Page 109 of A Certain Step
“We’re approaching two stairs,” he said, watching as she lifted her leg alongside his. It resulted in a synchroneity that was as effortless as one of their dances. He let her go briefly as he opened the door and nudged her in.
“We’re going to the backyard for a second. Do you want to leave your bag here?” he asked.
Willa handed it to him. He hung it on a hook stand, then continued directing her movements with careful precision. “There’s a small stair here, so just make sure you step down,” he added. She moved as so, and they walked a few steps before Ethan stopped them.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind and held tightly for a moment. “You can open your eyes now,” he whispered in her ear.
36
WILLA
Willa burst into tears. It couldn’t have been cute.
She was staring at a charming, shockingly large treehouse adorned in twinkle lights, with Ethan’s arms enfolding her from behind and his lips on her cheek.
What on earth was happening?It was his birthday!What was he doing? Christ, those tickets to the Stoic Badger concert and the customMuppet Christmas Carolpainting paled on all fronts.
She parted her lips to speak but cried instead. Sahar once joked that actually seeing a treehouse up close would make Willa pass out, and for a split second there, she thought she might. She was sure Ethan was holding her upright.
“Ethan, what is this?” she finally asked.
A delicious laugh rumbled from his throat. “It’s a treehouse.”
She turned to look at him more closely, her hands resting against his shoulders. “You’ve had a treehouse this whole time, and you’re just now telling me?”
He shook his head. “Remember that renovation project I briefly mentioned I’d been working on with my dad?”
Willa gaped at him. “Go on.”
“This was it,” herevealed, watching as she puckered her lips and teared up again. He trailed his mouth along her face and kissed the tears away. “He mentioned wanting to build one for my nephew, so when I learned how much you loved them, I went in on it with him and pushed to expedite the construction. We ran into a few issues in the beginning but still managed to finish on time.”
She was, quite literally and embarrassingly, speechless.
“I would have brought you here whether we got together or not so you could see it. It was finished about two months ago, so this conveniently worked out. The hardest part was keeping it a secret from you.”
She shook her head again, astonishment clouding her brain, happy tears blurring her vision.
Willa threw herself into his arms. “I love you. I love you. I love you,” she whispered in a frenzy.
“I love you more. Do you want to go up?”
She perked up like a little girl. “Can we?”
“Yeah, beautiful. It’s big enough to fit us,” he declared.
Her eyes widened suddenly. “Wait, is anyone else here?”
“No, my parents and siblings will get in tomorrow. I wanted us to have today to ourselves before everyone else joined.”
She placed a searing, scorching kiss against his lips. “How are you mine?”
How was he hers? How had she gone from genuinely believing and fearing that she’d never find someone who saw all of her to finding someone who’d turn the world upside down to ensure her happiness never faltered?
How was her best friend and the love of her life the same person?
How was she standing in front of a treehouse, the small, ordinary thing she always dreamed of?
“Okay, but hold on,this dress. I don’t want to ruin it,” she stated.
