48- Hannah

“You’re sure about this?” Lincoln asked me, a sledgehammer poised in the air over his shoulder.

I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Absolutely.”

Without the wall there, the kitchen area would open up to the living room. We’d already checked, and it wasn’t a load-bearing wall. I wanted to eventually raise a family here, with little ones playing in the living room while I cooked. I could see it all play out in my head as if it was happening now. This house would take a lot of work to bring up to the present, but Lincoln and I were willing to put in the sweat equity. Besides, doing home improvements was turning out to be a fun way to get to know each other better. Nothing like drywall falling from the ceiling on our heads to bring a couple together.

The first crash brought me back to the present, seeing Lincoln’s muscles flexing as he swung the hammer down over and over until only a few two- by-fours were left standing. The framed painting of two little girls on the beach hung on the