It had been a week since Maverick had whisked her out of the winery and to Hideaway cabin, and her life had been one hell of a whirlwind since.
She listened to the noises coming from the kitchen as Maverick and his brother, Everett, packed the dishes, pots, pans, and appliances she’d chosen to take with her to Virginia. Given the fact Hideaway had been fully stocked with all new things during the renovation, she’d probably kept more than she should. However, there was sentimental value attached to many of Gigi’s funny mugs and wineglasses, as well as the brand-new air fryer they’d treated themselves to for their last Christmas together, and Gigi’s favorite “scrambled egg” pan.
She’d gone through the kitchen before them, pulling out all the items she intended to donate locally, so now, the guys were wrapping the “keep” pile in paper and boxing it all up. While it would be quicker and easier to just throw everything in the house into boxes to sort through it later, she was viewing this move as a true fresh start. As such, it felt better to dothe cleaning out on this end, so that the only things going to Gracemont with her were the items she truly wanted to keep.
Once she and Maverick had managed to pull themselves out of the cabin on Tuesday afternoon, things had switched into fast-forward. Maverick had become a man possessed in regards to making her move to Gracemont official. And she wasn’t a bit mad about it. His enthusiasm was feeding hers, and Ella truly couldn’t recall ever feeling this damn happy in her life.
Maverick walked out of the kitchen, heading straight over to give her a kiss.
“What was that for?” she asked, grinning.
“I missed you.”
She laughed. “I left the kitchen twenty minutes ago. And I’m literally in the next room.”
Maverick shrugged. “Firefly, I hate everything your father put you through, and I know you had no control over leaving, but it’s going to take me some time to truly believe you’re here to stay. I’ll get there, I promise. But until then…I’m probably going to be a stage-five clinger.”
Ella appreciated that he was joking—maybe—but she couldn’t laugh because no one had ever wanted or needed her as much as Maverick.
“I love you.” Even as she spoke those words, she knew they weren’t for him as much as for herself. Because this love was so different from every other type she’d experienced in the past, and it was by far the strongest.
Maverick grasped the back of her neck, pulled her to him, and kissed her so deeply she felt it all the way to her toes.
“I love you so much I can’t breathe,” he murmured against her lips as they parted.
“Hey, was I supposed to pack these dish towels for Gracemont? They were sitting next to the donate pile, but Ithought you said you wanted them,” Everett yelled from the kitchen.
Maverick and Ella laughed quietly.
“Donate,” she said to Maverick, as he headed back toward the kitchen.
He gave her a jaunty salute and a wink. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes to make sure you’re still here,” he joked.
“I’m kind of a flight risk. Better make it ten and come with kisses or cookies. Surprise me.”
Maverick grinned. “God, I love you.”
Ella sighed happily as she turned back toward the bookshelf she’d been packing in the living room. Most of the books were hers, some she’d written, others her all-time favorites. She reached for Gigi’s copy ofThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Pulling it off the shelf, she flipped through the yellowed pages fondly. This book was the one that had hooked Ella on fiction. Gigi had read it to her when she was young, and it sparked something inside her. There was something about the idea of escaping through a magic portal into a different world that had appealed to Ella greatly when she was a child, even if there was an evil white witch waiting on the other side. Obviously, Ella had been searching for a better home for most of her life.
And now, she was certain she’d finally found it.
All because Edith had discovered her books and sent an email.
Edith had been thrilled when she and Maverick told her they were moving in together. The older woman claimed she’d known the moment Ella told her about their secret high school relationship that she was Maverick’s one true love, and it was fate that had brought them back together.
Ella still wasn’t one hundred percent convinced that the Storm legend was real, but she suspected it wouldn’t take long for her to become a true believer, simply because Maverick, Edith, and every other member of the Storm family were so convinced.
After packing her stuff at Edith’s, she and Maverick had driven to the farmhouse he shared with his brothers, because it had been his night to cook. Apparently, the brothers each took a night in the kitchen, preparing a meal they shared.
Ella had expected it to be a low-key evening with just her, Maverick, and the three brothers who still lived in the farmhouse. However, Maverick had invited his entire family to join them, saying he couldn’t wait until the next Sunday dinner to show her off as his.
Once the meal—sloppy joes and macaroni and cheese—was ready, Maverick had grabbed her hand, pulled her to the head of the table, and told them all in one fell swoop that he and Ella were moving into Hideaway together. Apparently, he’d sent a text to his parents to ask if he could have it while she was packing her things at Edith’s, and they’d agreed.
And because it was Maverick, and he was a force of nature, he’d also informed everyone they were planning a November wedding, before looking at his mom and cousins and telling them they’d need help with the preparations.
Ella had braced herself, expecting his family to be shocked or for one of them to be the voice of reason, insisting they were moving too quickly.