Six Months Later Everett
It has been a whirlwind six months, but somehow everything is working out.
I rub the back of my neck, staring at the house I’ve finally made ours, the blue house I purchased a few weeks ago.
It is cozy, with enough space for me, Violet, and eventually Emily when she comes to visit Lavender Creek.
I’d spent a couple of weeks making small adjustments, repainting, making it feel lived-in and like home, layering in little touches that weren’t just for me, but for my girls.
Violet’s favorite candle, lavender and vanilla, sits on the counter.
Her favorite body lotion is in the bathroom.
A few framed prints I noticed in her apartment, I found similar ones that are now on the walls, along with a few framed photos of us on the mantel.
Everything is meant to whisper, you belong here.
I glance at my phone, seeing the text from Violet.
Violet:
On my way, have you eaten yet?
I smile. She has this way of making the mundane feel exciting.
I’d been waiting for this moment, gathering courage and notes from months of quiet observation: the way she organized her kitchen, the throw blanket she always curled up in, the books she read before bed.
Small things, but I wanted her to feel at home the second she walked through the door.
I wanted it to be unmistakable. This is our home, not just mine.
I have already made a few trips back to LA to see Emily.
She was shy at first, but slowly, she began to open up.
Video calls a few times a week became check-ins, jokes, and small confessions about her day.
Sydney and I have learned how to navigate boundaries, and honestly, she’s become someone I respect and trust. Her fiancé, a chef at a local LA restaurant, even came to a couple of Riley’s baseball games with us, making the whole co-parenting thing feel less complicated.
But now, this is about Violet.
I straighten the throw pillows for the third time, run my hands over the kitchen counter, and rehearse what I am going to say. I need this to feel right. I need her to know that I’m not just asking her to move in, I’m asking her to keep building a life with me, with Emily.
The door clicks open, and my heart skips a beat.
“Hey,” she says, stepping inside. She pauses mid-step, her eyes widening slightly as she scans the living room.
I swallow. “I’ve made some changes.”
Her lips curve, suspicious and amused at the same time. “Changes?”
I walk toward her slowly. “Some things to make it feel like home. For you.”
Her gaze softens as she takes a look around. The candle, the blanket, the subtle touches, even the books she loves stacked on the coffee table, they are all there. She looks at me, a little wide-eyed, a little teary.
“You… you did all this?” she whispers.
I shrug, trying to act casual but failing miserably. “I’ve been taking notes.”
“Notes?”
“Yeah,” I admit, stepping closer. “The little things I’ve noticed over the past few months. Your favorite candles, your favorite body lotion, and shower products. Your books.” I let the words hang between us. “I wanted you to walk in and feel like you already belong here.”
Her lips part slightly. I can see her trying to process, and I keep going, my hands reaching for hers.
“I want us to live here. Together. Not just weekends, not just visits. I want you, Emily, and me to be part of this family. Our family. And I know that’s a lot, but…
” I swallow. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. ”
Her hands tremble slightly in mine, and I know this is exactly what she needs to hear.
“You really mean that?” she asks.
“I do,” I say, closing the distance. “I love you, Violet. I love you more than I thought possible, and I want us to wake up here together, build this life, make it ours. I don’t want to imagine it without you in it.”
Her breath catches. Just a little, but I notice. Her eyes glimmer in the warm light, her head tilting slightly. I lean in, brushing my forehead against hers. “I want to do this with you,” I whisper.
And that is all she needed.
Violet
“Love, Coffee.”
I can’t even speak at first. Every corner of the house screams us. And now he is standing in front of me, hands holding mine, eyes serious but soft, heart open.
“I…Everett,” I say, my voice breaking slightly. “This…this is…you thought of everything.” I laugh softly, trying to calm the sudden lump in my throat. “It feels perfect. I’ve never walked into someone’s place and felt like I already belonged there.”
“You do,” he says simply. “And I want you to. I want this to be our home.”
I can feel the tears threatening, but I refuse to let them fall, not yet. I take a deep breath. “Everett, this, me moving in, I…I choose you. I will always choose you and Emily.”
He smiles, that slow, confident, heart-melting smile that makes me weak at the knees.
“You have no idea how happy that makes me,” he says, pulling me into a hug that feels like it erases every fear I’ve ever had.
“I promise, I’ll do everything I can to make this work for all of us.
You won’t have to figure any of it out alone. ”
I bury my face in his chest, feeling his warmth, his strength, and for the first time in months, I don’t feel the tiniest shred of doubt.
I pull back, just enough to look at him. “I trust you.”
He cups my face gently, thumbs brushing my cheekbones. “And I love you,” he says, the words so heavy, so full, that I can feel them in my bones. “I love you, Firefly, I love you, and I’m never letting go.”
We kiss, slow and deliberate, a kiss that feels like it can last a lifetime. One hand in his hair, one pressed against his chest, while the world shrinks to just us.
“One thing,” I ask as I glance up at him. “Why do you call me Firefly?”
He smiles and kisses my forehead. “You ever notice how fireflies show up when it’s dark? You came into my life and everything felt lighter, you walk into a room and make people smile. You make bad days feel less bad, you make things brighter.”
I stay quiet, I am speechless.
“You lit up places in me that had been dark for a long time. That’s why you’re my Firefly.”
“That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, you really see me like that?”
“I really do Violet,” Everett says before he kisses me.
When we finally pull back, he smiles down at me, his eyes soft. “So, what do you say, move in now?”
I grin. “Yes, Everett, let’s do it!”
And just like that, the final piece falls into place. Home isn’t just a house. Home is him and us, together with Emily, building a life full of love, laughter, and family.
I take a deep breath, letting it all settle.
The blue house was empty when I first saw it, Everett took me to the showing before he put an offer in.
He told me he was painting and moving in furniture so we just hung out at my apartment and at the cafe while he was pulling off this surprise.
No one has paid that much attention to what I like and then to go out and buy things to make sure I felt like home right away.
When I walked in, the house felt warm and cozy.
I feel safe. I feel loved. I feel ready.
Everett squeezes my hand. “Welcome home, Violet.”
I smile, my heart so full it hurts in the best way.
“Home,” I whisper. “Finally home.”