Epilogue
Four Years Later
“I’m sorry, babe, but I’m just not feeling this one.”
“But it’s so cute, and there’s a fireplace in the bedroom.”
“There’s also an open well in the basement.”
“But we could cover it up or something.” Kiersten grimaced as she said, “Or maybe that’s not a good idea.”
“Yeah, probably not.”
“Okay, we’ll just skip this one and see if the next is any better.”
“I don’t think it could be much worse.”
Kiersten and I both enjoyed living out at the Manor.
Kiersten enjoyed being right there with her work and with her employees, and I liked that I was close enough to the club and Stilettos to make the trip as often as I needed to.
There was just one problem. Kiersten was pregnant, and even though we both thought of it as home, her small house simply wasn’t big enough to raise a family.
We could’ve just built a bigger place there at the Manor, but neither of us thought bringing up a kid on a pot farm was a good idea.
So, we set out to find a house that was mid-way between the Manor and the clubhouse, but our search wasn’t going as well as I’d hoped.
We’d already been to four houses, and each was worse than the last. I was far from ready to give up, but I was definitely having my doubts that we’d find a place that fit our needs.
As soon as Kiersten told our realtor, Joey, that we weren’t interested in the house, we headed back out to the car.
We were waiting for him to let us know where we would be going next when Kiersten turned to me and said, “We could always go back and take a second look at the two-story house on Maness street.”
“Hell, no.” I started the car as I told her, “That place was straight out of a horror flick.”
“It had a room with a few dolls, Grayson. It wasn’t that bad.”
“It wasn’t a few dolls, babe. It was a room full of them, and they were all looking right at me.”
“I’m sure the homeowners would take them when they moved out.”
“Yeah, but their creepy mojo would still be there.”
“Oh, good grief. You are being silly.”
I reached over and placed my hand on her round, pregnant belly as I said, “I’m just looking out for the kid.”
“Um-hmm. You’re just scared of old, creepy dollies,” Kiersten snickered. “But that’s okay. We’ll find a house without them.”
“It would also be good if we could find a place without a bathroom in the living room.”
“Yeah, that was a house I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
“So, where are we headed now?”
Kiersten looked down at the MLS listings Joey had given us, then said, “I think we’re going to check out a place on High Street. Joey seems to think it will be perfect for us.”
“He said the same thing about the last two.”
“Grayson.”
“I’m sure it will be great.”
I waited for Joey to back out of the drive, and then I followed him over to High Street.
I was more than a little skeptical that this house would be all that different from the rest, but when we pulled up to the pale-yellow, historical Colonial, I was blown away.
The yard was Immaculate with freshly mowed grass and a large oak tree that cast just the right amount of shade on the wraparound porch.
There were potted ferns and flowers arranged on the front steps and a large, wooden front door with glass panes that seemed to welcome you inside.
As soon as she saw it, Kiersten looked over to me and said, “Oh, my God. It’s absolutely perfect! ”
“Yeah, it looks pretty incredible, but let’s not get too excited until we see inside.”
Without saying anything more, Kiersten hopped out of the car and rushed over to Joey.
She was practically bursting at the seams as she waited for him to get up the steps and open the front door.
As soon as he opened it, she darted inside and immediately called out to me, “Grayson! You have to see this.”
As I walked past Joey, he smiled and said, “I really do think this is the one.”
“I hope you’re right.”
I headed inside to find Kiersten, and the second I walked through the door, I knew we’d found our new place.
It was incredible. The whole house had been renovated with new floors and freshly painted walls, but they’d managed to do it all without taking away from the historical feel of the home.
The living room was three times the size of ours, and there was a sunroom that looked out over the fenced-in backyard.
It had a pool with a large patio and a small pool house.
I could hear Kiersten in the kitchen, so I went to see what she was thinking of the place.
When I walked in, I found her checking out all the fancy appliances, and she looked like she was in complete awe. “Well? Do you like it?”
“Are you kidding me?” she gasped. “I love it.”
“You two should check the upstairs,” Joey suggested. “It’s really something.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Kiersten turned and started for the stairs. She was smiling from ear to ear as she turned back to me and said, “Come on. Let’s go see.”
“I’m right behind you, babe.”
I followed her up the stairs, and as we entered the first bedroom, Kiersten gave me a nudge. “No dolls. It’s looking really promising.”
“Yeah, I gotta say. It’s pretty amazing.”
“This could be the nursery.” Kiersten ran her hand over her tummy as she said, “I think she’ll love it.”
“She?”
Kiersten wasn’t quite three months along, so we hadn’t had the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby yet. I thought it was fucking adorable that she thought she already knew we were having a girl. She turned to me and smiled. “He or she will love it.”
“I’m sure he or she will think it’s great.” I motioned my head towards the door. “Why don’t we go check out the master?”
“Okay.”
I followed her out of the first bedroom and down the long hall to the master bedroom. When we walked in, I was surprised by how big it was. “Holy cow. It’s enormous. You could fit an army in here.”
“It’s so beautiful.” She walked over to the king-sized bed and sighed. “I just love what they’ve done with the place.”
“Yeah, I have to say it’s pretty incredible.” I stepped into the master bath, and the second I saw the oversized marble shower and whirlpool tub, I said, “Damn. These folks are living large.”
“Oh, my. That tub is amazing. I’m going to get in it every single night.
“So, does that mean this is the house you want?”
“Yeah, I think so, but there’s one last thing we need to check out.”
“And what’s that?”
“The master closet.” She reached over and took my hand in hers, then led me into the closet. Just like the rest of the house, it was fucking enormous. After I gave her a moment to check it all out, I asked, “Well, does it meet your expectations?”
“Yeah, it’ll do.” She shut the door, then stepped over to me. As she slipped her arms around my neck, she smiled and said, “I just wanted to make sure there was room in here for this.”
She eased up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against mine.
The kiss started off soft and slow but quickly became heated which was no surprise.
Even after all this time, I still couldn’t get enough of her.
We were getting lost in the moment when there was a tap on the closet door. “You two okay in there?”
Kiersten quickly stepped back, breaking our embrace as she answered, “Yep! We’re just checking the dimensions.”
“Okay. Just let me know if you need anything.”
When I heard him step away from the door, I looked down at her and asked, “Checking the dimensions? Really?”
“I had to say something or he would’ve thought we were up to something in here.”
“I’m pretty sure he already knew that.”
“You really think so?”
“I doubt we are the first to get busy in a closet, babe.”
“Well, that’s just embarrassing.” She let out a sigh, then said, “But it is a pretty cool closet.”
“Yes, it is. The whole house is pretty great, and it has a pool like you wanted.”
“I know! It’s just so perfect.”
Just seeing the excited look on her face was enough to convince me that we’d finally found the right place, so I said, “So, we’re buying a house.”
“Yeah, we’re buying a house, and it’s the house of all houses.” She slipped her arm around mine as she said, “I really do love it.”
“Then, consider it ours.”
“I love you, Grayson.”
“And I love you.” I placed my hand on her stomach as I added, “Both of you.”
The End