HAYDEN
I picked up the food, checked my pockets for the keys, then parked the truck in the driveway, leaving it running.
I rang the doorbell, grinning as Katie opened it in surprise. She hadn’t taken off her jacket or scarf, obviously hoping I’d be there soon.
“You really don’t like surprises, do you?” I asked, and she rolled her eyes.
“I do, Hayden, but not when I spent half my day believing I could lose you forever.”
She had a point, but it wasn’t my fault she’d jumped to that conclusion. I just knew how much our friends liked to gossip, and I couldn’t take the risk of having my surprise ruined.
Well, not any more than Katie already had by jumpstarting this whole thing.
“Okay, fair point. However, because of you showing up the way you did, you now need to imagine me being in jeans and a white button-down. I wanted to impress you, but I’m too impatient to change, so let’s go.” I held out my hand for her, and she took it, closing the door behind her.
I walked her over to my truck and opened the door for her.
She smirked. “So this would be how a date between us would go had we tried the normal thing?” she asked. I chuckled as I made my way around the front and slipped behind the wheel.
“It’s gonna take us about thirty minutes, so what kind of music do you want to listen to?” I pointed at the radio, but she just shrugged.
“Whatever you’d like. Also…” She turned in her seat, seeing the bag of food, then focused on me again. “Is that Clay’s? You picked up food? What are we gonna do? A picnic?”
I started humming, wanting to make it clear that I wasn’t going to say a single thing, and she huffed, settling into her seat, the cutest pout on her lips.
As soon as we left the Eden city limits, I felt her perking up. “Where are we going?”
I shrugged, then placed my hand on her knee. “We’re almost there. I promise.”
Just a few turns off the main road and the old farmhouse came into view. There was also a barn, but that needed much more work than the house.
“Wasn’t this the Miller’s farm?” she asked. “I remember Monica and the twins.”
I shook my head, sometimes more than just a little surprised at the details that stayed in her head. “Yes, it was. Monica and Dave got a divorce and she left with the twins. Dave wanted to get rid of it, but no one really liked the idea of living in a house where a marriage had failed.”
I parked the truck in front of the house as Katie blinked. “Are you for real? I mean… Come on. I get hauntings and not buying a house if there’d been a murder, but a divorce? People are stupid.”
I leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. “They are, but it’s good for us. Come on.” We got out of the car. As she looked around, I could see the second it dawned on her.
“Hey, are you saying… I mean… Is this…” She swallowed, her hand going to her mouth. I took her free hand, pulling her up the porch steps and to the front door. I unlocked it, then let her inside.
“My house is too small for all of us. I know there’s not much here, but I want this to be our home. And don’t even act as if you’re worried about us living together because we’ve practically been doing that for weeks. I want to give you room to be you, want you to help me decorate and pick out furniture. I didn’t want to take anything from my house because it’s all used. I picked it up at yard sales. I want a new start, and this house…” I gestured around. “I want you here.”
I grabbed her hand again and pulled her to the left. “This is going to be the living room. It’s huge and has a fireplace.” I winked at her, and she sniffled, laughing softly
The next room was the kitchen, stainless steel appliances already in. Then we stopped at the stairs.
“There’s a pantry under here, and a guest bedroom right there. Also a small guest toilet. Come on.”
She silently followed me up the stairs. At the top, I gestured around. “We have three small bedrooms, a master bedroom for you and me, and a small space you can turn into an office if you’d like. The master bedroom comes with a master bath, of course, and here’s another one for the rest of the house.” I opened the door, let her glimpse inside, then I closed the door again. She could explore things later.
I walked to the end of the hallway and grasped a doorknob. She placed her hand on my arm, stopping me.
“It’s perfect, Hayden.”
I grinned and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. “It’s not yet, but it will be. Anyway, there is one room that’s fully done. Are you ready?”
She nodded. I opened the door, being glad that everything had worked out the way it had.
* * *
KATIE
The smell of paint still lingered in the air, and I realized the old wooden floors had all been redone, but what took my breath away was the room we entered now. The walls were all beige, the color soft and soothing. There was a huge bed in the middle of the room, black-out curtains adorning the windows. However, what drew my attention wasn’t the dresser to my right or the huge closet to my left. No. It was what hung over the bed.
“When the hell did you take so many pictures of me and Cory?” There had to be a hundred taped to the wall. I had to blink away tears again.
Jesus, this emotional roller coaster today was way too much. I sure as hell hoped our life wouldn’t continue to be that way.
“I took them any chance I got, Katie. I loved watching you with my son, and having you around… You soothe my soul. Having pictures of you helped me, even the times we weren’t talking. I know you think I’m jumping the gun on all of this, but if you don’t realize who the right person is for you when you’re struggling with life itself, when will you realize it? You’ve stuck with me through it all. You took my anger, even though you didn’t deserve it. You are what makes my world go around. I want to be for you what you are for me. The person you know you’ll find peace with. I want all of this with you. I want us to be a true family…” He smiled. “And, yes, I want more children. At least two more. Preferably one girl. And I was thinking a dog, too.”
I couldn’t believe he remembered we’d talked about that earlier. Hell, I couldn’t believe we were on the same page concerning just about everything.
I didn’t even need to close my eyes to practically see it all. “Retriever?” I asked.
He nodded. “Whatever you want. I brought some of our clothes here, so we can stay the night. I’ll drive you to work tomorrow. I wanted to be able to work on the house this week, then we’ll go shopping, okay? I have savings I want to spend. I mean, this house will be paid off by… I don’t know. Probably by the time I’m ninety-two or so, but I have no regrets.” He grasped my hips and pulled me close. “Say you want to be part of this. Please.”
I grinned up at him, resting my hands on his upper arms. I was tempted to get him naked right now and christen our new bed, but…
“Can we finally eat?”
I knew if we’d get into that bed, we wouldn’t get out of it any time soon and the food would spoil. I couldn’t let that happen.
He chuckled and gave me a brief kiss, then we left the bedroom.
At the bottom of the stairs, he made me wait while he got the food from the truck. I did, but couldn’t deny that I was curious, wanting to walk around to see all the rooms, even if they were empty.
Especially because when we’d entered through the front door, there’d been double doors to our right, yet he hadn’t shown me that room. I wondered what it was. I assumed it to be a dining room, but…
“Ready?”
Hayden stood in front of me. Seeing his empty hands, I smirked. “You forgot the very thing you went to the car for.”
Smiling, he took my hands, walking backward down the hall and opening a door that brought us back into the front—and right next to the double doors I was so curious about.
“I love you, Katie. Welcome to our very first dinner in our new home.”
He opened the doors, revealing a table easily able to seat eight people, yet was set for two. Seeing candles burning, I realized he’d really thought the whole day through.
Now I wished I wouldn’t have ruined his surprise.
“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you enough and ruined your surprise,” I whispered as he pulled a chair out for me, then I watched him sit next to me. He took my hand and kissed my palm.
“I’m sorry I worried you, Katie. It was never my intention. But thank you for loving me enough to worry about me. I’d rather know someone’s watching me than feel alone.”
I grinned. “I do love you and will always worry about you. Can we finally eat? Because once we’re done…” I waggled my brows, “I need to get you naked. Like…instantly. After the food.”
It smelled heavenly. I knew I was probably one of the few girls who’d always pick a burger over everything else. The curly fries and melted cheese combined with beef patties and Clay’s special sauce? Holy shit.
Hayden chuckled. “I never realized you loved Clay’s so much. Otherwise, I would’ve brought it home for you before today.”
Home… I liked that word.
“You know, you now have years to spoil me.”
He took my hand, kissing the ring on my finger. “I promise.”
I leaned in. “And I promise to always be yours, Hayden. From now until the day we take our last breath.”
His shoulders relaxed and he closed his eyes, as if all he needed were those exact words.