We stayed at the beach for a few days before Owen decided on our next stop. He had chosen another spot where bathing suites were a must. This time we were at a lake.
The lake was private with a small cabin just off the shore. There was a dock out on the lake, a paddle boat sat on the rocks beside a canoe. Nothing but trees surrounded us, keeping us in what I felt like as our own piece of paradise.
"Oh, Owen," I gasped as we pulled up.
"Like it?" His smile was wide, proud of his choice to stay here.
"Look at that cabin! Are we staying in there?" I hated that I sounded more excited than I wanted to. He loved the van and I supported his desire to travel, but the scene in front of me was perfect.
He nodded and got out of the van. Maisie was already out the door, running down to the dock.
Owen met me around the front of the van, his eyes studying me closely. His arms reached out and I leaned into him.
"This is ours for a week." He informed me.
I looked up and raised an eyebrow, my smile grew wider. "A week?" I repeated.
"I know you're getting cramped in the van. Here we can spread out a little."
I reached up on my toes and kissed him. "This is more than perfect. Thank you."
"Help me bring some stuff into the cabin and I'll run into town for some groceries." He said and leaned down to kiss me again.
"I can go. Since we actually have a kitchen, I'll make dinner." I reached in his pocket and took out the keys.
He took them out of my hand and kissed my nose. "I'll go. Just give me a list."
I leaned away from him to look at his face.
He sighed heavily and put the keys back in his pocket. "I don't want you out there on your own. Your face is still plastered over every magazine on the newsstands."
"Ok," I backed away "you go then."
"Maisie come help!" Owen called out to her.
She got up from where she was sitting on the dock.
We unloaded the van and Maisie was quick to claim one of the rooms.
The cabin technically had two bedroom, but there was a sunroom that overlooked the lake which had a bed. The owners of the cabin had turned the sunroom into a beautiful bedroom. Windows lined the wall giving us a full view of the lake.
"We'll stay in here." Owen said, coming up behind me.
"I want to live here!" I said it as I thought the words, not meaning for them to come out.
"We can always come back on our way back through the area sometime."
I stayed silent in his arms, glad my back was to him so he didn't see the disappointment on my face.
Owen let his arms drop and he turned to go find Maisie. "Hey kiddo!" He called out for her.
"I have a room again!" I heard her say when he found her.
"Oh, you set up your snow globes!" He pointed out. I caught the surprise in his voice. He wasn't expecting us to settle so quickly.
The sunroom and two other bedrooms were separated by the large living room which was open to the kitchen.
I silently crossed the living room to stand behind Owen.
"Yeah," She answered, jumping on the bed so she could see her collection. They were on a shelf just above the bed. "I can have them all out on display instead of having to keep them in a bag. I didn't realize I had so many already!"
"Make sure you don't forget them when we leave."
"Can we stay longer? I think this is going to be my favorite spot."
He sighed heavily. "Are you and your mother having secret meetings or something?"
"What?" She giggled.
He shook his head. "Nothing, I'm going to the store. Stay here with mom."
He jumped slightly when he turned to see me standing there.
"Sorry," I chuckled. "Didn't mean to scare you."
I handed him the list of items I wanted him to pick up. He took it, kissed me and headed for the door.
"Mom, look what I found!" Maisie yelled, running into the living room and found me at the sink, washing the pots and pans I would need for dinner.
I turned in her direction and she held a box in her hands. "What's that?"
"It's Monopoly! Can we play after dinner? It'll be like back home!"
I couldn't help the tears that welled up in my eyes. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Sunday nights were spent around the dining room table playing some sort of game. The number one rule was that neither Owen or I could talk about work. It was a time to be spent together. We mainly listened to Maisie's stories she saved up through the week when we would be too busy to take a moment and sit down.
I grabbed a towel and dried my hands. I reached out and took the box from her. "Yes," I smiled down at her. "We can play."
I placed the box on the counter and she skipped back to her room.
Owen walked through the door, placing bags on the counter.
While he unpacked the bags and put food away, I went to work on dinner.
Smiling down at the set table, Maisie in her seat swinging her legs as she waiting for one of us to serve her. An array of food laid out across the table… this was home.
"That was good, Babe." Owen sighed, leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach.
I got up to grab his plate and kissed his cheek. "Glad you liked it."
Maisie quickly fell into our old routine. She helped Owen clear the table while I loaded the dishwasher and washed the dishes. Though this was always my least favorite chore of the day, I couldn't help but smile all the way through it.
Owen finally caught on to my mood and couldn't help but smile himself.
Maisie grabbed the game off the counter to show Owen. "Mom said we can play!" She told him excitedly.
He took the game from her and placed it on the table. "Think she's going to claim the banker role?" He asked her, opening the box to set up the game.
Maisie giggled behind me as I put the last plate back in the cabinet. "She always does."
"Because you guys cheat!" I called over my shoulder.
"I don't cheat! You're just a sore loser." He chuckled lightly.
The game ended the same way it always has. Me smiling as I claimed victory. Owen and Maisie shaking their heads at me.
"Of course you win." Owen chuckled.
Maisie yawned and I ushered her into her room to get ready for bed, while Owen cleaned up the game.
Her eyes were closed before I turned off the light.
Owen was still sitting at the table when I came out of Maisie's room. He was just finishing up putting the game pieces away.
I crossed the room and stood behind him, throwing my arms over his shoulders and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his flannel shirt.
He pushed back from the table as I moved around him and straddled his lap.
Without a word, his lips claimed mine hungrily. His arms tightened around me as he stood up and kept me in his arms until we reached the bed.
I made sure to pay attention to every inch of his body, his eagerness to take control was quickly shot down. I stayed in control until we were both laying on our backs panting.
"That was…" Owen sighed heavily.
"I know," I sat up and leaned over to kiss him.
"I win." I said and got out of bed to find my clothes.
"Excuse me?" He sat up and followed me with his eyes.
I raised my hands to motion at the roof above our heads. "Is this a house?"
He nodded.
"Is there more than a thin wall between us and Maisie?"
He narrowed his eyes and nodded again.
I pulled my t-shirt over my head and walked back over to his side of the bed. "Then I win."
"No way! This isn't our house, therefore I win."
I crawled onto the bed and curled into his side. "Face it, Owen. Your plan backfired. You did what I asked and I gave you what you deserved. Take it or leave it, but I win."
"So… we're here for a week. Does this mean…" He trailed off when I nodded.
"Sure you only want to stay a week?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're impossible."
"You married me!" I laughed.
"Yeah! Almost a decade later and I'm just now realizing what I got myself into." He moved so he was on top of me, his hand slipping under my shirt.
Even though I was exhausted I wanted to prove to him a house was better than the van.