Page 68 of Designing Love
“This place. Us.” He hesitates, voice tender. “Everything.”
I lift my head, meeting his gaze. “Did you ever doubt we’d get here?”
Ethan chuckles gently, shaking his head. “No. But if you’d told me a year ago, I’d buy a haunted fixer-upper to impress an interior designer… well, I’d have laughed.”
“To be fair, it does sound absurd.”
He grins. “But here we are. Raccoons, puppies, and Sage’s art. The whirlwind suits us.”
My breath catches, happiness bubbling up inside me. “It really does.”
“I meant what I said,” Ethan murmurs thoughtfully, eyes gentle. “This is just the start.”
I lean against him, sighing contentedly. “Good. I’m holding you to it.”
“Good,” he echoes softly.
We sit quietly for a moment, absorbed in the tranquility of our completed vision, the subtle scent of fresh paint blending harmoniously with lilacs from the open windows.
Ethan’s voice eventually breaks the silence, gentle yet thoughtful. “Ready for tomorrow’s grand opening?”
I glance up at him. “Honestly? Yes. I’m excited.”
He smiles, thumb brushing over my knuckles. “You really belong here, Sophia. You’re part of Bluewater Cove now.”
“I never imagined finding peace like this, a place to call home,” I whisper, emotion thickening my voice. “Somewhere so effortlessly mine.”
“Or someone as perfect for me as you,” Ethan replies tenderly, color rising slightly to his cheeks.
I laugh softly, my heart fluttering. “You sure know how to flatter.”
“Only with the truth,” he says softly.
We both smile, basking in comfortable quiet. After a moment, Ethan’s expression shifts to thoughtful curiosity. “Hey, did we ever solve the mystery of possible new raccoons in the attic?”
I glance up sharply, eyes wide. “Don’t even joke.”
He grins wickedly. “Guess I’ll have to check tonight.”
“Oh, no, if you get trapped up there again, I’m leaving you overnight.”
“Fair. But if I survive, promise me breakfast in bed?”
“Deal,” I concede, grinning despite myself.
Biscuit snorts softly, stretching out between us. Ethan gently threads his fingers through mine, sighing deeply.
“Sophia,” he whispers after a long pause, “thank you.”
“For what?”
He smiles faintly, his gaze sincere. “For taking a risk on this house, on me… on us.”
Warmth rushes through my chest. “Best risk I ever took.”
He gently tilts my chin upward, capturing my lips in a soft, lingering kiss. It’s tender and sweet, filled with quiet promises of tomorrow.
Biscuit yawns lazily, breaking the moment. We laugh gently, and I rest my head against Ethan’s shoulder, deeply content.
