AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’s hope.”
44
Madison
“Shouldn’tthe realtor meet us here? There’s no lock box.” I frown a little and shift on my feet as we stand outside a gorgeous older home Quentin has brought me to see. It’s massive but it still has so much character: a wraparound porch with balustrades, a massive tower on one side, so much detailing with spandrels and carved panels, beautifully gabled roof lines, and decorative shingles. It’s hard not to stare at every little detail that went into the place.
“Just went on the market. They let me have the key. It’s not exactly like I can hide from the consequences. I think they know who I am.”
“I guess. It just makes me nervous.”
“It’s fine. I promise,” he reassures me.
“It’s a nice porch out here though. I like it. You could put some pumpkins and mums out here for the fall. A few spiderwebs and a wreath for Halloween. Oh, and we could put a couple of rocking chairs out here. What do you think?”
“I think you’re already decorating the place.” He grins.
“Maybe a little bit. But it’s so cute.” I smile at the painted door and the stained-glass window on the front of it.
Quentin ushers me inside and then flips on the lights for us. I’m stunned when I see the immensity of it. A massive staircase at the end of the entryway and rooms and hallways that dart off from the main entrance. I walk into the side office, running my fingers over the bookcases and peek back out at the view through the window. A view of the porch and the lawn out front—not that there’s much of one as it’s full of flowers and hedges.
Then I walk down the hallway to the kitchen. It’s been completely redone and it’s like someone had a handbook to every single thing I like—from the colors of the cabinets to the counters. Everything about it’s perfect. I see a door at the far end and when I open it, there’s a massive pantry. It has an extra fridge, a second dishwasher, a fancy ice maker, and a small prep sink too. My jaw drops, and I turn around and look at Quentin.
“Okay but seriously, what are the odds? It’s like all the perfect things!”
“Yeah? You should see upstairs.”
“What’s upstairs?”
“A loft and a media room, a few smaller bedrooms, and bathrooms. But the master bed and bath are pretty nice.”
I run up the steps, letting my fingers skate over the banister on the way up. This place feels like home already, and I think I might be ready to beg Quentin to put an offer on it just so that I can stay here sometimes. I definitely can’t afford it. Not in this neighborhood or at this size with all these perfect finishes. There’s another stained-glass window at the top of the stairs, one that has a scene that could be straight out of an Austennovel. A blue-green sea of grass that ends in a cliff that dives off into sparkling azure waters.
“Take a left up there.” Quentin makes his way up the stairs behind me, and we walk through the rest of the bedrooms. They’re all adorable in their own way. Quirky with the way the gabled roof and the architecture create the interior, but beautiful all the same.
“I love these so much. There’s just so much character in this place. But the way they’ve updated it all… It’s like they cared about keeping it authentic as much as possible. Not just tearing everything apart. Whoever their contractor was, we’ll have to find out.”
“This way. The master’s down here.” He urges me on, a smile on his face as I follow him.
When the door opens, I gasp at the sight of it. The room is huge, and a glass fireplace sits in the center of it, dividing it into the space with the bed and a sitting area on the other side. I start to walk that way but Quentin wraps his hand around my wrist and gently tugs me back toward him.
“First, look at the bathroom.”
I raise a brow at his excitement for the bathroom when there’s an obviously gorgeous seating area surrounded by windows right in front of me, but I follow him anyway. The bathroom is exactly like the kitchen. Every detail is the way I would want it. A massive two-person shower that lines the wall, a tub tucked in front of a window that overlooks the back of the house, and his and hers sinks and vanities. Two huge doors go off to the sides of the room and Quentin turns the light on to illuminate his and hers closets. Complete with custom shelving.
“Okay. This is honestly a little eerie. Whoever picked all this had good taste. But I need to see the sitting area.” I walk back toward the fireplace and Quentin flicks a switch that lights thefire, blue flames coming up from the black crystals at the bottom of it.
When I walk around to the other side though, I come up short. There’s a large plaid blanket on the floor along with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
“Um, I feel like we maybe aren’t supposed to be in here. Are you sure the realtor said it was all right?” I turn back to look at Quentin, but he’s disappeared. At least until I look down and see him on one knee.
“What… What are you doing?” My voice is shaky, and I take half a step back trying to process what I’m seeing.
He doesn’t answer and just pulls a box out of his pocket, opens it, and then holds it out for me to take. I stare at him blankly for a moment, trying to make sense of it before I take it from him. It’s a gorgeous ring. Exactly what I would have picked. Simple. Elegant. Just a plain teardrop diamond on a solid gold band.
“There’s an inscription inside. If you hold it near the fire, there should be enough light that you’ll be able to read it.” He says it with the kind of confidence that sounds like he knew it would be like this.
I pull the ring out and move it, so I can see the inscription. I turn it slowly and read the words to myself silently. My heart pounds in my chest as I do it.
