Without a word, Nico gets out and steps around to the passenger side, helping me out. I gather up my already bustled dress and follow him up the walkway.
“Nico, are you going to tell me what’s going on, or do I have to guess? Whose house is this?”
To my shock, he fits the key in the lock and pushes open the front door.
Inside, it looks nothing like what I remember. New hardwood floors and light fixtures. Fresh paint and wallpaper. The kitchen has new appliances—not top-of-the-line, but good ones. It’s a solid, small starter home for a small family.
“Are we…investing?” I ask.
“Maybe,” he says. “It’s up to you what you want to do with your present.”
“My…you bought this house?”
He nods. “I hope it’s okay. I didn’t use any of the money we set aside for a down payment. I’ve been working on this for a while, on the side, to surprise you.”
“Is this what you’ve been doing when you’ve been telling me you’re working late? Have you been doing this the whole time?”
Sheepishly, he tells me, “Some nights, yeah. A lot of nights, I actually have been working extra hours to afford the payments on top of our rent.”
I’ve been using the trust fund payouts to pay for childcare and rent, and I’ve been setting aside some of my wages at the law firm in our savings account for a down payment one day.
“It’s not finished. I thought once we get all the baby stuff moved in, you could pick out curtains and rugs.
I’m in shock. I could be upset that he didn’t tell me he was buying a whole-ass house. But it’s Nico we’re talking about. He went so far out of his way to make this a surprise. And he did it on his own because that’s just the way he is. “I love it, I…” I can barely get words out.
Before I can fully step inside, Nico sweeps me up in his arms.
“You’re not upset?”
I cup his jaw as our lips meet in a kiss.
The door closes, and we’re home. This is home.
In the bedroom is the biggest surprise of all. A restored fireplace glows with the light of an iron candelabra. “There’s still work to do on it, on the inside, but that’s a long-term project…”
He goes on to describe all the things he still needs to fix, all the while I’m kicking off my shoes, pulling the pins out of my updo, and looking for somewhere to hang my dress.
It’s just us tonight, and I plan on taking full advantage.
Nico helps me unzip my gown, still chattering excitedly about all his plans for the house.
Once my dress is off, he leans in, kissing me slowly over my bare shoulders, one then the other.
I reach back and thread my fingers through his hair, sighing as electricity crackles through me.
Nico slides his arms around my middle, cupping my breast over the acres of elastic shape wear, still skilled at pebbling my nipples through the fabric.
I’m still so aroused whenever he touches me. I lean my head back against his shoulder and close my eyes, letting him do the work. The tugging, unzipping, and unlatching, followed by the reaching around and finding my excited ache in the space between my legs.
“Nico…”
The way he works me over, teasing every demanding inch of my damp skin, whispering words that make me flood his hands, until…until I light up with a powerful, involuntary shudder.
When I open my slitted eyes, something glints on the wall.
Several somethings.
Little frames, all in gold. All with words…or sayings, and sketches.
