“Why don’t you buy the next piece of land?” Henry puts on his sunglasses after waving them toward the open ground.
“It’s available?”
He nods.
“That would be perfect. What do you say, Rose? Can you see us living here?”
“I love it.” She beams at me, her blue eyes shining brighter than the fucking sun itself.
“You guys haven’t even seen the inside.” Henry chuckles. “And I’m not saying this to sell you the property, because I see you’re already buying it,” he says with a wide grin. “But the Jacobsens did a great job with the aesthetics. You can feel the soul of this place. At least that’s what Mrs. Jacobsen told me on my first visit.”
Henry turns the doorknob, and Rose and I walk hand in hand into our paradise.
This cabin does have a soul. The entrance opens into a huge sitting area. The tall windows overlook the forest and the creek from three directions. The rustic fireplace is hidden under a stone overlay. There’s an open-style kitchen facing the living room. Henry leads us past everything and into the huge library.
Rose gasps in surprise. “Wow, it’s an unusually large room for a library.”
“Should be an easy remodel into whatever you’d like,” Henry says. “Maybe an office space with a sitting nook.” He’s already started planning, throwing ideas around as we explore the house more. “This is the guest bedroom and the main bedroom is upstairs.”
We climb up the wooden stairs, and Rose’s hand glides over the smooth pine banister. She looks around the place and then at me. Watching the twinkling in her eyes, my heart bursts, ready to rip out of my fucking chest with joy.
I notice the rooms on either side of the landing as I stand behind Rose and Henry.
“This is the main bedroom, and this can be a kids’ bedroom.” Henry excitedly turns around.
But it’s Rose’s response that takes me by surprise. She stiffens in front of me.
She fucking stiffens.
Her hand drifts to the cuffs of her shirt as she starts tugging on it.
What the fuck happened in the last ten seconds? I thought she was swooned by the house, already imagining us living here, like I was. How did mention of a kids’ room make her anxious?
“You don’t like it?” Henry picks up on the shift in our mood.
“We like it. It’s perfect actually,” I reply while casually running my hands over Rose’s tight shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. I don’t want her to have a meltdown or for her first memory in this house to be of a panic attack. “We need two guest bedrooms for my brothers when they visit.”
Henry’s eyebrows crinkle in confusion. But he composes fast and nods in understanding. “You can remodel the house however you like.”
Rose slowly loosens up, leaning against me as if a giant weight has been lifted off her.
Is she so wary about our wedding and future?
“Do you want to see the adjoining patch of land?” Henry asks.
I nod, even though my excitement has dampened.
Why is she so hesitant when I’m all in?
Once we’re outside, Rose is excited again. She asks me if we can build a backyard patio facing the creek, if we can have a fountain, and all those other over-the-top ideas she has in her folder.
As the sun sets, we decide to go under contract. Henry leaves happy while we stay on the property for a little longer.
“You like it, right?” Rose looks over her shoulder at me from where we both are settled on the grass, looking at the reflection of stars dancing on the water.
“I love it. When I first saw this creek, I imagined us sitting here.” I place a kiss on her hair and pull her closer as the excitement of the day finally calms down.
“Me too. Everything about this place is like a dream and more. I can’t believe we found our perfect place, Zander.” She peers behind me to the house. “I can see us hosting dinners for your brothers and Kristy. The living room space is perfect for a family gathering.” Her eyes shine with excitement as she talks a mile a minute.