Page 111 of The Bachelor

“Deal.” I felt her eyes on me while I started driving again. “The Hollywood Hills, huh?”

My area of town was where we’d now entered.

I had known she’d have questions once we got here, and I didn’t blame her. We weren’t surrounded by hotels, like some of the other areas in LA, and now that we were in the residential section, she had to be wondering why she needed an overnight bag.

I held off answering and just smiled, knowing she was still looking at me, and when I pulled up to the gated entrance and entered a code, I said, “We’re here,” and I finally glanced at her.

“Here?” She gazed through the windshield at the large house that was nestled on the side of the mountain. “I don’t get it.”

“You will.” I got out of the car and grabbed our bags and met her at the passenger side, linking our hands. “Come on. We’re going inside.”

We walked up the driveway, and I opened the front door by entering another code. Leaving our bags on a bench in the foyer, I slowly took her deeper into the house.

“What do you think?” I asked as we passed the office that sat just off the foyer, followed by the dining room, and we stopped once we reached the massive kitchen. From here, the open floor plan extended into the large living room, a built-out deck, and an infinity pool, all overlooking the Hills.

“What do I think?” she repeated. “This house is positively stunning.”

“Wait until you see the primary bedroom.”

Her eyes were loaded with questions as I led her through the living room and into the primary wing, where I showed her the en suite, a shower that was also a steam room, and the his and hers walk-in closets. And, lastly, the bedroom had a sitting area, a fireplace, and access to the patio.

Fully furnished in a style that wasn’t exactly mine, but that didn’t matter. The home was over the top, outfitted in high-end upgrades, and a square footage that could never be outgrown, no matter how many of the bedrooms were filled.

We were standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, taking in the view, when I slipped my arm around her, pulling her to my side, pressing my lips against her head. “Could you imagine waking up to this every morning?”

“That would be such a dream.”

I breathed her in, my eyes closing as I inhaled her scent. “What if it didn’t have to be a dream? What if it could be reality?”

That question earned me her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“The house is mine, Oaklyn. I just have to sign the last bit of paperwork, and I’ll be able to take possession of it.”

“You’re kidding?”

I turned her toward me. “But before I give them that signature, I wanted you to see it. Feel it out. Give me your approval.”

A smile grew across her face that was so incredibly beautiful. “My approval?” She was searching my eyes. “Why?”

I took a deep breath.

Fuck, I’d thought so much about this moment.

What I would say.

How I would feel.

The way she would react.

Those were the questions that had plagued me when I first toured this home and again last night when I came for the final walk-through.

Am I getting ahead of myself?

Am I moving way too fucking fast?

I hadn’t even told my sister about our relationship, yet I was already thinking about the next steps, planning them, even moving forward with them.

A step that was bigger than I’d ever taken.

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