She gestures around her. "You said you made changes. But it's still completely empty."
I walk over to the kitchen counter. The only furniture I kept was the barstools that sit at this counter. I pick up the wrapped box sitting in one of the seats.
"I did buy something for this place. Something that changes everything." I hand her the box.
She covers her mouth with her hand. “Oh Finn. What did you do?”
"Open the box," I whisper. "Right now."
"Bossy," she mouths. Then she pulls the little bow off and pulls off the top. Inside is a plain black jewelers box. When she looks over at me, I'm watching her closely.
"I really hope you don't want me to get down on one knee for this part. Because I might not be able to get back up."
"Finn?" She's half crying, half laughing now. After another exasperated look my way she finally opens the box and then gasps. "Wow."
"Yeah, I might have gone a little overboard but I want everyone who sees you to know the truth."
"What's that?" she asks, her eyes sparkling.
"That you are loved. That you are mine."
She throws herself into my arms and kisses me. All that physical therapy was definitely worth it, I think as I carry her back to the bedroom. I set her down gently on the bed and then climb up next to her, tucking her under my arm.
"You never explained why this place is still so empty." She looks at me quizzically.
"When I was deciding what I wanted to change, I realized that there was only one thing I needed to turn this place into a home. And that's you.”
She pulls me down for a soft kiss. “You're going to make me cry. That's exactly how I feel. I missed being here so much. But it's not about where we are. I just want to be with you.”
“Being with you is all I want, too. As long as you're here, I'm happy. So you can choose to decorate this place however you want."
Her eyes flash right before she breaks out into a huge grin. "I'm going to love decorating this place for you. Think bright colors and tantric sex chairs. This is going to be fun!"
I laugh and it feels so good. I'm healthy, I've got a great family and I've got the love of my life in my arms. I finally feel like I'm exactly where I need to be.
"Welcome home, angel."
THE END