I killed the engine but not the lights and took in a small but new-looking cabin with a porch that stretched all the way across the front. In the center were three steps up to the door, with a large window to each side. There was no garage, no room for one actually, as the cabin seemed to be perched over a steep drop-off. To the left was a black Weber charcoal grill, looking as if someone had intentionally placed it far enough from the house to be safe.

“It’s our wedding night,” Chloe said in a rush. “I thought we should have something better than a Motel 6.”

“You rented this for us?”

“While you were in the restroom. Spur-of-the-moment. I hope it’s okay. I didn’t have time to scroll through all the photos before you got back. Barely had time to get my credit card entered.”

I held back from asking how many bedrooms. It didn’t matter. We’d be okay even if one of us had to sleep on a couch. This definitely was a hundred times better than a fifty-year-old low-budget motel room back in the town where we’d tied the knot.

We both got out, she grabbed her duffel, and I went to the trunk and got mine. It was cooler now but still mild, a beautiful night, with a half-moon in the clear sky. Chloe led the way, and when she got to the door, she referenced her phone and tapped in a code on the door. She went inside and I followed. Before I could see anything, she sucked in a gasp.

“Oh, my flipping God,” she said.

I glanced around at the living area we found ourselves in, and my brows shot all the way up my head. “What the actual…?”

Chloe burst out in laughter, laced with oh my Gods and you’ve got to be kidding mes.

The living room was cozy, with a gas fireplace on one wall, a decent-sized flat-screen above it, a sumptuous-looking gray leather sofa and…

“There are hearts everywhere,” Chloe said, wiping her eyes, looking as if she was going to lose her composure again. “It… It said… It called it a romantic love nest, but I had no idea…”

The throw pillows were heart-shaped. The armchair was some kind of ultra-modern bright red thing with a heart-shaped back and more heart pillows. The windows to each side of the fireplace had red heart garlands dangling over them like window coverings. On the wall, hearts and sayings with hearts. On the end table, a double heart sculpture.

I couldn’t think of what to say, because I was still trying to take it all in.