Waking early the next morning, Regina shifted in bed and peered over her shoulder at the softened face of the man sharing her pillow. Cael Holland was a cuddler—a serious cuddler, with one arm under her neck and the other lying around her, tucked under her breasts.

She managed to slip out from his arms without waking him and padded into the bathroom, before going downstairs to the kitchen. She loved her townhouse, the older building restored with exposed brick, gleaming wooden floors, and tall windows allowing the sun to wash in. But, it was a rental. She had not wanted to put money into a home until she was sure it was where she wanted to stay and, until then, she just rented.

Putting on the kettle for her tea, she also started the coffee maker and soon the kitchen was filled with the scent of bacon frying and blueberry muffins baking. Just as she placed the baking tray onto the cooling rack, arms encircled her from behind and firm lips landed on her neck.

“Mmmm,” Cael moaned, his voice vibrating against her skin. “I don’t know what smells sweeter, you or those muffins.”

Giggling, she squirmed. “I’m ticklish,” she protested. Successfully twisting in his arms, she faced him, moving her mouth to his. Accepting his tongue into her mouth, she angled her head so that her nose was out of his way, tangling her tongue in return.

He ended the kiss way too soon, pressing his forehead against hers. “Damn, Red, baby. What a way to wake up.”

She grinned before stepping out of his arms and turned back to the muffins. “I’ve got coffee ready,” she said, indicating with a head nod where the cups were located. “I’ll get this plated as soon as I scramble the eggs.” Suddenly, looking up, she asked, “Do you like your eggs scrambled?”

“Yeah, baby, scrambled is great.”

He poured his coffee and watched as she sipped her tea while stirring the eggs. She wore a slouchy sweatshirt over her camisole and had yoga pants on with little pink fuzzy slippers on her feet. Her hair was sticking up in various directions, but the color still glistened as the sunlight came through the window. He leaned his hip against the counter and his heart seized for a few seconds, the beauty of the moment not lost on him. He had fucked up…big…and life did not often give out second chances. The idea that Regina might be lost to him right now—No, not going there. She’s here…she’s forgiven me…and now we go forward.

Plating the food, she turned to move toward her small table. Smiling up at him, she asked, “Ready?”

Dropping a kiss on her lips again, he nodded. “Absolutely.”

As they ate, he looked around appreciatively at her home. “This was a good remodeling job, babe. Quality work.”

She chewed while nodding. “The owner had the entire block done and I fell in love with it when I first saw it. Robert said it would be a good place to rent while I decided what I wanted to do.”

His brows lowered as his gaze swung back to hers. “Rent? You don’t own?”

Shaking her head, she shrugged. “I couldn’t afford a down payment for a home loan when I first got out of college. I lived with Robert and his wife until I found a job and could start paying rent.” She cast her gaze toward the living room, the tall, floor-to-ceiling windows letting in light over the entire space. “I was lucky to get the end unit, so I have more windows.”

He thought over what she said, then something else struck him. “What did you mean by deciding what you wanted to do?”

Finishing her breakfast, Regina leaned back in her chair, still sipping her tea. Looking at Cael, she recognized worry lines creasing his forehead. “When I got out of college, I knew I wanted to work on restoring old films, but had a choice of working in several locations. I chose here because it was where Robert was, but had no idea if my job would be continuing or sustainable.”

“And now?”

Smiling, she said, “I like the work and I lead a team so I have some managerial experience as well. The money isn’t phenomenal, and I’ve had some unexpected expenses, but I’ve been saving as much as I can.” Her eyes clouded as she said, “I might not ever be able to afford to buy a home, but I do the best I can. I can’t imagine not being where Robert, Claudia, and Robbie are, especially now that they’re going to have another baby soon.” Winking as she sipped, she added, “And, there’s a certain Titan I would now like to see more of.”

“Oh, there is, is there?” Cael asked, his worry easing as he leaned forward, capturing Regina’s mouth. After a moment, he pulled back, knowing if he did not, he would carry her back upstairs to bed. Adjusting himself, he asked, “How would you like to go to my house today? I’ve got a little bit of work to do and I’d love to show it to you.”

Smiling she nodded enthusiastically. “That would be lovely.”

Standing, they placed their dishes in the dishwasher and he helped her clean the few pans in the sink. Walking arm and arm up the stairs, he tucked her close. Once finished with their shower, he said, “How about taking an overnight bag?”

“Hmmm, big boy, got some plans for me?”

Catching her around the waist, he lifted her for another kiss. “Oh, yeah. When you’re with me, I’ve always got plans.”

Eyes focused out the windshield, Regina stared at the tree-lined street of the picket-fenced neighborhood that Cael was driving through. “Wow,” she breathed.

His head jerked to the side, wondering what her thoughts were. He realized in that moment how much he hoped she liked what she was seeing, but couldn’t tell from her expression. “Uh…you want to define wow?”

She looked over, a smile of wonder on her face. “This is your neighborhood? It’s not at all what I pictured.” Regina watched as a nervous smile curved Cael’s lips. Reaching over, she placed her hand on this thigh. “Oh, Cael, I’m just in awe. Somehow I never imagined you living in such a sweet neighborhood…a place where kids run and play and moms push strollers down the street.” She looked back out the window and, shaking her head slightly, said, “This is…perfect.”

Relaxing, Cael viewed the street, trying to see it through Regina’s eyes. “When I started considering purchasing I knew this was the kind of neighborhood I wanted to find a house in. Whether I fixed it up and sold it or kept it for myself, I knew a house here would resell really well ‘cause lots of young families would be interested. And, if I decided it was where I wanted to be, then when I met someone special, it would be the type of neighborhood I could raise a family in.”

Regina’s heart soared at Cael’s words, but she kept that to herself. Eyes peeled toward the street, she tensed, excited, as the truck slowed down and turned into the driveway of a sweet two-story, gabled Cape Cod house with an obvious addition being built onto the back. Several tall trees were in the front yard, each surrounded by a mulched flower bed. The flowers were long gone now that it was autumn, but it was easy to imagine them in full bloom in the summer.

The white-sided house with a grey roof sported dark green shutters and a matching green front door, nestled in a quaint front porch. A two-car garage extended from the side and the windows on the second floor extended in gables.

“I’ll say it once again…wow,” she grinned, taking it all in.

His heart light, Cael winked and said, “Let’s go in.” Rounding the hood, he opened her door and assisted her down. Fingers linked, they walked up the path to the front door. Stopping, he said, “I added the front porch when I first bought the place since I needed to re-roof the entire house anyway.”

While the front porch was not huge, Regina noted the space was more than enough to hold two rocking chairs to sit and enjoy the view of neighbors walking along the street. Giving a mental shake, she chastised herself. It’s way too soon to start imagining yourself here!

But, as soon as Cael opened the front door, her imagination took flight again. The dark oak, distressed hardwood floors were refinished and extended from the living room on the left, straight across the entry foyer to the dining room on the right. A wooden table with six chairs was centered in the dining room and a sideboard with hutch graced the back wall. As her gaze swung back to the living room, she spied a comfortable sofa and three overstuffed chairs facing the brick fireplace with a large, flat-screen TV in the corner. The mantle held several framed pictures and it was easy to see the ones of him, Cindy, Kathy, and Tom. Several others held photographs of a group of boys, then later men, all smiling, often with an older woman in their midst.

“Let me take your coat,” he offered, interrupting her perusal, and after she shrugged it off, he hung it up in a small coat closet by the front door. Taking her hand, he said, “I’ll give you the tour.”

He pointed out the obvious living and dining rooms that she had already been perusing, then walked down the hall, past the staircase, to the kitchen.

“Here’s where I’ve spent a lot of time,” he explained. “The original floorplan included large rooms, but there was only a kitchen, powder room, dining and living room downstairs, with just two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. There’s also a basement where the washer and dryer was located. When I first bought the house and knew I had to re-roof, I expanded the back of the house, like with the front porch, and included a back room for the laundry and mudroom. I ripped out the old vinyl flooring and gutted the kitchen straight away too.”

She peered at the gleaming appliances, same hardwood floor as in the rest of the downstairs, granite countertops, and white-painted cabinets. The room was painted a green so pale, it was almost white, exuding a calm over the entire space. “Do you cook?” she asked, looking at the large, gas stove.

Chuckling, he said, “I do all right, but I’m no gourmet chef.”

She turned to stare at him, smiling so proudly in his kitchen, his large body fitting perfectly in the space. Unable to keep a grin from slipping out, she walked to him and slid her arms around his waist. “It’s beautiful, Cael. And, while not what I expected, I now see it is so you.”

Appreciating Regina’s response to his house, Cael kissed the top of her head and said, “Let’s keep exploring.” He led her up the stairs and pointed out the two open doors to either side, exposing the identical-sized bedrooms, one filled with boxes and the other with a California king mattress and a dresser taking up almost all the space.

She lifted her eyebrow and he laughed. “Oh, yeah, Red. A man my size has got to have a big bed, but damned if the thing barely fits. That was one of the reasons I knew I needed a new master bedroom.”

The back of the hall had a large piece of plastic hanging from floor to ceiling. Pulling it aside, he said, “Come on.”

Stepping through into the new addition, Regina could see where Cael had moved the hall bathroom to the side and another open door led to what he described would be a master suite. The new master bedroom was large with windows open to the back yard. A walk-in closet and Cael-sized master bathroom was on one side, including a garden tub, separate shower, double sinks and a private toilet room. Eyes wide, she twirled in the space and said, “Now this is a room I can see you in!”

Grinning, he nodded. “Yeah, it’s kind of hard for someone who’s my height to live in a small house. One of the reasons I chose this one to begin with was the ten foot ceilings throughout the house. I made sure to do the same in the addition.”

“It looks almost finished…how much do you still have to do?”

“The plumbing and electricity is all in. Worked on the bathrooms first…both in here and in the expanded one in the hall. I wanted the bathrooms to be functional as soon as possible.” Leading her back into the master bedroom, he added, “Once the framing was up, I got my friends to help with the drywall and ceilings. It’s ready for painting, which is not my favorite part, but with a sprayer, it’ll go fast. Once that’s done, then I can lay the wooden floors to match the other bedrooms and hall up here.”

She observed the way his eyes lovingly surveyed the space and felt his pride in his home. “Beautiful,” she whispered, speaking of both the house and the man in it.

He looked over, his smile still firmly in place and moved to her, kissing the top of her head. “Glad you like it, Red. That means a lot to me.”

Uncertain if he simply liked her opinion or perhaps hoped she would be spending a lot of time here, she sucked in her lips and offered a slight nod as they turned to go back down the stairs. Once there, he led her through another plastic tarp into the downstairs portion of the addition.

Here, she viewed a large den, complete with another fireplace and built-in bookshelves. A bay window extended at the back with a bench underneath. She immediately imagined a thick cushion where someone could curl up with a book. French doors on the right led to a brick patio and the tree-filled back yard.

She let out a huge breath, saying, “Cael, you’ve taken a sweet little home and are turning it into a gorgeous house that any family would be thrilled to live in.”

Regina’s words warmed his heart, expressing exactly what Cael had wanted to accomplish. He remained silent, not daring to breathe the words in his mind, of how he wanted it for himself…a house that was a home…a family. And, now, with the woman standing in front of me.