Page 184 of A Christmas Love Affair
“Dad should be here any minute,” Sylvie said as we approached the construction site. “He wants to go over the kitchen layout one more time before the contractors start on the?—”
She stopped mid-sentence as we stepped through what would eventually be our front door. The entire house frame was lit up with Christmas lights. Every beam, every support post, every window opening glowed with warm, multicolored illumination. The subfloor had been covered with beautiful rugs that defined each room’s purpose, and someone had arranged furniture throughout the space to show what it might look like when we moved in.
“Kent,” Sylvie whispered. “What is this?”
Instead of answering, I led her through our future home, past the living room with its carefully staged furniture, through the kitchen where bar stools sat at what would be our island, and down the hall toward the back of the house.
“This is our home,” I said. “Our future.”
“When did you do all this?” she asked.
“Trust me, it wasn’t easy with you following up on the contractors all the time.”
She laughed softly. “I’m anxious to move in. But now look at this. I want to wave a magic wand and have it done. I want to live in our house.”
“Soon,” I told her. “Come with me.”
I led her down the hallway, my heart pounding with anticipation. I’d been planning this moment for weeks, working with her family to get everything just right while keeping it all a secret from Sylvie. That had been no easy feat, given how involved she was with every aspect of the construction.
When we reached the doorway to what would be our daughter’s nursery, I paused, my hand on Sylvie’s back.
“Close your eyes,” I said softly.
She looked at me with suspicion but complied, her hands instinctively moving to cradle her belly. I guided her carefully through the doorway, positioning her in the center of the room.
“Okay,” I said. “Open them.”
The nursery was bathed in soft white light. I’d strung more lights around every surface, the window frames, the ceiling beams, outlining where the walls would eventually be. In the center of the room sat a beautiful white crib, already assembled, with delicate lights woven through the slats. Beside it was a rocking chair positioned perfectly to catch the mountain view through the window opening.
Sylvie’s hands flew to her mouth, her eyes immediately filling with tears. “Kent, this is wild,” she whispered.
I moved behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my hands over hers on her belly. “I wanted you to be able to see it,” I said quietly. “To really picture what our life is going to look like here. Our daughter sleeping in that crib while we rock her to sleep in that chair. Early morning feedings while watching the sun rise over the mountains. All of it.”
She turned in my arms, and I could see tears streaming down her cheeks. “This is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me.”
I wiped at her tears with my thumbs, cradling her face in my hands. “You gave me everything, Sylvie. A home, a family, a purpose. This is just the beginning of me spending the rest of my life trying to show you how grateful I am.”
She kissed me. When she pulled back, she was smiling through her tears.
“I love you so much,” she said. “I can’t believe this is our life. That in a few months, we’re going to have a baby sleeping in that crib.”
“I can’t wait,” I said honestly. “I can’t wait to meet her, to watch you be an amazing mother, to figure out this whole parenting thing together.”
Sylvie laughed and rested her head against my chest. “We’re going to be terrible at it at first.”
“Probably,” I agreed. “But we’ll figure it out. That’s what we do. We figure things out together.”
I stepped back and dropped to one knee. Her eyes widened. Practically bulging. Her hands went to her mouth as she stared down at me.
“Sylvie Northwood,” I said, pulling the ring box from my pocket. “A year ago, I came to Northwood thinking I knew exactly what I wanted from life. I was wrong about everything except one thing—you.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as I opened the box to reveal the ring I’d chosen. It was vintage, like the Christmas lights that had brought us together, with a center diamond surrounded by smaller stones that caught the light from every angle.
“You’ve given me a home, a family, a purpose I never knew I was looking for. You’ve made me believe in Christmas magic and second chances and the kind of love that changes everything.” My voice was getting rougher with emotion, but I pushed through. “I want to spend the rest of my life building this dream with you. I want to grow old in this house, raise our daughter and maybe a few more kids. I want to create the kind of family that welcomes everyone with open arms.”
I paused, looking into her eyes and seeing my entire future reflected there.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she said immediately. “Yes, of course, yes!”
I slipped the ring onto her finger with hands that were shaking now, and then she was in my arms, kissing me with the kind of joy that made everything else fade away.
When we finally broke apart, both laughing and crying at the same time, I rested my forehead against hers and marveled at how different my life had become.
***
