Page 98 of Whatever It Takes

I took their coats, hats, and mittens, and helped them carry their gifts inside.

Brody came up and whispered in my ear, “My brother owes me. That little shit pissed all over my carpet last night.”

I giggled. “You were supposed to keep him in the crate.”

“I tried, but he kept whining and Gretchen felt bad, so we let him out.”

I patted his arm. “You’re such a softy. You’re going to make a great dad.”

“Shhh…” He placed his finger over his lips. “Remember, Mom doesn’t know yet.”

“My lips are sealed.” I playfully pushed on his chest and ushered him into the kitchen. “Come on, I have a couple breakfast casseroles that need to be put in the oven.”

* * *

After breakfast,Quinn’s parents took Emery along with our new puppy, Oakley, over to their house to play before dinner. Quinn said he had a present for me. So I hopped in his truck and we drove through town with light snow falling around us. It wasn’t enough to stick to the roads, but it was still pretty watching the snowflakes touch the ground.

About twenty minutes into our drive, we pulled onto a private street, passing a newly developed neighborhood being built on the right. We drove farther down the road until we hit a more secluded section of the development.

Quinn pulled into a driveway and put the truck in park. A beautiful brick colonial with black shutters and white trim stood in front of me. It was new, yet had an old Southern charm to it.

“What is this?” I asked, feeling my heart pick up speed. I had a pretty good idea, but I wanted to be sure. He’d been dropping hints here and there about wanting a place of our own.

He picked up my gloved hand and planted a kiss. “Come on, let me show you. I haven’t signed anything yet, so if you don’t like it, we don’t have to buy it.”

I trailed behind him in shock. He bought me a house. A freakin house for Christmas.

He walked over to the two-car garage and punched a code in the side panel while we waited for the door to slide fully open.

“What do you think?” he asked as we walked through the foyer leading to a huge open floor plan. The kitchen opened up to a large family room with tall ceilings. To the left was a set of French doors that led to a cozy den.

“It’s beautiful.” I looked around taking it all in. The kitchen was lined with long white cabinets and a gray-tiled backsplash that matched the slate-colored floors. There was a farmhouse sink in the middle of the kitchen that overlooked a huge backyard, perfect for a growing puppy.

I strolled farther into the room and ran my hands over the black granite countertop looking over the white trim along the windows.

Quinn pointed to the sliding glass doors that led out to the stone patio. “The house was a custom build, but the owners never got a chance to move in because the husband’s employer just relocated them to Chicago. We have about an acre of land to work with. I have a lot of ideas for the backyard.” He turned and pointed to the staircase on the left. “There are four bedrooms and two full baths upstairs as well as a finished basement downstairs.”

I looked around taking it all in. There was a large brick fireplace sitting against the middle of the exterior wall, with long paned windows resting on either side. There was a bay window on the opposite side of the room with a bench seat.

All thoughts stalled in my head when I was hit with a memory.

This was the house we talked about owning one day. I remember laying in the hammock with him all those years ago. He asked me to describe my dream home. I don’t know how he found this place, but he managed to find exactly what I’d described to a T. And now I couldn’t wait to bring this place to life. To fill it up with laughter and make memories.

This house was ours. All ours.

“I can’t believe you did this. This is our dream house.” I glanced around, impressed that he remembered every little detail.

Quinn stepped up and his eyes dropped to my stomach. “I told you. I remember everything.” He reached over and held two flute glasses in his hands. “Sparkling cider.”

I accepted the glass and raised it in the air. “To new beginnings.”

“To my amazing fiancée,” he said, taking a sip. “I hope this house is everything you ever imagined it would be and more, because that’s the life I promised to give you.”

“It’s more than enough.” I smiled, looking over to the bumped-out sunroom that would be perfect for family gatherings.

He set his glass aside and went down on one knee. My hand flew to my mouth. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.

“I’ve come prepared this time.” He winked, and then his face turned serious. “The first time I asked you to marry me, I wasn’t ready. I was a young, dumb kid who didn’t know what he wanted.” Tears started to flow down my face as I stared at him in disbelief. “I didn’t deserve you then, but you loved me anyway. Even though we were apart for too many years, there was never a time when I didn’t love you.” I slid my hand to his cheek as he shook his head. “There will probably never come a time where I will feel worthy of you, but if you give me a chance, I will promise you until I take my last breath, I will try.”

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