My eyebrows raise and I follow him into the house. We walk down the halls, but instead of turning toward our usual wing, we go deeper into the darker, unused sections where Cormac and Irene used to live. He pushes through the French doors and stops outside of a room I vaguely recognize.
“The white room?” I ask, head tilted. “Why are we here?”
“I know you’ve been really itching to get outside again, and the doctor told you not to spend too much time in the sun, so I thought I’d come up with a compromise.” He pulls the door open and steps inside, flicking on the lights.
The floors are hardwood. The walls are painted dark green. And there are windows, so many windows. The two exterior walls are practically all window, massive and airy, and I can only imagine how much light this place gets during the day.
“Is this what all that construction’s been about? I thought they were repairing old sections of the house.”
“They were. These are the repairs.” He gestures around him at the empty space. “I’m thinking you can have an indoor garden. Lots of light from the windows. We can get shelves and tables and whatever you want. I know it’s not the same, but you can fill this room with as many plants as you want and take care of them until you have the baby.”
“Kellen,” I say, at a total loss for words.
“I know, it’s a silly idea. But I don’t know. I like the idea of taking this awful fucking room and turning it into something good.”
I walk to him and bury my mouth against his.
He kisses me back and grins when we break apart.
“I take it you’re happy?”
“I love you,” I say, nuzzling his neck and hugging him tight.
“I love you too, princess.”
We stand in this room and this incredible man, this thoughtful and loving man, the father of my baby and the husband I’ve always dreamed of, he holds me against him and hugs me tight, and I stay in the moment, breathing in it, letting the joy flow through me. We’re bringing life into the world. We’re making our own home.
We’re doing it together.