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“When did you start this?” I ask, frowning at the mess of a space.
“When you were in Pahrump,” he says. “As soon as I realized how badly I’d fucked everything up, I knew I needed to fix this. I want you to see that I’m making room in my life. I’m planning for this. I want this so much, Megan. If you’ll give me another chance—”
“How did you get a contractor on such short notice?” I ask.
He’s quiet for a minute. Then he sputters a laugh.
“You want to know about the contractor?”
“Yeah, I mean, I thought construction took a long time.”
“Freddy knew a guy,” he says. “Well, Zeke’s brother knew a guy, and Freddy knew to ask Zeke’s brother. But… they’ll be back tomorrow. They had to get some more drywall.”
I look back down the hall, past Derek, to where the third room is framed in. And I realize there’s a bed in that room as well.
“Are you sleeping down there?” I ask, pointing at the sad space.
He shrugs a shoulder. “Are you upset? I wanted to just show you, but maybe that was wrong? Maybe I should have just told you what my plans were and then you could have weighed in?”
I stare up at him, seeing the fear, panic, and something else much weightier and murkier in his expression. And in that moment, I know. It hits like a wall of wind. He changed his world for me, not knowing whether I would accept it or not. Not knowing whether I would give him another chance.
He hasn’t even told me about the classes he took. That he learned how to help me through contractions and change a diaper and rock a colicky baby to sleep.
I feel a fresh warmth spooling through my veins as I step closer to him. He hitches his breath as I reach for him, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing him in a hug. Or as much of a hug as I can give him when my belly blocks the way. He doesn’t hesitate. His arms coil around me and he presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“Thank you,” I say into his chest.
“Of course,” he says. “Does this mean you like it?”
I lean back and look up at him, tears in my eyes, laughing.
“Like it? Are you kidding? No one’s ever given me two homes before.”
A smile sweeps over his face.
“Does this mean… you’ll consider this? That you’ll think about being here, with me?” He looks so tentative, so hopeful.
“Of course I will,” I say. “I can’t believe you did this. I love it.”
He cups my cheeks, running his thumbs over my cheeks, wiping away the stray tears. “You do?”
“Yes.”
He smiles and leans down, brushing his lips across mine. It’s a light, sweet touch, a promise of more to come.
“I promise, Megan, I won’t let you down.”
“I believe you,” I say. And I really do. I can see how badly he wants this. I can see what he’s willing to do, how he’s willing to make room in his world for me—for us. “I’ll just want to take it slow for a bit.”
“We can take it however you want,” he says. “If I can wake up and know you’re here with me, it’s all that matters.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m with you.”
He grins and leans down, his lips closing in on mine. But then he pauses, his breath tickling my lips.
“I love you, Megan,” he says.
His words, simple though they may be, settles everything within me.
