SIX MONTHS LATER. KYLE Martin’s Former Home, Seattle, Washington.

Bethany was standing at the door when the doorbell rang. She’d never entirely understand why Kyle insisted on this sort of pretense when they all knew he still owned this house. Renting it to them was merely a kindness.

“Open the damn door,” Megan said from her lounging position on the sofa.

“I am.” Bethany glared over her shoulder.

Faith merely laughed as she crossed to the sofa with their takeout.

Six months to the day Bethany had vowed to remain dateless, and she was celebrating it with the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

She took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

Kyle stood on the other side, a pair of work boots in hand and a pink tool box sitting on the floor.

“What the...?” She blinked at him and wondered if he’d forgotten.

They hadn’t expressly stated anything would happen tonight. It was more a vibe. She’d dropped hints and mentioned the important date a few times, but they’d never settled on anything.

“Beth, I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date tonight?” Kyle grinned at her.

Howls of laughter from the peanut gallery only left Bethany feeling a bit flustered.

“Uh, what kind of date includes boots and a tool box?” She frowned at him.

“You’ll have to say yes to find out.” His grin somehow widened to the point it seemed like it would split his face.

There was a catch in all this. Kyle was up to something but she didn’t know what.

Bethany glanced over her shoulder at her roommates watching them with unveiled joy.

They knew.

And of course they knew.

Kyle and those two were thick as thieves.

After they’d more or less taken over his house, Kyle had moved to the garage. He’d said that move was necessary for his sake to stay true to their only friends promise. About the only time she could convince him to stay past ten was if they were doing an HGTV marathon.

If this was how she got to spend a whole night with Kyle, then so be it.

“Fine. Okay. I’ll go get socks.” And change out of her cute dress.

“I’ve got socks right here.” Kyle pulled a pair of pink socks out of his pocket.

Bethany took the socks and sat down on the bottom most stair.

She’d had visions of their first date being a lavish, romantic affair.

Maybe they should have chatted about this beforehand.

She did up the boots, and he helped her up.

“And this is for you, but don’t open it yet, okay?” Kyle handed her the toolbox then waved at the other two. “Night.”

“Get out of here,” Megan yelled.

Kyle took Bethany’s hand and led her out the front doors to the driveway.

“Are you going to tell me what you’re up to now?” she asked.

“Not yet.” He opened the passenger side of the Jeep for her and helped her in.

Kyle got behind the wheel of the vehicle and in a few moments they were on the road headed toward their favorite bike trails. In the last six months they’d begun sharing several activities, like bicycling and cooking. He’d also let her pitch in and learn to help fixing up the garage to make it livable yet again.

Miles before they got to the trailhead, Kyle slowed and turned into the driveway of an old Victorian house. They’d passed the place dozens of times and remarked about how it was perfect for any number of shows they liked to watch. It was the kind of place that needed a lot of work from someone who knew what they were doing.

“What are we doing here?” Bethany went very still staring at the ornate railing on the porch.

“I’ll show you. Don’t forget your toolbox.” Kyle grinned at her and reached into the back, pulling out his tool belt.

Bethany scrambled out of the Jeep, hauling her tool box with her.

The most obvious answer hovered there on the tip of her tongue.

She was afraid to say it and consider what a purchase like this meant.

“Come on.” Kyle held out his hand to her.

She took it and he led her up the porch to the front door with its oval of frosted, dirty glass.

Lights twinkled from inside.

“What did you do?” Bethany asked.

“There we are.” He pushed the front door open.

Two lines of electric tea lights marched away from them.

“Before we go inside, I need you to open your toolbox and get out the box with a one on it.” Kyle’s grin was far too pleased with himself.

She went to a knee and opened up the pink case. A hard, black zipper pouch had a metallic one drawn on it. She opened it and pulled out a pair of safety goggles.

“How’s this?” She looked up at Kyle.

“Sexy.” He slid a matching pair on from his tool belt and offered her a hand up. “Come on.”

She took his hand, and they entered the house. He led her through one room and into what had to be the formal dining room just off the kitchen. A small table sat up against the widows with a white cloth over it and food covered in foil over warmers.

“What is all of this?” She turned in a circle.

Another table sat on the other side of the room and a projector whirred, casting a square of light on the wall.

“What is going on, Kyle?” She stared up at him and prayed his answer matched hers.

“IT’S TIME TO OPEN box number two.” Kyle gestured at the dining table. “Want to have a seat for this one?”

She nodded, her stunned excitement bleeding through that mask of calm she was struggling to hold on to.

It had taken her five or six times bringing up this house before the plan had hatched. At first it was a silly, wishful idea. He’d made the mistake of mentioning it to Faith over wine one night when Bethany was running late. Of course Faith had told Megan, and they’d agreed with this mad plan.

Kyle pulled out a chair for Bethany and she sat, cradling the toolbox. She held their future in that bag. He sat across from her and nodded.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” he asked.

“Right.” She dug into the pink toolbox and pulled out an envelope marked two. Inside were a few pieces of paper. “Is this...? You bought this place? You really bought it?”

“You were right.” He spread his hands. “It’s kind of a perfect fixer upper.”

Bethany gaped around them.

The floors were good, but the walls...

Holes had been punched through some. The others were covered in garish wallpaper by someone who’d had aspirations of restoration without the budget. It was scary to look at on a surface level, but he could see what it could become.

“Oh sweet Jesus, Kyle.” Bethany sat back

“How about we get something to eat, and then we can open three?”

“Eat? You want me to eat now? I want a tour.”

“I remember how our last tour went. Not yet.” He leveled a stare at her. Everything had to happen in order.

“I’m not getting a say?”

“Nope.”

“Fine. Feed me.” Her glare was cute. She was too excited to be truly angry with him.

Kyle dished them up dinner. It was his same Tuscan Chicken recipe they’d eaten that first night together, when their lives changed. He brought the plates back, and she already had box three open and was holding the thumb drive out to him.

He took it from her, plugged it into the laptop and started the slideshow. While they ate he went over the reports about the house and the sketches he’d had made by an engineer covering what they could do with the house.

“You seriously want to open up the first floor?” she asked.

“The problem with restoring the rooms is that these front four rooms are all small. Which is why I thought combining the foyer that sitting room and dining room into an open space with the kitchen would make it all more usable.” He flipped to the slide with the layout.

“That’s a lot of work, Kyle.”

“It is, but it can be done. I figure there’s about five or six jobs we’d need to hire out to do, then we can tackle the rest. Really put our stamp on it.”

“Our stamp?” She peered at him.

It was his turn to swallow and sweat a bit under the collar.

He’d told her a dozen or so times that he loved her without receiving a similar reply. The way she looked at him made him think there was more there. He’d banked on that.

“I thought this could be our project,” he said.

“You think I’m going to be your free labor?” One side of her mouth quirked up, ruining that stern expression.

“Do you want that tour now?” he asked.

“Yes.” She grinned.

“Okay, then I’m going to need four.”

“There’s two more.” She handed over the slim box four.

“Yup. Six boxes.”

It was the last one that made him the most nervous. He was gambling big time.

Kyle pulled the remote to the wireless speakers he’d hidden around the house out and pressed play.

“Let’s go.” He got up and offered her his hand.

She took it and he led her into the kitchen.

“What...?” Bethany stopped just inside the room, staring at pictures pinned to the wall.

Faith had snapped most of these the night they’d tried making pie. It’d turned out more like a cobbler. They’d laughed so hard.

They strolled from room to room, taking in the work that needed to be done and the unending gallery of the last six months. The nice thing about having two female roommates was their tendency to photograph and document everything.

“In here is a guest room. We can skip it if you like.” He pushed the door open, their way still lit by more tea lights with electric flames.

“Of course I want to see it.” Bethany stepped into the guest room and stopped barely a few feet in.

This room was the one he’d debated.

“In a perfect world, this would be where your parents might stay if they decided to visit.” He wrapped his arm around her waist.

Bethany had met with her parents twice since the events that brought them back into her life. They weren’t necessarily good interactions. Anthony was far too dug into their lives to leave easily, but Bethany could see them on her terms if she wanted.

Kyle knelt and grabbed box five from her tool box, producing tissues.

The truth was, they accepted each other with, baggage and all. The only difference was that they could still fix the major problems in Bethany’s life. Over time, he hoped that they could build a better relationship with her parents.

Bethany took the tissue and swiped at her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed.

He kissed her forehead.

She accepted him with all his demons. This, helping her face her past, was only fair.

Bethany peered up at him, tears clinging to her lashes.

They’d been through a lot together, and he hoped they’d get to enjoy more time together.

“I love you, Kyle,” she said.

He let out a breath at the unprompted statement. He’d waited so long to hear that and worried she wouldn’t feel the same, and here it was.

“Did you hear me?” She jostled him.

“I did. I was soaking it in.” He bent his head and kissed her lips. “I love you, too. Come on. There’s more to see.”

He led her out of the room and toward the master bedroom.

This was it.

No backing out now.

Kyle opened the door and led her into the large master suite.

“Holy shit...” Bethany gaped at the massive four poster bed. He’d spread a few rose petals around it and covered the ancient mattress with a sheet until he could dispose of it.

“I’m pretty sure this thing is as old as the house. They must have put it in here before it was done because it doesn’t come apart.” He let go of her hand.

She walked forward and turned in a circle.

The place wasn’t livable in its current state, but it would be.

“Was this your plan? Buy a house and woo me with it?” She stopped to face him.

“Kind of.” He bent and grabbed box number five. “I want to do things with you. I want to grow old with you. And for that kind of thing, we need a place to live. Don’t get me wrong, I like Megan and Faith, but...I think we’re going to want our own place.”

Bethany’s gaze was on his hands.

The box was a suspect size and shape.

He knew he was asking for a lot, but he had to try.

“Do you want to see what’s in box five?” he asked.

This was her one option out.

“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes wide.

Kyle crossed the floor and knelt in front of her. The rose petals provided a fragrant distraction from less pleasant smells they’d have to deal with later.

He opened the ring box and held it in his hand.

She covered her mouth with her hands.

The ring wasn’t a traditional engagement ring. He’d taken his mother’s favorite ring and had something new and unique made for Bethany. They shared a love for making old things new again. It was why all those renovation shows appealed to them. They were similar in a way that Kyle had never shared with anyone else.

“I’m not kidding when I way I want to grow old with you. When we met, I was a broken man, and you showed me I could be better. You make me whole, and I want to be there for you the way you’ve been there for me.” He took a breath and tamped down on the nerves. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She chuckled and nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Yes, I will marry you.”

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