Page 91 of Living at 40

We pass the cottage, which surprises me, but I follow Ben’s lead traveling further down the road. We pass Zack’s old home, which is right next door, and the historical inn. We pass a Spanish-inspired home that has always intrigued me, and then we near my house, as I affectionately call the place.

The one where I dreamed of living one day with a husband and child of my own. The place wasn’t as flashy as the cottage house of Anna’s family, but more your traditional lakeside home. It was perfectly situated on a raised lot, and Ben slows as we near it. The FOR SALE sign that once sat in the yard is now gone.

“It sold?” My heart breaks at another dream shattered.

“I think so,” Ben says, hopping off his bike but turning it onto the drive.

“What are you doing?” I ask, still straddling mine. Ben walks up the drive. Distance grows between us until Ben stops and tilts his head.

“Come on.”

Removing myself from my bike, I hold the handlebars and walk it up the gravel drive. “Ben, this is trespassing.”

He chuckles. “Might be the last time you get to peek inside then,” he teases. He stops short of the front walk and lays his bike on the lawn. I follow his lead and walk the broken path to the front door where Ben has stopped before the entrance. He turns to me.

“You know there’s nothing I want more than for you to be happy, right?”

I tip my head to the side, curious where his comment is leading. “Of course.” He’s always been the best of brothers.

“This is the happiness you deserve.” Ben reaches for the doorknob and presses it to open the door.

“Ben,” I whisper, narrowing my eyes as my heart races. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.” Ben slowly smiles. “It was all him.” Ben holds out a hand, and I hesitate as I cross the threshold of the house I’d always dreamed of owning to find Logan standing inside.

36

[Logan]

As Autumn enters the house, she looks as nervous as I feel. I swipe my warm hands down my jean-covered thighs and wait as she cautiously steps farther inside. I’m going to owe Ben big for this, as I called him before I made a decision. I wanted his approval and his help.

“Welcome,” I say, biting off the second word I want to share with her. I hold off as I have more groveling to do and more explaining, but I wanted this moment first.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, sidetracked by the old fireplace and built-in bookshelves. A large bay window looks out toward the water, unencumbered by the house across the street as it sits lower on the incline, pitching toward the lake. The sun is setting earlier on this mid-October day, but it’s no less striking than a summer sunset.

“What do you think of the place?” I question, having a hint as Lorna knew about this house.

“I love this house.” Autumn pauses, glancing around the open space between the front room and the dining area where I’ve set up a card table with flowers and a linen tablecloth. Her head tilts.

“Want to tell me about this house?” I ask, hoping to reel her in and open her up to me about it.

“I’ve always admired this place for some reason. It seems more cottage-y than Anna and Ben’s place, and I’ve always wanted to own a house, not a condo.” Autumn’s place is a newer build pressed up to the waterfront in town. It’s nice and modern with a great view but lacking character.

“Lorna told me you called this your house.” My daughter mentioned how they drove by it one night, and Autumn called this place her home. Mila and Lorna also rode bikes past the house, and Mila called the swing in the front yard her spot.

“I did.” She softly chuckles. “But Ben told me it—” She stops, holding still in the empty front room while I remain by the makeshift dining table.

“It what?” I slowly smile, nearly ready to burst.

“It sold.” Her voice drops as she stares at me. “Did you buy this place?”

“I did.” My voice rises with excitement, fighting the anxiety underlying the phrase.

“Why?”

“I want to give us a home.”

“Logan.” Her shoulders visibly fall, and her lips purse. I’ve stressed over being too late to win her back, but I’m more determined than I’ve ever been to do this with her.