Chapter 51
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Titus drove up the tree-lined road just minutes outside of town. Sunlight filtered through the trees, reminding him of another tree-lined road he’d traveled on not so long ago.
He had an appointment with the real estate agent in a few minutes, and he hoped this house lived up to the pictures he’d seen. Who knew buying a house involved so much deception? The pictures looked great until you arrived to look at it and saw so many problems—the ceiling had cracks; the foundation was slipping; no one had touched the yard in years; the paint was fading; the gourmet kitchen might have been fine forty years ago but was outdated today.
He didn’t mind a little remodeling, but most of what he’d seen was major work to be done by a contractor and costing a fortune.
The quiet road had few houses, a couple of farms and lots of open space.
Up ahead was the for-sale sign. He had arrived. Titus drove down the driveway, got out of his truck, and stared. The house looked perfect from the outside. Dare he even dream?
The house, built in 1907, was painted a sunny yellow with white trim. A gravel and slate sidewalk, bordered by bushes, led to a screened-in porch and front door. He walked around the yard since the agent wasn’t there yet and noticed a cracked window, a shutter missing and other small jobs that wouldn’t cost much nor take a lot of time to repair.
A massive wooden deck overlooked five acres of property. Part of the yard was fenced, which would be ideal for Leo. There was a barn that looked like a train depot that was half finished and a huge stone firepit just waiting for friends to sit around it. He could almost hear their laughter, the crackling of the fire and could see them staring at star-filled skies while kids chased after fireflies.
“Sorry I’m late,” the agent said as she caught up to him in the backyard. “I had a phone call that lasted longer than I expected.”
“I just got here,” Titus replied.
“Ready to go in?”
Oh, he was ready all right. So far, everything he saw was perfect. They stepped onto the porch, and he quickly spotted the bed swing.
“The owners had this built especially for this space,” said the agent.
It looked comfortable, and Titus could imagine him and Emelia reclining out there, swaying softly as they gazed out into the night.
They entered a front hall that opened into a good-size living room with a brick fireplace. The scent of lingering smoke from past fires filled the air. It was the perfect room to have drinks, put his arms around Emelia while they stared into the fire or … while they were making love on the rug in front of it. Either way worked for him.
“The wooden floors are all original.” The agent’s voice pulled him back to reality.
“They look like they’ve just been refinished,” said Titus. He bent and rubbed his hand over the floor. “Smooth.”
The agent nodded. “Let’s look at the kitchen.”
Titus entered the kitchen and stopped. It was perfect.
It had been remodeled recently and had high ceilings, a huge stainless-steel refrigerator, gas stove, and plenty of white cabinets, and under the windows that looked out over a garden was a farmhouse sink just like Emelia’s parents had. He was sure Emelia would feel at home in it.
“It has a tin ceiling.” Then she pointed to her right, “Behind that door is a pantry.” The open shelving in the pantry brought back memories of the jars of colorful canned fruits and vegetables Emelia’s mother had preserved. He wondered if Emelia liked to can.
The house wasn’t huge—two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, dining room and kitchen—but it would do for now. There was plenty of room to add additional bedrooms, which they would need for the kids.
Kids. Did Emelia want children? He never asked. He could envision her with a swollen belly carrying his child while two little girls with her dark hair and brown eyes ran wild outside.
Whoa. Shit. No to the girls. He knew what teenage boys were like and wasn’t sure his heart could handle the stress. Two little boys with dark hair and brown eyes was better. However, having two or three, maybe four, little buggers running around was his dream. But if Emelia said that she didn’t want kids, then the house would be fine as it was.
The agent led him to a large, paneled room at the back of the house with lots of windows and double doors to the outside. He already knew there was a large patio out there.
“I want to show you the barn. I think it would be perfect for what you had in mind,” said the agent.
They walked out to the backyard to the barn-like structure he’d seen. Actually, it didn’t look like a barn since it was a one- story structure that was long and narrow. The brochure called it a barn styled like a train depot.
“The owners started to work on it, but the husband passed away. His widow just wants to sell it as is.” She opened the door, and Titus glanced in.
He took in the high rafters, the large windows, and envisioned a demonstration-slash-catering kitchen. Dust tickled his nose, and he sneezed.
Emelia had confided that was what she would love to do someday, as well as YouTube videos. He could envision her in the kitchen, and it wouldn’t take that much time or cost that much to renovate. Well, it wouldn’t if his friends pitched in.
“So, what do you think?” They walked back to the main house, and the agent looked at him with hopeful eyes.
“I think it’s just what I’ve been looking for, but I need to have my fiancée look before I make a decision.”
“Hmmm. You might want to do that quickly. The house won’t be on the market for long at this price.”
Titus thanked the agent and drove back to Haywood Lake. So many ideas for the future flashed through his mind, but nothing would happen until he talked to Emelia. She might not want to buy a house. Although she claimed she wasn’t happy about going back to her apartment.
He had one more errand to cross off his list before he needed to be at work. Vanessa had a friend who was a diamond specialist in town, and Titus had an appointment to see him.
His heart was racing as he drove. This was it, the beginning of his next stage of life, and he was both excited and filled with dread.
What if Emelia didn’t want to get married? What if she didn’t want to spend her life with him? What if? He was driving himself crazy with the what-ifs. In his heart, he knew she was the one and that she loved him. Was she ready to commit? Was he? Oh hell, yes. He knew from their first non-date at the Thirsty Cock that Emelia was special.