Aidan glanced in the rearview mirror as Kate pulled the car up the driveway toward the house. He could swear he just saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Was that… Shit. It was. He froze in his seat as he caught sight of his assistant, Dean, emerging from a hiding place in the bushes to remove the ‘Open House’ sign from the front curb.

Did she see it? Aidan ventured a sidelong look at Kate’s face, but she showed no reaction. Her attention was fully focused on negotiating the twists and turns of the narrow driveway.

“That’s weird,” she said, as she pulled the car to a stop just in front of the three-car garage. “It looks like we're the only people here.”

“Still pretty early,” he shrugged. “We must be the first ones.”

“A house like this? You’d think it would be crawling with people, just wanting to take a peek inside.”

“Yeah, you’d think.” He shrugged again as he pushed open the passenger side door. “Must not have advertised it very much.”

Aidan snuck a look back over his shoulder as they made their way up the front walk, but the end of the long driveway was invisible from here. He was in the clear for now. No way for Kate to see that the whole ‘Open House’ was a ruse – a careful conspiracy between himself, Dean, and a few exceedingly helpful real estate agents.

Everything was going according to plan. So far, so good. 

The whole thing had started a couple of days ago, after Aidan’s little white lie about wanting to go househunting. Not a bad idea, he’d realized, the moment the words were out of his mouth. What better way to show Kate everything he could offer her if she decided to move to LA.

He hadn’t wanted to waste time taking her around to a bunch of houses, though. All he needed was for her to set eyes on some garish, over-the-top monstrosity, and she’d get it in her head that every house in Beverly Hills had to be like that. He needed her to see houses that were understated. Comfortable. Big enough for a family, and in a neighborhood where they would be secure – but otherwise, as close as possible to the middle class suburban home where she herself had grown up.

Choosing the house was the easy part, of course. It was the next stage of the plan that had been keeping Aidan up at night. It could backfire so easily if she caught on – if she realized she was being manipulated. It could end up driving her away for good. A huge risk. But if he could manage to pull it off, it just might be enough to convince her.

The plan itself was simple. Set it up like an open house. Stage the furnishings inside according to his detailed instructions. And then let her think they’d just stumbled on it by pure chance. Dumb luck.

No, not luck. Fate. The uplanned destination of an aimless drive through Beverly Hills… A random series of left and right turns… A passing impulse to pull over. Destiny. How could she say no to destiny?

The front door opened to greet them now as they made their way up the walk. A neatly dressed real-estate agent came out onto the stoop, waving to them with a friendly smile. She had a tray of chocolate chip cookies balanced in one hand. Homemade? Nice touch, Aidan thought, as they stepped into the front hall and were immediately greeted by the delicious scent of cookies baking.

“Welcome!” the agent said, offering them the tray with one hand and a listing brochure with the other. “Please make yourself at home. Feel free to take a look around.”

Aidan ventured another glance at Kate’s face, trying to gauge her first impression. She was quiet. She merely nibbled at her cookie as she strolled through the rooms on the main floor of the house, taking it all in without comment. Was that a passing smile he saw on her face when she looked around the kitchen? He wasn't sure.

She had just entered the family room when he drew up next to her and slid one arm around her waist. “What do you think?” he asked softly in her ear.

She gave a little start, as if he had disturbed her in mid-daydream, and she took a moment to collect her thoughts before she replied. “This is not what I was expecting,” she said. “Not at all.”

He looked at her quizzically, waiting for her to say more.

“It’s just like a normal house!”

He had to fight to keep his face from showing the burst of exhilaration. It was working, he thought. Everything was going according to plan.

“I mean, a very nice normal house, of course,” she continued. “But it’s not—I kind of thought a mansion in Beverly Hills meant chandeliers and marble staircases and fountains with live swans swimming around in them.”

He cracked a grin. “Nah.” He shook his head. “Swans are pretty passé. It’s all about koi ponds nowadays.”

“I don’t want a koi pond.”

“I agree,” he said, forcing his face into a thoughtful expression. “This place is good. It's not trying too hard.”

She swiveled her head to take in the family room again. “It’s so strange. I don’t know why, but this room reminds me so much of my parents’ old house.”

Aidan had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep a straight face. He knew why. He knew exactly why. He’d ransacked his collection of old pictures and managed to come up with a faded photograph. November 2004 was the date scrawled on the back – the year he’d come home with Kate to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her family in New Jersey. It was a shot of the two of them, cuddled up together watching football on the hideous plaid chenille La-Z-Boy sectional in her parents’ old family room.  He’d raised a few eyebrows at the real estate company when he showed them how he wanted this room staged. They’d handled it perfectly, he saw, looking around the room now with satisfaction. They'd arranged the furniture to match the exact layout of the family room where she grew up, but the pieces were all just a touch more sophisticated. Hardwood tables and chairs. Hand-dyed rugs. The sofa – still a sectional – but upholstered in a rich, supple mahogany leather.

“Nice, right?” he said, watching her face as she walked around the room and ran her fingers over each surface.

“I like this couch,” she responded.

“So, we’ll ask them to throw in the couch.” His smile widened. “Done deal.”

She grinned back at him, and he had to resist the urge to tackle her onto the couch right then and there. “I think maybe you should see the upstairs first," she said. "Don’t you?”

He shrugged and took her hand. They walked together up the wide, carpeted staircase and came to a stop at the top of the steps. The second level of the house consisted of one long corridor, lined on both sides with tasteful family photos: two parents and their children, a boy and a girl, photographed at every possible stage from infancy to adolescence. Aidan wondered idly who they were. The family of one of the real estate agents? Or were they all professional models, posing for a photoshoot?

“How many bedrooms is this place?” Kate asked, skimming her eyes down the length of the hallway.

“Let’s see.” Aidan looked down at the pamphlet in his hand and pretended to search for the answer. “Here it is,” he said after a moment. “Six bedrooms, five and a half baths.”

Her eyebrows shot up and she shook her head dismissively. She turned to go back downstairs.

“What?” Aidan said. He caught her arm by the elbow before she could put her foot on the first step. “What’s wrong with six bedrooms?”

“For a single man, living alone? You don’t think that would be weird for you? Rattling around by yourself in a house this size?”

She still wasn't getting the picture. He was going to have to spell it out for her.

"The idea is that I wouldn't be single anymore, Kate. I wouldn't be living here alone."

She looked up, studying his face. “Oh,” she said slowly. "You mean..." Her voice trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished.

“Come on.” He tilted his head toward the row of doors flanking the hallway. “Let’s just take a look.”

She eyed him uncertainly. “Six bedrooms?”

“We’ll figure out a way to fill them up.” He allowed one corner of his mouth to quirk upward as he spoke, and he reached out to take her hand again as he led the way down the corridor.

Top of the stairs. Third door on the left. That’s the one Dean had told him to aim for. It was the smallest bedroom of the house, but the one they’d spent the most time planning. Aidan stepped into the room and gave Kate's hand a gentle tug to follow him. He nodded to himself in satisfaction as he took in the furnishings. Perfect. Just the way he had described.

“Oh, Aidan, look,” he heard Kate’s voice breathe behind him. “It's a nursery.”

She let go of his fingers and he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He stood back to give her space as she made her way around the room. 

She crouched down for a moment to pick up a pair of tiny baby shoes, no bigger than the palm of her hand, that had been lined up neatly next to the door. Baby shoes. Must have been Dean's idea. Aidan made a mental note to give his assistant a raise.

"Kate," he said softly. “Come here. Come sit down for a sec.” He gestured toward the antique rocking chair sitting in the corner of the room.

She settled herself into the chair and rocked gently back and forth. Someone had arranged a row of blue and pink teddy bears on a shelf by her elbow. Aidan watched in silence for a moment as she pulled one of the bears into her lap and stroked its fur.

He walked over to where she was sitting. She immediately sat more upright, eyeing him suspiciously, as he dropped down to kneel beside the chair.

“What?” he said. “There’s nowhere else to sit in here.” He arranged himself so that he was resting on both knees with his weight back on his heels. With relief, he saw her shoulders relax again.

They sat together in silence for a long moment – the only sound the quiet creaking of the rocking chair – as they each waited for the other to speak first.

“So?” Aidan prompted at last.

“It’s a nice house.”

He nodded in agreement. “It’s pretty perfect, isn’t it?”

Creak creak creak went the rocking chair. She fell silent yet again, lost in thought. “I can’t believe we just stumbled onto it like this,” she said at last.

“I know!” He reached out and took one of her hands, pulling it away from the teddy bear she was clasping to her chest. "And your last day in LA, too! What are the chances?"

He was watching her face again, but she didn’t return his gaze. Her eyes were fixed on the whitewashed wooden crib at the other end of the room and the simple mobile hanging above it – half a dozen sleepy-looking baby elephants, dangling on the ends of their strings.

He didn’t dare speak again. He’d led her as far as he could safely go without giving the game away. He held his breath now, waiting.

“It’s like it was meant to be,” she murmured, her words just barely audible.

Now, he thought. Now was the moment. Do it. Do it now.

“Kate,” he whispered. He waited as she turned her eyes away from the crib and looked back down at his face. “Katie, we should do this.”

He saw a shadow of uncertainty cloud her expression, and he gripped her hand more firmly to steady her.

“Do what?” she whispered back.

“We should buy this place. Together. You and me.”

“You want to buy a house together?”

“It’s perfect.”

“But I thought—“

“Kate, it’s perfect.”

“Together?”

He nodded.

She looked away from him again. Her mouth had fallen open in surprise and her cheeks suffused with color. "You want to buy a house together?"

He gave her hand another gentle squeeze. "Yes."

She shook her head. "Aidan, no. It's too soon–"

"I know it's fast. I know. But houses like this don't come on the market all that often!”

“But how much does it cost? I don’t think I can afford—“

“I don’t mean pay for it together. I mean live in it together.” He took another teddy bear down from the shelf and placed it in her lap, next to the one she was already holding. “You and me,” he whispered, “and whoever else may decide to come along.”

“Aidan—”

“It was meant to be, Katie. You just said so. You said it yourself.”

He hadn't breathed for what felt like an eternity. He held his breath a little longer now as he waited for her reply, watching as her eyes shifted downward to the two teddy bears cradled in her lap.

"Say it," he chanted inside his head. He watched her tongue flick out over the corner of her mouth and her teeth nibble hesitantly at her lower lip. "Say it, little girl," he silently commanded.

Say-it-say-it-say-it.

Say yes.