I doubt she will believe me until she meets with the team herself after the holiday break, but it doesn’t hurt to emphasize her success whenever her self-doubt comes creeping up again.
Dahlia waits inside the truck while I go around and open her passenger door. She shivers against me when I help her out into the chilly night.
I interlock our elbows and lead her toward the house.
She tucks her mittens into the front pockets of her coat. “Did you buy me another house?”
“Nope.”
Her teeth chatter as we walk through the gate leading to the backyard. “A private jet?”
“Do you want one?”
She laughs. “No, but I bet you’d get me one if I asked.”
I trace the tip of her reddening nose. “You’re finally starting to catch on.”
“The amount of money you have is sick.”
“So is my love for you, but I don’t hear you complaining.”
“Nope.”
I push against the small of her back. “Just a few more steps.” I lead her toward the perfect spot and let go. “Now, stay right there and don’t take your mask off.”
“Okay?” She blows hot air while I rush to flip the outdoor switch. I return to find her right where I left her.
My fingers tremble as I slide the eye mask over her head.
She gasps. “Julian.”
I tuck the eye mask into my jacket pocket. “What do you think?”
She takes a few steps toward the gazebo and pauses. “You made this?”
I slide my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “Yup.”
My team may have helped me put it all together, but I was present for the whole process.
“It’s stunning.” She reaches out to stroke the column.
“Glad you think so.” I walk up the steps and stop in the center of the platform.
Dahlia follows while gawking at all the details. “It’s exactly like the one Gerald designed for Francesca.”
“I made a few modifications.” I trace over a wood-carved dahlia that would have been a rose if I had stuck to Gerald’s original design. Thankfully, my mom had a different idea, which added a personal touch to the piece.
Her eyes shimmer. “I love it for so many reasons, but most of all because you made it.”
I pull her against me. She melts into my embrace, our bodies molding together as we get lost in another kiss.
At some point, snow begins to fall around the gazebo, covering the ground like powdered sugar.
“A white Christmas! It’s been years since I had one!” She takes off running.
I stay under the gazebo, watching her spin in a circle while attempting to catch snowflakes with her tongue.
Nothing in the world is more beautiful than Dahlia laughing up at the sky, standing in front of the house I plan on turning into a home with her.
I let her have a few minutes of fun before I loop my arm around her waist and pull her toward the Founder’s house.
“Where are we going?”
“Home.”
“What? Why? We just got here!”
“We’re not going anywhere.” I open the back door and walk inside while dragging her behind me.
A sigh escapes us as our fingers and toes start thawing.
Dahlia pokes at my chest. “What did you mean when you said we were going home?”
I wave around the living room. “You’re standing inside it.”
She blinks.
And blinks some more.
“We’re keeping the house?”
“I never planned on selling it.” I bite down on my tongue.
“Ever?”
I shake my head.
Her gaze bounces around the room, probably mirroring her thoughts. “Why?”
“It’s been mine for years.”
“Years?”
“Yes.”
Her mouth drops open, but no words make it out.
I take a deep breath. “Do you remember your answer during the Strawberry Sweetheart pageant? The one about if you had three wishes?”
Her eyes widen.
Catching Dahlia by surprise is easy, but making her speechless? A difficult feat I never thought I would accomplish.
And for my last wish, I’d want to own the blue Founder’s house, she said in earnest, after wishing cancer never existed and being able to have one last conversation with her father.
Her eyes shine, not from the moonlight streaming through the wall of windows, but from the strong emotions threatening to consume her.
“I never forgot.”
A single tear rolls down her cheek, and I kiss it away.
“You made my wish come true without me realizing it.” Her voice cracks.
When the Founder’s house was put on the market a few years ago, I purchased it without hesitating. At first, it was a stupid way of seeking revenge on a woman who had every right to move on with someone else. But every time I planned on tearing it down, I stopped myself and considered how hurt Dahlia would be if she returned to find it gone.
Thankfully, I never went through with the plan. I’m not sure Dahlia would have forgiven me for it, and the way everything worked out was so much better.
“But what about the For Sale sign we drove by after you helped get rid of my engagement ring?”
“I texted Sam about the favor while you were eating the nieve from Cisco’s.”
“You’re joking.” She pauses before speaking again. “And you asking me to help design it…”
“Was originally because my mom begged me to find you a job to help you through a tough time.”
Her bottom lip trembles. “You could have picked any house for us to work on, but you chose this one.”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I knew you wouldn’t resist working on this house…even if it meant teaming up with me.”
“Why didn’t you tear it down years ago?”
“That was the original plan.”
“What stopped you?” She wraps her arms around my neck.
“Angering Gerald?”
She laughs, and I swallow the sound with my lips. I kiss her forehead. Cheeks. The corner of her mouth and the curve of her neck. Everywhere my mouth can reach, I kiss, all while Dahlia does the same.
“What do you say about making this place ours?” I drop a kiss on the base of her neck.
“Tempting, but you know how my mom feels about living with someone before marriage.”
“That can easily be arranged.”
Her eyes roll. “Ask me again in a year.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Until then, I plan on making this woman mine in every sense of the word.
Mine to love. Mine to marry. Mine to cherish for as long as we live.
The End
EPILOGUE
Dahlia
SIX MONTHS LATER
Warmth encapsulates me, and I sigh as I snuggle closer to the source. The band around my waist tightens, tugging me free from the fog of unconsciousness.
I jolt awake in the wrong bed. “Shit!”
For the third time this month, Julian and I failed to stay awake after staying up way too late doing things that would have my mother attending confession on my behalf for the next five to ten years.
Julian rubs the sleep from his eyes before sitting up against the headboard. I quickly become distracted by his chest and the toned muscles rippling as he readjusts the pillows behind him.