Chapter 19 #3
Oscar smiled. “I like it when a client knows exactly what they want. Here’s a few plans that may fit your needs. Of course, these plans can be altered. You may notice that none of them have an eight-car garage, though.”
We smiled when we realized he was teasing us.
Jace handed me a book of plans, and I immediately opened it, excited that they were allowing me to have a major say in what our house would look like.
Lincoln leaned in on one side and Jace on the other.
Jaxson and Troy opened up the other books Oscar provided.
“Here are the samples for flooring and cabinets. If you want any upgrades that would cost you more.” Oscar continued pulling out more samples. “If you don’t see anything you like we can also check a few distributors that I like to use.
I had to admit I was impressed by his preparations.
It was Lincoln who spoke up next. “I think we all agreed on wood flooring throughout, save for the bathrooms and laundry room. We would prefer heated tile floors. I also have a list of things I would like to add to the house from my previous house build. I can email you the details.”
We had discussed all our desires on the way here today, and luckily, we all seemed to be in agreement of our desires.
Some of the must-haves for some wasn’t an issue for the rest of us.
It seriously was a blessing not to have to worry about our budget.
It was something else I was beyond thankful for.
The server came back into the room with our drinks, and we all took a break to place our orders.
Of course, the guys had to add a mess of appetizers to our order, but I wasn’t complaining.
Lunch had been slightly underwhelming, and the babies didn’t seem to agree with anything.
I wasn’t nauseous, just nothing agreed with me.
After we placed our orders, Troy made a sound of exclamation. “This one is pretty cool!”
He handed me the book, and I looked at it.
It was shaped like an L with the garage running along the side.
The great room, kitchen and dining room divided two sets of bedrooms. I could imagine the kids on one side of the house while we were in the other.
I wanted the nursery near us while they were young but definitely planned to move them away from us when they were older.
Jace hummed in agreement. “We can just add bedrooms to both sides. Our music room, Lincoln’s theater room, and Jaxson’s weight room can go in the basement.”
Oscar began to write down our must-haves.
Drake added on the features he wanted to the kitchen along with a walk-through pantry.
I wanted a spa-like master bath with a considerable size walk in shower and large soaking tub.
Noah and Troy seemed to want the least since the gym had already been added to the list. Our food arrived as we decided on the finer details of the house.
“Can we add laundry facilities for the basement as well as to the upper floor?” Troy inquired.
I smiled, glad he remembered my original ask. Oscar finished his bite of food before nodding. “Sure, can and from the sounds of it I might have something you’re interested in.”
We tried to tell Oscar we could eat and then continue our discussions, but he didn’t seem to mind a working dinner, especially considering that he wanted to check on his children. He further tried to tell him we could reschedule, but he demurred once again.
He handed me a picture of a laundry room and I gasped in excitement. “Check this out!” I handed it down so the others could see.
The laundry room depicted was an actual room.
It kind of reminded me of a walk in closet on crack.
It had three sets of washer and dryers. There were folding tables with drawers beneath them in the middle of the room.
As well as places to hang clothing. The picture also showed a small couch and mounted television on the walls as if the person doing laundry could relax in the room while doing the tedious chore.
“My brother and his wives are a family of nine. They have two biological children and adopted four additional children. We built their home last year and my sister-in-law designed this laundry room. I bought the design off of her once I realized other families might be interested in it.
“They find it convenient to wash, fold, and store most of their clothing in one room. They swear it reduces the amount of clothing cluttered in their bedrooms. I know this set up won’t work for anyone, but my wife is already asking to renovate so we can have something similar in our house.”
I was sold on the laundry room and looked at the others. They all seemed just as impressed by the room. Jaxson seemed the most indifferent, but we all knew he was the messiest. He always seemed to wait until he was down to his last boxers until he began paying Victoria and Micah to do his laundry.
I had been irate when I discovered this but they both assured me that they liked getting the extra money.
In fact, they informed me that they had started their own little laundry business and was making extra cash from people like Jaxson, Marcel, and a few other operatives that didn’t want to take the time to wash their own clothing.
At the end of the day, I was impressed by their entrepreneurial spirits. They saw a need and capitalized on it.
“I love the idea, even if we have to hire someone to help us do the household chores.” Lincoln stated.
I began to open my mouth to argue but Noah cut me off with a laugh. “We won’t get spoiled, I promise. We’ll still do a lot around the household but with newborn twins, two elementary students, and two high schoolers we’re going to need help.”
When he put it that way, I had to admit it made sense.
Yes, I wanted our kids—my siblings included—to be self-sufficient, but even in normal households the daily grind could interfere with household work.
The men had the means to make our lives easier, but it would be slightly foolish not to take advantage of additional help.
“The kids still need to do something toward the household every day.” I countered.
“Deal,” Jace leaned over to kiss my temple.
The others laughed and I smiled but rolled my eyes.
They understood my hangups. They also respected the fact that I didn’t want our kids growing up spoiled.
They realized they had been. I didn’t want history repeating itself in any way.
Yes, they needed to enjoy their childhoods and be children but teaching them responsibility was just as important to make them into functioning adults.
Oscar chuckled. “I thought my home life could be chaotic with five of us—seven on the weekends we have my wife’s sister’s kids over. I could only imagine how crazy it’ll be in yours.”
“We’ve learned to embrace it and we have a large support system.” Troy stated. “Maybe once we’re moved in and settled, we’ll have you and your family over for dinner. My brother Drake, is an amazing cook.”
Oscar didn’t live too far from Knightstown or where we were building our new home. It was through Pop’s connections at home that we discovered him.
Oscar made a groaning sound. “If it’s anything like We 7 we would gladly accept that invitation. Admittedly Kathy, Wilson, and I don’t enjoy cooking so when my mother-in-law isn’t meal prepping for us, we generally go out to eat. We frequent We 7 often.”
“There’s no use attempting to butter us up any further. You already have our business, and Remy doesn’t need his ego stroked more than it already is,” Jaxson playfully scoffed.
Drake decided to steer the conversation back to the house. He took a sip of his drink before asking. “I’m not sold on any of this cabinet hardware for the kitchen. Once you determine how much you’ll need. Can you tell me the amount of pulls and handles I’ll need?”
“I’ll have one of my designers draw up the specs of the kitchen and give you different options. Once you agree on the design, I can give you the amount of hardware you’ll need,” Oscar responded.
“That would be great, thanks.” Drake looked over at me. “I can order several. Do you want to look through them with me.”
I smile before reaching over to squeeze his hand.
I knew he really wanted to be back at base with Jemmy.
I knew I came first, but her erratic behavior was making him worried for her.
I understood his need to be near her especially since she wasn’t “okay” just yet.
I was just thankful he was willing to be with us tonight.
As if my thoughts conjured up the issues waiting for us back on base, Drake’s phone began to ring. He pulled it out and frowned. He didn’t have to speak for long before I realized our hectic life was intruding on our plans for our future once again.