I look back and forth between the house and Tyler. “I’m confused.”
“The other sale fell through,” he tells me. “It’s ours.”
“Ours?” My throat tightens, and hot tears fill my eyes.
“The sale closed two weeks ago. Then I called in some favors and got a couple of trades in here to do the work so you wouldn’t have to worry about it. All we need to do is hire movers and we’ll be good to go. Your mom said she’d come help us get settled before the baby comes.”
“You’re kidding.” I blink back the moisture blurring my vision, threatening to overflow.
“Dead serious.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” I sob a laugh and throw my arms around him.
He squeezes me, being mindful of the belly. “You were so crushed the first time. I didn’t want to get your hopes up until I knew we’d get it for sure. There was a bit of a bidding war.”
“Bidding war?” I’m not sure I want to know the details. We can afford it, but the initial asking price involved a lot of zeroes.
I’m a sniffling mess as he leads me through the rooms one by one. All of the details are perfect, down to the hardware on the doors.
We step into the kitchen, which looks like a completely different house than before. Last time I was here, it was full of dark wood and even darker green tile. Now it’s bright and airy, filled with white cabinets, trimmed marble countertops, and accented by glossy tile backsplash. It’s so beautiful I’d live in the kitchen itself if given the change.
“You stalked my Pinterest, huh?” I ask Tyler.
He grins. “Every board. Come on, let’s go look at your office.”
Fingers intertwined with mine, he leads me upstairs, and we take the first bedroom on the left. It’s the smallest one, which frees up the remaining bedrooms for the rest of our eventual children—should we even stay in New York City that long. With his career, there’s no way to predict.
The office is equally amazing. A new coat of soft, warm pink adorns the walls, and a row of newly installed white built-in bookcases sits along one side. Once I throw in a desk, it’ll be exactly what I always wanted.
“Thank you.” I turn to Tyler and stand on my tiptoes to reach him, brushing my lips to his. “This is amazing. I love it. I love you.”
He hugs me and releases me, kneeling down as he does. At first I think he’s tying his shoe, but then I see him pull something out of his pocket.
Pregnancy brain has me a little slow to catch up, and it takes until I lay eyes on what he’s holding for me to put everything together. Between his thumb and finger is a massive cushion-cut pink diamond set on a thin rose-gold band. It’s stunning, and exactly what I would have picked.
“Question 1162,” he says. “Will you marry me?”
“Hades,” I whisper, choking back a sob. “Of course I will.”
I give him my left hand and he slips on the ring easily, evidently having sized it for my pregnant sausage fingers. Holding it out, I admire the way it sparkles in the light. Did I mention it’s massive?
Tyler stands and draws me to him, kissing me softly. “I love you.”
“I love you.” My tears start to overflow again. I’m overwhelmed in the best possible way. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do all of this for me.”
“I would do anything for you, Tink.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my husband, for loving me in sickness and （mental） health, being my hockey fact checker, and listening to me rant and rave about all things indie publishing. And to both of my sons, who are the reason for everything I do.
To all of my writer friends, because writing is a lonely endeavor and you keep me sane. Alywn, without you, this book would never have made it. I can’t express how thankful I am for all the time you spent with me on this even while we balanced our crazy time zone differences. Sonali, thank you for talking me off the ledge at the eleventh hour and being one of my biggest cheerleaders.
Thank you to Autumn and Wordsmith Publicity for being endlessly supportive with this release.
And to all of my readers, without whom any of this would be possible.