Page 103 of Make it Real
JED
Ten monthslater
I’d been through brutal Basic Training, dangerous scenarios, and even watched my niece and nephews for a whole weekend while Wade and Annie went out of town for their ten-year anniversary, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever been so nervous.
Driving my truck up the lane, I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, my nerves on full display. Didn’t matter, though, since Callie couldn’t see my antsiness.
“Are you peeking?”
She laughed. “How could I peek? I’m wearing two blindfolds and a baseball hat tugged over my eyes.”
“You’re sneaky.”
“I know where we’re going,” she said softly. “I think I do. Maybe it’s something else, but I’m pretty sure.”
We’d been out here together after they laid the foundation, and again to see the progress as the walls came up. But once it started looking like a real house, I’d asked her to steer clear. She might have helped pick out everything about it, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be a surprise.
I parked out front and stepped around the truck to Callie’s side. I swung the door open, tamping down my chuckle at the sight of her perched in the passenger seat, eyes covered, hat angled low.
“Now for the fun part.” I put my hands on her waist and turned her to me so I could lift her down out of the truck. She made a soft little sound as I lowered her to the grass, her hands tight on my shoulders. Having her in my arms had become my favorite part of every day, and if I went out of my way to find excuses to get her there, I was only human.
I guided her into position and took off the hat. “Are you ready?”
She grinned so wide, her dimple showed and—well, I had to stoop down to kiss it.
I moved to stand behind her and untied both bandanas I’d put around her head. I stuffed them in my back pocket and placed my hands on her shoulders. “You can look.”
The sound she made when she opened her eyes was just what I’d hoped for. Part gasp, part squeal, all delight. She spun around, sparklers shining in her eyes.
“Is it finished?”
“It’s all done.”
The one-story white farmhouse sat in the middle of my property, its covered front porch beckoning us inside. It looked modern but classic, the perfect fit out here in the sticks. The perfect fit for us.
She took a step closer. “Can we—?”
I handed her an Evans Orchards keychain with a single key on it. Her grin flashed right before she swiped the keychain from my hand and darted onto the front porch.
Her nonstopoohingandaahingprovided the soundtrack for our tour of the house. I’d been through it already on a final walk-through with the builders, but seeing it with her made everything more special. We’d focused on putting together a comfortable, inviting home, skipping most of the luxury options in favor of a functional, classic style. Open floor plan, warm wood kitchen cabinets, hardwood floors. White walls, so Callie could cover each room in her favorite bold colors. An office with perfect lighting for painting and embroidering. Porches in front and back.
She ran from room to room, testing out cupboards and flipping on lights, double-checking everything we’d picked. In the primary bedroom, she spun a small circle, but when she stopped, her lower lip wobbled.
Tears weren’t where I wanted her to go. Not yet.
“This is going to be our home,” she said quietly.
“Don’t sound so happy about it, Callie Lou.” I took her hand and ushered her out. “You haven’t seen the best part.”
Although, to be honest, our future bedroom ranked right up there.
I opened the door that led out to the big back porch. She stepped out and sighed as the view hit her. Beyond the grassy lawn, sycamores and ashes and oaks surrounded us, sheltering the house. A little ways beyond that sat the acres of orchards, and a trace of their summer scent reached us on the breeze.
“It’s perfect,” she breathed.
It was. This cozy house, in the middle of the orchards I loved and worked with my pop. Only one thing left to make it extra perfect.
While she gazed out at the trees, I moved behind her and pulled the ring I’d been carrying around all day from my pocket. Lowering down on one knee, I held my breath, said a prayer, and lifted it up.
