Darkness Before Dawn

furrow his eyebrow at whatever is in front of us, I turn my attention and body forward, gasping loudly as my hands fly to cover my mouth.
    "Oh my God," I mutter under my breath as water pools my eyes before I look at him. "Where are we?" I whisper.
    He gives me a small smile, placing the car in park. "You know where we are," he says, tilting his head.
    "But how?" I ask, still at a loss for words.
    "With a lot of work and a whole lotta love," he replies as he unbuckles his seatbelt and jumps out of the truck.
    I place my hands over my rapidly beating heart, trying to bury the conflicted feelings that threaten to overpower my happiness. I turn my gaze slowly back to the red barn house before me, surrounded by the meadow that we used to play in as children, and smile as tears trickle down my cheeks. I wipe them away quickly and take a breath when Cole opens my door and gestures me to step out. Before my feet hit the ground, he scoops me up and swings me in his arms, making me squeal and giggle against his chest.
    "Let's go inside," he says excitedly, walking toward the house.
    He sets me down in front of the four white wooden steps and holds my hand, walking me toward it before letting go and taking a familiar looking mint blue box with a white ribbon out of his pocket and handing it to me. My eyes widen and my heart flutters as I untie the ribbon and open it to find a house key on it. After tracing the key with my finger, I look up to find him watching me with naked amusement.
    "Thank you," I say, shaking my head and smiling before leaning up on my tiptoes and pressing my lips against his.
    "Anything for you," he replies cordially as he takes the key from me and opens the door.
    Stepping in, I close my eyes and inhale the rich scent of wood that fills my nose, before opening them back up and looking around at the cozy living room.
    "It has three bedrooms, so it's not huge but we can always add to it," he offers as I look around with a smile plastered on my face.
    I take in the mostly bare white walls that surround us, with the exception of a fire place on the right side. I walk over to it and take in the smiling faces in the frames that adorn the mantel. Pictures of us as teenagers with our friends, with Maggie, in the house, at the lake, in the Taco Bell parking lot, on the high school football field, in our high school graduation. I continue exploring, walking toward the hallway to the right side and stepping into the first room, which is completely empty.
    "I figured you should have a say in what we do with this one," he says behind me.
    I nod and walk to the room across from it, poking my head in and opening the door to find two desks, one white and one dark wood.
    "We can work from here when we wanna escape the world," he offers and again, I nod before I step out and walk past a guest bathroom and toward the last door.
    My breath hitches when I open the door to the master bedroom, and I find a beautiful, yet simple king size bed low to the ground, with a beautiful white upholstered headboard behind it. To my right is an antique vanity with a round mirror and a small stool, and beyond that is a closet. I walk over to the closet first, finding a T-shirt hanging and a pair of worn shoes on the floor. I look over my shoulder and raise an eyebrow at Cole, who is leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest watching me closely. I walk to the bathroom next and smile at the sight of my favorite shampoo and body wash. The same color toothbrushes we have at our place are on an iron-looking holder, and white fluffy towels are placed on a rack by the shower. I can't help but love the simplicity of it, all of it.
    "Who built this?" I ask curiously when I turn and walk back toward him.
    His mouth twists into a wry smile. "Not me, if that's what you're asking." He chuckles. "I hired a company. I told them what I wanted, though. I figured you would appreciate that it's not huge. Seems more homey, I think. Do you like it?"
    "Do I like it?" I ask, bewildered. "Cole, I freaking LOVE it! This is...it's everything." My voice is barely a whisper as I finish the last part. I never thought I would feel such peace coming back here, not after everything, especially not after everything that's happened recently.
    "We've been working on it for a while. I wanted it to be done for my birthday, actually..." he starts, trailing off before finishing. I lean into him, wrapping my arms around him and placing my head on his