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Dinner is easy, unhurried. We laugh when Jake tells Beck about the time Spotty ate an entire PB&J off his plate when he wasn’t looking.

We linger over cocoa on the back porch afterward, stars just starting to appear.

And then Beck clears his throat.

“You mind hanging out by the fireplace for a few minutes?” His eyes flick toward Jake. “Got a little something to do.”

Jake’s face lights up. “Like a surprise?”

Beck grins. “Like that.”

***

A while later, Beck calls them to come out to the deck.

Only now? It’s transformed.

Soft string lights glow overhead, and some are draped along the railing. The firepit crackles nearby, throwing shadows across the worn wood planks. There’s a cozy blanket already waiting on one of the Adirondack chairs. A little tray sits nearby with apple cider and a plate of cookies (probably store-bought, but knowing Beck, thatiseffort).

Music hums low — some acoustic playlist that feels like home.

Beck stands there, hands shoved awkwardly into his pockets, looking... nervous.

It’s like he’s facing the biggest game of his life.

“You did all this?” I whisper, ridiculously touched.

He shrugs, a little sheepish. “Had it ready for a while. Just... waiting for the right night.”

Tonight.

Oh, Beck.

He gestures toward the chair, but I don’t sit.

Instead, I walk straight to him, hands finding the front of his hoodie.

His heart pounds beneath my fingertips.

“I knew I wanted forever with you the day I saw you put me in my place over a flying hockey puck,” he murmurs, eyes shining.

“That early?” I tease; my voice barely steady.

“Abby,” he says, serious now. “You were never temporary. Not for me.”

Beck takes a deep, bracing breath.

“I bought this house for a lot of reasons. Quiet. Space. Room for Jake to build whatever hockey rink he’s planning.”

I laugh through a sniffle as we both eye Jake who is on the steps watching.

“But mostly?” He pauses. “Mostly because I knew what I wanted my future to look like. And it isn’t bright lights or another trophy. It’s this.”

He gestures around us.

“You. Jake. Spotty probably chewing up the baseboards.”

I laugh again, wiping my eyes.