches us. “How would you like to watch Puck for a whole weekend?”

His face lights up. “Really?!”

“Yeah, but don’t say anything to Wren or Mom yet, okay? Let me talk to them first.”

***

After dinner, Wren and I relax on my couch. Her head’s in my lap while she reads a book and I’m scrolling through available rooms for this weekend.

I click “book” on a suite at a nice lodge, then I put my phone down and start stroking her hair. She looks up at me and smiles.

“What?” she asks, an inquisitive look on her face.

“Let’s go away this weekend,” I say.

She sits up. “Where?”

“A beautiful lodge, two hours away. Where no one will recognize us and we can go out to a beautiful dinner and spend the rest of our time in bed,” I say.

She smiles. “Awww, that’s so sweet! But what about Puck?”

“Jeremy would love to hang out with him. And my folks will help. He’ll be treated like a king,” I say.

“I dunno, I can’t ask them to do that.”

“They’ll love it. Puck’s such a good dog. He’ll get regular exercise and he’ll get to curl up at the foot of Jeremy’s bed. He won’t even notice we’re gone.”

She grabs her chest. “Ouch!” she says jokingly.

I laugh then wrap my arms around her. “I just want to celebrate with you,” I say. “Away from all the shit we’ve been dealing with. I wanna treat you—you deserve it.”

She smiles. “All right, when do we leave?”

***

We take Friday off and Wren leaves a long list of instructions with my parents.

She even gives Jeremy a whole seminar on how to care for Puck, which is ironic since Puck’s pretty much the easiest dog in the world.

“All right, you ready to go?”

Wren looks back at Puck, who is chasing a ball thrown by Jeremy, then back to me and nods. She holds her hand out for the keys, but I hang on to them.

“I thought...I’d drive there.”

Her eyebrows go up. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve been driving around with Grant occasionally and I think I’m ready.

“Plus...” I grab her and kiss her lips. “If you can do something scary like change your life plans to stay in Montana, then I should be able to do something scary like drive you to a romantic weekend away.”

“Wow, that’s so sweet, and I’m so proud of you,” she says.

We get into the truck and drive away from the ranch.

I thought I’d be nervous having Wren in the car, but I’m fairly calm. Even though I wrecked on a country road, the highway makes me the most nervous with all the other drivers.

Finally, we pull up to a beautiful lodge with a meandering river and the Sawtooth Mountains in the background.

“Oh my god, Lance, this place is gorgeous!”

I squeeze her thigh. “This is just the beginning, love,” I say.

She beams at me before looking back at the picturesque scene.

After I check us in, we’re led to the top floor where we enter a gorgeous suite featuring a large, four-poster bed, a massive rock fireplace, and a breathtaking view.

The bed has a basket with champagne, glasses, fresh-cut flowers, two fluffy white robes, and a gift box with a red ribbon.

Wren gasps and looks utterly beside herself as she takes everything in. She turns to me.

“You did all this?!” she asks.

I cup her cheek with my hand. “I wanted to show you how much I care about you, and how glad I am that you’ve agreed to stay,” I say. I motion to the box. “Wanna open it?”

She smiles and I see her blush slightly.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a naughty gift.”

She opens the box and moves the tissue paper aside. A soft emerald-green fabric appears and Wren lifts it out of the box.

The dress is simple yet striking. It has a high neck, no sleeves, and it goes to the floor with a slit up one side.

“Oh, Lance.” Wren looks at the dress then puts it back down. “This is too much.” She looks sad all of a sudden.

“Lance, I can’t match this kind of stuff, ya know? I’ll never be able to…” She trails off.

I step toward her. I slide my hands around her back and pull her to me. She rests her head on my chest.

“Wren, I will never be able to repay you,” I whisper into her hair. “So if you’re trying to keep score, just know you’re miles ahead.”