Teddy reached for my hand, his fingers intertwining with mine. “Shiloh, you’re not a burden to me. I enjoy spending time with you and helping you. It’s what people do when they care about each other.”
My eyes filled with tears, the relief washing over me in a powerful wave. “I just don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I want to be an equal partner in this relationship.”
Teddy squeezed my hand gently. “I know you do, and I appreciate that. But it’s also okay to lean on me when you need help. That’s what I’m here for. And you take care of me in other ways. There’s no one keeping score of who does more for the other.”
Except there was in my head.
We sat in silence for a moment, the sounds of the evening surrounding us. I could hear the distant hum of a neighbor’s lawnmower and the faint chirping of crickets hidden in the grass.
“You know, it’s not just about the yard work,” I admitted quietly. “I guess I’m just afraid of losing you. Afraid that if I show any sign of weakness or vulnerability, you’ll decide I’m not worth the effort.”
Teddy’s expression softened, and he pulled me into a tight embrace. “Where in the hell did you get that idea? You’re an incredible person, and I’m lucky to have you in my life. Your fears and insecurities don’t make you any less lovable. If anything, I should be the one who’s worried about what I’ll do when you find someone younger and hotter.”
“That won’t happen.” Teddy stood, the pulled me out of my chair and into his arms. As we held each other, I allowed myself to truly believe his words. It wasn’t easy to let go of my doubts, but I knew that if I wanted our relationship to flourish, I had to learn to trust Teddy to let me know if he needed something different.
I thoughtI’d be happy once the weeds were pulled and we got everything trimmed back. I was wrong. As soon as the back area of the yard looked nice, the green space started bothering me. There were plenty of people who would love a large expanse of thick, dark green grass but I wasn’t one of them, apparently. Instead, I imagined different areas I could build out.
On the back of an envelope, I started sketching a stone fire pit. I scrolled through Pinterest until I found a few examples I liked, and then pulled up the local home improvement store to price out the materials.
“What’s got you so captivated over here?” I tipped my head back to accept a kiss from Teddy. When I quickly flipped over the envelope, he swiped it off the table. The corner of his mouth tipped up in a smirk. “Is this the next thing on the honey-do list?”
“No, it’s—” I stopped myself because I’d made a promise to myself that I’d let Teddy help me without feeling guilty. “What would you think about a fire pit over there?”
I pointed to an area not too far from the existing patio. We could easily put in a path using some sort of rustic looking pavers, and then create another seating area away from the house.
“I think that would be nice. Is this something you’ve been thinking about doing?”
“Not really, until recently,” I admitted. “But the more time we spend out here, the more I want to make it cozy. Sort of like the patio at the bakery but different.”
“I think I understand what you’re saying. And it’s not like you don’t have the room.” Teddy grabbed my pen and started scribbling some of his own notes. “Have you thought about extending this part of the patio a bit? It might save some money that way.”
“We could but I like the idea of it further back.”
We. Huh, that was interesting. Somewhere along the way, I’d stopped thinking of the house as a place for me to crash at the end of a day in the kitchen. When I pictured an evening beside the fire pit with a glass of wine, Teddy sat beside me with his bottle of beer. It was our friends who hung out with us long after the sun went down.
“I’m not saying a bigger patio is a bad idea,” I quickly added before I dove even deeper into my own thoughts. “If I was to get a grill I don’t want it right up against the house.”
“And when were you thinking about buying a grill?” Teddy’s eyes shone with amusement. He definitely hadn’t missed my earlier slip.
“Well, you seem to prefer your meat cooked over an open flame,” I teased. “And since we’re here more often than we’re at your house it seemed like a good idea. I thought we might be able to drive up to Pineville this weekend.”
“That could probably be arranged.” Teddy disappeared into the house, returning with his trusty yellow legal pad. Those things were popping up all over the house, further evidence of his presence. “So, about this fire pit. Is this what you want it to look like or were you trying to keep things simple?”
My cheeks flushed. Teddy held out his hand, so I opened my phone and clicked into the board I was building of backyard project ideas.
“If you had to choose, which one is your favorite?” I took the phone back from him and scrolled to one I wasn’t sure could be built without special ordering parts. The stone base would be easy enough but the top was wrought iron and like nothing I’d seen before. Teddy let out a low whistle. “That’s gorgeous. We’ll have to hunt down the grate at the top but we should be able to make it happen.”
“Oh, I can get by with something less extravagant.”
“No, if this is what you want, let’s do it.” He narrowed his eyes as if silently daring me to argue with him. A week ago, I would have. I’d have listed off every reason I didn’t want him going to the trouble. Now, not only was I considering a future where we’d build an entire life together to enjoy but I also saw how his entire demeanor changed as he as he frantically started typing on his phone. He flipped the screen towards me. “This isn’t exactly what you were looking for but it’s close.”
“No, I really like that.” I took the phone from his and zoomed in far enough to see the details along the edges of the grate. The hearts were substantial enough they wouldn’t get damaged by the heat. “Can we do something like this where it’s not actual wood-burning, too?”
“Yeah, we can do whatever you want. I’ll have to look into the logistics but I think most like this are run off an LP tank that’s stored in the base. I’ll look into it over the weekend and we get the supplies when we grab the grill.
“Awesome. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”
* * *
