Page 135 of Break Me

“Will this surprise make me happy or sad?” Yes, I was getting desperate to figure out what he was doing. Since we had Emily with us, I doubted it was anything too intimate.

“Yes,” he said in his usual gruff voice.

Sighing, I made the sound as exaggerated as possible. That brought a coy look from him.

When he finally exited the highway, I realized we were near Boulder City. I knew a little about the town, including that it was a good place to raise a family.

At this point, I didn’t want to say anything. Maybe I was a little hopeful. Maybe I was a more than a little scared.

He certainly seemed to know where he was going, even bopping along to the beat of Emily’s music, which of course was all Lainey Rose, while tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

Every few seconds he glanced in my direction, the eagerness in his eyes driving me crazy.

He made turn after turn until he’d reached a residential area. When he slowed down while heading down a sparsely populated street, the land around the houses filled with trees and grass, I could feel several emotions bearing down on me.

He pulled into a long driveway and a single tear slipped past my lashes.

“What did you do?” I asked, trying to keep Emily from realizing I was upset.

“I took you up on your advice.”

A group of cars came into view a few seconds before I noticed the house. A beautiful two-story with a wide, long front porch. At this point I was holding my breath.

As soon as Alexsey parked, I couldn’t figure out what to say. “Who lives here?”

“Just some friends. Come on.” He was out of the SUV first, immediately moving to the back door to release my daughter.

I took my time, trying not to get my hopes up.

When I was outside and walking closer, I noticed the swing on the front porch. There were also flowers in huge pots and a beautiful teal front door with a wreath.

Just like the home I’d envisioned.

“Come on. Let’s go see everyone.” While Emily scampered up the front stairs, he took his time wrapping his arm around me, pulling me close and even turning me to face him. “I love you, Halle. I know what we’ve shared has been a bit unexpected, but I want it to be everything you want it to be.”

Rising onto my tiptoes, I pressed my lips against his.

Then we both sensed a presence.

More than one.

“You can kiss and play house later.” My sister’s voice rang loud and clear.

When Alexsey and I looked toward the front door, I laughed. “What is this?” Almost every family member was crowding their way in and around the front door, my sister included.

“This is a welcome to your new house.” Sasha’s grin was huge and Nina squeezed past him.

Our new house.

I was instantly thrown, unable to think clearly. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“Anything for you, baby,” Alexsey whispered, nuzzling against my ear.

“Come on. Let’s go see the backyard.” Nina held out her hand, “There’s a huge swing set.”

Now I was unable to stop the tears. “You did this.” I couldn’t even put a coherent sentence together. This was too much. This was… The man had stolen my heart.

“I hope you like what I’ve done to the place.” Alexsey’s smile and the twinkle in his eyes were more powerful than the moment.