“This house?”
“Well, if not, then technically, we’re breaking and entering.”
“Logan…” she breathed out.
“You love this house. Every time we walk past it, you stop. I see how you look at it.”
“Logan,” she repeated, her hand flying to her stomach and rubbing it in an unconscious gesture. “How? When? Can we…” She trailed off, the nervous edge to her voice bothering me.
I rested my hands on top of hers, stopping the constant rubbing. It was a huge tell for her now—when she was upset or worried, the baby got a massage.
“Hey, everything is good. Come explore with me, and I’ll answer all your questions.”
We toured the house, and I watched her fall in love. She exclaimed over the original details, the hardwood floors and cove moldings. The layout and size of the rooms. The large converted gas fireplace that would warm the room and look nice on a cold night. She loved the master bedroom that overlooked the backyard with a window seat. The kitchen was a good size, recently updated, along with new appliances, and the bathrooms were fine for now. It gave us a few projects to work on. I planned on turning the basement into a small recording studio, but that was far into the future.
Lottie loved all the nooks and crannies she discovered—the ones she had imagined the house contained. Her enthusiasm grew, her longing evident, and judging from the belly rubs, her nerves. She paused by the large bay window in the living room, looking outside.
“A Christmas tree would look great right here,” I murmured, standing behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist. “Imagine sitting here by the fire, looking outside as the snow falls.”
She turned, tears in her eyes. “I love it, but I don’t understand.”
I smiled and wiped away the tears. “I saw it go up for sale a couple of months ago. I knew you loved it, so I made inquiries. I came to see it and knew you would love it too.”
“I didn’t know you were thinking about a house.”
“I want you to have a home, Lottie. One we can watch our kids grow up in. We’ve talked about a house instead of the condo.”
“I-I thought in the future. When we’re more financially, ah, steady.”
There was one chair left in the house. A large wingback I had asked the owners if I could purchase. They had left it, and it sat to the left of the large window. I guided Lottie over and helped her sit.
“I am very financially stable, Lottie. We both are.” I paused. “I sold some songs to Idleman. He paid me a huge amount of money, plus I get royalties. And he wants more.”
My writing and songs had taken off in a bigger way than I had ever dreamed. I was sought after by other artists, although my main focus, as always, was Bobby. His career was flying high, and he was in huge demand. We both were. I knew in another couple of years, I would never have to worry about money again. Especially given the simpler way of life we preferred. Buying this house had been an easy decision. A smart one, her father had informed me, a small gleam of pride in his eyes.
“Instead of investing in stocks, I’m investing it in this house. In our future.”
She blinked. “You didn’t tell me.”
“I was waiting to surprise you.” I cupped her cheek. “I brought your dad to see the house. To get his advice.”
Her eyes grew round. “Oh.”
“He helped me with the offer. The man is a shark.”
She chuckled. “Not a surprise.”
I drew in a deep breath. “He wanted to buy the house for us in lieu of a wedding gift. I told him no.” I knew neither Lottie nor I wanted that.
“Good.”
“I did, however, accept his offer to hold the mortgage.” I winked. “I’m not stupid enough to turn down a half-percent mortgage. With the big down payment I made and his terms, we’ll own this place in about ten years.”
“We can do it faster with the proceeds if we sell the condo.”
“We can. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to sell or rent it out.”
“I don’t want to be a landlord.”
“Okay, then, we’ll figure that out. Rex wants the apartment, and Trev is looking to buy. Maybe he would be interested in your condo. I’ll talk to him.” I held her hands. “We have possession, Lottie. The house is ours. We can move in, or if you hate it, I’ll resell it.”
“I love it. I really do. I can see us here, raising our family.” Her eyes glowed. “I want it, Logan.”
I smiled. “Good. Since I rejected the house offer, your dad insists on paying for the move. I don’t want you touching a thing, so I agreed. They’ll come in, pack us up, and move us in, and do all the unpacking too.”