“I added the soft close feature,” I spoke up. “I thought you’d like that.”
Silence.
She stepped over to the stove, studying it.
“Eleanor gave us her appliances. They’re only a year old, still like new,” I offered, shifting on my feet, feeling nervous.
Why wasn’t she saying anything?
It suddenly occurred to me maybe I had overstepped. I thought I knew what Maggie wanted. I thought she’d be thrilled, but maybe I had been wrong. Maybe this was something she wanted to do herself. Perhaps reconditioned cupboards and used appliances weren’t what she wanted at all, no matter how nice they were. Maybe I had just fucked everything up.
“Maggie, Angel…if you hate it—”
She held up her hand and turned to look at me. Tears poured down her face.
Fuck. She was upset.
“Maggie—”
“How?” she choked out.
“What?”
“How did you do all this, Sebastian?” She touched the counter. “This is the pattern I fell in love with.” Her gaze drifted to the cupboards. “The handles I admired in the hardware store.”
“I know. I wanted to give you everything you liked. I’ve been buying things as I found them and storing them in Eleanor’s garage. She gave me some of the cupboards when I replaced hers, and I bought the others.” I swallowed. “Are you angry?”
“Angry?” She hiccupped.
“That I did this without your permission? Renovated your house?”
She shook her head wildly. “Our house.”
Those words warmed my chest. I stepped forward, completely confused. “Why are you crying?”
“Why did you do these renovations?”
I smiled. “Because I love you, and you wanted a pretty kitchen. I tried to give you that wish.”
“No one has ever done anything like this for me.”
“No one deserves it more. It’s my way of saying thank you.”
She lunged forward, and I caught her in my arms. Her shoulders shook with the force of her sobs, which I now understood to be happy, yet somewhat confused tears. I held her close, shushing her and stroking her hair.
“It’s the most beautiful kitchen I have ever seen!” she exclaimed between sobs. “I can’t believe you did all this for me! How–how did you do all this in one weekend?”
“I had help. Chris, Finn, and Patrick all pitched in. Mandy and Amber packed up everything.”
“They all knew?”
I smirked, wiping the tears off her cheeks. “Eleanor organized it all. She took you away so I could do this for you.”
More tears welled in her eyes.
“Enough crying. You’re supposed to be happy,” I chided her gently. I hated seeing her cry.
“I am. I’m just overwhelmed. I can’t believe you did this for me. I can’t believe you love me enough to do—” she waved her arm “—all this work.” She gazed up at me. “No one has over loved me that much.”
I bent down, brushing her lips with mine. “Ditto. You give me so much. This was just a start to my thank-you for what you have done for me. The way you have made my life so much better than I ever imagined it could be.”
She flung her arms around my neck, holding me tight. I held her to my chest, smiling as she whispered, “Oh my God, Sebastian, is that a dishwasher?”
Setting her down, I chuckled. “Let me show you your new kitchen, Angel. Then you can check out the new laundry room and guest bathroom.”
She let out a squeal that made me laugh. That was what I wanted.
Maggie’s happiness.
We sat at the table, eating some snacks I had picked up—or, rather, I was. Maggie kept standing, opening cupboards, touching the counter, and smiling. She would sit down, beam at me, sip her wine, and start the whole process over again. At times, she’d disappear into the new laundry/bath area, returning with a grin. Finally, I pulled her to my lap, winding my arm around her waist.
“Stay.” I laughed. “I’ve missed you so much, and you keep disappearing on me.”
“Every time I look, I see something new. Everything is so pretty. It all looks like me—exactly what I would pick out. Like you stepped into my brain and took all the ideas out and, bam! There they are!” she rambled. “I’m just so overwhelmed!” She ran her finger along the thick wooden table. “This is so beautiful. I love the grain and the color. I just love everything.”
I grinned since that was the Maggie I knew. Excited and talking.
“Chris made it with some planks we pulled out of that farmhouse a few weeks ago. I knew how much you wanted a big table for in here. He left them weathered and just varnished them.” I pulled at the end. “It opens up so you can get more people around it.”
“I am so hosting Thanksgiving.”
“We’ll need more chairs.” I had kept the two Maggie had, but that was all we owned. “I bet Chris could make some simple ones we could paint white.”