Tame Me (The Macintyre Brothers 3)

ELLA: Big smoochies back at ya! XOXOXO

STEPH: XOXOXO

I smiled to myself as I read over the exchange.

I missed my girl Steph, but if she got accepted to Oxford for her MA, she'd be gone for the next couple of years and we wouldn't see each other except on holidays. We'd been friends forever so I wasn't worried that we'd grow apart, but I would miss her. She'd be part of my wedding and so she'd be part of my life for the rest of it -- I hoped.

As for her finding someone, Steph was one of those bold women who asked men out on dates. I didn't worry about her being alone. She'd find someone when she was good and ready. She was very ambitious and had a list of things to accomplish before she was willing to find a partner and settle down. Oxford was first on the list and after that, a PhD.

She had a heavyweight mind and was intimidating despite the fact she was a total geek girl. She'd have to find a very special man to make her happy. One who was tall enough to at least look her in the eyes.

* * *

We met with Josh's brother Michael, his architect and interior designer the following week to decide what to do with our apartment. The architect went over options for redesigning the living room / dining room / kitchen. Josh wanted one big room so that we could see each other when we were cooking, watching television or having dinner. He grew up in a house with a formal dining room that was separate from the kitchen and he liked the idea of a great room. I kind of preferred the more traditional separation of the rooms, but it seemed really important to Josh, so I said sure -- as long as there was one formal dining room for big family dinners, I was okay with it. Besides, there would be more than enough room in the penthouse apartment for a separate dining room. There would be an office for Josh, one for me, and our master suite. Plus, one guest bedroom that would serve as a nursery when we decided to have a baby.

We both wanted the apartment to be filled with light, and so all the windows would be replaced and enlarged where possible. The flooring would be a mix of blond hardwoods, pale grey ceramic tile and light grey carpet. We decided on a French provincial style for the cabinets in the kitchen and selected the fixtures and appliances to fit. Josh insisted on a chef's kitchen and I didn't argue. I could see us cooking together and hosting dinner parties with our family and friends.

What I was really interested in was my own office, and of course, the patio on the rooftop.

As for my office, it was the smaller of the two, but I didn't want or need anything bigger. There would be a built-in desk and shelving unit, with a hutch where I could store my supplies. There would even be room for a recliner so I could sit and read if I wanted to. It would be my office away from the office.

"When we have kids, you could work from home if you wanted," Josh said while we looked over the room's layout.

"That would be optimal," I said.

We also checked out the plans for the rooftop space. It would be amazing to be able to see the park and city. The view would be breathtaking. I could imagine Josh and I up there cooking on a big grill, sitting on a nice sectional patio set, or sitting in our own hot tub, watching the clouds float by. The rooftop space was big enough that we could even have a space set aside for a container garden and I could grow fresh vegetables.

When we saw the space, it was the first week in January and the weather was cold and blustery, but I could see the space in my head during the spring, summer and fall. If we built an enclosed space, and had some lattice put up to moderate the wind, it would be really pleasant. There was a small area where we could even put a swing set and sandbox, when we had children.

I watched Josh looking over the plans, his face bright with excitement, as he spoke with the architect and designer about possible layouts for the space. He turned to me, smiling, his blue eyes so warm, and I could sense h

is happiness. He leaned over when he caught my eye and kissed me.

"You like?" he asked, holding up one of the drawings.

"I can't wait to see it when it's done."

"Me, either. We're so lucky we found this place. It's going to be perfect."

It was going to be perfect -- just like our life together.

12

Josh

The following week went fast, and the only item on my agenda to accomplish in preparation for the wedding was a call to David to confirm everything. I selected his number for a Skype and waited, smiling at the prospect of how he'd react to the plans.

Finally, he answered and there he was, but he didn't seem quite as chipper as I expected. In fact, he seemed downright depressed.

"Hey," I said when he sounded down. "What's the matter? I called to ask if we could have the wedding at your place on Easter Saturday."

"Oh, man, of course you can," he said, his face lighting up finally. "I'm just in that post-production blues period after a project is finished and you wait for critical reception. You know, you send the EP out to critics and hope for the best. I'm just impatient, I guess and worried that people won't like it."

"People will love it," I said, remembering the music I heard when I was there earlier in the year. "You guys have a huge fan base and they always love your work."

"I hope so, but with Terry gone, I'm sure people will make a fuss. We dedicated the EP to him so I hope that his fans will be happy. So, Easter Saturday, huh? I can't wait. We'll invite all the brothers, and of course, Ella's family and friends. It'll be great."

"Good," I said, relaxing a little. "Both Ella and I thought it would be a great location. We'll probably fly to some exotic all-inclusive place for our honeymoon, but we wanted to come there for a few days before the wedding and spend time there."