Thomas drives us down a country road, and I feel like we’re in the middle of nowheresville, even though we’re only about twenty minutes from the city. There are cute little red barns, and what looks like miles and miles of greenish grass. Fall has definitely begun, and everything is starting to turn the prettiest shades of oranges and yellows. When he turns the car down a one lane, gravel road my eyes widen.

“Is that, is that a log cabin?” I breathe.

There is a log cabin, and a bright red barn off to the left. The drive is tree-lined and although they aren’t mature trees, I know that in a few years they’re going to be magnificent. When Thomas said he wanted to live in the country, he wasn’t fucking around, this is about as country as it gets.

“It is. The inside looked awesome from the pictures, and the land is twenty acres, Ines. Twenty acres for our children to run around, be safe and free,” he grins as he pulls up behind a midsized SUV.

I don’t even know what twenty acres really is, how much land that is, but it feels like it’s a lot. A heck of a lot. Thomas slips out of the car and then jogs around to my side, opening the door for me. He’s dressed down today in a pair of dark washed straight jeans and a long-sleeved light blue thermal. It makes his eyes pop, and they almost sparkle they’re so blue.

“Thomas,” a man calls out. I turn to see him walking toward us. He’s dressed much like Thomas, in just jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

“Joseph, this is my fiancée, Ines. Ines, this is my real estate agent, Joseph,” Thomas introduces.

Joseph holds out his hand and gives me a brief shake. He begins talking to Thomas about the sale of his home, and then about the features of this one, but I don’t listen. I’m too busy looking around the grounds, taking it all in, and imagining a life out here—in a log cabin. This is completely out of my comfort zone, but I also feel at peace just standing here.

I wander off from the men and head toward the barn. A freaking bright red and white barn. I don’t even know what we would put in a barn, it’s not as if we’re going to be raising any animals other than our babies. Living out in the country is one thing, being some kind of farmer is a completely different story.

Wrapping my hand around the barn’s door handle, I tug it open and am shocked by what is inside. It’s an extra house, it looks like a guest house. There is a living room and a kitchenette. Then to the left there is a staircase and what I assume to be a loft style bedroom.

“I thought it would be nice when family came, they had their own space,” Thomas says from behind me.

He slips his hand around my waist and presses his palm against my stomach. I’m sure it will be nice, when Thomas’ family visit, but I somehow doubt any of mine will, and a wave of sadness washes over me at that thought.

“This is a barndominium. They’re quickly gaining popularity, and I think it will fit your needs quite nicely,” Joseph announces. “Go ahead, check it out.”

We walk inside and it’s perfect, a little place for people to stay for a visit. The kitchenette has everything that someone would need, including a full-sized refrigerator and even a dishwasher. The floors are tile, but they look like warm rich dark wood. There is a powder room off of the living room, with a pretty antiqued frame mirror above the sink.

Making our way upstairs, I gasp lightly at the view. There is a window that is the size of the entire loft and it looks out across green pastures as far as the eye can see. “It’s gorgeous,” I state.

“You should see the views from the main house, they’re even prettier,” Joseph announces.

We don’t stay in the loft for long, my excitement about seeing the main house, too much to wait even a minute longer.

“What do you think so far?” Thomas asks as we follow Joseph to the main cabin.

I tip my head to the side, looking up at him and give him a small smile. “It’s definitely the country,” I whisper. He nods, his brows knitting together, so I decide to put him out of his misery and answer him. “So far, I love it,” I admit.

Thomas awards my answer with one of his bright smiles, it’s so big and beautiful that I know no matter what the main house looks like, this is our place. This is where he’ll find his happiness, and he’ll create a beautiful life here.

Stepping inside of the log cabin is nothing like I’d imagined it would be. I expected it to be dark, dank, and maybe a little icky. It’s nothing like that, though. It’s warm, bright, and absolutely stunning. It’s nothing that I’ve ever imagined for myself, and yet, it feels right.

The lower level floor plan is open, the picturesque windows are large, and with the sun shining into the living space, it just looks absolutely like a home—our home. The kitchen is beautiful with stainless steel appliances, and granite countertops.

Thomas and Joseph begin discussing things about the property, but I have to see the upstairs, the master bedroom and then where the baby’s room will be. There is an open loft area where a sofa and television are set up, a playroom or media room perhaps. I hurry past it and then my breath escapes me.

The windows are huge, and I can see even more of the greenery, the yellow and orange leaves litter the grounds for miles. It’s breathtaking—absolutely stunning. It’s so obvious that it feels right, that it’s home.

“Thoughts?” Thomas murmurs from behind me. I was so enraptured by the landscape that I didn’t even hear him walk up behind me.

“It’s beautiful, can we afford it?” I ask, turning around in his arms.

Thomas tips his chin, looking into my eyes. His gaze searches mine and then he grins. “Yeah. Sweetheart, we can afford it.” He lifts his hand to cup my cheek, his thumb sliding across the apple of my cheek. “This will be where we raise our family.”

“This will be where our life begins,” I agree.

Thomas lowers his face and presses his lips against mine. Then he lifts his face slightly, his lips still touching my own. “The first thing I’m doing when we close escrow is fucking you against those windows,” he growls.

I can’t stop the giggle from escaping, but it slowly dies down when an image flashes in my head of him doing that to me against those windows. I want it. Lifting my hands, I place them on his chest and I fist his shirt. “I can’t wait,” I breathe.

His lips press against mine and his tongue slips inside of me. His kiss is insistent, urgent, and commanding. I accept it, all of it, and I moan as my eyelids flutter closed. I want exactly what he described. I want him to take me against that window, in our new home, and I want to look out at our future while he does it, while he fills me with everything I’ve ever craved, desired, and needed.

“If we don’t go downstairs right now, I won’t be able to wait until we close escrow,” he grunts.

Wrapping his hand around mine, he takes a step back and together we make our way downstairs. Thomas tells Joseph to write up an offer, and then we leave the country estate. I feel giddy, so excited that I can’t stand it. This is going to be our home, our new home—ours.

“Monday, we have the first doctor’s appointment,” I announce, reminding Thomas as we drive back toward his house.

He hums and nods, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. “You’ll be there, right?” I ask when he doesn’t respond.

“Of course, I’ll be there, sweetheart, where else would I be?” he asks with a wink.

I don’t know where he’d be, he’s not working and I’m not in school any longer. I watch as we make our way closer to town, and a feeling of longing washes over me. I want to go back to the country, back to the gorgeous trees and open grassy fields. I never thought that would appeal to me, that I would want to be out in the country, but being back in town feels so drab, so lifeless, out there I felt like I could breathe, that I was alive.

Thomas pulls into a parking lot and I look around in confusion, we’re at a mall. “You’re getting winter clothes, angel eyes,” he announces, answering my unasked question.

That is how we spend the rest of the day, shopping. Thomas spoils me with sweaters, jeans, and outerwear. I try to tell him that I’m just going to keep growing and that none of this stuff will fit me for much longer, but he just informs me that he’ll buy more when I need it. Then he takes me to a shoe store and buys me proper boots. When we pass a baby store, I stop at the window and look at all of the extremely tiny clothes.

“In a few months, we’ll have a little person who will fit in those scraps of fabric,” Thomas smiles.

I glance up at him and he isn’t looking at me, he’s focused on the clothes as well. The intensity of his gaze and the obvious emotion that is rolling through him causes my eyes to well with tears.

I thread my fingers with his and give them a squeeze. “I can’t wait,” I whisper.

“Me either,” he grunts.

We don’t stay there much longer. Together, we walk out of the mall and to Thomas’ car and then he starts to drive us home. Today has been wonderful. He signed the documents to sell his current house, signed the offer papers for the new house, and he loaded me up for a warm cozy winter.

“Can we stop by the grocery store? I want to make dinner tonight.”

Thomas’ eyes glance over to me and his lips tip in a smile. “Yeah, we can.”

Ines is craving, or rather she’s insistent that she’s not craving it, but she just wants, Picadillo and rice. I have no clue what it is but judging by the ingredients in the shopping cart I’m probably going to love it, and I’ll probably need to go on a run afterward. She chatters about how she really wants empanadas, but she sucks at making them, and I listen, just happy to hear her voice.

“Does your mom cook Cuban cuisine?” I ask as we make our way to the bakery.

Ines nods. “She thought if she learned how to cook foods my dad liked, that he’d come home for dinner more often, at least that’s what Lola tells me. She always wanted us to know, and love, our culture, even if we didn’t know or love the man who gave it to us,” she explains.

That sounds tragically beautiful, and it makes me respect Ines’ mother that much more. I’m not happy about the way she’s treating Ines right now, but I can’t deny that she’s raised her children wonderfully. “Thomas, they have double chocolate cupcakes,” she breathes, her face almost pressed against the bakery glass.

“Can I help you?” the employee behind the counter asked.

“Six double chocolate cupcakes, please,” I state.

Ines turns around, her eyes as big as saucers. “I’ll eat them, Thomas. I’ll eat them all. Cancel that order,” she demands, all serious and cute as fuck.

I shake my head not even attempting to hide my smile. “You’re getting them, and I’ll help you,” I shrug.

“I’m going to be fat, not just pregnant, but fat and pregnant,” she grumbles.

Instantly, my hand wraps around the back of her neck and I give her a squeeze, rougher than I intended. “Sweetheart, nothing about you is fat, not now, and it never will be. Indulge a little, it won’t hurt anything,” I grunt.

She shakes her head. “You’ll be singing a different tune when I have double chins and double asses,” she snaps.

“All the more for me to grab and kiss,” I murmur.

“Thomas,” she sighs, rolling her eyes.

I run my nose alongside hers, and then place a chaste kiss on her lips. “Love you, angel eyes. Eat the fucking cupcakes. You want them, I saw the need in your eyes.”

She presses her lips together as her eyes slowly close, before reopening. She wanted them, she wants them, and I’ll bet my left nut she eats one in the car on the way home. I could give a fuck if she gets a double chin, or a double ass, she’ll be beautiful no matter what.