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When they pulled into the Manchester driveway, again she looked at him, totally confused, but he took her hand and led her to the front door. Zach got out of her truck and hopped in with Jade, the two of them grinning like crazy fools as they left and waved goodbye. She turned back to Nathan.
“Why are we here?”
He slid a key into the lock, pushed open the door, and before she knew what was happening, Nate lifted her into his arms and walked inside as if he owned the place. Which, after he kissed her near senseless, she found out that he did.
The house was beautiful. Beck had done an amazing job renovating the place, incorporating modern touches along with the things that made this two-hundred-year-old home special. The stained glass. The intricate woodwork. The fixtures.
They brought the dogs inside, and while they sniffed and got comfortable, Nate too
k her hand and showed Molly his office. He explained that he was going to work from here, and that he’d fly to the city once a month or on a need-to-go basis for meetings. Then he led her outside, where an outbuilding that was obviously new was located.
“And this is for you,” he murmured.
“You built this for me?”
“Beck helped me out.”
“But what’s it for?”
“I know the lease for your shelter is coming to an end and that the owner wants to sell. I thought you could move your shelter here.”
She couldn’t speak. A part of her couldn’t believe this was happening. Another part of her was afraid it wasn’t real.
“I want to marry you, Molly. I want this to be our home.”
She’d been waiting for him all her life, it seemed, and it took a few moments for all of it to sink in.
“I love you, Nathan,” she said turning in his arms, finding it hard to say the words in her heart. “So much.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he murmured, gazing down at her.
“But there’s still one place I haven’t seen.”
“What’s that?”
“The bedroom.”
Nate grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.” He tugged on her hand and led her back to the house. “I hope you’ve cleared your schedule for the day, Moll, because we’re going to spend most of it in bed.”
“Stop talking,” she growled, tugging off her sweater.
Nathan Jacobs was more than happy to oblige, and as they fell onto the bed, a tangled mess of heated skin and blankets, Mama dog and Petal found a great place to snuggle on the area rug in front of the fireplace. They were pieces of a puzzle that fit.
And it was a puzzle she’d treasure forever.
Epilogue
Thanksgiving came on the heels of a winter blizzard the likes of which Crystal Lake hadn’t seen in a good long while. It pounded the area for over forty-eight hours and covered the entire town with at least four feet of snow, which caused power outages, shut down businesses, and created havoc with the Malone family get-together.
And that was more than just a passing concern for Molly, because a few weeks back, after one too many bottles of wine at game night with her parents and Zach and Jess, she’d volunteered to host for the first time. At the time, she’d felt very adult, and it would have been the first of many firsts.
The first time she and Nathan would have people over to their new home.
The first time she would attempt to cook a turkey.
The first time she would use Nana Malone’s recipe for stuffing.
The first time she would use her brand-new oven.
