Page 36 of Make Me Stay

I opened the door, and she slid past me, the scent of peaches making my mouth water.

“It’s a ranch like you prefer. Which is good for me too, since it’s easier to add-on if we need to.”

She went right to the large bay window and trailed her fingers over the built-in window seat, then over to the fireplace.

“It works. Needs some cleaning, though.”

She wandered through the main living space, her heels clicking on the hardwood floors. She disappeared into the kitchen.

I followed her in, leaning on the doorjamb. “The kitchen needs a gut job, but I think we can bump out the back and make that pitiful deck into something big enough for my crazy family.”

She turned around, her eyes still shiny, but she didn’t say anything.

I took her hand and led her down the hall to the primary bedroom. “This is a really big space for such an old house. King-sized bed for us.”

Her lips twitched but she faded back out of the room and into the hall, which led to the other two bedrooms. She gasped as she found the one that made me pick this place.

Whomever was selling this place had made it into a nursery. The mural was of Winnie the Pooh, the original version, not the Disneyfied one. I slid my arms around her, and I pulled her against me, tucking my chin on her shoulder. “Figured this one might get you.”

“It’s so cute. I wouldn’t take down the mural. Would you?”

“Hell no.” I kissed her neck. “I can see our kid in a dark-stained crib right there.” I pointed to the empty spot on the mural. “One of those changing table things under the window.”

“Kai,” she whispered.

I shuffled her into the room and went around her, so we were face to face. “The minute I walked in here, I knew it was supposed to be ours. I put a bid in.”

She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling.

“It’s not locked in, so if you don’t really want it...” She threw herself into me, knocking the breath out of me. “I guess you felt it too.”

“It’s so perfect.” She hugged me tighter, then she backed away enough to lift her mouth to mine, kissing me. “I can see us here.”

I set her back and went down on one knee.

“What are you doing?”

“Well, I might be doing this wrong if you haven’t figured it out.” I dug into my pocket and flipped open the blue box. “I thought I loved you over the summer, but it’s nothing compared to what I feel now, months later. I know it’s only going to grow as we go. Make a home with me. Marry me, Lexi.”

She nodded, tears flowing. “Yes.”

I rose and with shaking hands, I slid the ring down her finger. “I love you so much, Lex.”

“I love you too, Kai. More every day.” She threw her arms around me, and I whirled her in a circle then I hiked her up so she could wrap her legs around me.

“Now I say we christen this place. For luck.”

She laughed. “I don’t need luck. This place was meant to me ours, just like you were meant to be mine.”

Being herssounded damn good to me.