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But when I got halfway down the stairs and the entrance came into view, I froze. Not only was Bertrand in the entryway, but so were Johmarcus, Justus, and my dad.
My mouth fell open. “What are you doing here?”
Grinning, Dad said, “Came to help you out, but it sounds like we’ll be celebrating your engagement too.”
I looked from Dad to Tyler, and Tyler nodded.
“Come here, baby girl,” Dad said.
I jumped down the rest of the stairs, running to my dad and letting him wrap me in his arms. We rocked back and forth as he spoke into my hair. “I’m so happy for you, honey. He’s one of the good ones.”
“Thanks, Daddy,” I said, stepping back. “I can’t wait for you to see it.”
He slipped his hand in mine and said, “Show us around.”
We walked through the ground floor, which had barely been touched except by Grant to upgrade the wiring. There were six classrooms down here and a massive kitchen. All of it would be converted to six apartments and a common area for mail, laundry, and a small office space.
Then we went upstairs, where there were another six classrooms. Tyler and I had demoed half of them to make room for our future kitchen, living room, and primary bedroom with an en suite bathroom.
We also introduced my brothers and dad to Grant, who was working in the kitchen to wire all the plugs we’d need, and Gary, who was in the bathroom, building plumbing for all the fixtures.
“Holy crap,” Johmarcus said as we all stood in the open living area. “You’ve been busy the last week.”
I laughed, looking around at the walls that had been taken down and the walls that were already built up, joint compound drying on the drywall. “It’s been a whirlwind. Gary and Grant are helping a bunch, and now that you’re here, it’ll move so much faster! Thank you for doing this. It means the world.” I looked at all the men in my life. It seemed like I’d been crying constantly the last several months between sad and happy tears, but these were happy tears.
I’d been so afraid to move, afraid of losing my family, but seeing them here in my new home, I knew I’d been so wrong to worry. I hadn’t lost my family—it had grown. My life was so much better for it.
“Do we need to take you to the hotel to get you settled in?” I asked.
Justus pulled his head back. “Hell no. Girl, you need all the help you can get.”
I laughed. “Then let’s get to work.”
* * *
Tylerand I had also made a tearfully happy video call to Grandma and Mom, who celebrated our engagement with us and were already planning what they wanted to wear to our wedding. Mom asked for Deidre’s number, and they had quickly started talking by video call, planning the wedding and getting to know each other while Tyler and I worked on the house with my brothers and dad.
In five days, the guys had all the drywall up in the main living areas and had laid hardwood floors with lots of soundproofing so we wouldn’t disturb future tenants below. Now Dad and I were on the way to the nearest box store to pick up my cabinet order. The kitchen was going to be kitschy and cute with light blue cabinets, vinyl countertops with a Calcutta marble pattern, and a big island in the middle with room for family, just like the kitchen at home in California.
Tyler’s parents had loaned us a horse trailer to carry all the cabinets from the store, and I had to smile at the way my life had changed. At least Dad had rented a trailer way back when I was a teenager to teach me how to pull one; otherwise I’d be completely lost.
He sat in the passenger seat of Tyler’s truck, music playing softly through the speakers as the sun shined down on us.
“The skies seem bigger in Texas,” he said, gazing out at the landscape blurring past, blue skies before us, dotted with puffy white clouds.
“Haven’t you heard? Everything’s bigger here,” I teased.
He chuckled. “You seem happy here. Like you were always meant to be here.”
I felt that way, but it made me happy that my dad noticed, that he didn’t hold it against me that I’d decided to move here. “It felt like home the moment I arrived.” I’d already met so many people. Apparently, in a small town, any major project called for random visits just to see what was going on.
I’d met the hairdresser, two bank tellers, some teachers, and a handful of other townspeople. They all welcomed me warmly and were so happy to hear that Tyler was back for good. Not to mention Liv had already invited me to go out with her and her friends. My community here was growing so quickly. But most of all, I had Tyler by my side.
We reached the store, and I pulled up along the big garage doors for pickup. An employee came out and took my order number and ID and said he’d be back to load them up in just a little bit.
I smiled and nodded, then sat back to wait with my dad. When I glanced at him, he had a thoughtful expression on his face.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.