He knew I was building a house, but he doesn’t know anything about it, and he doesn’t know I plan to ask him to move in with me today. Even before he told me he was in love with me earlier, this was always the plan.

We reach the top of the stairs and I show him around the master bedroom and the other rooms—stalling, but not really stalling, because these technically do come before the area I’m showing him last. I suck in a deep breath as we walk toward the room at the end of the hall. As soon as the door is open, he walks in ahead of me, stopping to take in the space quietly.

His eyes roam the area, and I hear his breathing hitch as realization dawns. Right before we came up the stairs, I showed him my office.

“What is this?” he asks timidly. “Your office is downstairs. Wh-why do you have two?” The sun is starting to set, blanketing the room is hues of deep reds, pinks, and oranges. It’s beautiful. He turns around to face me and his eyes are filled with unshed tears, and when he speaks, it’s filled with emotion. “Stone, what is this?”

“It’s your office,” I reply, closing the distance between us. I clear my throat, trying to get this all out without breaking down too. “I want you to have somewhere to write. Somewhere that is only for you. Where you can find peace and have the space to let your thoughts form freely. Somewhere where you can write award-winning novels and be at one with your mind. This room was designed for you.”

The first tear falls from his eyes. My throat feels tight, and I know when I speak again, my voice is going to crack.

“The windows let in tons of natural light, and this window here…” I indicate behind him. “This window faces the field. And this field is the whole reason I picked this property in the first place. The field back in Pullman, that belonged to my family, was my solitary safe space. I never brought anyone there because it was a place for me and my thoughts. When I brought you there, it became our safe space.” Unable to hold it back anymore, my tears spill over, falling freely down my cheeks. When he reaches up and wipes them away with his thumb, it just makes them fall faster.