Page 92 of After You

It only took a right turn, a left, then another right for Hannah to figure out where they were going. She looked over, clearly excited. This was their spot. The place they’d first had sex. The place where they’d dreamed of their futurehome.

“Camping?” she asked. “You still have that blow-up mattress for your truckbed?”

He shook his head and brought her hand up to his lips, suddenly feeling emotional. This was either the biggest mistake he’d ever made—or the best decision.

“Better,” he finally toldher.

“Better?” She glanced behind them as if the answer was in the truck bednow.

“Look up ahead.” He pulled onto what looked like a narrow dirt road but was, in fact, his driveway.

They bumped along for a few yards then crested a small rise, and Hannah got her first look at his house. The one he was building—or mostly having built, since he had no time to spend onit.

But as Hannah gave a little gasp and turned to look at him with wide eyes that looked a little shiny, Kyle realized that he hadn’t given up on working on the house because of time. It was because he wasn’t sure he wantedit.

It was supposed to have been his and Hannah’s house. They’d drawn the sketches, made the lists and plans together. He loved the land, the view of the river, the wraparound porch, the skylights—all of which they’d talked about, dreamed about, together.

But he wasn’t dying to get it done. Because he wasn’t sure he wanted to live here without her. That seemed obvious now as he pulled up in front of it and watched her get out, almost as if in adaze.

He shut the truck off and sat behind the wheel, just watching as she made her way up onto the porch, running her hand over the railing almost lovingly, then crossed to the swing he’d hung. He couldn’t even decide what kind of flooring to put in the bathrooms, but he’d hung a porch swing. He knew it was because they’d said they wanted a swing like the one that hung in Alice’s yard. But they hadn’t talked about bathroom floors.

He knew—and had done—the things like a fireplace with a stone hearth and a huge mantle big enough for photos and Christmas stockings. He knew the kitchen had to have an island and a double oven for when they had the family holidays at their place. But he had no idea what color the walls should be or what the cabinets should look like. Similarly, he knew they’d need a dining room big enough for an enormous dining room table for their family and friends to gather around. But he didn’t have a clue what light fixtures to choose. He’d even known they’d wanted five bedrooms—for the kids they’d wanted to have. But he didn’t know what type of tub to put in the master bathroom.

Because teenagers in love, dreaming in the backyard, only made big plans. Like porches and fireplaces and dining room tables. Not details like cupboard door handles or carpet colors. And they didn’t plan on things like one of them getting hurt and having to change their career and alter their lifestyle.

Kyle ran a hand through his hair. Yeah, they’d made a solid Plan A. Not so much a Plan B. Neither of them had ever needed a Plan B before.

He finally got out of the truck and followed her onto the porch. He pulled out the key and unlocked the door. He pushed it open without a word and stood back to let her pass. But she stopped in front ofhim.

“Are you sure you want mehere?”

Kyle looked down at her. So she realized that once they spent the night here together, he’d always think of her here. But he nodded. He had to. “You’re the only one I wanthere.”

No other woman would feel right here, and now he knew that if Hannah went back to Seattle, he’d have to sell this place.

Hannah gave him a nod and started to step through the doorway, but Kyle grabbed her at the last second, pulled her around, and kissedher.

When he let her go, he said, “It’s kind of…not put together verywell.”

She laid her hand against his face and smiled. “Not put together very well is my new normal.”

Yeah, maybe. And it looked beautiful on her. He nodded and let her go. “See what you think.”

“I love it already.”

Before he could respond, she stepped through the door. Kyle followed. He led her through the rooms. There wasn’t much to explain. Most of it was still just big, open rooms with nothing in them but tools and sawhorses.

Mitch and Andi were working on it for him part-time, but he was holding them up with his inability to make decisions.

He and Hannah ended the tour in the kitchen.

“It’s amazing,” she said. She seemed a little chokedup.

“You okay?” he asked, moving close.

“Yeah, I’m—” She nodded. “Yeah.” But her voice was thick.

And Kyle made a decision. The idea all along had been to make it harder than hell for her to leave. It had been about revenge in the beginning, or at least about him being right that she should want to be here instead of Seattle. But now, he really wanted leaving to be—impossible forher.

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