“No, the house isn’t there yet. You guys get to help me pick out the perfect house for our family. And we can go once the cake is out of the oven.”
“But why?”
“So Alex can join us.”
Piping in, Alex tried to decline the invite, but none of us Sullivans were hearing it. We shamelessly begged. I wasn’t above it to get what I wanted, and having her sitting beside me on the UTV was it. She finally relented and agreed to join us.
To kill time, I opened my laptop to reveal the site with the house plans. Outside earlier, I narrowed it down to a few that reminded me of the Sunny Brook Farms house but on a smaller scale. There were only three of us, after all.
Molly and Eloise were sitting on the barstools, eating an apple with peanut butter. Carrying the device over to the island, I flipped the monitor around to show them my top four choices. Molly liked the one with the double porch, while Eloise picked the one with the gigantic fireplace.
“Which one is your favorite?” Alex asked as she came to stand beside me.
“I like them all.”
Her eyes narrowed at me for a moment before turning back to look at the screen. She pressed the pad to flick through the images before returning to the third option.
“No. This is the one you like the best.”
She was right.
“What makes you think that?”
“Because it suits you. It’s both a farmhouse and craftsman style. A bit rustic and modern. Plus, it matches my parents’ house.”
“What makes you think I want something like your family home?”
She didn’t respond. Alex shook her head and moved toward the sink, where she began running water to clean the dishes. I hated and loved that she knew she was right.
Acting put-out, I turned the laptop around again and asked the girls what they would think about living in the house of my choice, and after explaining we could add an oversized fireplace and a really big porch, they both seemed appeased.
Scrolling through the plan details, I called out the important things. “Three beds, three baths, full basement.”
“Don’t you think you need more than three bedrooms?” Alex asked.
I peered at her over my shoulder and smirked as her hips swayed with each swipe of the sponge against the bowl she held. “Naw, it’s just us.”
“But what about guests, or if your family ever expands?”
It was said innocently, but the image of Alex pregnant in my kitchen immediately popped up in my mind.
I had to cough to clear my throat before agreeing that it was a good idea. I probably did need an extra bedroom for my parents if they ever decided to visit. They still hadn’t read the message I sent about the move now being permanent.
“Daddy, you and Miss Alex should dance. Like in that movie.”
I glanced up at Molly in confusion. “What movie, sweetheart?”
She tapped her little chin with her index finger, leaving a smudge of peanut butter behind. “The one with the big dog and the girl who likes books. She has the big yellow dress.”
“Beauty and the Beast?” Alex chimed in as she joined us at the island again.
“Yes!” Molly shouted, a piece of apple spewing from her mouth onto the counter, just missing my hand. Kids really were gross.
“Um…,” I said, looking over at Alex for help but finding nothing but a smirk. “Maybe after dinner.” I then silently prayed they’d forget. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to dance or that I didn’t want to with Alex. It was that having her in my arms was going to feel too good.
“Ugh. You always say ‘after dinner,’” Molly lamented just as the buzzer for the oven went off.
Saved by the bell.
