She was sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by beads.The carpet was a deep purple and glittery, and the furniture was made out of a reddish-brown wood.The four-poster bed sat along the back wall.Her wardrobe was filled with clothes, and the window looked out over the backyard and the pool.
Her smile was bright when she looked up.“There are glitter pearls.And glow-in-the-dark ones.”
She’d wanted them for ages but had to make do with the regular pearls.
She went back to stringing a necklace together, and I stepped out.Vance was waiting for me in the hallway, shifting from left to right.Was he nervous?
Needing to feel him, I put my hands on his shoulders and went up onto my toes.He got the hint and leaned down enough so I could kiss him.When we separated, he was back to the confident Vance I knew.“I hope it’s not too much.”
“You made their day.Or their week, most likely.You do know they’ll never want to leave now, right?”
He kissed my nose.“That was the plan.”
I pressed one last kiss to his lips.“Let’s check on Elana before she pulls out every single item in her room.”
We made it barely in time, as she was busy unloading one of her desk drawers that was filled with crafting materials.She didn’t turn to face us when we walked in, too busy emptying everything out.
“Pumpkin pants, why don’t you choose what you want to play with first before taking it out?”
She didn’t stop pulling stuff out.“But I don’t know all the things that are here.”
“You have plenty of time to find out what’s in the drawers.And I expect you to clean it all up again.”
She cast a glance around the room, groaning.“But there’s so much.”
There were indeed a lot of toys, clothes, and stationery on the floor.And she’d only been in the room for a few minutes.Vance had not only provided them with fully furnished rooms, but every box, drawer, and shelf was full to bursting.
I tried not to think about how much it would have cost him.
“You want to go for a swim after you’ve explored your room?”
She nodded, already absorbed in putting a dress on a pink teddy bear.
Vance pulled me out of the room and down the stairs.I loved the dark oak banisters and wooden floors.There was no marble in sight, another reason why I’d loved the house as soon as I’d walked inside.
The light gray couches looked fantastic against the dark wooden floors, and the colorful throw pillows I’d added meant it didn’t look bland.
As predicted, Orange was on the huge couch, paws in the air, snoring.Leaving him to his nap, I checked on Winston.Vance, having had the same idea, had already put the cage on the floor and opened it.I ran up to him, praying my cat wouldn’t come out with a ninja jump and attach himself to Vance’s face.It was too pretty to be scratched up.
Yelling, I waved my hands in the air as if I was directing traffic.“Close the door.”
But it was too late, because two black paws emerged, followed by a large body.He needed to go on a diet.Just like Orange.
But instead of coming out in full attack mode—something he’d been doing since he was a grumpy kitten—he strutted out and rubbed himself against Vance’s leg.Vance, still squatting, lifted his hand and patted the little demon.
And then nothing.No biting.No swatting.No missing eye or fingers.Winston simply circled Vance once, then turned to face the living room.
I’d stopped in front of them, watching the little psycho show me his butt before he flounced off to explore.
Taking a deep inhale, I willed my racing heart to slow down.I wasn’t sure if it was from the ten-second run or the shock of what had just happened.“You must have a death wish.”
Vance stood up, laughing.“Winston and I have come to an agreement.”
“You might sing a different tune tomorrow when he tries to chew your nose off.”
“He’s fine to explore and go outside as well.The gate doesn’t have any gaps, and there’s a wall around the property that would be impossible for him to scale.”
With the animals and kids busy, I closed the last few feet between us, sliding my arms around his body.“Thank you so much for this.”
