Oliver felt fortunate that traffic remained light, but even so, the journey to Shane's home seemed to last forever. As he approached her street, his apprehension grew. He couldn't recall a time when his nerves impacted him so. He parked the car by the curb, gingerly reached for the bouquet of roses, and went through Shane's front gate and up the steps.

He paused by the porch swing. Buying it had been a bold move at just the right time. When Holly returned from Paris, Shane had assumed that it meant a blissful reunion and that…well it would have been the worst mistake, as terrible a mistake as her quitting the DLO and leaving the USPS. When he'd finally closed that door on his relationship with Holly, he'd immediately thought of Shane, and that wonderful, personal glimpse she'd given him into the happiest parts of her childhood, all because of a porch swing. It was the middle of the night, but he'd been determined to bring her that happiness right then and there. He'd nearly been arrested as he built the swing, but it had all been worth it to witness the almost dreamy nostalgia this swing brought out in her. It had changed their relationship as well.

When he sat on that porch swing with Shane, he felt a stillness, a sense of contentment. He wished for some of that contentment now. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and rang the doorbell.