December 21st
Literal perfection.
Ainsley
“I wish I didn’t have to leave.” Damon pouts.
“I know, but you’ll be back in a few days, and I’m so excited for Christmas and to go to work today.
I’m going to start doing some preliminary ideas for the new condo building.
And specifically start planning Uncle Tripp’s penthouse.
And while I’m doing that, I’m going to be looking at products for our house as well. ”
He gives me a deep kiss, then gets out of bed. He’s naked. And I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the fact that this specimen of a man is getting out of my bed. That he wants to be with me.
“Your body is literal perfection,” I say with a lusty sigh.
He flexes his arms in my direction. “You think?”
“You know you look good.”
“I should,” he says. “I work hard. But what happens when I’m done with football? You still going to love me?”
“Pretty sure,” I reply with a smile as I watch him get dressed.
But to be honest, he looks almost as good with clothes on. Almost.
He leans over and gives me a sweet kiss. “I loved everything about last night. The things that took place here.”
“You didn’t like your mom’s party?”
“Sure, it was fun, but I liked our party the most.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, so did I. Thank you for surprising me. For making it special.”
He sits on the side of the bed. “Just for the record, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For loving me, mostly,” he says. “It’s a lot to handle, being with a professional athlete. Especially during the season. And especially when you’re pregnant. Just know that I appreciate your sacrifices. The ones you’ve already made and the ones we’re going to continue to make.”
“Thankfully, we’re both pretty independent people. And just think, when we are together, we’ll be able to focus on each other.”
“That’s true. Anyway, I love you. Go back to sleep.”
“I can’t go back to sleep. My mind is in the creative process with the hotel, restaurant, and our house. And while I have a lot of ideas, what I don’t have is a budget.”
“The builder said we have allowances,” Damon says.
“Perfect. I’ll need those. And what about for furniture?”
“Oh, just get whatever you want,” he says nonchalantly.
“Damon, I can’t function like that. A client gives a budget for a project, and I figure how best to use it. Where to splurge, where it’s not necessary. Besides, your money is not unlimited, correct?”
“I suppose we do need to discuss finances,” he says. “It’s just not very romantic.”
“Romance or not, money problems is one reason people break up. Also, I have no money to speak of, and I won’t get my first paycheck until next month, and I already told you my salary. I expect to put a lot of it in savings since I don’t have to pay rent but—”
He puts his hand up to stop me.
“What?”
He pulls out his phone, hits an app, and points it at me. “This is what’s in my investment account currently.”
My eyes get big. My uncles are wealthy. I’m used to that. But to see seven figures in an eighteen-year-old’s account kinda blows my mind.
Especially considering mine has barely four figures.
“Do you understand NIL money?” he asks me.
“Name, Image, and Likeness, right? They basically pay you to play football,” I reply.
“Not exactly. Some comes directly from the school, but most comes from endorsement deals, just like other athletes. I’m fortunate that my last name is Diamond—for a few reasons.
It’s already a well-known brand in the industry, so some of the endorsements that I’ve done have been with my dad.
And I have a really good agent. So, while a lot of NIL money can come from players endorsing local companies, I’ve been fortunate to do what they call blue-chip deals with national brands.
And if all goes well, it’s looking like I’ll be the first collegiate player to get their own shoe line. ”
“That’s amazing, Damon.”
“Obviously, there are taxes and agent fees, but it should be quite lucrative, and it’s going to be a windfall we weren’t expecting until later in my career.”
“And what happens if you get hurt?” I wonder.
“Well, I’m insured, but you’re right. I don’t want to spend it all and have nothing left if that happened.
So, to answer your question on the house, I was told the allowances for the house should cover most everything we could want.
If you want to go over, let’s discuss. Jadyn told me to budget”—he rattles off a number—“for furniture and decor. So, I’ve set that aside. ”
“Okay,” I say with a nod.
“The lot is already paid for, and all the house costs were moved to a money market account for easy access when I have to do the builder draws and are not included in what I just showed you.”
“Oh. Well, that makes me feel better. So, no loan?”
“No.” He laughs. “I don’t think I have to worry about you wanting to spend all our money.”
“I’ve always had to work and budget. And I’m very lucky I got scholarships for school and came out with no student loans.”
“Maybe after the season is over and after Summer is born, we can have a chat with my financial adviser. Come up with a plan for our future together. Sound good?”
“Yes, it does. Thank you.”
He leans close to me and looks me in the eye. “Are you sure you don’t want to just get married? We can do it and not even tell anyone. Then, when we’re ready, we’ll do the big wedding. Like, when we have time.”
I shake my head. “No. I really don’t need that, Damon. Let’s deal with all that later.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you’re spending my money. It’s our money now.”
“Damon Diamond,” I say sternly.
“Oh, I like when you say my name like I’m a naughty boy,” he says with a grin.
I roll my eyes and laugh. “I give up. I was going to say you need a prenup.”
“Not with you,” he replies, even though I don’t agree.
“Okay, fine. I will get with the builder and take it from there.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Damon asks.
“It means I will get a list of all the allowances as well as the elevation drawings for each room. We looked at the basic floor plans. I need to know what each wall is going to look like, the standard finishes. Like, what if I wanted a Venetian plaster wall somewhere?”
“Do you?” he asks.
“I don’t know. And what about moldings? Trim? What are the finishes on the staircases?”
“No idea. But I think there’s a house you can look at that is similar maybe.”
“Like your mother’s perhaps? Same builder, right?”
He chuckles. “Yes, it is, but I believe he is almost done building that same plan somewhere else, and if you want to go see it, you can. Sorry, forgot to tell you that.”
“That would be amazing. And it’s okay you didn’t tell me until now.
I wouldn’t have had time to go until now anyway.
Sammy doesn’t start until after the holidays, so he could check it out with me.
Which would be really helpful. And I’ll make sure to record everything so I can show you once the season is over. ”
“That’s perfect,” he says, quickly texting me the builder’s contact info, then kissing me. When the kiss is over, his arms stay wrapped around me. He leans back and stares into my eyes. “I have a question for you, and I want an honest answer.”
“Okay.”
“Is it too much?”
“Is what too much?”
“Designing a home, your new job? The fact that you’re pregnant.”
“I will admit, sometimes, it feels overwhelming,” I say, sliding my hand up to caress his handsome face. “Like an endless to-do list. But overall, no. I’m so excited and blessed because of all of it. Because of you.”
“That’s how I feel about football. Overall, excited and blessed, but sometimes, the daily grind of it—”
“Can get to you,” I finish.
“Exactly. If the house starts to get to you, talk to me, okay? I don’t know much, but I can at least be a sounding board.”
“I promise,” I say, “but that goes for you too.”
“Deal,” he says, sealing it with a kiss. “Now, go back to sleep. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I nod my head, agreeing with him when he told me to go back to sleep, but the second he’s out the door, I grab my phone and start typing in all the ideas I’ve had in the last twenty-four hours—from my conversation with Sammy, to what Damon said about classic love stories and holiday traditions, to something Uncle Tripp said last night about European architecture—and I know I’ll be going for timeless looks for both our house and the condo building.
Then I jump up, shower, and get ready for work.
Even though I don’t have any sort of morning sickness, if I don’t eat when I’m hungry, I sometimes get a little nauseous. And right now, I’m quite hungry.
I look down at the robe I’m wearing, see how it’s tied across my ever-expanding belly. And I can’t help but wonder how it can stretch so much.
When I go out to the living room, I find that Damon turned on the Christmas lights and the fireplace before he left.
And it’s so pretty.
I go to the kitchen and grab a muffin, make myself a smoothie, and then sit on the chair next to the fire.
Once I’ve eaten, I hightail it to work.
I find that the sample room is pretty easy to navigate, and I try to go with my gut and not agonize over each decision just yet. I can fine-tune it later.
Right now, I want to come up with a mood board for Tripp’s penthouse. I figure once I have that, the rest of the building will follow. Part of me wants to call and ask him if I’m going in the right direction, but I don’t. If I get something figured out, I’ll have him come in and look at it.
I start with an exotic piece of quartzite, which I can picture being used on both the two-story fireplace and the kitchen island. It’s got a ton of movement with waves of white, cream, gold, grays, beiges, blacks, and even a little green.
I pull paint swatches to match all the colors in it, which will help me choose the house’s paint colors as well as when picking out furniture.
Then I suddenly remember a picture I saved early in college and scroll through my never-ending album of design inspiration to find it, realizing I could use the quartzite in the building’s lobby and run water down the front of it, creating a water feature.