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I helped her through the garage and to the back door. We entered the backyard, and I brought her to the edge of the new deck. “Now you can look.” I removed my hands from her eyes and walked around her body so I could watch her reaction.
She squinted for a second, then gasped. “You...how...what?”
“This is what I made while you were gone.”
“How did I not notice?” She stepped up the small staircase and then sat on one of the built-in benches. “There’s no way you did this all by yourself.”
“Of course, I did.” I sat next to her. “You didn’t notice because you come home and practically go to bed every night.”
“Do not.”
I gave her a pointed look. “I’ve seen more brain activity from a zombie.”
A blush spread across her cheeks. “It’s been a long week.”
“I’m not judging you,” I clarified. “Though I am worried.”
“Like I said—”
“Long week.” I nodded and grabbed her hand with my own. “And now you have another place you can rest. Perhaps having some sunshine will help?”
“Maybe,” she whispered. She bit her lip then shook her head. “Thank you, Lucian. For everything. Your patience. Everything.”
I leaned in and kissed her sweetly on the lips. “I would do anything for you.”
Even keep my dragon at bay.
I couldn’t lose her.
For her, I’d find a way to make the strange world of the humans work.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she whispered as she stared up at me with her big, beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Those words made the sacrifice feel worthwhile.
I wanted to tell her I loved her, to show her how deeply that love ran. Instead, I put my arm around her, and we gazed across her fresh lawn. If the house felt like home for her, it could feel the same for me as well.
Home was a construct created by connections. My family would understand.
Chapter 11.
KATERINA
Three weeks passed quickly. I worked with my kids and Lucian worked on house projects. Every day he updated something. It wouldn’t have surprised me if I came home one day, and he’d decided to gut the kitchen and start fresh.
