Oliver took big strides as he wandered through his house one more time. He was looking for things that might be out of place, although he was really just doing it because he was nervous, there was rarely anything out of place. Shane was on her way and he was making sure that the house was ready for her. It was not a usual meet up. They were getting married in just 3 weeks and Shane was starting to move some of her things into his house, no their house. But that was not all that was happening. Shane had mentioned making some changes. He tried to remember the exact words she had used; she had said they could walk through the house and decide together what changes they could make, find places to put up some of her decorations, maybe even paint a room or two. He even remembered she had hesitantly added the last part about the paint.

Oliver was excited about marrying Shane. She was the love of his life and he wanted to start their lives together, but if he were completely honest, he had to admit to himself that he did not like change. He knew this was a good change, and he knew that God had brought Shane into his life, but he still couldn't help feeling nervous. Exactly what kind and how many changes was Shane contemplating? Would her style completely clash with his?

He knew his house needed updating, he definitely hadn't made any improvements in years. Holly had not made any significant changes to the house in the short time she had been there. Although thinking back, Oliver wasn't sure that he had let her make any alterations to the decor. He even vaguely remembered feeling upset when she had scoffed at some of his antique decorations. He wondered if she had known he wouldn't welcome any sort of renovations and since she hadn't planned to actually stick around for very long anyway, she hadn't pushed the issue. He knew Holly had been a mistake, they were not compatible, or in love and he doubted they could have had a happy marriage even if she had stayed. Even knowing this, Oliver often wondered if he had done everything he could have to help the marriage succeed. Had he welcomed Holly into his home? Had he tried to make it their home? He wasn't sure he had, and he definitely didn't want to make the same mistakes with Shane. He brushed his hands over his light blue button down shirt and casual khakis as he wandered over to the window to watch for her arrival.

Shane pushed her foot on the accelerator as the light changed from red to green. She was nearly to Oliver's house. She had spent the morning working on what seemed like neverending wedding plans. Even though they were planning a small ceremony, she still felt like the preparations were taking over. She had managed to find a few minutes however to scan the Internet and design magazines pondering the thing she was really excited about. She had mentioned to Oliver that she wanted to make a few changes to his house, but she hadn't told him how excited she really was. She loved Oliver's house and she loved decorating. She knew Oliver was a bit apprehensive about any changes, but she was certain she could mesh both their styles. It wasn't until she was trying to choke down her tuna sandwich for lunch that she realized she was nervous about proposing her ideas to Oliver. He loved his house, and she knew he was sentimental about his antiques. What if she overstepped and upset him? She vividly remembered the look on his face when she and Joe had started moving furniture around before Norman's bachelor party. He definitely had not been too happy about them making any changes. Maybe she should just wait until after the wedding when she had moved in, then she could do things more at Oliver's pace. She could imagine herself putting out one new decoration, and then if Oliver hadn't objected after a week she could add another one. Shane was tired of being patient though and she couldn't deny that she was excited about decorating their home. Despite all this, as she got closer and closer to his house, she could still feel her nerves increasing.

"Uh, why am I so nervous?" She said out loud to herself, "It's just Oliver, we love each other, we are getting married soon, everything will be fine." She tried to calm herself as she saw Oliver's house come into view.

Oliver saw Shane pull up and park in front of the house. She stepped out of the car and he felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her in blue skinny jeans that hugged her curves just right. She was also wearing a light purple short sleeve sweater and she looked absolutely beautiful. He stepped out the front door and hurried down the front steps to meet her as she was starting to take boxes out of the trunk of her car.

"Hi love," she said, smiling at him as he reached her. She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Oliver smiled as well, he loved this woman so much, but what was she getting out of the car? He saw more boxes than he was expecting, as well as some different shaped vases, and was that an area rug she was pulling out? He thought they were just going to talk about some changes. This was happening a little fast.

Together they made a few trips into the house until they had all the new items and boxes piled in the entryway.

"So where do you want to start?" Shane asked.

"Um, let me get a drink first," Oliver said, moving towards the kitchen.

Shane followed and made herself comfortable on the couch in the adjoining den while Oliver grabbed a Yoo Hoo from the fridge.

"Would you like anything?" he asked.

"No thanks, I'm good," Shane answered. "Come on over and I will show you what I have here."

"Um, are you sure you want to do this today?" Oliver asked. "You are probably really busy with the wedding plans, are you sure I can't help you with some of those?"

"No, don't worry about those, I spent all morning working on my wedding list so I am completely free to spend the rest of the day with you." She answered excitedly as she got up and moved to his side.

"Oh great," he replied a little flatly.

Shane grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the couch with her. He sat down and took a big drink from the Yoo Hoo bottle in his hand.

"Now these are some of the ideas I had for this room," Shane pulled out a folder and showed him some magazine clippings and pictures on her tablet of rooms decorated with vintage designs and antique furniture, the pictures resembled his home but with updates and modern styles.

"See this one," she passed over a clipping, "it's really similar to this room, we could include some of the antique pieces you already have, but add some of these other elements and bring in a little color."

Oliver hadn't realized how much time and effort Shane had already spent planning this, he was also surprised to find he didn't hate her ideas.

"This would be fine," Oliver replied.

"Do you mind if I experiment a little bit with these bookshelves?" She asked, "if there's anything you don't like we can put it back just the way it is."

"Oh, of course, go ahead," Oliver said.

He watched as Shane pulled a few things from the boxes that she had brought and started adding picture frames, vases, and potted plants to the shelves. She rearranged books, and even removed some that she promptly transferred to the shelves in his office. He was fascinated by her process of trial, error, trial again until she would step back and look at the big picture until she was completely satisfied with what she had done. He stood back assisting if she needed something handed to her, or giving the occasional opinion. Oliver helped her spread out the rug and then she added a few finishing touches of pillows and a throw blanket to the couch. He was amazed that the room immediately brightened. Why had he been living with it so dark and dreary all these years?

"I think that looks great," Shane said, looking at Oliver for confirmation.

He nodded at her.

"Great, let's do some other rooms now," Shane said, grabbing her folder and tablet and wandering around the house with him in tow.

She showed him more designs and prattled on about ideas. Oliver noticed a sparkle in her eyes, she was in her element and excited about this new challenge. It reminded him of her drive when they had a mystery to solve at work. He found himself agreeing to things like paint colors and possibly adding wallpaper above the chair railing in the bathroom. Oliver's head was spinning with all the new ideas, and then Shane surprised him when she asked her next question.

"Would it be okay if I looked at the master bedroom now? Shane asked hesitantly.

"Oh um, of course." He answered hesitantly as well.

When Oliver and Shane had gotten engaged Oliver had set some rules in place to make sure they didn't cross any lines before their wedding night. A curfew was in place, of course Shane always tried to push against it a little. They had also avoided Oliver's bedroom so Shane had never seen it before.

Oliver took Shane's hand and led her up the stairs. He could make an exception this time. It would be her bedroom in just 3 weeks so of course she would want to see it before moving in. Besides it was broad daylight and he would just stay right here in the doorway while Shane looked around.

"Wow this room is great," Shane said after entering.

It was neat and tidy just like Oliver. There was beautiful wainscoting on every wall, and crown molding at the ceiling. Shane was already picturing a new antique light fixture to go over the bed.

Oliver was pleased with her initial reaction upon seeing the room. As he watched her from the doorframe, he realized he liked seeing her in this room, he couldn't wait to marry her, and he would do anything to make her happy.

Shane loved the feel of this room. She noted the mismatched antique furniture and the single night stand by one side of the bed indicating which side Oliver slept. The brown bed covering was neat and clean, but that and the single pillow at the top screamed bachelor. She was thrilled when she saw the size of the large walk-in closet and when she leaned in for a closer look she was touched to see that he had already started moving stuff over to one side, leaving the other side for her.

"Oliver this room is amazing, it is plenty large and there is so much we can do with it."

He could see she was getting that excited look in her eyes again.

"What are your thoughts on putting this furniture in the spare bedroom and maybe getting a new bedroom set for us?"

New furniture? Oliver hadn't even thought of that, but of course that would be a great way to start out their marriage.

"Yes we could do that," Oliver answered.

"Ohhh," Shane was practically squealing, "we could even go shopping for it this afternoon."

"Uh, sure we could do that." Oliver answered.

"Great," Shane was so excited she clapped her hands together as she walked to the other end of the room to peek inside the master bathroom. But then a thought struck her. This has been too easy! She had been worried that Oliver would push back on every idea she had for the house, but in fact he had agreed with her on everything. He hadn't said no to a single thing, he hadn't hesitated when she had proposed changes, he hadn't even given any alternate opinions on any design ideas. This wasn't like him at all. Was he just agreeing with everything she said? She decided to find out what was going on.

Shane stepped into the bathroom. It was spacious and looked as though it had been remodeled more recently than any other part of the house. The shower/tub combo was beautiful and inviting and the his and hers sinks were white with beautiful gold antique finishes.

"Oh Oliver, I just love this bathroom." She called to him from where he stood in the bedroom doorway. "You know a safari theme would be perfect here." She waited for a response.

"Uh, yes that would be fine." He answered, his voice traveling from the other room.

"Oh we could even get some zebra print wallpaper," she waited again to see what his response would be.

"Mmm hmmm," he replied, less enthusiastic this time.

She came out of the bathroom, "Oh and what do you think about a leopard print bedspread?"

"Sounds good," Oliver said, nodding his head.

"Oliver O'Toole! Are you just answering yes to everything I say?" She questioned placing her hands on her hips and looking at him expectantly.

"No, of course not," Oliver answered without even thinking.

"Are you saying you would be happy with zebra print wallpaper in the bathroom and a safari theme?"

"Uh, no... no I would not like that," Oliver finally admitted. He was making a mess of this. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out how to set things right.

"Are you unhappy with me making any changes to the house?" Shane asked.

"No, of course not," he answered a little too quickly.

His answers were coming in almost robotic and Shane didn't know what to make of this whole situation.

"Then what is going on?" Shane asked exasperatedly.

"I don't want to make the same mistakes as before," Oliver sounded a bit frustrated now, "the ones I made with her," he finished quietly.

Shane stared at him, her mind racing. The her he was referring to must mean Holly, but what did she have to do with this?

Oliver could see Shane was confused and getting upset now, he quickly stepped into the room to stand next to her.

"Sweetheart," he waited to continue until she looked up at him.

"I realize I am not always great at embracing change."

Shane tried to hide her smirk at his gross understatement.

"In my attempt to make you happy I fear I have made a mess of things."

"Oliver, I don't want to make any changes that you are unhappy with, maybe we should just leave things as they are for now." She said, sounding a bit deflated. She pictured herself a year or two from now still making little changes week by week. Design trends would probably go out of style faster than she would be able to get to the finished product.

"No, no, that isn't what I want at all," he answered in a rush.

He paused for a few seconds to gather his thoughts, then he continued, "Shane, I love you and I trust you, besides you seem to be very good at design."

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, "Most importantly, I want you to feel welcome and comfortable in our home."

"Oliver, I want the same thing for you."

"Well my love," he moved his hand up to cradle her neck, "It sounds as if we are in concert."

He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. What he had intended to be a sweet, short kiss quickly turned into much more. Shane's hands moved up into his hair. He felt her tongue move across his bottom lip. He inwardly groaned at the pleasure he was feeling as his hands held her waist and he moved her body flush with his. He let himself enjoy getting lost in this passion for just a little longer, then he slowed the kiss and moved back a few inches. He put his forehead to hers as they caught their breath.

"I propose we go find that new bedroom set and then I will take you wherever you want to go for dinner." He moved his mouth close to her ear and whispered in a husky voice, "And we had better go right now before you become any more irresistible to me and I am forced to keep you right here."

He saw the slight blush creep up to her cheeks at his suggestion before she pulled his lips to hers for one more sensual kiss, then she slid past him and out the door. His heightened senses made him very aware of her body touching him as she moved past. Did she know the effect that she had on him? Part of him wondered if she drove him crazy on purpose. He silently prayed for what seemed the millionth time that he could resist her charms for the next 3 weeks.

As Oliver helped Shane into the car she stopped him and said, "Just to be absolutely clear, you are really ok with some changes to the house?"

He smiled, "Yes Shane, I really am ok with some changes to the house."

"Great, because I was thinking we could also look for a new bedspread while we are out, and what are your thoughts on painting an accent wall in the bedroom?"

Oliver just shook his head grinning as he closed the door and moved around the car. Maybe he should have been less worried about his reluctance to change and more worried about slowing Shane down when she became a steam roller with an idea.

They wandered stores for the next 3 hours looking for the perfect bedroom set. Oliver was ready to throw in the towel and just buy the one that Shane liked when the third store produced no satisfactory result. But Shane was convinced that they could find one that they both liked and she could be very persuasive. They held hands as they wandered the 4th location. Oliver stood speechless for a minute when Shane suggested a modern looking bed frame made out of bamboo wooden pieces going in all directions. He was trying to think of something to say when he looked over and saw Shane trying to hide her snicker and realized that she was teasing him. Shortly after they turned the next corner, they found just what they were looking for. It was a beautiful bed frame with walnut stained wood, a high paneled headboard and antique designs that Oliver liked, but with more modern straight lines that Shane liked. There were matching nightstands and dressers to compliment and the set was in stock and would be delivered within the next 10 days. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Picking out a new bedspread hadn't been quite as challenging. They had settled on a cream colored duvet with a subtle design. Oliver let Shane pick out all the throw pillows, he wasn't quite sure what they were for anyway. He watched Shane wander the isles as she picked up a few more accents for their bedroom. As he watched her he realized he was actually getting excited about the new bedroom that they were creating together, or maybe he was just getting really excited about sharing that bedroom with Shane.

After his nightly ablutions Oliver was just about to kneel in prayer when something caught his eye. There was a small framed picture resting on the nightstand that hadn't been there before. He reached for the picture, Shane must have placed it there when she looked around his bedroom earlier. He smiled when he saw the image. It was a picture of her smiling at the camera, he held her from behind and was leaning in to kiss her cheek. She looked beautiful and so happy. Oliver vividly remembered the day they had gone to take these photos. For their engagement session they had dressed up and met a photographer downtown. He had been so awkward and stiff at first and not enthusiastic at all about any public displays of affection. But their photographer Suzanna, who was probably cut from the same cloth as Shane, had a way of easing him out of his shell with all of her teasing prompts. He still couldn't believe that by the end of the session he was kissing Shane in public and holding her close. He had been a bit concerned about how the pictures would look, the poses had felt awkward and unnatural, and he wasn't sure about the location. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw how great the final product had turned out. Shane's eyes sparkled with love in every photo, but he suspected part of that sparkle was due to the way Suzanna had been mercilessly teasing him. He smiled at the photo before kneeling down to thank God again for his beautiful Shane. He fell asleep happily dreaming of her and the life they would have together.