Page 42 of Love You Still
“I’ll leave you all to it. It’s time to lay it all on the line for my girl.” I flash them all a smile before following her out of the door and closing it behind me I quickly jog over to my truck and climb in.
“Now, let’s get this party started,” I say as I pull out of the driveway and drive further into the neighborhood.
“Where is this place you’re so desperate to show me?” Selina questions with confusion written on her face.
“You’ll see. I even have dinner ready for the two of us.”
Selina points out the window at the trees rolling by. “Dinner? There aren’t any restaurants around here.”
“I said I have dinner ready for us, not that I was taking you to a restaurant.” I smirk as I turn left onto my street. “We’re going to my place.”
“You own a house?”
“Yes,” is the only answer I give her as I pull into the driveway.
Realization suddenly dawns on her face. “You bought it,” she says reverently as she stares at the house.
The old farmhouse we dreamed of growing old in sits a few yards away from the creek. It was built in the late eighteen-hundreds, and the town always wanted to use it as a museum,but with it being so close to the creek and outside the center of town, there weren’t many people coming to visit other than a few classes of schoolchildren once a year.
When the original owners died, their kids wanted to sell it but had a hard time finding takers. I promised Selina that once we graduated, I would get a job and buy it for her. I’m sure she never took me seriously, but it was fun to plan for our future.
Once she was gone, I needed something to keep my mind off losing her. And this place was a piece of her, of the life we planned on living together, so I thought it would help me through the pain. When Connor suggested fixing up the place, I jumped at the chance and haven’t looked back since.
Sitting on a full acre of land, the entire farmhouse is practically brand-new. I tore it down to the studs, redid the electrical, and added everything we needed to have central heat and air. It was originally only two bedrooms, but I expanded it, creating four bedrooms and three bathrooms, a bonus room, and something special just for us.
“Of course, I did. This is the house we planned to grow old in.” I reach over and squeeze her hand. “I tore it down to its bones, but Connor and I got it all fixed up. There’s still some work to be done, but it’s livable.”
I release her hand before opening my door and jogging around to open hers.
“Milady.” I bow, making a sweeping motion toward the front of the house.
Large wooden pillars stand tall, framing the front porch that runs the entire length of the house. There are two green rocking chairs sitting on the porch, along with a small sitting area on the far side. I’ve imagined what it would be like to sit out here with Selina like we used to do when we were younger, spending time under the stars and telling each other about our day. Now, I finally have the chance.
“This is beyond anything I could have imagined.” She smiles, threading her fingers through mine and pulling me toward the door. Light illuminates the window, casting a warm glow on Selina’s skin as I open the door.
Her mouth drops open in shock as the door swings open, revealing the high ceilings and the circular chandelier that Connor and I refurbished a few months ago. To the right is a comfortable sitting area, full of plush leather couches and a gas log fireplace. The entire room is open concept. Every detail in this house has been done to her exact specification of what she dreamed this room would look like once we lived here.
“How did you remember all of this?” Selina says in wonder as she looks around at the entryway of her dreams.
“I remember almost everything you ever said to me, Seli.” I step closer, drawn to her like a moth to a flame. “But I had a little help. You remember the journal you used to keep?”
She thinks for a few moments before nodding.
“You left it at home when you left, and your mom would look through it to help find me answers to any questions I had about wall color or furniture style. Anything that you may have written down that would help me make this into your dream home.”
“Is that why you stayed in contact with my parents?”
“Maybe at first, but soon, they became a haven for me. Your parents are one of the few people in this world who understood how lost I was without you.” I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her tightly into my chest. “After you stopped answering my calls and texts, I was determined to move on, but nothing worked. It felt as if my heart was breaking every time, and I needed a distraction from the pain. I couldn’t even be around Lydia and Connor because they reminded me of you. And then when Lydia died…” My voice trails off as the ache in my heart intensifies even more.
There are a million questions right on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow them all down. I didn’t bring Selina here to bring up past heartache. Instead, I want to show her how much she means to me. That no matter where she is in this world, this place and I will always be here, waiting for her.
Selina turns around quickly, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist as she lays her cheek on my chest. “I’m sorry, Vance.”
“That’s all in the past now, Seli.” I bury my nose in her hair, and the smell of lavender and honey overloads my senses. “After I bought this place, I wanted to make it perfect, everything you wanted. I wanted to have it ready just in case you ever came home.”
“You believed in us that deeply?”
“I’ve always believed in us, Selina. Even after all this time, the moment I heard you were back in town, I knew that everything would be okay. Our road back to each other isn’t going to be an easy one, but anything worth having in life is never easy.”