forehead before climbing from the bed and walking to the bathroom. After a moment, he returned with a warm, wet washcloth and gently cleaned between her legs. They lay for several long moments in languid appreciation of the quiet morning.
She finally leaned back and pierced him with her smile. “That was a good wakeup.”
Laughing, he agreed. Leaving the bed, they dressed and made their way downstairs. In the light of day, she wandered around his house once again, commenting in delight. He had been pleased with his purchase, glad that most of the work had already been completed but proud of what he had done. But hearing Harper exclaim over and over with each room that she explored, he was thrilled.
“Your yard! Oh, my God, last night I couldn’t even see your yard!”
He watched as she stepped from the kitchen door onto the patio outside. The lot was large and well-tended. He had little time for landscaping but managed to keep the grass mowed and the bushes trimmed. Other than that, he allowed his mom to come over in the spring and plant flowers.
In the back, slightly to the side, was a double garage, and the entire area was surrounded by a picket fence.
“A play area?” She stared at the wooden playset complete with swings.
He walked out behind her, one arm wrapping around her waist and the other around her chest. “It was there when I bought the house. I figured I might as well leave it, hoping that one day it would be used. I checked it out to make sure it was safe before Colleen came to visit.”
“I can’t get over the size of your yard. It’s absolutely amazing!”
They stepped off the patio and walked onto the grass, and he watched as she turned around slowly in a circle, her gaze seeming to take in everything.
“Does your property go all the way back?”
He nodded and waved his hand toward the back fence. “There’s a street behind us, but it’s more like a wide alley. It’s where I can put my garbage cans for the city to pick up.”
They continued walking around the house, through the gate of the fence and into the front yard. She stood quietly, shaking her head slowly. Wondering what she was thinking, he waited, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts.
She turned around and looked up at him, her eyes bright in the morning sunlight. “I absolutely love this place, Sean. I’m so curious, though. What made you go for it?”
He sucked in a deep breath of fresh, clean air and let it out slowly. “When I got out of the military and came back to Hope City, I moved in with my parents for a couple of months until I could look for a place. I was busy getting hired by the Police Department and wanted to take plenty of time to find just the right location. I didn’t want a condo or a townhouse. There’s very little privacy in the military, and after years of constant sharing, I wanted space.”
Laughing, she said, “Well, you certainly got it here!”
He moved his gaze around the yard and then back to her face, claiming her attention. “I knew I wanted to live in an older, established neighborhood, much like what I grew up in. And while I can’t say that this is my forever home, especially since it only has three bedrooms, I can see myself being happy here for a long time.”
Lifting an eyebrow, she asked, “Expecting a big family?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just know I don’t want to keep moving, so I got a house that gave me a sense of privacy, and when I get married and have children, there’s plenty of room here.”
They walked hand-in-hand back into the backyard, and she looked at the huge lot. “You know, as beautiful as this house is, if you ever decide to sell it, I think you’d get a good price. But if you decide you want to expand, you have so much room here that you could add on to the house if you have a large family. Then you wouldn’t have to move.”
Grinning, he pulled her in tightly. “I like the way you think.” It crossed his mind that for the first time he knew he might have found a woman that he could envision a future with. As new as their relationship was, he was not about to say that to her. But having Harper at his house, loving