A flutter of excitement rushed through her body as they climbed into Killian's truck. She couldn't wait to see the house. She dreamt about living with him many times while stuck on campus but actually doing it was another thing. She was also nervous to tell her parents. She was a grown woman but Killian was right, their family had been through a lot lately.

This was different though, this was about the rest of her life. She'd be graduating soon and he was part of the next chapter. This was important to Killian and to her. She'd help them understand. She looked over and he was grinning from ear to ear. She reached over and grabbed his hand gently giving it a little squeeze before they took off. He looked to her and smiled. "I'm really excited for you to see the place?"

She grinned. "I can't wait. I'm still in shock that you did this but in a very good way."

"I hope it's up to your expectations." He half smiled.

She could tell he was nervous so she slipped her hand around his a little tighter. "I'm sure I'm going to love it."

He nodded. "Not much further, it's just up here around the bend."

"Near the docks?"

"Yes, I believe near the water was on both of our lists so that we can enjoy the sunsets and sunrises."

"Yes, that was on the list." She grinned. He thought of everything, he always did. She looked down at her bracelet and the new little key that was now a part of it. The little jewel twinkled at her as they passed under the street lights.

As they got further the sun continued to fade into night. The sunset over the harbor was lit up in magical shades of purple and orange. Warmth grew in her belly as she thought of waking up to see the sun rise with him. The slowed motion of the car got brought her back to reality.

He pulled the car to a stop and leaned towards her to peer through the window. "Here we are. 589 Harbor Court. Hopefully where we will call home."

She looked out of the side window to see a little cottage covered in white lights. "I see you borrowed some lights from your brother's stash." She chuckled.

"Well I wasn't sure if we'd make it in time to see the house in daylight so this was my back up plan."

She leaned over a pressed a kiss to his smiling lips. "You really do think of everything."

"I try to. I just want you to be happy."

"Killian, I really am. "

"Good, let's get you a closer look, shall we?"

He ran around and opened her door as he always did extending his hand to help her out. Her eyes were wide with curiosity as she took in the vision before her. The lights definitely helped. The shape of the house was perfect. The color appeared to be a steel blue grey on the sides with a white trim around the roof, windows and door. There was a long drive way that lead to a white garage on the side of the house. It also appeared to have a small chimney which she hoped meant a fireplace.

Killian pulled the key from his pocket and opened the beautifully carved wooden door for them to enter. So far she was very impressed at his choice. Hopefully the inside was as lovely as the outside.

He bent down and scooped her up carrying her in through the door. "Whoa! What are you doing?"

"Carrying you over the threshold." He laughed.

"Wait, isn't that reserved for wedding days?"

"Someday perhaps that will be true for us but I also have heard its good luck so I'm not taking any chances."

Her cheeks felt warm at the thought of marrying him and him actually carrying her over the threshold on their wedding day. "True, best not to take any chances."

He placed her down in the center of the dimly lit room before turning on the lights. Her eyes quickly adjusted and she smiled. The family room was a decent size, perfect for their first place. It was empty but she could already see the potential. She walked across the well beaten hardwood floors towards a small fireplace on the right. She ran her fingers over the dusty mantle and turned to face him. He was standing near the door watching her.

"I didn't have a chance to clean yet." He said as he nervously scratched behind his ear.

She smiled. "Killian, I love what I've seen so far and we will do the cleaning together."

He nodded seemingly relieved. "Come into the kitchen."

She followed closely behind him into the dark room. When he turned on the lights she gasped. "Oh Killian, this is perfect!"

He laughed. "I'm so glad you think so. I felt the same. I believe a perfect working kitchen was on the list."

She looked around and the kitchen was twice the size of the family room. The fact that they loved to cook together made it perfect for them. There was a big window over the sink, an island in the middle of the room perfect for their prep and a newer stove and oven. There was also a perfect nook for them to put a little table and chairs. "Yes! I love this."

She walked over grabbed Killian's hand and moved towards the window. "There is a beautiful view of the docks. I bet we will see some amazing sunrises and sunsets."

"I believe so too My Love." He said wrapping his arms around her and leaning his chin on her shoulder as they took in the remains of the day.

She leaned back into him feeling a sigh of relief that her life was settling into place. She could definitely call this place home.

Killian took her on a tour of the rest of the house. There was a small unfinished basement, a dining room that appeared to have been shortened to make room for the larger kitchen, one small bathroom downstairs, a larger bathroom with a nice shower upstairs and two bedrooms.

The master bedroom would be theirs. The smaller bedroom could be for guests or they could use it as an office. Since all of their family lived in town they would likely use it as an office. Neither of them planned to have family just yet. They were trying to establish their business and get their lives started together.

"We'll need to get some furnishings. I took the liberty of ordering a bed. That will be here tomorrow. I hope that is ok with you."

She turned to face him. "I'm sure it will be great."

"Well, what's the verdict Darling?" he asked nervously.

She leaned up and kissed him gently. "I couldn't have selected a more perfect house for us. You've thought of everything. This is our home."

He picked her up and spun her around. "I'm so happy you like it."

She giggled as her feet spun in the air. "I Love it. Now I just need to tell my parents."

He kissed the tip of her nose and then her lips. "Whenever you are ready. I don't want to rush you."

"Thank you. It will be soon. I can't wait to live here with you."

He pulled her into his arms and held her. "I wish we could stay here tonight."

"Me too." She said suddenly remembering the dessert he promised. "Didn't you say something about dessert?"

"Ah yes! I'd almost forgotten in all the excitement." He took her by the hand and led her back down to the family room. Now that the sun was down it was much darker in the house than he thought it would be considering they didn't have many lamps yet.

There was a beaten old brown velvet couch in the room near the fireplace. One of the only pieces of furniture that the previous owners left behind. "Have a seat Love. I'll make a fire for us and bring in the dessert."

She sat down and the couch sucked her into the soft cushions."Oof." she laughed aloud. "I'm guessing this was here when you bought it?"

He lit the starter log on the fire and faced her. "Aye, they left a few things behind when they moved. We don't have to keep anything. I just haven't had the chance to get rid of them yet."

She smiled. "I'm glad you didn't. We would be sitting on the rug right now if you had. This is perfect."

"I'll be right back."

"Are you sure I can't help you?"

"No, I've got this." He called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the kitchen.

She stared into the little fledgling fire as it began to ignite. The flames flickering into the dimly lit room gave it more character than she'd noticed earlier. The older brick surrounding the flames was lovely. She began to notice the smaller details too like the beautifully beaten floors, the curve of the wall towards the kitchen and the intricate wood work in the moldings around the ceiling.

Whoever owned this house before truly loved it. There was a lot of character in this old place. She smiled at the thought of this being her new home. She was also starting to imagine the possibilities of what it would look like when it was all decorated.

Killian walked in with two plates in hand, a bottle of wine under his arm and two glasses in his other hand. "Chocolate Cream Pie and red wine."

She reached up and grabbed the glasses from him and then taking the plates placing them next to her. "Sounds like the perfect dessert."

He popped open the wine pouring each of them a glass and joining her on the couch. He held up his glass and made a toast. "To us and our new home."

She tapped her glass against his. "To us."

She gently sipped her wine and looked over to see him smiling. His face aglow with the fire in front of them. It may have been small but it was warm and that was all that mattered. She slipped a fork full of cream into her mouth. "This is good."

"Elsa made it for the special yesterday. I managed to sneak one out before Liam noticed there were left overs. It's one of his favorites."

She laughed. "I'm glad you did. This is amazing."

"Elsa's been trying a few new things here and there. She's a nervous baker and she has been thinking a lot about the baby lately."

"Oh no, I hope she isn't worried. If she needs my help please tell her not to hesitate to call. "

"She felt the baby kicking for the first time this week. I think that's what got her nervous. The reality that there will be a new little Jones is setting in."

She couldn't help but smile at the words he said. "That's amazing. That must be the best feeling."

"She couldn't stop laughing. My brother came running in, thought something happened. The man had tears running down his face when I found them. He was kneeling in front of her hand pressed against her tummy."

"Aww, that is so sweet."

"Who'd have thought my brother could be reduced to a pile of goo. The baby isn't even here yet and he's already wound around its little finger."

"That's good though right?"

"Yes, I've always wanted that for him. I'm glad for his happiness. He deserves it."

She grabbed his hand. "You deserve it too."

He squeezed her hand brushing his thumb over hers. "I believe I've found my happiness too Emma, with you."

The beautiful gaze from his eyes was startling under the fire light. She had to try not to turn away. "I feel the same way."

He leaned forward to kiss her. She tasted the sweet wine on his lips and felt the fire ignite in her belly. She couldn't help but pour all of her love into the kiss. Their time together couldn't have been more perfect and each moment they spent together seemed to top the last.

Without breaking their kiss she deposited her glass on the floor. She heard the clank of his as well. He pressed gently against her on the couch and the weight of him felt good against her as he kissed her sensually. "God you smell good." He whispered into her ear.

She leaned back and let him kiss her neck slowly until he found her spot. "No fair." She whispered.

"All's fair in love and war darling." He said as he breathed warmly against her skin.

"I'll remember that." She whimpered.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He said as he'd removed his shirt revealing his beautiful body. She brushed her fingers gently across his chest. A feeling of excitement rushed through her in anticipation of what was coming next.

She leaned up helping him remove her clothing piece by piece. His hands were gentle against her skin as he helped her slip out of hers. He worshipped her with his soft lips and tongue under the fire light. He'd done that before but something about this time was different. He'd certainly made good on his promise of dessert in more ways than one.

Once they were both satisfied he held her in his arms. His shirt draped over them as they lay by the fire. "I could get used to this." She said.

"Good, me too." He said in a soft breath.

She snuggled close to his chest for warmth as he wrapped his arms around her. She could definitely get used to this.

She woke up when she felt a cool breeze against her back. The fire had gone out and Killian was sleeping soundly beneath her. She had no idea what time it was or how long they'd been asleep. She tapped his chest softly. "Killian wake up. We fell asleep and I need to get home before my parents worry."

He woke with a start. "What time is it? Your father is going to kill me."

She bit her lip at the thought. "Let's just get me home. I'll worry about what to say."

She hated to leave their house. They'd had the perfect night and it was cozy, at least with the fireplace on. He'd gotten her home in record time. She saw the light on in the window and shook her head. "I bet he waited up for me."

Killian sighed. "Would you like me to go in with you?"

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek gently. "No, I'll be fine. I'm a grown woman. He's just going to have to understand this."

He laughed. "Ok Good Luck."

"I love you. I'll see you in the morning."

He nodded. "I love you too."

She didn't wait for him to get out and open her door this time. She needed to get inside. She waved him off when she got to the front door. She saw he was hesitant to leave but she needed to do this on her own.

She went inside quietly and locked the door. She hoped the light on was just a mistake and that her parents had gone to bed. No such luck. Her father was sitting there quietly snoozing in the chair waiting for her. She let out the breath she was holding and walked over to wake him. "Dad, go on up to bed. I'm home."

"Huh, oh you finally made it home. Did you think maybe you could have called and said you would be late." He questioned sternly.

She nodded." I'm sorry. I fell asleep."

He raised his eyebrow and pursed his lips. "OK."

She knew she was in a territory of conversation that her father would feel most uncomfortable with. "I'm home. How about we talk in the morning?"

He nodded in understanding and she helped him up from the chair. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You don't have to worry so much Dad. I'm all grown up."

He hugged her. "I know but I'm always going to worry about you Honey. You're my baby girl."

She sighed. This conversation was going to be harder than she thought. "Come on Dad. Let's get you upstairs."

She crept into her room and hopped into bed pulling her soft quilt over her. She didn't even bother getting undressed. She'd be up in a few short hours anyway. She closed her eyes. This would be one of the last times she slept in her room. That bittersweet thought rattled in her mind as she snuggled her pillow closer and fell asleep.