“Where are we?” I asked once Sebastian had taken off his helmet as well.
“Do you like it?” he asked, a tentative smile on his face.
Why is he shifting from foot to foot?
“It’s beautiful. But what are we doing here?”
“I made an offer on it, and they accepted this morning,” he said, watching me for a reaction.
My eyes went wide, and I stared at him. “You bought it?”
“I did, right after I sold my apartment in Chicago.”
“When did you put it on the market?” I asked, astonished that he would be able to sell it so quickly and ecstatic that he did. It finally sank in that he was really staying.
“Seven weeks ago. The sale went through four days ago. I made the offer on this place right after.”
“Seven weeks ago?” I asked, my voice a few octaves higher than usual.
“It’s in a great location, and I’ve renovated it. Got a good price for it. And my money goes a lot further out here than it does in Chicago.”
I swallowed, looking around again. “But it’s a lot of land. That would have cost a lot, even in Humptulips.”
“I’ve always worked, never really spent much. Never had anything I wanted to spend it on. Now I do, so I figured why wait?”
He took my hand, pulling it up and kissing my palm. “I know you’re not there yet, but I want you to think about moving in when you’re ready. There’s five bedrooms, and the kids would love it out here.”
They definitely would. It was perfect, and I could see how amazing it would look with a little TLC.
“This is amazing, Sebastian,” I said, my voice wavering. “And it means the world to me that you included us when you made the decision to buy it.”
“Of course I did. I love you, and I don’t ever want to be without you. You’re part of my life now. You and the kids.”
I threw myself at him, Sebastian catching me and taking a step back to steady us. “Does that mean you like it?”
He sounded hesitant, and I looked up at him with wide eyes. “I love it.”
“I know I should have talked to you first, but I saw it and thought it was perfect. I made the offer the day it came on the market.”
“It’s your money. You don’t have to ask me before spending it,” I said, placing a kiss on his chest.
“I want you to be comfortable here. If you don’t like it, I’m sure we can sell it again. It’s in a great location and comes with a lot of land.”
I held him tighter. “Don’t you dare sell my dream house.”
He grinned, his body relaxing into me. “Just wait until you meet the neighbors.”
“The neighbors? Why? Do I know them?”
He nodded over my shoulder, and I released him and turned around. Mason and Stella came walking across the field, followed by a rooster, a pig, and a dog.
Stella was the first to reach me and shrieked, pulling me into a hug. “We’re going to be neighbors.”
I chuckled, jumping up and down with her or risk getting my arms pulled out of their sockets. “I just found out.”
Mason shook Sebastian’s hand and greeted me with a kiss to my cheek. “Does this mean I have to find a new tenant?”
I flushed at everyone’s attention. “Not yet. We’ll give it a few months first.”
