"Don't worry, sweetheart," Brent shot back. "If you want, I'll wear an apron tonight." He lowered his voice. "Just an apron."
Elena blew him a kiss. "Mister, you have a deal."
Once in the backyard, Jenna and Elena sat on the metal glider while Faith headed for the sandbox. "Thanks for having me over. I know weekend breakfast was always sacred for the three of you."
"Are you kidding? You're with Brent now." She tilted her head, trying to read
Elena's expression from the side. "I mean, you guys are good, right?"
Elena turned to meet Jenna's gaze head on. "We're perfect," she said, and a wide smile bloomed, the kind designed to tug at Jenna's heart.
Jenna took her hand and squeezed. "I'm so glad," she said, meaning it with all her heart.
"Me, too." Elena leaned back with a sigh, her eyes on Faith. "It's good to be a couple, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Jenna agreed. "It's the absolute best."
Reece parked the Volvo at the edge of the property, but kept the engine running and both hands on the wheel. He had no idea why he was nervous-- after all, this was Jenna. His wife, his love, his best friend--but he couldn't deny that right then the last thing he wanted to do was get out of that car.
"Are we parking?" Jenna shifted a little in her seat, but she was so pregnant she couldn't shift too much. "Because honestly, the bed was a lot more comfortable for that kind of activity."
He chuckled, but kept his eyes on her. Damn, but she was lovely. Her pale skin seemed paler now, and not just because it was winter. He thought she had more freckles, too, and the urge to lean toward her and kiss every one of them was almost overwhelming.
After a moment, she frowned, then reached for his hand. "Reece? What is it?"
Now or never. And honestly, what did he have to be nervous about? She already knew about this plot of land--an entire acre on Lake Austin, just off City Park Road and only minutes from downtown. He'd been holding onto it for years, ever since he'd grabbed it in a foreclosure sale.
What she didn't know was that he wanted to break ground soon. Wanted to build a house. A home. And that he had the plans all made up for exactly that.
"I want to show you something," he said, then told her to wait while he went around the car to open the door for her.
"I hope it's not a picnic," she said. "Because it's a little chilly. And because once I sit down on a blanket, I'm never getting up again."
He laughed, but he could tell by the way she looked at him that the sound was hollow.
"Reece? What's going on?"
"Okay, come here." He took her hand and walked a few yards toward the water. "Kitchen," he said. "Big open windows with a view of the backyard. Fenced, of course, and toddler friendly. And then the bedroom over here," he added, leading her toward the right. "Still a view, of course. And from the bathroom, too, with the kind of glass that turns foggy or clear at a punch of a button."
"You've been playing with your house design again."
He nodded, then pulled out his phone. "More than playing." He opened up a picture of blueprints. "One of Amanda's architect friends did a rough elevation for me, along with a floorplan. What do you think?"
She looked from the phone to him and then back to the phone again. "I think it looks amazing. But Reece--" She closed her hand over his upper arm. "I don't want to spoil your dream, but if you're thinking we should do this now... Sweetheart, we can't afford it."
And this was the part that made him nervous. "Actually, we can. If that's what we want to use the money for."
"What money?"
"You know The Fix is staying open, obviously."
"Sure."
The bar was fine now, but near the end of the year, it had been touch and go, and for a while, Reece had truly feared that The Fix was going to die a fast, painful death. Now, however, all was well. He had a job he loved, a wife he worshiped, and a baby on the way.
He wanted a house for all of them.
But only if Jenna wanted it, too.