“Sunflower!” Callum’s voice is loud and stern. It snaps me out of my spiral. He must have said it a few times before he finally had to raise his voice.
Cal’s hand is squeezing my knee, and his gaze keeps darting between me and the road. Pushing out my anxious thoughts, I give Cal a soft smile.
“Wanna share with the class, what’s going through that beautiful brain of yours?” He smiles at me and looks back at the road.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” I give him another smile, hoping he will drop the topic. “So what do I get to know about the house?”
“Absolutely nothing until we get there.” Callum gives me a smirk.
We pull up to the front gate that was built first. Much like Graham and Demitri’s house, Cal’s is built back off the road and is protected with a large iron gate with an ornate “H” in the middle. The window rolls down on Cal’s side slowly. Once he can reach out, he punches in a code that he doesn’t let me see. With a final beep, the large gate swings inward, giving us access to the long tree-lined drive. We make the drive slowly up the drive.
“Welcome home,” Callum says softly as the large house comes into view.
“Home?” I look at him with questions written all over my face. “Do you mean, you want me to move in with you?”
“What else did you think I was going to do with a whole ass house to myself? Not to mention you agreed to be my wife, so yes, this is also your home…Unless you prefer to live in the pool house?”
At first, Callum starts with all the confidence he normally exudes, but with the last question, his voice gets quiet and unsteady.
Has my question hurt him?
“I would love to live with you, Callum. I just did not want to assume that I was welcome here…yet.”
Callum leans across the center console of the truck and pulls me into a long, passionate kiss. His tongue prods at my lips, requesting access. Allowing him in, he gives me every ounce of emotion that he cannot say with his words with his tongue. He nibbles on my bottom lip, and a moan escapes my throat. With a last lingering kiss, he breaks us apart.
“Shall we go inside?” He smiles at me and opens his door. Jumping out of the truck, he crosses to my side and helps me down from the seat.
The driveway is a bit slippery. Nyx said we got some snow while we were gone, and the sun hasn’t been out to melt the remnants that the plow didn't get. With my arm laced with Callum’s to prevent me from slipping, he leads me up to the front door. A quick scan of his thumbprint and the door is open.
“I will get you added to the system today.” He spits out quickly, like he is worried I am offended that I don’t have access yet.
“Okay, no big deal. Give me the grand tour?” I ask him sweetly.
Stepping in the doorway, I am greeted with lots of natural light coming from down the hallway. The entryway is very light and airy, with light woods and light sand walls. It reminds me of the sand from our cruise. Callum grabs my hand and pulls me down the bright hallway, passing what looks like a huge coat closet as we go.
“I am most excited to show you this.” He pulls me into the kitchen, which is brightly colored like it belongs at a fiesta in Mexico. The tile on the backsplash is blue and white, with some sort of design I can’t make out as he tugs me through a glass door. We step into a room that is primarily made of glass, and my eyes pop out of my head.
“What the fuck?” I spin around in a quick circle, trying to take it all in. There are vents on the floor that warm the space, but there is also a small space heater in the corner. It is almost like they built half a room, but then lined the outward-facing walls and the roof with glass.
“I wanted a room you could curl up in, for all seasons, and enjoy the sun when it is out. All of the windows, minus the roof, have screens and can be opened when it is nice out.” He pullsme into his chest, as I continue to look around at everything. “A greenhouse for my Sunflower.”
There is a white, oversized couch in the middle of the space, and it looks like it will swallow me alive. Blankets line the back, and there is a chest in the corner that appears to be holding more blankets. I take a running jump and land in the middle of the couch and snuggle down into the cushions.
“OH. MY. GOD.” My voice is obscured because it is being muffled by the large cushions. “This is everything, Callum.”
“You have forever to explore this room. Let’s go show you the rest of the space.” Cal pulls me up from the couch and leads me back through the door.
I can now appreciate all the sunlight streaming into the kitchen and dining space. The wall that is shared with my own personal greenhouse is also window-lined. It is the end of February, but the sun is shining, and I love the space. Callum pulls me into the living room that he has designed like a sports cave out of a wet dream.
Sports memorabilia lines the walls for all of our favorite teams. The room is painted grey and a dark blue. Signed jerseys, balls, and photos decorate the walls, and I feel like I might pass out. I sprint from piece to piece, squealing. There is a large television on the far wall with surround sound. I cannot wait for movie nights and baseball to start back up.
The next room he takes me to is upstairs. He leads me down the long hallway to the end room. Opening the door, my breath is stolen right out of my chest. There is a large light wood bed in the middle of the room. This has got to be larger than a king-size bed but not quite as large as the custom bed that Nyx’s guys had made for them. A sheer white curtain drapes down from the ceiling, not covering the bed, but it gives the space a resort feel. Everything not made of wood is made out of a hand-woven beach vibe. Wicker baskets line the small console by the closet,and a gorgeous sea glass chandelier hangs in the middle of the sheer curtains over the bed.
“Babe, it is gorgeous. I feel like I could walk out of the French doors right to the beach.” I jump into Cal’s arms and give him a kiss.
He carries me to the French doors and opens them; the chill of the February day blows across my flesh and gives me a chill. I shiver in his arms, and he sets me down and turns my body to look out over the yard.
There, in front of us, is where the makings of an in-ground pool are going to be. They have poured the concrete, but, of course, they did not bother to fill the pool yet. There is also a large deck surrounding the pool, much like Graham and Demitri’s, with a fire pit off to the side.
