That she didn't know if she'd ever get over.
"Can I open them now?" she asked when she heard Caleb push open the door.
Being mindful of her right side, where she'd had the surgery, he guided her into the room and then said, "Okay, open."
Her eyes flew open. And she gasped.
The guest bedroom was gone. Caleb's old bed, the dresser, the nightstand. In its place was a nursery. A finished nursery.
"Caleb!" she exclaimed, eyes wide as she took everything in. "Did you … how did you … when-"
Behind her, he kissed the back of her neck. "I had some help."
In awe, she glanced around, her gaze darting from one thing to the next, afraid to miss even the smallest of details. A pristine, white crib was placed against the right wall, an adorable spinning mobile over it, with stars and crescent moon cut outs. A new changing table sat on top of a low dresser on the opposite side of the room and when she pulled open the drawers, it was already stocked with diapers, cleansing wipes, and powders.
A beautifully elegant cream colored rocking chair sat underneath the window, a side table and a bookshelf, filled with toys and frames and books, flanking it.
The walls had been painted a soothing soft dove grey color. Pink accents dotted the room, from the towels on the changing table, to the shade of the floor lamp beside the crib, to the pink patterned rug, to the whimsical paintings of birds and bunnies and woodland creatures on the walls.
Everything was so … perfect.
Naturally, she started crying. Caleb knew by now that it didn't mean she was upset. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
She threw her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder, ignoring the way her skin pulled a little underneath her bandages. Caleb let her cry all over him and get it out of her system and when she pulled away, wiping at her face, she asked, "How in the world did you do all this?"
"Like I said, I had some help," he told her, looking around. "Alex, Luke, and Adam helped me with the furniture, which Olivia, Kate, and Christie helped pick out. And Kyra," he said, "painted the walls and bought the paintings for you."
"Kyra?" she asked. "My Kyra?"
Caleb's lips quirked. "Yes. Your brother gave me her number, despite his better judgment. And she gave me quite the tongue lashing when she finally got a hold of me."
"And she kept it from me?" Maddie asked in disbelief. Kyra couldn't keep a secret to save her life. "When did you do all this?"
His chin lowered and he met her eyes. "I started the day after I met you at the museum."
"You've been doing this for the past two weeks?" she murmured, amazed. "I thought … I thought that maybe you'd changed your mind."
His brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"I just … I didn't see you for almost two weeks. I thought … " she trailed off, overwhelmed.
Caleb frowned and then realization dawned. "I wanted to see you every goddamn second, Maddie. I was just giving you space. And I wanted everything to be perfect for when you came home."
"When?" she asked, raising a brow, feeling a well of happiness bubble up when she realized that he hadn't been avoiding her. That he'd been doing this for her instead. And she felt so lucky. So incredibly lucky to have this man in her life.
Caleb shrugged. "I wasn't going to let you go, Maddie. I would've worn you down eventually. I am the most stubborn man alive, you know."
She grinned. "And I'm glad for it." She spun around, taking in the room, feeling tears well back up into her eyes. She needed to have everyone over for dinner soon so she could thank everyone properly. She had some terrific people in her life and she would be forever grateful.
"Do you like it?" he murmured in her ear.
"Oh!" she exclaimed when she realized she hadn't even told him what she thought. She turned in his arms and beamed, lifting on her toes so she could press kisses on his face and neck. "It couldn't be more perfect. I love it. I love you. Thank you for doing this, Caleb."
He looked down at her. "I have one more gift for you."
Then he crossed to the mirrored closet and slid open the door. He plucked something off the top shelf and when he brought it over to her, cradled in his large palms, she couldn't even speak.
It was a music box. Pink and gold and heavy. She took it and opened it. Inside was a carousel that spun around and around as a beautiful lullaby played.
It was the music box she'd described to Caleb, when she'd watched over him at his old house that one night so long ago, the one that her father had given to her, the one that she'd listened to almost every night when she'd been younger. It was almost an exact replica of what she remembered.