Through the Flames (The Lost Letters #1)

37. Noah

Chapter 37

Noah

N ellie squeals, her little body bouncing up and down in the back seat of the car, in excitement.

Next to me, Lilly laughs. “And you can't tell me yet?”

“Nuh-uh,” Nellie says, her smile as wide as her face. “I promised Dad that I wouldn't say anything.”

“I should be mad at you for keeping secrets, little missy,” Lilly says.

Nellie frowns. “But Dad said this was supposed to be a good surprise. It's okay to keep a secret if it's for a present.” Her tone is so serious, as if she's really trying to figure out the difference.

“You're right, kiddo. I am just being silly. Keeping this a secret is okay since it’s a present.”

“Whew, I thought I was going to get in trouble for lying or something, Mom.”

Lilly and I both start laughing.

“No, baby, you're not going to get in trouble,” I tell her.

Lilly reaches up and adjusts the blindfold I put over her eyes. “Is this really necessary?”

“Yes, it's necessary because it'll ruin the surprise if you're not wearing it.”

I don't need to see her to know that she's rolling her eyes at me. “Fine.”

A few minutes later, we're pulling into the driveway of the house I bought for us. All the paperwork came back, and I can officially move in today.

Not that we're going to.

Levi's going to meet us here in a little while so he can go over the renovation plans with us.

I want Lilly to be a part of everything. I want her to decide how she wants the house to look since I chose it without her input.

“Okay, we're here. Nellie and I are going to get out of the car first, then we’ll help you out. Once we get you in the right spot, we’ll tell you to take your blindfold off. Okay?”

Lilly nods her head. “Okay.”

“Come on, Baby Bee.” I help her out of her seat and hold her hand while we walk around the car.

Then I guide Lilly out, directing her where to stand so that she’s directly center of the house. I stand behind her, my hands on her hips, and I lean down into her ear. “Are you ready?”

Goose bumps slide down her neck. It makes me grin, knowing the effect I have on her.

“Ready,” she says a little breathlessly.

I pull the blindfold off, and Lilly blinks her eyes, getting everything to come into focus.

Nellie’s jumping up and down in front of her, laughing as if we really pulled one over on her.

“Noah,” Lilly gasps. “What is this? What am I looking at?”

“This is our house, Mom. This is where we’re going to live.” Nellie races up to the front door as Lilly whirls around to look at me.

“Is she right? Did you buy this house?”

I nod slowly. “I did. It’s ours.”

Lilly’s hands fly to her mouth as she spins back around to look at the house again. “Oh, my God. Noah, it's gorgeous.”

A breath of relief falls from my chest as Lilly examines the house in greater detail.

She likes it.

She truly likes it.

I didn't realize how much I needed that approval until now.

I take Lilly's hand and lead her to the front door. I hold the key out to Nellie and ask if she wants to do the honors. She nods enthusiastically and then proceeds to unlock the deadbolt and leads us into the house.

Nellie tells her mom about all the things we want to do with the house. She explains some of the renovations Levi and I had talked about, skipping some details, but getting most of it correct, and I watch Lilly as she takes in every inch of the house.

As time goes on, her face very rarely changes, if it makes any expression at all.

Wings start to flutter in my stomach as I wait for her verdict. She loved the outside, but now we have to decide on the inside.

When we end the tour in the kitchen, Lilly wraps her arms around my waist. “I can't believe you bought this place.”

I shrug noncommittally. “I wanted something that was just for us, for our family. I wanted to make new memories in a place that was ours. I've been saving my money to buy a house for a long time, and now that you guys are back in my life, I figured it was the right time.”

“It's perfect,” Lilly breathes.

I lean down and kiss her because I might cry with relief if I don’t do something else instead. I palm the sides of her face, deepening the kiss, even though our daughter is standing right next to us.

I pull away, knowing if I let this go on for too long, I'll easily get carried away.

I press my forehead into Lilly's. “I have one more surprise.”

Taking a step back, I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring box I brought with me and then slowly drop to one knee.

“Lilly, I've loved you since I saw you on that swing in the front yard of your house. I made you smile that day, and I vowed to myself that I would do everything I could to make you smile like that again. It took us a while to find our way back to each other, but I know we were meant to be together. We were always meant to be a family. I want to make that official.” I open the ring box to show her. “Lilly, will you marry me?”

Tears are pooled on Lilly’s eyelashes as she whispers, “Yes! Oh, my god, yes,” she says a little louder.

A full-wattage smile breaks across my face. I grab Lilly's hand and slide the ring onto her finger before sweeping her up into my arms for a hug.

I got a round diamond with two smaller diamonds fitted against the side. When I set Lilly down, I point to one of the diamonds. “This one is the one that I bought you when we were graduating high school.”

Lilly gasps. “You're kidding.”

I shake my head. “I’ve kept that with me for all these years, hoping one day, I'd be able to give it to you, but when I look at it now, I see our past. I want to move forward into a new future with you, so I thought if I got a new ring, that would be the best way to symbolize our new future together. Then I realized that I needed to add one more because you brought one more bright light into my life than I thought I would get.” I look down at Nellie. “You both mean the absolute world to me, and I can't wait to move into the future together.”

“Can we move in tomorrow?” Nellie asks.

Lilly and I laugh as the emotionally charged moment is broken.

“Sorry, Baby Bee. We can’t move in just yet. There are a few things that need to be fixed before it’s safe for us to live in. Uncle Levi should be here any minute to tell us all about it, though.”

“He promised me a library,” Nellie says.

I grin at her. “You're right, he did. We'll make sure he put a library into the plan.”