Rhea turned the key in the lock and opened the front door of the house. It sat at the end of a small cul de sac on the west end of Coldbrook Bend. She said, “I know that it’s nothing special, but I think it has tons of potential. My sister and her husband lived here for ten years. They took care of the house, but you’ll notice they didn’t do much of anything to spruce it up. It could use a lot of TLC.”

Ross wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a more generic house. The front foundation was lined with plain evergreen bushes. The walls inside were painted an eggshell white, and the carpet was beige. The furniture left behind provided some color, but the smoky blue of the living room set was far from inspiring.

“Where did you say they’re going?”

“They’ve already moved to St. Paul. It’s a condominium. The building’s design is modern, so they decided to leave most of the furniture behind. My sister tried to convince their daughter to move here to Coldbrook Bend, but she’s in medical school in Chicago and wants to stay there.”

Ross glanced at Puck. He was smiling. He whispered to Addie on his arm while she pointed at the ceiling fan in the living room. He said, “I think the house looks great. There’s so much that can be done to make it better.”

Rhea said, “I thought I should at least show it to the two of you. I know that you must be tired of renting.”

Ross said, “But I don’t know if we’re ready to buy a house together. We’re not even married.”

“How long have we lived together?” asked Puck. “Are you planning to go anywhere?”

“One year, two months, and three days,” said Ross.

Rhea shook her head. “It’s not like you’re keeping track.”

Puck set Addie down on the floor, and she immediately toddled toward the rear of the house. Puck followed and said, “There’s so much we can do with this!”

Rhea beamed. “I thought so.”

Addie found a patio door that looked out to the backyard from the kitchen. She pounded on the glass with glee.

“And a backyard for Addie with trees.”

“But we’re not…” Puck held a finger to Ross’s lips.

“Maybe it’s time,” said Rhea.

Ross’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Time?”

Puck grinned. “I think it is. Rhea, please keep an eye on Addie. I’ve got something to do, and I can’t wait any longer.”

Ross glanced at Rhea and then looked back at Puck. “Something to do? What can you do right now? This isn’t your house.”

“My sister is willing to let it go for less than market value if you want it. She thinks it’s well worth losing a little bit of money if she can avoid going through the process of prepping for open houses and dealing with multiple interested buyers and their offers.”

Puck said, “I’m not thinking about the house right now.” He stuck his right hand in his jeans pocket and turned to face Ross. A toothy grin spread across his face.

“What are you…oh my God!” Ross watched as Puck fell to one knee. He tugged a small box out of his pocket.

Rhea stepped back and joined Addie by the patio door, so they could both have a good view of Addie’s dads.

Puck opened the box, and the ring inside caught the sunlight streaming in through the patio door. Ross held his hand to his mouth as he watched.

“Ross, I’m not a guy who can make fancy speeches, so I’ll make this one short and sweet. Will you marry me?”

Ross waved a hand in front of his face. His first attempt to speak failed. He tried again and managed to whisper, “Yes! A million times yes!”

Rhea held one hand in front of Addie and wiped away tears from her cheek with the other. “The two of you are perfect for each other.”

Puck stood as Ross held out his hand for the ring. While he slipped the ring onto Ross’s finger, Puck stared into his eyes. He said, “We’re not married yet, but we will be. I think we might be ready to buy a house.”

Ross pulled his hand to his mouth again as he said, “Oh, shit, I’m going to cry. I can’t help it. I’ve dreamed about this since I was a teenager.”

Puck reached out for a hug and said, “Go ahead and cry. This is a happy day, and happy things make you cry.” He kissed his future husband and stared into his blue eyes. “You, me, and Addie in a house we’ll make our own.”

Rhea pulled her hand back, and Addie raced to the embracing couple. She tugged on their jeans. Puck reached down to lift her up between them. He kissed her cheek, and she giggled.

Reaching her arms around Puck’s neck, Addie exclaimed, “Daddy!”

Puck pointed at Ross and asked, “And who’s this guy?”

Addie turned her head to face Ross. She laughed again and shouted, “Daddy!”