25. Tegan #2
“These are for you.”
“Flowers, bae?”
“Yes. You deserve your flowers for all that you do for me and others. I’m not going to let stereotypes prevent me from giving you all the recognition that you deserve and celebrating you the way you deserve to be celebrated. These are yours.”
The smile that lit up his face sent sunlight straight to my heart. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “Thank you, sweetness. Nobody has ever given me flowers before.”
“Well, this is just the beginning, because I’m a firm believer that everyone should receive flowers at least once in their life.”
I kissed him again before I released him to check out his true surprise. His eyes beamed, and his lips crooked up into a big cheesy grin as he stroked the red and black gas grill that I purchased for him.
He removed the ribbon and lifted the lid as he checked out all the knobs, spaces for cooking, and the accessories. “Man, I’m ready to use this now.”
“Good,” I replied, running back into the house and opening the refrigerator.
I removed the steaks, corn, shrimp kebobs, peppers, and onions and loaded them all on a large tray. When I carried them back outside, he chuckled. “Okay. I see. This a set up?”
“Not really. I just knew you would be ready to try it out. Since you were talking about going to a steakhouse, I figured this was the perfect meal to have you cook tonight.”
“Shiid, sweetness, you ain’t said nothing but a word.”
I smirked. “Good. I’m glad you like it.”
He walked to me and rested his forehead against mine. “I love it, and I love you. You’re not the only one who knows how to give good gifts, you know?”
“Baby, you give the best gifts,” I countered.
“Nah, the greatest gift is one that keeps on giving. The greatest gift that I have ever received is your heart. You keep on loving me, and that’s why I’m honored to continue finding ways to bless you.”
Harlem went inside and washed his hands so that he could start cooking. I turned on the outdoor speakers so that we could listen to music while we cooked.
We enjoyed each other, singing, dancing, and cooking together for the next hour. We ate our meal at the picnic table and talked about the community we worked in, our families and friends, and our future.
After we had eaten and cleaned up, Harlem told me that he wanted me to run a quick errand with him to see about one of his projects. I gladly changed and hopped in the truck with him. I enjoyed riding around with my husband as he tended to his various projects.
Twenty minutes after we left home, he pulled into a subdivision that appeared to be under construction.
There were bulldozers and other heavy equipment, freshly paved roads, and new saplings planted.
One house was completely constructed and about one hundred yards away, and the foundation of another house was being laid.
“You know that house that you’ve been working on with me, . . . the designs that I asked your input on?”
“Yeah.”
“This is it,” he stated, pulling into the driveway of the house that was completely constructed.
“Wait. They’ve laid down sod. I thought that you said you hadn’t connected with the landscapers and hadn’t received my email.”
“Yeah, well, I was mistaken; I did receive the email, and I did call the landscapers.”
“When, bae?” I asked, shoving my hands into my pockets as we approached the large brick and stone home.
“Last week. The day after you sent it.”
I frowned as he punched in a code on a box and opened the door. “Why did you lie?”
“Let’s call it a misunderstanding.”
“Mm-hmm.” I became distracted with the beautiful, vaulted ceilings, polished hardwood flooring, and sweeping, grand stairwell to our right. “Harlem, this home is stunning,” I declared breathlessly.
He chuckled and grabbed my hand. “You haven’t even seen it yet.”
“I know, but what I’ve seen so far has me in love. I’m so jealous of the people who get to live here, bae.”
“Come on. Let me give you a tour.”
“How big is it?”
“It’s got six bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms. It’s nine thousand seven hundred square-feet with plenty of gathering spaces for the family.”
He led me to a large chef’s kitchen, and contractors were still in the space putting high-end commercial style appliances in place.
“This is the owner’s suite,” he stated, showing off the large bedroom on the first floor with recessed ceiling, a sunlit office, sitting room, and a spa bathroom. The bathroom had a fireplace in it between his and her sections, that each included their own storage drawers and sinks.
There was a second, smaller owner’s suite upstairs with the other bedrooms. All five of the additional bedrooms had their own bathrooms, sitting rooms, vaulted ceilings, French doors, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
All the bedrooms had a balcony attached to the bedroom, but the owner’s suite had a private balcony.
“This is stunning, babe.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until we check out the terrace level,” Harlem boasted.
There was a lounge area, theater room, gym, and a guest suite that had a private yard. There was an outdoor cooking area, sports court, and an in-ground pool.
“What’s wrong?” he asked when we finished touring the beautiful home.
“I want one,” I confessed with my bottom lip trembling.
He laughed. “Want one what, bae?”
“These houses that you’re creating. I mean, I know maybe we can’t afford something this magnificent, but I want something close.
It’s so surreal seeing something that you designed and allowed me to give my input on the computer come to life like this.
It’s breathtaking, Harlem. I’m so proud of you that you created something like this.
A perfectly beautiful home that’s perfect for entertaining, bae. ”
“Yep, and we can still make it comfortable and functional for everyday living.”
“Yeah, they could.”
“It’s not too far from work for you. It would add maybe five more minutes onto your drive.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, and you could still get to your parents’ home and Palmer in the same amount of time. It’s not too far for you, is it?”
“I don’t understand.”
He released my hand, stuck his hand in his pocket, and pulled out keys. “Here you are, babe. This is ours.”
I gasped, and it felt like I stopped breathing for a minute. “What?”
“This is our new home. There will be more being built over the next year, but ours is the first in the subdivision. Each of them will be uniquely designed, no cookie cutters. I heard everything that you said over this last year. This is the first phase of our new company, H&T Homes.”
Tears fell from my eyes. “Harlem, baby. What did I do to deserve you?” I babbled through my tears.
He pulled me into his arms, kissed the top of my head, and replied, “Fell from Heaven and straight into my arms. I think you were personally sent by God to make me believe there was love out here for me too.”
“When can we move in?”
“Whenever you want, Baby, but I’d say give them a week tops, to finish the last-minute touches.”
My heart burst with joy at this new chapter in our lives. I could see this home being filled with little ones, the sound of children’s laughter, running feet, and many dinners and celebrations for our family and friends.