Turned out, it wasn’t that long at all. Minutes later, the truck slowed, then stopped. The engine no longer rumbled. I sat up straighter, a surge of excitement barreling through me. Despite not wanting to make a big deal of my birthday, I was thrilled Trent had planned something.
My door opened, and I was blasted with a cool breeze. Trent’s lips barely grazed mine, startling me.
“We’re here,” he said, unhooking my seat belt and lifting me out of the truck.
I yelped with surprise and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I can walk, y’know,” I said.
“Not when you can’t see anything,” he said, his tone amused.
“And whose fault is that?” I asked.
His warm breath puffed across my cheek when he laughed. “I’m going to put you down now,” he said.
My feet landed on a hard surface, but Trent kept his hands on my waist, steadying me. “Can I take this off now?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
One of his hands disappeared from my waist, there was a soft click, and then his hand was back on my waist.
“Now you can take it off,” he said. His voice was low and deep against my ear, his body safe and unyielding behind me.
I didn’t hesitate to rip the blindfold off my eyes. I blinked against my suddenly bright surroundings. It was dark outside, but I was facing the interior of the cabin. Trent had brought me to our house. That was… odd.
Cautiously, I stepped inside, fully expecting people to jump out and yell, “surprise.” But the house was silent. The lights were on, though, and I glanced around. A simple “Happy Birthday” banner hung from the ceiling above the dining room table. A bouquet of various colored balloons sat in the center of the table, surrounded by magazines and catalogs and decorating samples.
“What is all this?” I asked, approaching the table.
I picked up a carpet sample and ran my fingers over the plush fibers. There had to be several dozen samples like this, and not just carpeting—there were tiles, hardwoods, fabric that I assumed was for drapery.
“I told you I wanted to make this place our home,” he said, slipping his arms around my stomach and resting his chin on my shoulder. “So, I thought we could redecorate it together.”
My brows shot up, and I stood there, stunned. This place was already so beautiful. I couldn’t imagine changing a thing about it, but it was also very… male. It needed a woman’s touch, and with a potential baby on the way, we would need to redo one of the bedrooms into a nursery.
“I know it’s not as fancy as your last birthday, but that didn’t exactly end well, so I figured it was better to do something a little more low-key this year,” he said.
I laughed and spun around in his arms. “It’s perfect.” I placed a chaste kiss on his lips. “And I love that it’s just you and me tonight.”
He graced me with a breathtaking smile, and my knees weakened. Would he ever stop having that effect on me? I hoped not.
“C’mon, then,” he said, taking my hand.
We started at the end of the small hall that jutted off the living room. There were two bedrooms and a small bathroom. One of the rooms had two twin beds—this was where Whitney and Wyatt had stayed last summer. The other room was sparse with just a bed and nightstand.
“This is where Sean stays when we’re here,” Trent said.
I nodded. I knew for a fact there were three bedrooms and another bathroom upstairs, too. What on earth were we going to do with all this space when it would be just three of us living here?
“I don’t want to do anything with any of the walls,” I said. “I like the natural wood.”
“Okay,” Trent said.
“And I want to decorate the bathrooms in aquatic themes,” I said, stopping in the downstairs bathroom doorway. “Dolphins down here, and seashells upstairs.”
He raised a brow. “Dolphins and seashells?”
“Yeah,” I said, my tone slightly defensive. “That’s how my mom had our bathroom decorated. Every time we’d go somewhere and there was something with dolphins or seashells, she’d buy it. We had quite the collection of stuff.” I laughed. “Then we ended up selling everything.”
Trent pulled me into his arms. “We can do whatever you want.”
I sighed and wiggled free from his hold. “Please don’t do that,” I said, crossing my arms. “This is our house, remember? I want you to love it here as much as I do, so if you really don’t like something, say so.”
“Okay. Then I want to leave Sean’s room as is,” he said. “If he ever wants to come visit, or if he wants to stay here while we’re traveling, I want him to have his room.”
I grinned. “Okay.”
“All right.” He smirked, his eyes sparkling. “I really like it when you get pushy like that.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop from laughing as I headed back toward the living room. “I’m not sure I want to change anything in here,” I said, glancing around.
I loved the large sectional sofa and the layout of the separated living room with the fireplace on one side and the TV on the other. I could totally see myself curling up on one of the stuffed beanbag chairs and reading in front of the fireplace.
“Not even new furniture?” he asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “I have some good memories on that couch.”
Trent chuckled. “Fair enough.” He turned toward the dining room and kitchen. “What about over here?”
“Definitely new dishes and stuff. Maybe a new kitchen floor,” I said. “I like the table, though.”
“Well, this is easier than I thought it would be.” He winked at me, and a tiny thrill wiggled down my back.
“We still haven’t made it upstairs yet,” I said with a shrug. “I have big plans up there. Knock down a few walls. Tear up all
