“I didn’t see any of that on the paperwork.”She said that she’d tried to tell them that they needed to add it, but they thought it should sell for what they see.“I guess their loss is our gain.When do you have to have a decision?I’m hoping that we can have at least tonight before we have to have an answer.”
“Take your time.As I said, they don’t have any offers on the house, and it’s been on the market for four years now.They keep making improvements in hopes of selling it.As I said, it’s been on the market for a good long time.”They decided to have dinner and talk about it.“I’d only offer what you think it’s worth.You know what you want in a house, and this one pretty much ticks off your list fully.But you know what you want, and that’s the biggest factor in this home.”
“We’ll get back to you soon.I’m going to make a list of the pros and cons about it and go from there.But like you said, it does hit our lists fairly well.”They were out in the car when they started talking about the house.“I love too that it has a pool and pool house.It wasn’t on the list, but I can see where it will be nice for when the family comes over.I know that Kinsey has one too, but it’s not as big as the one that we would have.”
“I know that I said that I didn’t want to cook, but that one makes me want to whip out a cookbook and go at it.”He laughed with her.“I do love the big rooms.I didn’t think I would at first, but then I thought of how big your family was and thought that it might be too small if they were all to come over at once.I love the living room for sports on television.Do you like sports?”
“Football.Soccer.Baseball.You name it, and I love it.I even love watching football in London.It’s so different than ours.”She told him that she’d watch just about anything as well.“Good, another thing that we have in common.I love that we can have so much in common and be friends as well.I think we’re going to have a long and happy life together.”
“I hope so too.I love you.”He kissed her as soon as he started the car, and they were on theirway to dinner.The two of them would point out things that they liked about the house and the few things that they didn’t.The only thing that neither of them cared for was the front door.It should be a double door instead of just the single one that it was.“But it’s fixable if we want to do that.The only thing that would be difficult to fix, if possible at all, is how far it is from your family.It’s a good twenty-minute drive from the closest one to our house.”
“So?They’ll come no matter where we live, I think.”She thought that was true and told him so.“So what kind of offer do we make on it?She said to go low, and I agree with her.I’m thinking that we should drop about twenty percent off the asking price and go from there.It sounds like they’re willing to sell the place, and I’m willing to pay what we need within reason to own it.I think it’ll be a good home for us and the family if you want to have one.”
“Yes, I want to have several children with you.I don’t know how many right now, but I’d love to have them soon.”He kissed her again when they were at the stoplight.“I love that you do that.Show me how much you love me by the little things that you do.”
“Because I love you.”They drove into Columbus for dinner and had made plans to stop off at a couple of furniture stores to have a look around.They wouldn’t buy anything right now; they didn’t have a house to move into yet, but they could get some ideas on what they wanted.Wylie decided that having money to spend was wonderful in that they could get the whole house fitted out without any trouble.He wasn’t going to go broke about it, but he was looking forward to having their own things around them as they moved in.“We’ll need a larger than normal bed.I don’t know that a king will be big enough for the two of us when we make love.And we’re going to need something larger than a double for sure.I doubt that would work for any of my brothers, even without their other halves with them in it.It’s just too narrow and not nearly long enough for any of us.”
“I never thought of that when I invited you over.”They ended up at another seafood restaurant and this time had some dessert that they shared.“I’m exhausted.”
“I am as well.Now that I have my belly full, I feel like I need to go to bed and nap for about three days.”She laughed and said she felt the same way.“We’ll leave shopping for another day, after they accept our bid on the house.Then we will be able to measure and get what was needed for the house instead of just guessing.”
“I think that instead of having chairs and a single couch in the living room, we should go with all couches.That way, everyone can have a seat, and they won’t feel as overcrowded.”He said he loved that idea.“Also, we need to make sure that we can extend our dining room table enough to make sure that we have enough room in the place.I’d hate for your family to be crowded in there when we’re trying to eat.”
He told her to make notes on that.As they were headed home after dinner, they discussed putting a bid on the house.Since they both liked it and had seen it now, they decided to go with the twenty percent less offer.All they could do was counteroffer, and they could decide whether they could do that.It was fun buying a house that he had put some thought into, and he told her that.As they were pulling into the driveway, she was nearly asleep.
Since it was early yet, he called the realtor and told them what they wanted.She said she would take them the offer tonight, and they might hear from them in the morning.Glad that part was over with, he decided that he was going to sleep good tonight and was glad that they were at the condominium he was renting.It was much nicer than her house, and the bed was big enough.
Chapter 4
Kinsey didn’t think he cared for being rich.Before he had any money, it was easy to make decisions about things.He didn’t have any money, and there was no point in speculating on whether or not they could afford something.He didn’t know how people did it all the time and didn’t go insane.He was driving himself crazy with making a decision on every little thing.He looked up from his computer when Meggie entered the room.
“How are you feeling?Still getting sick all day, I noticed.”She said she was feeling better today, but that might be a one-time thing.“I’m sorry that you’re sick all the time.If I could make you better, I would.But we’re going to have a baby, and that makes it all worthwhile.”
“I’m sick of being sick all the time, but the doctor said that I’m doing fine and the baby is too.I can live with a little sickness so long as the baby is fine.When do you want to tell your family?I’m thinking sooner rather than later, so they don’t think that something else is wrong with me instead of being pregnant.Do you think they might have guessed what it is?”He said that he didn’t think they’d figured it out, but he didn’t know.“I’m going to tell my mom the next time I talk to her.She’ll be thrilled, I think.I find that she’s slightly annoying at times.But that could be just me.I don’t have a lot of patience with people nowadays.”
“I’ve noticed that you seem to be rolling your eyes a great deal.Not that I think anyone notices.But I do because I’m in love with you.”She started to cry, and he came around the desk to be with her.“I’m sorry, love.I didn’t mean to upset you again.Please tell me what it is that I can do for you, and I’ll give it to you.”
“Nothing.I’m just so touchy lately.I hope this passes, too.I’d hate to be around someone who gets me crying for no reason.I’m beginning to feel like I’m always crying about the stupidest things of late.”He said that she wasn’t that bad.“I’m sorry, did you just tell me that I’m touchy about shit?”
“No.Never that.”He decided to change the subject to something less intense.“Did I tell you that Wylie put an offer in on a house?He’s renting a condo now.He felt that he was putting us out by living here with us.I can’t say that I blame him.It was nice having them all here, but it was a bit much with you having trouble being around them all the time.”She glared at him.“I’m going to keep my mouth shut from now on.At least until the baby is born and is in college.”
“They’ll leave us someday.”He held her until she stopped crying.Every little thing would set her off, and he wondered if that was normal.Not that he’d ask her, but he did worry about her feelings.“Oh, Kinsey, what am I going to do with myself until the baby is born?I’m going to be dehydrated from crying so much, and you’ll leave me because I can’t seem to stop crying all the time.You should run for the hills before it’s too late.”
“It’s already too late.I’m too much in love with you to ever leave you.”She cried a bit more, but they were tears of happiness instead of her thinking about their unborn child leaving them someday.“How about we go out and see a movie?It might be nice to get out of the house for a couple of hours.I know that you’re still working, but we can do something fun for a change.”
“I’d like that.”She stood up, and he pulled her into his arms again.“I’m sorry that I’m so touchy about everything.Hopefully this will pass too, and I’ll be back to my old self again.”
“I think any day now you’re going to look back on this and wonder what all the fuss was about.”She didn’t look ready to cry after he told her that, and was happy.He had to be on his toes with her heart being so tender.He thought maybe if she were to tell the family about the baby, they’d be less stressed around her.With her crying about everything, they were avoiding her.He knew she didn’t like that either.“There’s a new comedy out, and that might be just what we need to get out of the house about.Also, before I forget again, David and Alice have invited us over for dinner on Friday night.Itold them I’d have to ask you.It might be the perfect time to let them know about the baby.”
“I think you might be right.I was with Alice the other day, and she kept asking me if I was all right.I think she thinks I’m dying or something along those lines.I felt bad that I couldn’t tell her anything.”He said that he felt the same way about David when he was around.“Did I tell you that they’re about moved into their new home?They just need to hire new staff who didn’t go with them.”
“I’m glad that most of the staff decided to stay with us.It sure does make it easier on us when we’re both working so much.How much longer do you think you’ll be training your replacement?I’m betting that he’s getting it all down pat, verily easily as he’s been working for you for a while now.”She said that she was going to be letting him run the place next week, with her there, then she was finished, but for corporate outings.“Yes, you said that he wanted nothing to do with that part of the job.It might be nice to get out and about all dressed up once in a while.”
“I’d like to keep my hand in things, and that seems like the best way to do it.I’ll still go into the office once a week, but that won’t be full-time, and I’m looking forward to that.I just want to stay at home and make babies with you.So long as I’m not sick all the time like I am with this one.Perhaps it’s because it’s a girl.I hope so.”
Secretly, he hoped for a little girl himself.He’d been around males all his life and wanted a little girl to hold his hand.It would be wonderful to have a son too, but he didn’t care so long as they were healthy.He would be thrilled with one of each, but they’d not gotten that far yet.He just wanted her to get through this one.It was taking its toll on all of them, and they didn’t even know that he was going to be a father yet.
Father.He couldn’t wait to be called dad.Or whatever version that the baby came up with.He’d be happy with Dad most of all, but he wouldn’t say anything.He’d never had a good role model for a parent and was thinking that he’d love it just to be able to do the things for his child that his own parents hadn’t done for him.His mother had been all right, but the older he got, the more he realized that she was just as bad as their father.She could have left him at any point, and that would have made their lives so much better.Instead, she stayed with him until he killed her, and that put him in prison for the rest of his natural life.
