Adrian walked into the house carrying three bakery boxes as though arriving unannounced at his sisters’ home was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
Emma closed the front door behind him.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Adrian’s gaze drifted around the room.
The shelves lined with books.
The framed photographs scattered throughout the house.
The comfortable furniture.
The large windows overlooking the garden.
Outside, the evening sun cast long shadows across the lawn. Roses bordered the stone pathway leading to the porch, while lavender swayed gently in the breeze.
Adrian took it all in.
Then he smiled.
“This is beautiful.”
The compliment caught Emma off guard.
“The garden?”
“The garden.”
His gaze returned to her.
“The house too.”
A pause.
“What you’ve built here.”
Something
