Every Saturday Night (Firsts and Forever 6)

“Okay, that’s weird,” I muttered.

Lucky just grinned and sent a text. When he received a reply, he said, “Okay, we’re going. Be back in a few minutes.”

We ended up walking around the block, where a man with a French bulldog was waiting for us. He shook hands with Lucky, then turned to me and shook my hand as he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Logan. Take all the time you need. I’m going to take Rosalind for a nice, long walk. Just text me when you’re done and lock up on the way out.” Then he took off down the street with the dog.

“Now I’m really confused,” I said. “Also, that guy didn’t actually tell me his name.”

“It’s Kevin, and this is his house.” We both turned to look at the compact, white Edwardian, and he asked, “Can you tell where we are?”

“I think we’re directly behind the pink Victorian, though Kevin’s house looks a lot different from the street than it does over the back fence.”

“You’re right,” Lucky said, as we climbed the stairs. “That’s exactly where we are.”

“Okay. But…why?”

“Because I want to buy this for us—for you, me, and Owen.”

“Is it for sale?”

“Kevin had been thinking about putting the house on the market later this year. With the offer I’ve made him, he’s willing to sell it to us now. But it’s up to you.”

“When did you make him an offer?”

“Yesterday. I drove by on the way to the market because I wanted to see what the house looked like from the front, and he was outside with his dog. We had a nice chat. He said it felt like fate that I’d come to see him, since he’d been giving serious thought to selling and moving down the peninsula to be closer to his job.”

I wandered into the house in a daze. It was all done up in crisp white and shades of blue, which made it feel tranquil. Lucky took me upstairs first, where there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. One bedroom was currently being used as a home office, and I could easily picture converting the guest bedroom into a nursery for Owen.

Then we went back downstairs and walked through the main floor, which had a nice living room with a fireplace, a half-bathroom, and a perfect little kitchen that opened to a cozy family room. The whole thing was beautiful, with a lot of vintage charm.

Lucky led me through the family room and opened the back door. As we stepped out onto a raised deck, he indicated the tidy backyard and the view of the pink Victorian over the fence. “It’s just what we talked about,” he said, “more room and privacy, but still close to your brother and our found family. I was thinking we could tear down the back fence and share one big yard.”

I grabbed him in a hug and whispered, “It’s absolutely perfect.”

“I’m so glad you think so. I was worried about overwhelming you with one more thing today, but I didn’t think we should wait too long. If this house goes on the market, it’ll sell immediately and I don’t want to risk losing it.”

“You did the right thing. We’d never find another home as perfect as this.”

“I’m so happy to hear you say that. In that case, I’ll get the process started first thing tomorrow, and we should be able to move in about a month from now.”

Just then, we heard someone shouting. I spotted Lark hanging halfway out of Eliot’s bedroom window, and he yelled, “Does all that hugging mean you’re going to buy the house?” When I gave him a thumbs up, he exclaimed, “Awesome! So, can we tear the fence down?”

“Not yet,” Lucky called. “We’ll tell you when.”

We went back inside, and I walked to the center of the family room and said, “Can’t you just picture it? You and me curled up on the couch, Owen playing with his toys right over here, my brother coming through the back door to raid whatever we made for dessert—”

He chuckled and said, “I can see all of that, too.”

I turned to Lucky and asked, “This is my dream come true, but is it yours? I need to know you’ll be happy here.”

“As long as I’m with you, I’ll be happy anywhere. I do love this house, though. Not only is it the perfect location, it feels like it’s just the right size for our family. We could even turn that home office into a second kids’ bedroom, if we decide to adopt a little brother or sister for Owen somewhere down the road.”

I smiled at Lucky as I drew him into my arms. “Wow, you’re really planning ahead.”

“Of course I am. This is forever, Logan.” He kissed me before saying, “But first things first. For now, let’s buy this house and move in and make it a home. Then we can talk about things like springtime weddings, and more kids, and the life we’re going to build together.”

“Good idea.”

After another sweet, lingering kiss, he said, “Come on, let’s get back to the party. Our family is probably dying to hear what’s happening, and Rosalind the dog might be getting tired by now.”