Page 84 of Mechanic’s Christmas Match

But her words trailed off when he opened the door at the back of the kitchen, which she had assumed would lead to a porch or a little mudroom.

“Oh, my word,” her mom breathed.

The nicest bedroom in the house was a first-floor addition. It was large, light-filled, and had plenty of space for a bedroom with a closet, and a sitting area beside it. There was a full bathroom too. Sliders on the back wall led out to a deck and the small backyard beyond.

“I was thinking,” Rory said excitedly as he hurried over to the window of the sitting area. “You could have a nice sewing table over here, Mom. And there’s still plenty of space for your couch and bookshelf from the apartment.”

“Rory,” she murmured, looking around like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Ana could relate. How had he managed to find this home that was so perfect for all of them?

“What do you think?” Rory asked her mom, taking her hands and looking into her eyes. “I know you’re used to the apartment and you have everything just the way you like it. I don’t want to take you away from that if it’s where you’d rather be. But just know that wherever we are will always be your home.”

“Oh, Rory,” she replied.

Ana watched with tears in her eyes as Rory waited for his answer.

“I love this place,” her mom said simply. “It’s more than I could have dreamed of.”

“Ana?” Rory said, his eyes catching hers. “How about you?”

Ana swallowed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

“Rory,” she said softly. “Can we really afford this?”

His eyes warmed as he let go of her mother’s hands to wrap an arm around Ana’s shoulder.

“We can,” he told her. “And you can look at the numbers too. The only thing I want to know is if it feels like home.”

Ana looked at her mom, who was dreamily trailing her hand along the frame of the window where her sewing table would be, and then over at Theo, who was galloping around the kitchen island while he talked to Sloane, finally having the space to express himself the way he wanted.

Then she looked up into the brilliant blue eyes of her husband, the man who had worked so many hours and done without so many things to make this possible for all of them.

“Yes,” she said. “It feels like home to me.”

“Me too,” he said.

“Are we really doing this?” she asked. “Aren’t you worried?”

“I love you, Ana Banana,” he whispered with a teasing smile. “Everything else is just details. Let’s sign some papers.”

He called Sloane over and her mom took Theo for a walk around the backyard while they bent over the kitchen counter to go over everything and decide how much they were willing to offer.

Later that evening, after the walk to the park, the playing, the homemade dinner, and the stories read before Theo’s bedtime, Rory got a phone call.

“Hang on,” he said. “Let me put you on speaker.”

Ana and her mom looked at each other and they all moved to the table, where Rory pulled out chairs for them.

“Congratulations,” Sloane’s voice came from the phone. “You got the house.”

They all cheered quietly, so as not to wake Theo, and Rory took note of all the things they had to do next as Ana listened, unable to believe what had just happened.

When she looked to her mom, she was standing by the front window. If Ana didn’t know her so well, she wouldn’t have realized that she was quietly crying.

“Mami,” she breathed, going to her immediately.

“This was just what your father always wanted,” her mom said, turning to her with happy tears on her cheeks. “I’m so proud of my son-in-law. And of both of you for working toward this so diligently.”