Page 118 of Rewrite Our Story

My bottom lip juts out. “It’s my birthday, what if I want that as my birthday gift?”

He chuckles. “That can be your gift later, baby. I’ve got other plans first.”

His strong arms wrap around me and pull me out of the front passenger seat. Then, he helps me plant my feet on the ground. There’s concrete underneath my boots, but there’s not many sounds around us. We can’t be somewhere too public or too busy or I’d be able to hear more.

When I breathe in, I’m hit with the smell of fresh, mountain air.

Cade interlocks our fingers, tugging on my hand a little to get me to walk. I step forward, letting him guide me wherever he wants.

It’s silent, the only sound is our boots scuffing against pavement as he guides us. I fix my purse strap on my shoulder, wondering if bringing it was even necessary. It may be my birthday, but I have one little surprise for Cade as well.

Finally, we stop. Cade’s hands find my shoulders. He massages the tender muscles at my neck for a moment. I lean into it, my muscles sore from spending days in front of my laptop plotting a new book.

“You ready?” Cade asks, his lips right next to my ear.

I nod, goosebumps popping up on my bare arms from the excitement.

Cade’s fingers brush against the back of my head as he unties the blindfold. He slips it off. I blink a few times, letting my eyes adjust to the sight in front of me.

My hands come to my mouth as I stare at the house in front of me.

Our home.

It’s finished.

I turn to him, tears welling in my eyes. “You said there was a hold up with the flooring?”

Cade shrugs, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into his chest. “I may have told a little lie. The contractor’s guys have been working real hard to have everything completed by your birthday.”

I shake my head in disbelief. We’ve been doing our best at getting the house built, but there’s been delay after delay since I moved back. It hasn’t bothered me too much, but I’ve been eagerly waiting for Cade and me to finally finish the house we’ve dreamt about since I was a teenager.

“I can’t believe this,” I whisper, staring at the finished house. It looks so different from the last time we were up here. I’ve been trying to get Cade to bring me to the house for over a month now, but he kept saying nothing has changed.

Turns out,everythinghas changed since then. There’s now landscaping in the front. Our front porch has two brand new rockers facing where the sun will set every night. It’s so perfect.

It’s ours.

I rise to my tiptoes, pressing a kiss to Cade’s lips. “It’s perfect,” I whisper.

His hands find my cheeks. He cups them tenderly. “This isn’t the end of the surprise.”

I wrap my fingers around his wrists, holding his hands in place. “There’s more?”

“Much more. Follow me?”

He leads us through the front door and into the house. I’m stunned speechless when I look at the completed house. It’s empty, no furniture or decor in the house yet, but it already feels like home.

Cade lets me look around for a moment before he cocks his head toward the kitchen. The patio doors are open, candles lining a walkway out the door.

Before I can ask what’s happening, Cade takes my hand and guides me toward the candles. When we step back into the evening air, I gasp.

There’s a trail of candles in glass jars all the way to the start of the marigold field. My feet stop. I’m in too much shock to even remember how to walk.

Cade stops with me, letting me soak in the moment.

It’s the most stunning view I’ve ever seen. The sky's the perfect orange color, matching the blooming field of marigolds. It’s summer, meaning the marigolds and the sky are both showing off for the night. All of the lit candles add to the magical ambience.

Cade gently nudges me forward. We walk down the pathway until Cade stops us in front of a mass of candles. They’re arranged in a semi-circle, with us standing right in the middle of them.

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