With a happy smile, Aubrey unwrapped the package and then screamed with delight. It was a palm-size notebook with colorful unicorn sketches all over it. “I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. Her goofy smile tasted delicious—sweet and floral. He deepened the kiss for a few seconds and groaned. He wouldn’t be able to stop if he went on for a second longer. Dropping a featherlike kiss on the corner of her lips, he rested his forehead against hers, letting their breaths mingle as one.
Is this what home feels like?His chest tightened with wonder and panic, but he allowed the warmth and tranquility to wash over him. It was a stolen moment of happiness—isolated and timeless—and it imprinted itself permanently on his mind.
Aubrey was still grumbling and scribbling in the kitchen when Landon came back later that evening. She smiled distractedly at him.
“Hi.”
“Hi yourself.” Landon kissed the top of her head. “Have you been in here all day?”
“Mm-hmm,” she answered without looking up from her notebook, chewing on the end of her pen.
Carefully taking the pen from her, Landon tipped her face up for a proper kiss. “You need to take a break.”
“But…”
“No buts. Besides, I have somewhere to take you.”
“Now? Where?”
“Yes, now. It’s a surprise.”
Aubrey squinted at him for a second. “Well, it had better be a really awesome surprise.”
The schoolhouse was finally finished, and Landon wanted Aubrey to see it before the place was overrun by the crew and their equipment. He didn’t stop to think why he wanted to show her the house. Or why he wanted to see her reaction.
He hadn’t lived fully since his old man’s disappearance. His dream had dangled in front of him, temptingly within reach. All he had to do was claim it. But Landon had walked away to take care of his family, the one his father had abandoned.That selfish bastard.Landon swore never to put his dreams before his mom’s and brother’s well-being. He refused to be like him.
He didn’t resent his mom or Seth. It was his decision. His pain to bear. And he’d borne it by being a spectator in his own life. His brand and his reputation had dictated his choices. He hadn’t owned a home or a car for the last decade. He chose to be a stranger passing through wherever he went. He didn’t dream—he didn’twant—and it had made him invincible.
But Aubrey had shifted something in him. Suddenly, hewanted.He reached for her every night, time and again, and made love to her like a man starved. Now that he finally had her, he wanted her to be his—only his—for as long as she would have him. He swallowed the fear that rose in his throat and pushed aside the thought of losing her.
When he saw the finished schoolhouse, it beckoned him. It whispered to him.Home.He’d convinced himself that Aubreyhad nothing to do with it. That he’d grown tired of his nomadic life. But whenever he imagined home, Aubrey was in it—in the kitchen, in the courtyard, in his bed.
“Oh,” Aubrey whispered reverently. “It does look like house inLittle House on the Prairie.”
“Little House on the Prairie?”
“Yeah. That’s what I imagined the schoolhouse would look like when you first told me about it.”
“Do you like it?” He held his breath.
“It’s perfect.” She sighed. “It feels like a place where children should run amok, driving their parents crazy. But a happy crazy.”
“You haven’t even seen the inside yet.” Landon played it cool even though his face was twitching to explode into a Howdy Doody grin.
“Well, what are we waiting for?”
Aubrey floated through the house as though she were in a trance, her fingertips tracing the walls, the doors, the furniture. The comforts of modern innovation had been incorporated seamlessly into the century-old schoolhouse, and its charming rustic vibe hummed uninterrupted throughout. He watched her face, wondering if she sensed it, too.
“Landon, this place is amazing.” She sounded breathless.
He caught her hand and led her to the big open kitchen with high-end appliances hidden behind country-white panels mimicking the abundant cabinets. It was beautiful, but most of all, it was functional. It was a kitchen made for cooking.
In a house of their own, the kitchen would be the center of life. They would bake and cook together every evening and trade stories about their day. And they would laugh. There would be so much laughter and happiness.
“I don’t think I want to share it with the rest of the worldyet.” Aubrey placed a gentle hand on the gray granite countertop, as though she wanted to shield it from the prying eyes.
