“It’s a surprise. Let’s clean up.”
After getting the dishes washed, Tessa turns to me. “A surprise, huh? Should I be worried?”
“Not at all.”
We grab our coats and head to the car. We pull onto Sycamore Street, and I park.
“What are we doing here? Visiting someone?”
“Stop asking questions. Follow me.”
They both get out of the car, hold hands, and walk up to the front steps with me. I knock on the door jokingly. Nobody is home.
I turn around to them with a key in my hand. “This might seem sudden or maybe just the right time, but I’d like to ask you to both officially move in with me?”
Emily answers yes right away, but Tessa wavers. “What do you mean? We already live with you... but of course the answer is yes.”
“Not in that house. This one,” he says, putting the key into the door and opening it.
With our relationship moving forward, Tessa deserves to have a home that she can call hers too.
“You... bought a house? But what about...”
I take her hand in mine. “I know I will marry you someday. We deserve a fresh start. Somewhere we can build new memories from the three of us.”
She kisses me, and I begin giving them the tour. This house is much bigger than the other one. At almost three thousand square feet, it’s almost twice the size.
The thing I love most about this house is the potential to grow. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a huge fenced-in backyard for Emily to be able to play in.
“Look at this kitchen. The countertops. The island,” Tessa says, running her fingers along it.
“I figured we like to cook, so we should have a good-size kitchen. Plus, I plan on having lots of holiday dinners here in the future with you.”
The next thing is the bedrooms. We walk up the staircase to the second floor, and I open the first door on the right. “This will be our bedroom.”
It’s a big master bedroom with a walk-in closet and jacuzzi tub, his and her sinks, and a stand-up shower.
“Let’s go see your bedroom.” I take Emily’s hand.
“I get my own bedroom?”
I nod my head, opening the last door in the hall. “This is all yours, sweetheart.”
Emily has never had her own room before, but she will here. And it’s big enough to fit plenty of dollhouses and toys. Whatever she desires. This is now going to be her safe place. One just for her to enjoy.
“So now that you have seen it and agreed to move in with me...” I get down on one knee. “I figured I’d take it a step further. Tessa, you have completely changed my life for the better. Will you marry me?”
Tessa wraps her arms around me, and Emily hugs my waist. “Of course I’ll marry you.”