I laughed.
Then I looked back toward the house.
For years, I’d imagined returning to this place just once.
Now I was standing in its backyard, pregnant with my first child, beside the man I’d chosen to marry.
And suddenly, I knew what I wanted.
“Ethan?”
“Yes?”
“What if we lived here?”
He looked surprised.
“You mean permanently?”
I nodded.
“We’ve been talking about moving somewhere quieter. This neighborhood has everything we wanted.”
He studied my face.
“Olivia, I didn’t buy it expecting you to move here.”
“I know.”
“I just wanted you to have it.”
I stood and wrapped my arms around him.
“Then let’s make it our home.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Are you sure?”
I smiled.
“Our baby could grow up here.”
He held me tightly.
For the first time that day, Ethan began to cry.
That evening, Mom called again.
