Their Steamy Cabin

7. Hunter

SEVEN

It’s beenabout a month since Savvy entered my life.

And what a wonderful adventure it’s been.

After I ran off her father, I arranged for her to join me full time. Moving in with your boyfriend this fast is unusual, but I wasn’t going to let her go back to live with her father. Not after what he threatened. I did help her go get the things that mattered to her, including some more changes of clothes and some stuff that belonged to her mother.

Given we found them in the trash, her father didn’t fight us too hard on these things.

Now Savvy is tying up her boots. She didn’t let me buy her too much, but if she was going to take to the woodsman’s life with me, I told her a good pair of boots was absolutely required, and she relented. Beyond that, she put a stop to a lot of the things I wanted to buy, always insisting that she wasn’t here to mooch off my money.

Which I always found funny because of all the things I had, I never thought money was one of them. I had enough for me and my future family. My savings were good for dealing with any emergencies. I guess I’m not broke, but battling off gold diggers was never something I’d be worrying about.

She looks damn fine all dressed up to head out into the forests. The tightness of her jeans, the way her flannel still shows off her curves, I’d say she’d look damn nice in anything, but she absolutely rocks the style of practicality.

“Are we ready to head out?” she says as she saunters up to me.

“Yeah, yeah, but hold on a second.”

I hear an engine rumbling in the distance. Up the hill rolled up a big-ass truck, carrying its big ol’ payload of lumber. The beast of a man shuffles out of the driver’s seat and hits the ground, in boots made for working instead of hiking. “Got all the wood you need right here,” he says, gesturing to his cargo.

Savannah tilts her head. “Wood?”

“I’m expanding the cabin,” I say.

“You mean our steamy cabin?”

I chuckle. “Yes, our steamy cabin. I know you keep saying I don’t need to, but you need a space of your own, too, Savvy.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be needing my own bedroom, Hunter. I think we’re definitely happy sharing yours.”

I let out a hearty laugh. “But you need a spot to store your yarn and practice your knitting.”

She’d taken my advice and started visiting one of the old knitters down in Evergreen Valley. She’s really got a knack for it, and Clara is so eager to share her time-tested skills.

“And we’ll also need more space if... uh... you know.” I raise my eyebrows. Of course, we’re both adult enough to know exactly what we’re talking about, but I couldn’t help but get her giggling by being vague and suggestive. “We’re going to need to turn it into a mansion, with how we’re going at it.”

She wraps her arms around my shoulders, and we share a brief yet electric kiss. Looking into my eyes she says, “An actual palace would really clash with the rustic aesthetic you got going anyway.”

The truck driver makes his way over. “Damn, you must be really head over heels for this girl.”

I’ve known Bear for ages, and he is as wide as he is tall, and he’ll tell you it’s all muscle, and he’s only half lying. “What makes you say that, Bear? Was it the kissing or the endless longing gazes where I’m obviously fantasizing about the things I want to do to her?”

“Why not both?” He shrugs. “You usually rush over to help me unload.”

“Oh. Oh, right, sorry.”

Savvy chuckles at my impoliteness, and I turn to helping him get the lumber stored away. I ain’t starting on the project immediately, but it’s good to have the materials on hand.

With some muscle, we manage to take it all off Bear’s truck and into a nearby shed.

“Have to say I’m slightly jealous,” Bear says out of Savvy’s earshot. “Finding a girl like that is really something.”

“Never know what you’ll pick up on the side of the road.”

“Yeah. Wait, what?”

“I’ll tell you the full story sometime. But till then, just going to say you never know when love will strike.”

“Hope you’re right on that one, man.”

Soon enough, Bear is on his way down the mountain and Savvy and I are starting our hike.

It’d been a regular thing between us, where we’d just take a walk and chat about everything and nothing, just enjoying one another’s company. That I enjoy her presence regardless of what’s going on. I never want to be without it. Not for the rest of my days.

We make our way toward the Old Man in the Forest. We giggle as we remember what we did there. We’d visited it on most hikes, being a hell of a good landmark to plan your hikes around.

She lounges against it, taking a load off. “Still surprised how exhausting just walking can be.”

I take her hands in mine. “With everything you have to avoid, hiking is way more than just walking, Savvy.”

“Yeah, I know, but you’d think the long hours at the diner would have helped me deal with it better.”

“There will be many more hikes for you to get used to all of this. We’re going to go farther sometimes.”

“I’ll be ready for it. With you by my side, there’s nothing I won’t be ready for, Hunter.”

I hope that’s true, as I did have a point to coming to this tree today. I take a deep breath. I know her answer. It’s a given. She’s all but told me she wants it more than a few times. But I waited. It seemed sensible. We needed to see if the passion burned out, if one of us has disgusting habits that would be a deal-breaker. If there is anything like that popping up, she’s damn good at hiding it.

“Hey, Savvy,” I say, before taking a deep breath. I’m not an anxious man. I don’t fret over things easily. But this? This is making me sweat.

“What’s up?”

I take her hand into mine, and then I look into her eyes. “You’ve brightened my life in ways that I never thought possible. You’ve shown me passion, lust, love, and everything else. Your heart and soul has been bared to me, and they have told me that you’ll be a wonderful partner and a wonderful mother.”

Her eyes go wide as I’m talking. She’s been expecting this, but nothing can prepare you for when the moment actually happens.

“Let’s just seal the deal, baby. We’ve both wanted it from a day after being together, cold logic being the only thing keeping us apart.” I drop to one knee, and present it to her. A shining silver band, with a modest sapphire embedded in it. She had told me she wanted something simple and practical when we discussed it, so I went for it. And if she disagreed, I’d always help her find another.

But what it is right now is a symbol. A declaration of love.

“Marry me, Savannah. Be my wife and let us build an absolutely beautiful life together.”

“Yes,” she says, no hesitation. She’d been waiting for it, and she was ready. “Yes, I’ll marry you, a thousand times yes. I would have said yes a month ago, Hunter.”

I smile, and slide the ring onto her finger. I rise up and plant a kiss on her lips, pinning her against the tree, with lust in my eyes. “Oh, I know. But I’m sure we can make up for lost time, babe.”

“Shut up and take me. Make love to me like I’m your fiancée.”

“Gladly. Because you are,” I say, laughing at our cheesy jokes.

We’d face struggles, hardships, and heartaches. Those are just unavoidable parts of life. But all of those pains would be lessened and endurable with her by side. We’d face them together, overcome them together, and enjoy the rewards of our efforts together.

She’s my girl. My woman.

And will soon be my wife.