Alex raised an eyebrow, giving her the out if she didn’t want Cal to have it. She sighed. Calvin was rolling on the floor with the dog, giggling. She’d be a monster if she said no now.
“I think Mr. Alex brought him as a present for you,” Julia said, and Alex smiled.
Cal looked up, wild-eyed at Alex. “Is he for me?”
At Alex’s nod, Cal let out a whoop of joy.
“What do you say?” Julia prompted.
Cal untangled himself from the dog and hugged Alex’s leg. “Thank you. I’ll take real good care of him.”
Alex ruffled his hair. “I know you will, little dude.”
The sight caused Julia’s eyes to well. “Why don’t you take him to the living room and show him your new toys,” Julia said. Alex handed Cal the leash.
“Come on. I’ll meet you to my friend, Sam,” Calvin said, leading the dog to the pile of toys stacked by the tree.
The dog was fine. Sure, a little over the top, but she’d already planned to get another one, and Alex knew it. While it was a nice thing to do, that wasn’t what she took issue with. As soon as Cal was out of earshot, she turned back to Alex.
“Alex, we talked about this. You can’t just pop in and out of a five-year-old’s life. Especially not one that has been through so much already. He thinks he loves you.”
“What if I love him too?” Alex said.
Her head snapped up. “What?”
He moved in past the threshold and closed the door before taking her hands in his. “I’ve done some thinking this last week. Some soul searching, really. I love that kid,” he said with an intense sincerity. “And I love you.”
The tears spilled over then. If his first revelation about loving Cal had been a surprise, his declaration of love forherblew her mind. She’d wanted to hear it, craved it, but she had to put Calvin’s needs first. This couldn’t be about her.
“Alex. I can’t do temporary. I can’t do halfway. I—”
“I don’t want you to. I want a commitment from you,” he said with a teasing smile before turning serious. “I want to help with the bills and help you raise your son. But most importantly, I want a life with you and Cal in it.”
“But we’re moving soon.”
“Yeah. About that.” He whipped some papers out of his back pocket. “I may have purchased something else wildly inappropriate for a gift, but here.” He thrust the papers into her hands.
She skimmed over a brochure for a house on Long Island—a four-bedroom, three-bath Craftsman with a rec room and a fenced backyard. It was a model home in a newly built neighborhood. The gesture was kind, but she didn’t understand why he would be house-hunting for her.
“This is lovely,” she said. “Exactly like what I’m looking for, but I’m confused. Are you suggesting I buy this house?”
He slid the first piece of paper out of her hand to reveal a second sheet. It was a signed purchase and sale agreement, presumably to the house she’d just looked at. And it had her name on it.
“I bought it for you,” he said. “Well, potentially forus.” The shyness in the way he said it warmed her heart. But it was too much.
“Alex, I can’t accept this. This is a two-million-dollar home!”
“Why not? Look, I get that it was crazy to buy something without your input. You may hate it or want to live in Jersey, for all I know. You can sell it and find something else, use it as a rental, or give it away. I don’t care. It’s mostly just a gesture I wanted to make. A way to show you howmuchI love you.”
“I…I don’t believe this. Are you sure?” she said, swiping at the tears.
“Julia, I can’t take it any longer. Doyouloveme? Can we try this?” He ran a hand through his hair and tucked his thumbs in his pockets.
“Oh, yes,” she cried. “Yes. I love you. Are you saying you want to live together?”
He shrugged and nodded. “I do.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was a Christmas miracle. All her dreams were coming true.
Of all the men she’d dated and “tested,” he was the only one who met her qualifications—surpassed them by a long shot, actually. It was a good thing he wanted to commit, because he’d set the bar so high, no one else would ever get over it. The bonus, the cherry on top, the best part for sure, was that she loved him. Her mother had been right all along. Getting everything she wanted, including love, was possible.
