My chest tightens.
“It’s not just a bedroom,” Lincoln adds. “Look over here.” He’s standing by one of the three doors in the room that I assume leads to a bathroom or closet.
We step over, and that’s when we see it. Stairs.
We follow them upward, finding a large room. There’s no windows. But there’s a bathroom attached, and it’s the perfect spot for a nest. My nest.
This is your nest, Bayleigh.Korbin signs, his mouth open in awe.
I nod.
“I can already see it—soft lamps, a huge comfy bed, plenty of pillows, and shelves for your comfort things—” Milton rambles.
Lincoln steps closer. “You’ll never have to pack it up. Never have to hide it. This will be yours. Permanent. Protected.”
Korbin’s gaze never leaves my face. “We can remodel it if you want something specific added. We’ll make it just like you want. Even add a window if you’d like. Everything designed for you.”
The words hit me all at once.
Permanent.
Protected.
Exactly howIwant.
This isn’t a trial run.
This isn’t a temporary solution.
This is life.
My throat tightens, emotion hitting me all at once. I lift my hand, placing it over my chest as realization settles into me.
They aren’t planning for “if.”
They’re planning forwhen.
And that includes me.
“This is it,” my voice croaks out. “Our home.”
Milton quickly picks up his phone, hits some buttons, and places it to his ear. He’s talking so fast I don’t catch everything, but I don’t need to because he's securing our home.
I’ve never seen an offer get accepted as quickly as ours. But here we are the next day, sitting in the realtor’s office, signing the papers for our new home.
My hands shake when I add my name, but no one rushes me. It’s the first time that I’m using my new last name, our packname. Bayleigh Brooks. Even Milton changed his last name to match ours. He just did it before me.
Milton squeezes my knee under the table. Lincoln keeps his presence steady at my side. Korbin watches the room like he’s memorizing it.
By sunset, the house is officially ours.
We don’t waste any time heading over there. We stand in the empty living room, light fading through the windows, the space echoing with possibility.
Milton takes hold of me, slipping his arms around my waist as he spins the two of us around playfully. I can’t help but laugh. “I wanted to hear that in here,” he admits.
Lincoln steps in, pulling me from Milton and kisses my forehead gently, before lifting his hands and signing.Home.
Korbin steps up beside us, resting his hand on my lower back. “You complete our home,” he tells me as I gaze into his eyes.
